Whoever was accusing her had rock solid evidence, that's why the guards weren't asking her questions as they hauled her away.
They were so sure of her guilt that they just expected her to be sorry rather than protest.
The only reason she wasn't protesting was because she had been expecting them but she still wanted to know of the accusations so she could investigate how it was made up and who made it up.
That would have to wait until she got back from North Chedii. The important thing at the moment was to get the Prince out of danger then she could come back to play investigator.
The trek to the cold palace was quite long and as she was sleepy she leaned her head on one of the guardsmen to rest. Seeing as she was being taken straight to the Cold Palace after arrest means that whoever accused her made sure such accusations and evidence was presented before the King.
She had probably been accused of something that requires a punishment worse than the cold palace, Esmeliyah pondered. Possibly a beheading. But the King would have ordered her isolation in the cold palace.
She imagine whoever her accuser was probably set a big trap to eliminate her at once and now they would be frustrated.
I might get a dark suited visitor in the cold palace when I'm not even around she thought.
Well that's for the other harem spies to figure out. Her headache at the moment was getting in and out of North Chedii.
She remained lost in thought until the guardsman tossed her , shr flew a few feet in the air and landed on a dusty floor, the door behind her slammed shut cutting off the little light from the moon and trapping the space in pitch black darkness.
Colene who had been taken with her began to cry.
'Your highness why would you aspire for this wretched state'.
Rolling her eyes, Esme whistled a tune into the still darkness and a light flickered on at the far end, illuminating a small part of the room.
The room was quite big, it was rectangular in shape and had a lot of width for a rectangle.
Holding the light was No face and in the corner where he was standing were two tall stacks of quilt and three large barrels. There was also a large chest.
'Colene I am here to meet with my lover', Esme answered pointing to where No face stood.
The maid sputtered and choked on her saliva as Esme sauntered up to No face.
'What do you have for me?'
'Just some essentials, you're not a real wicked, manipulative, lying bitch married to the King'.
'Awwn', Esme said thinking about all the torture she had been put through just so she could be certified as being able to keep a secret.
She opened the barrels, two of them were full of water. One drinking and one for cleaning she assumed.
The last barrel was filled to the brim with fruits, apples, pears, mangoes basically any fruit that was a grab and eat.
'Nice', she murmured.
'You will get one standard meal a day till you leave and so will your maid. In the mean time stuff yourselves with nature's gifts'.
Esme opened the chest which had a few other necessities like a change of clothes, some lamps and even a set of women dirty towel(sanitary pads).
She also found some knitting and embroidery tools with some books which she raised her brows at.
'For the maid', No face said, 'She'll be here by herself when you leave'.
Esme turned to Colene.
'See Colene you're getting a vacation, one royal meal a day, some fruits, no work and no orders from your annoying mistress'.
'Your highness I would nev-', Colene began to protest but Esme waved her off.
'I see how you look at me. You think you're sneaky when you make those faces'.
The maid remained silent but Esme smiled.
'So No face what else have you got for me?'.
'Tommorrow. We'll layout the details tommorrow. I'm just delivering your stuff for the night'. He looked straight at Colene 'The rats and roaches have been well cleared out and won't be coming back you can stop looking around like that now'.
Esme hauled in laughter and settled under two layers of the large stack of quilt. There was no fire and it was quite chilly but the quilts above her warned her well and the ones beneath her were more than comfortable. Definitely better than the cold jungle floor.
'Colene', She called already feeling the pull of slumber, 'come start your vacation girl'.
The maid began shuffling her feet towards her mistress.
Esme was sound asleep before Colene climbed into her own set of quilts, neither were aware when No face left.
The next morning, Esme opened her eyes to see a shadow dancing a few feet away from her quilts. The familiar gait informed her it was No face.
She groaned sitting up and rubbing her eyes.
'How long have you been pacing in my palace?'.
'Before sunrise, your highness'.
'Did you even leave last night?, did you get any sleep?'
'Yes and no. Are you fully awake now?'
Esme grinned wide at the luxury of rising after the sun in a calm and busy-less palace. She hadn't had sleep like that since she was eight.
'Yes. Oh what a glorious morning it is'.
'Good come look at this map of North Chedii'.
Esme's smile blanked , 'At least offer me breakfast no face'.
'You're in the cold palace your highness, there won't be a meal until noon. Grab a pear and come sit across from me'.
Esme grumbled as she splashed some water on het face, drank some water, grabbed a pear and sat cross legged on the floor across from no face.
The cold floor pinched her bottom immediately and she screeched for Colene only then realising that the maid was not in the room.
'Where's Colene?'
'I tasked her with some gardening, she'll be idle for a while so she should try some long term hobbies especially the kind that can keep her fed.
Rolling her eyes, Esme got up and grabbed her warm quilts arranging them opposite from No face.
'I'm ready', she announced when she was comfortably sat with an assortment of fruits in her lap.
No face rolled out a large scroll that covered the space between their seated poistions.
'This is a map of North Chedii'.
Esme bit into a juicy mango slurping loudly, 'How accurate is this'?
'It was acquired six years back, a state spy drew it'.
'Has it been revised?'
'Every two years since'.
'What would you say the reliability percentage is?'
'Ninety-six percent'.
'That's pretty confident'
'Yes your highness I revised it myself two years ago. State spies stationed in North Chedii have not reported any major changes to the landscape since then. I think its accurate enough'.
'Okay then lets study this thing. What's the quickest way inti the palace?'.
'Aren't you skipping too far?' No face asked rolling up the map.
'Hey-' Esme started to protest but before she could even finish her statement, No face rolled out a different map.
'Lets look at the route you are taking into North Chedii. You are solo travelling'.
Rolling her eyes, Esme asked. 'Alright so mountains or rivers'.
'The rivers get colder and colder the further north you travel and if you stick by the mountains you will have to deal with some bandits. I know bandits aren't much of a trouble for you but you nees to lay low entering the city. I won't have you on such an important job with fresh Injuries because you couldn't avoid a couple flights'.
'The rivers are freaking cold and lack good shelter unlike the mountains'.
'The mountains will be cold too-', No face began.
'-with some shelter', Esme finished.
'I'll provide you a tent but you must travel along the river'.
Esme didn't want to argue any further.
'Travel disguise?', she asked sucking the skin off a grape.
'You're traveling solo of course you have to go as a male. Don't worry someone will be waiting on you at the border. You're cross over should be easy'.
Esme nodded just thinking about the journey, it would take her six days to enter North Chedii's borders.
'Now about your entrance to the palace...', No face continued.
The morning went on and Esme and No face hashed out details into the mid noon.
When all the possibilities had been secured with plan A's and plan B's. They wrapped up the maps and stood.
'I'll send your lunch, your highness and you should get some sleep. You'll be leaving by midnight'.
Esme just nodded her mind flooding with details on details.