I'm not sure how long I spent in my father's office just crying and choking out my grievances to his books and the portrait of the first Duke. I knew I had to face reality though, and I eventually managed to pull myself together just enough to wipe my tears and clear my head.
If Lizabeth really is at fault, then I need to know the truth. Could it be my father just wanting to set her up and increase my reliance on him? Maybe he realized I was thinking of working with Mage Reginald to take the test for the Tower behind his back and was looking for a way to manipulate me to change my mind about going to the Academy?
Somewhere in my heart I understood that these thoughts were just my fragile mind scrambling to make sense of everything and preserve what little sanity I had left. I knew that losing Lizabeth would be a blow that might break me, and if it was because it was her who had manipulated, abused, isolated, and pushed me to this point…
My body released a shudder so deep and long that the goosebumps felt like they were even reaching the tips of my hair.
Standing around and letting my mind spin in circles over things and trying to procrastinate so that I didn't have to face reality wouldn't help me either, so I screwed my courage to the sticking-place, straightened my back, and left the office.
My father was standing against the wall next to the doors waiting for me, his knight and Sir Trevor posted at the entrance to the hallway. I was grateful for the privacy he had provided for me, even if it didn't serve to endear me to the man.
"Are you ready to go to the dungeons and have you gathered your wits and courage? You'll need both because it's not a place for the faint of heart under the best of circumstances."
The little I know of him inclined me to think that his words were always cold and measured, seeking out a person's attitude and adjusting to their behaviors to benefit himself, but this time I felt a certain small amount of consideration for my well-being.
It's too little, too late father. I will never be a daughter who wants to appease her parents. Not anymore.
"I'm ready, but is there anyway I can hide my appearance from her while observing her interrogation?"
He paused, appraising my statement, before continuing with a suggestion of his own.
"I can have a woman's Knight uniform brought over, one that closely matches your frame. Now that you've gained weight and built a solid foundation of strength it should be easy enough to disguise your figure. You'll have to imitate the demeanor and stance of a Knight though; do you think you can do that?"
"Of course, that should be relatively easy."
Snapping his finger he gestured toward the Knight and Sir Trevor who then quickly made their way over.
"I need a woman's Knight uniform that will fit Marisilea, and a maid that's adept at using makeup for unconventional means. Also is there something that can cover her hair?"
It was Sir Trevor who spoke up this time.
"We could dye it, maybe with something that will easily wash out and just darken the hair."
"That might work well, ask around with the maids. I know a few of them have sneaked into the Knights' quarters and done something similar to avoid implicating themselves. Don't let them know I'm aware, I find it quite amusing when the Knights fidget as their nightly indiscretions are revealed, leading to their extra training time."
At that, the Knight grew pale and rushed off.
"Ah, I probably shouldn't have spoken about that in front of Sir Perrin."
"Probably not, my liege."
"Well, what are you waiting on Sir Trevor, head off to the maids' quarters."
With a bow, Sir Trevor departed as well.
"You'll need to stand far enough back where your eyes aren't visible. The dungeon isn't very bright, so that should be easy if you stand behind Sir Perrin."
"Yes father."
When Sir Trevor and Sir Perrin returned, my father led me to a room nearby where the maid that was brought followed me in alone so I could change and have my makeup and hair fixed. When she was finished, the only feature that could give away who I was were the two bright violet irises with silver flakes. I nodded my head in appreciation and took one more moment to gather myself.
The time I spent changing had allowed me to finally regain my stoic demeanor as well. I can only hope it will be enough to brace me for what's to come.
Leaving the room, I followed my father, Sir Trevor, and Sir Perrin to the dungeons.
They weren't what I had expected. Instead of the smell of mold, urine, and blood it was relatively clean and didn't smell much different than the rest of the manor. It wasn't exactly brightly lit as it was still underground and the small magic lamps were placed farther apart. I surmised that the lower level of light was done deliberately to make the atmosphere at least a little more intimidating for the prisoners. Maybe the books had lied to me, but a thought had crossed my mind that maybe it was because these dungeons were in the Duchy specifically. This only served to plant another seed of doubt about the possibility of my treatment being the fault of my father.
As if that weren't enough, the prisoners I passed all seemed healthy, though a little unhappy. My frown deepened. The dungeon was supervised and the prisoners were subject to proper care, why wasn't my state important enough to warrant even that? There was still blame that could be laid at his feet, even if he wasn't directly responsible for everything.
We followed a staircase at the back of the lower third floor to arrive in front of a large iron door. There was a gap with bars that served as a small window and was situated at eye level. My father stopped us before entering and addressed me.
"We'll be going to see Professor… no, just Henry now. We'll be going to see him first. He has already been stripped of his title and his estate has been seized. It was relatively easy to make him talk, and he's not aware of what has happened to his lands yet. I'll let you decide his final punishment."
I nodded to show my understanding, and he knocked to have the guards open the door. They bowed and remained silent as Sir Perrin grabbed a spear from a small weapon rack before we entered. We still had to pass through a wall of iron bars with a small gate attached to access the next area.
