"We have not found any necklace with a red gemstone, Your Highness," one of the royal knights reported to Henrie.
Queen Emma clenched her teeth and turned her attention to Lady Heidi, who remained inside the chamber. Lady Heidi shook her head with a devastated expression. The queen then directed her frustration toward another person responsible for the task.
With widened eyes filled with disbelief, she commanded, "Zara, you must also assist with the search!"
Zara nodded and hurried into the chamber, immediately focusing on the pillow. She found nothing underneath it, so she proceeded to flip the pillow several times and thoroughly search the bed and blankets.
"Mother, it appears that your necklace is not here," Henrie concluded.
Queen Emma tightened her fists, unable to accept this unexpected turn of events. She mentally prepared herself to reprimand Zara severely once they returned to her chamber.
However, her immediate concern was finding the missing necklace. The loss of the precious and expensive piece left her in distress, as she had regarded it as a safety net for potential financial needs in the future.
"We must locate the necklace!" Queen Emma felt a wave of dizziness, but Henrie provided support.
"Fear not, Mother. I will find it for you," Henrie assured her. He turned to Lady Runa and inquired, "Lady Runa, when was the last time you saw the necklace?"
"Yesterday, Your Highness. Her Majesty offered to put it on me, but it felt too heavy, so I promptly asked to have it removed. Lady Heidi then took it from me. I did not see it again after that," Lady Runa explained.
What followed was like a bolt of lightning in broad daylight as Henrie fixed a stern gaze upon Lady Heidi and commanded in a booming voice, "Search Lady Heidi's chamber!"
"No, Your Highness. I did not take it. After I removed it from Lady Runa's neck, I stored the necklace in its box. Your Majesty, you also witnessed that, did you not?" Lady Heidi hurriedly exited the room, tears streaming down her face.
As Queen Emma remained silent, Lady Heidi grabbed hold of Lady Rafaela's wrist and pleaded, "Lady Rafaela, you saw it too!"
Met with more silence, Lady Heidi turned to Lady Odetta and Lady Catharina, who offered a similar response. Overwhelmed with desperation, Lady Heidi collapsed and reached out for the queen's feet, her voice filled with anguish, "Your Majesty..."
Queen Emma had to think quickly, considering her next move. Lady Heidi had suggested the plan, and while it had failed miserably, she still needed Lady Heidi for her brilliant ideas. But she needed a scapegoat in case things went awry.
"Get up, Lady Heidi. I know you are not capable of such a thing," Queen Emma commanded.
Struggling to stand, Lady Heidi received assistance from Lady Rafaela, her sobs still echoing as the group made their way toward her chamber. "Your Majesty..." Lady Heidi muttered, her voice trembling with emotion.
"Nothing will happen. Perhaps Lady Runa had hidden it somewhere in her room before we arrived," Queen Emma whispered, desperately hoping for an alternative explanation.
Unfortunately, the worst possible scenario unfolded before them. While searching Lady Heidi's chamber, one of the knights discovered the necklace exactly where Zara had described - under the pillow.
Queen Emma and Lady Heidi exchanged accusatory glances, their anger and disappointment directed toward Zara.
The queen entertained the possibility that Zara had mistakenly placed the necklace in Lady Heidi's room instead of Lady Runa's.
However, the chance of such an error seemed unlikely, considering the distinct locations of their respective chambers. Lady Heidi resided on the second floor, close to the queen's chambers, while Lady Runa occupied a chamber on the first floor.
As the thought of intentional deception crossed the queen's mind, she noticed Zara's pale complexion.
Could Lady Runa have orchestrated this elaborate ruse? Queen Emma found the notion difficult to accept.
"Impossible..." Lady Heidi muttered, her voice filled with disbelief, as she staggered to the side and leaned against the wall for support.
Attempting to diffuse the escalating tension, Queen Emma addressed her son, "My prince..."
However, Prince Henrie had already made up his mind. He interrupted his mother, declaring, "Lady Heidi, I am sentencing you to imprisonment for the crime of theft within the palace grounds."
***
While preparing the bed for Yohana for the night, Thea found the necklace she had seen that morning. She was so surprised that she dropped the necklace but quickly picked it back up, fearing she might damage something so expensive.
After her bath, Yohana saw Thea kneeling on the floor, trembling and crying. In front of her lay a familiar necklace. "My Lady… What should we do now?"
Suddenly, the necklace with a prominent Prouz was discovered under Yohana's pillow. She immediately realized it was the queen's doing.
