Standing conveniently by the exit, Isaac blocked off one entrance to the left, and a another boy blocked off the right, while by the staircase, an older girl guarded. She had sworn she'd seen them somewhere, but couldn't recall it.
Down by the balcony entrance was another boy, blocking it off, she recognized him as one of the three talking that night during the dinner party about Isaac getting his revenge on Penelope, meaning the other boy must be a different sibling.
It was way too organized to be a coincidence, she thought. Each sibling had quickly shut off exit, while Nyx and the boy from earlier were checking on the man, trying to check his pulse. A bunch of gasps were heard as people exchanged weary glances at one another.
"The Marquis is dead!" She heard the boy shout, Isaac clutching her tightly as she briefly looked at him to see an empty and blank look, reminding her of just who he was, a son of the Argyris family. Just what was happening? She heard a girl screech, only to see Rosalyn fall onto her knees and start crying, some adults trying to comfort her as other adults tried to figure out what to do.
At the worst timing, the Duke entered from the second floor, walking down the staircase to see the commotion. He didn't even need to say anything as Nyx already prepared his best acting face and voice. "The Marquis of Myron has died! The doctor should be arriving to tell us the cause soon, father. We have sealed off the exits and no one is allowed to leave, other than poor older sister Rosa." He said, turning the people's attention back to her.
"Would you take my older sister, Rosa, to rest? I understand if you do wish to stay, however, Lady Myron. I merely hope you two will be alright." His acting was perfect and she nearly felt like he was genuinely concerned for them, but it hit her.
Lady Myron, meaning that one of the girls following Rosalyn was the daughter of that man. Nyx was allowing her to leave the crime scene her father was pronounced dead at, but why? She knew he wasn't going to be that nice, surely?
Shakily nodding, a girl with short blonde hair walked up and tried to help Rosalyn up, the Duke moving aside to let her up. Wordlessly walking over to the corpse, the Duke removed his glove and placed two fingers by his neck, confirming whether he was dead or if it were just a weak pulse.
"Doctor!" She heard a muffled voice outside as Isaac let him in. It was funny, she didn't think she saw anyone leave to fetch a doctor, but perhaps due to the frantic nature of the event, someone did.
"He's alive," the Duke said, staring at the doctor who confirmed it, writing it down. "Tell me what happened." The doctor said, reviewing the body to look for any foul play, or specific marks.
After the boy relayed the information, Nyx added in something that made the doctor exclaim. "I found the marquis conversing with second brother, sir Lortiz…" Without further delay, the doctor pointed an accusatory finger.
"Count Lortiz, you say? Could anyone else confirm it?" He asked, taking eye witness testimony from the people clearly afraid for their own sakes. "This state of paralysis is unique to that of which the count's family makes!"
"A poison which leads one to believe someone is deceased, but is in a deep state of paralysis. I will investigate this further within the infirmary." He said, Nyx and the other boy helping him carry the body of the Marquis.
There were hushed murmurs amongst the crowd, as the one called Count Loritz was already deemed guilty. The count begged and pleaded for the crowd to listen, but no one did. She even heard a whisper being spread around. "I heard that Count Loritz' wife was having an affair with Marquis Myron. Did he do it to spite him?" The whisper soon evolved into even more, about how Count Lortiz specifically planned to teach Marquis Myron a lesson in front of a huge array of people, such as at this birthday party.
She had no clue what was happening, but Isaac was completely calm and collected, same with the Duke and every Argyris child. "Detain Count Lortiz, including his wife and family. Throw him into the dungeons, lock up his family in a guest room until a further proof is acquired. All guests attending tonight will be noted down now, along with their signatures as affirmation, in case the Count was framed."
She saw a girl and boy get taken away, along with a woman by knights who guarded the party. They were by the second exit, and she briefly saw the boy moved, but she assumed it was out of the way. Count Lortiz was handled much harsher, throw around by them and shoved out as he continued to scream he was not guilty. The party scene nearly died as the Duke sighed and rubbed his temple, only for a scream to be heard from upstairs, where Rosalyn and the daughter of Marquis Myron were.
She recognized the scream as Rosalyn, and heard Isaac mutter, "part two," while staring at the boy across from him at the other entrance. Nodding the boy mouthed something back she couldn't quite understand or make out, but it was clear then that this was not an accident to her, rather, this was a crime that they created themselves, for an inexplicable reason.
What was their reasoning for poisoning someone? Going out of there way, even, for a huge group effort? Not only that, but was the Duke in on it? She hoped that whatever part two was, it didn't involve the scream she just heard, and it was something completely unrelated.
Isaac and the other kids keeping watch at the doors immediately begun running for the stairs, as the Duke also turned his attention upwards. "That was big sis!"