Eyeki moved her children out of the palace when the others were at the feast. She couldn't guarantee their safety. She hid her mother and children in the marvel cave. The marvel cave was made by Mbaku when he was a teenager and only Eyeki and Jabari knew about it. The cave led to Mbaku's hut and also to Ethiopia, a country on the northside of Wailand. Eyeki could only relax after she hid them. She knew it was going to be difficult to save Diemo, but she believed Mbaku would definitely come up with something. Until Mbaku come up with something, she had to make her family's safety her topmost priority. Eyeki went back to the palace, stood her at her balcony, and watched as other members of the family enjoyed themselves at the feast. Undeniably, she was happy for Mbaku but couldn't attend the feast held in honor of his marriage because she would only be labeled as the "traitor's wife". Diemo's manor was not very far from the Royal dinner garden so she could clearly see whatever went on in the garden. Eyeki admired Zui for her ability to talk freely to anyone, as she looked at Zui who kept chatting with some wives of the princes. Eyeki saw Mbaku staring fiercely but couldn't figure out who Mbaku was looking at. Eyeki smiled when she saw Zui shake her head at Mbaku who stared back at Zui. Eyeki stood there to observe the people at the feast for some time and went back into her hut.
******
Buka and Nana, as well as Zui's stepmothers and siblings, were present at the feast. Buka noticed something odd about Mbaku. He followed Mbaku's gaze and realized he was staring at Ndaka. Buka felt a little relieved when he saw the action his daughter took to calm Mbaku down. 'Why would Mbaku stare at Ndaka that way?' Buka thought. He hasn't forgotten about the King's command in relation to the golden sceptre. He was at the feast mainly for two reasons, to make sure Zui was happy and to find clues that will enable him to find the golden sceptre as soon as possible. Even though, Ndaka was always calm nobody ever knew his ulterior motives. Ndaka wasn't an easy bait since he was a strategic planner just like Mbaku. Ndaka smiled a lot and looked harmless and everybody liked and respected him because he was playful and joked around a lot. Buka knew Ndaka wasn't an easy-going and simple man like he's made people believe he was. He decided to interview Ndaka to see if he could find any clue. Buka walked to Lady Shui and had a brief chat with her. He saw Ndaka approaching him so he stood his grounds and watched Ndaka approach him.
"Congratulations General!" Ndaka said with a smile. "You have now joined hands with the Royal family"
"Thank you, my prince" Buka replied with a smile.
"You have raised your daughter very well," Ndaka said.
"Thank you, my prince"
"It seems she's the only one Mbaku has eyes for," Ndaka said looking at Mbaku and Zui.
Mbaku was staring at Zui as she chatted happily with Lady Shui and other women.
"They look good together," Buka said.
"Yes. That's very true" Ndaka replied. "It's sad Diemo tried to sabotage their marriage".
"But the good news is they're now married" Buka replied.
"Yes, but I can't stop thinking about why he tried to sabotage the marriage"
"Diemo is the only one who can explain why he did that"
"Don't you resent him?" Ndaka asked as he turned to look at Buka.
Buka smiled as he knew where the conversation was leading to.
"I don't think I do. Maybe he's been framed" Buka replied.
"Who do you think has the capability to frame, Diemo?" Ndaka asked looking suspiciously at Buka.
"I can't tell because everyone looks innocent but everyone is also a suspect" Buka replied as he looked at Ndaka.
"I wish I could have more conversations with you," Ndaka said.
"You can visit me in the future" Buka replied with a smile.
Ndaka smiled and walked away. Buka finally understood that the power struggle among the princes has begun. They would stop at nothing until they see each other cry in pain. From the conversation he just had with Ndaka, he knew Ndaka had something to do with the missing golden sceptre. Buka signaled T'chapa to come over. T'chapa walked to him immediately.
"Follow Ndaka, look into him and bring me the report later" Buka ordered with his eyes fixed on the palm wine in his hands.
"Yes, General" T'chapa replied and began to walk around the garden.
T'chapa has been loyal to Buka since he joined the army. He would do everything Buka asked him to because Buka saved his family from death years ago when the Queen mother, Lima the mother of King Ouko, the current King, had wanted to kill them. Since then, he pledged himself to be loyal to Buka. Buka liked T'chapa because he was smart, intelligent, and sneaky. It was very unfortunate T'chapa wasn't good when it comes to martial art. Buka looked at Queen and felt sad for her even though he knew she was up to no good.
*****
The King kept looking at his sons and realized they were unduly happy. 'What could be the source of this happiness?' the King asked himself. He noticed Zima looked calm even though his own brother from the same mother, Diemo, was in prison. Suddenly everyone present at the dinner became a suspect in the eyes of the King. The King also noticed how Mbaku glared at Ndaka and realized there was something wrong. Mbaku was not the type to let down his guards that easily. Why now? the King thought. He saw how happy Lady Shui was and felt relaxed. He looked at his Queen and realized she looked frail and ill.
"Do you want us to leave now?" the King asked as he looked at the Queen.
He had cared for this woman for a very long time and couldn't stand to see her looking so sad even though he never loved her. He married her because he was weak and wanted a powerful family to support him in his fight for the throne. He married all his wives for the sake of politics with the exception of Lady Shui. Lady Shui was the third daughter of the Leali family. They were powerful but didn't want to be caught up in the struggle for power among the princes. After a lot of persuasions, they finally gave in and allowed him to marry Lady Shui. He made the Leali family know that he would not rely on their support to be King, all he wanted was the woman. After he became King, he decided to make Lady Shui his Queen but Queen Abiola's family won't allow him. Eventually, they framed the Leali family in order to prevent him from making Lady Shui his queen. He made Abiola queen instead to calm the seas.
"Yes," Queen Abiola replied with her eyes fixed on the sliced fruits in front of her.
The King then signaled the eunuch beside him to announce his departure as he rose to leave the feast with the Queen.