Despite this knowledge, she knew she couldn't act recklessly. Not only was this piece a prized possession of the queen, but any misstep could have grave consequences for both Yohana and Thea.
For now, gathering information was of utmost importance. However, who would willingly provide information about the queen? Yohana was certain that anyone with valid information would be on the queen's side.
"My Lady…" Thea whimpered.
"Calm down now, Thea," Yohana said, helping Thea up and placing the necklace on the table. "For now, I will speak to the only person I can trust in this palace."
Yohana took a handkerchief and gently wiped Thea's tear-stained face. While Thea struggled to steady her breath, Yohana grasped her arms, looked her in the eyes, and said, "Thea, go to Henrie's chamber and tell him that I need his help. Ensure that neither he nor you are seen."
Nodding, Thea rose and followed the instructions, while Yohana patiently waited in her chamber, pondering alternative ways to mitigate this problem.
Shortly after, Thea returned with Henrie, and they hurried inside to prevent any witnesses to their secret meeting. The first thing Henrie did was check Yohana's condition, genuinely worried. "Runa! Are you alright? Are you hurt?"
Yohana shook her head. "No, I'm not hurt, Henrie. I'm asking for your help regarding this." She led him to the stunning jewelry on the table.
"This is... What is this?" Henrie looked confused. He seemed unfamiliar with jewelry, or perhaps he had never paid attention to what his mother wore.
"It's Queen Emma's necklace," Yohana explained, detailing the peculiar incident that occurred that morning, her suspicions, and the sudden, mysterious appearance of this piece under her pillow.
"Who found it?" Henrie inquired.
"I did, Your Highness," Thea answered, squeezing her hands tightly as she maintained her gaze on the floor. Tears began to drip down her face.
Yohana came to Thea's defense, even though no one had blamed her. "This is not Thea's fault. You also know that Thea was with us the entire night. It's impossible for her to have done this."
"Yes, I know," Henrie agreed, contemplating for a while before speaking again. "This must be one of my mother's games to make things difficult for you. She's been pretending to accept you, but I know it won't be that easy."
"Returning it to her chamber wouldn't be a good option. She'll be there with her ladies-in-waiting and maids. Even if I try to explain, the blame will still fall on me or Thea," Yohana shared her thoughts.
"You're right. Thea, you're a maid. Do you know any of the queen's maid we can talk to? Someone who would be willing to help us?" Henrie turned to Thea.
Forced to think on the spot, Thea's lips quivered as she searched for someone. Shaking her head, she reasoned, "Zara is the head maid. She is loyal to the queen. No one will dare say anything, even if they have a lot to say."
Suddenly, Yohana was reminded of Lady Rafaela. In her numerous encounters with Queen Emma, Yohana had observed that Lady Heidi held the real power. She seemed to have the queen's trust and could manipulate the other ladies-in-waiting to her advantage.
"Henrie, what do you know about the queen's ladies-in-waiting?" Yohana inquired.
"Hm? I know that Lady Heidi's husband is the heir apparent to a dukedom. She comes from an influential family herself, not lacking in power compared to her husband. Lady Catharina is the daughter of a Margrave, and Lady Odetta is the daughter of an official," Henrie disclosed.
"What about Lady Rafaela?" Yohana noticed that Henrie had not mentioned her, indicating that Lady Rafaela held lower status, power, or wealth compared to the other ladies-in-waiting.
Yohana had witnessed several instances where Queen Emma mistreated Lady Rafaela. Combined with the fact that Lady Rafaela had shed tears merely for being invited to join a lunch, Yohana became convinced that Lady Rafaela might hold the key to escaping Queen Emma's trap.
"Lady Rafaela? Oh, the newest lady-in-waiting? I don't have any information about her. I believe the queen chose her at the last minute because none of the suitable candidates pleased her," Henrie remarked, further supporting Yohana's assumption.
Yohana made the decision to meet with Lady Rafaela. With Thea following closely behind, Yohana proceeded to Lady Rafaela's chamber. After being granted permission to enter, Yohana took hold of Lady Rafaela's hands and spoke, "You deserve so much better."
Lady Rafaela was perplexed by these sudden words. "Lady Runa, I'm afraid I don't understand what you mean," she replied.
"I know that you are involved in Queen Emma's scheme to trap me. Was it you who placed the Prouz necklace in my chamber, Lady Rafaela?" Yohana calmly presented the accusation.