The cells in this part of the dungeon were a bit smaller, the prisoners looked like they had lost hope and were a bit skinnier than the ones in the upper floors. Their state was still an improvement over what I had looked like nearly three years ago.
We were led to a cell close to the iron bars that separated the door from the rest of this area.
There on the floor, on a bed of straw and wearing rough cotton clothes, sat Henry. His once ostentatious clothing and demeanor a far cry from the man before us.
"Stand up Henry, you've called for me so now I'm here."
"AH! You've finally heard my pleas my Lord! I was falsely framed you see, and that vile firstborn pretended to be more injured than usual to attract the attention of others! I was only disciplining her at your behest in place of her Lady's Maid! I never touched the girl, I only used a book to provide a reasonable amount of punishment, you see!"
As he crawled toward my father he reached out to grab at his pants leg. Sir Perrin stepped forward and knocked him back with the butt of his spear, causing him to stumble over and giving him a bloody lip.
"How dare you treat me this way! You're only a Knight and I'm a Baron! My Lord, please release me from the prisons and allow me to defend my honor! I've not done anything beyond what I was ordered!"
"Who relayed my orders to you, Henry."
He looked confused for a moment, and then seemed to understand something.
"It was the maid assigned to the Young Lady's care. Of course I knew that only someone as trusted as her would be given the authority over something that important, and so I followed her suggestions."
He's trying to shift the blame on Lizabeth by portraying his decision as something made after careful consideration. He probably understands that the Duke isn't the one who ordered it now. He's still a fool though.
"What did she suggest you do, Henry?"
"At first I was told to simply add things to her tests and quizzes that weren't covered by the materials she was given. I went along easily enough, providing her with things that were difficult to find or understand. She proved quite intelligent for a firstborn though, and eventually she began to find the answers quickly."
"What happened if she didn't find the answers quickly enough?"
"I didn't know at first. I was told that she would be disciplined because she was a firstborn, but only Lizabeth handled that part."
"You said at first, what happened for you to discover it?"
"When I had begun increasing the questions to the Young Lady because she was too quick, I noticed that she was having trouble focusing on my instruction and looked pale one day. I asked her to stand up, and she stumbled, so the maid assigned to supervise her courses rushed over to support her. At that point I spotted some blood on the back of her shirt. After the class that day I forced her maid to tell me. It was then that I discovered her injuries from the lashings she would receive."
He's an idiot for revealing all of this so easily. What a coward, and he doesn't even realize he's digging his own grave.
"And what did you do after discovering this?"
"I… asked her maid Lizabeth about it… and then… then she told me that you wanted her punishments kept a secret. She cried and said that she was reluctant to do them but that they were a necessity. She asked if I could assist her, but I was reluctant to. I only gave in because she insisted it was your orders and that she wasn't capable of fulfilling them, and that she'd put in a good word for me with you!"
I'm sure he's partially lying this time because he keeps pausing and his actions sure didn't appear 'reluctant' when he was dealing with me. I know he took delight in it, and his exploitation of my injuries occurred as soon as he discovered them. His attempt at portraying his behavior as loyalty to my father is hilarious and disgusting. He still can't seem to say 'Young Lady' without a hint of disgust, and he's let slip 'firstborn' a few times as well. Maybe he thinks my father still dislikes me but is only strictly following the rules.
"Henry, what type of punishment do you think you deserve for your actions?"
"None, my Lord! I was only acting on what I assumed were your orders! If I could have a chance to defend myself you would have a faithful and intelligent vassal returned to your side!"
"And how would you like to defend yourself?"
"My name was besmirched by the Young Lady's maid, and then My Lord's firstborn daughter falsely portrayed my actions in the study that day as cruel and done in malice. If I could defend myself in an honorable duel against a Knight assigned to the Young Lady, I'm sure that would be enough to show my loyalty!"
"You would call for a duel with her Knight to defend your honor? Do you possess the skill to defend yourself?"
"I've trained with the rapier for many years, My Lord. I've seen the Young Lady's practice in the field with her Knight, and I know that he's training her with that blade, so it would be a fair fight."
He's probably counting on any Knight assigned to me being sub-par because I'm a firstborn, and he knows that Sir Verret has an injury over his left eye. Sir Verret normally keeps that eye covered with his hair, but when we're on the practice field he sometimes ties his hair up so that it doesn't get in the way when we're sparring.
"When's the last time you've held a blade, Henry?"
"It's… been over two years. But a gentleman doesn't forget how to handle a blade, and I was considered quite good with it by my instructors. I had also won all of the past duels that I had participated in!"
I'm sure he did win them all. But what kind of opponents was he facing, and how many of them were simply servants or Knights of his own lands?
"I have just the person in mind for you to face, if you think you're capable. Marisilea, would you take up Mr. Henry's challenge and accept his duel?"
I don't understand his intention here. Does he want me to fight someone other than Sir Verret? I've not won a single spar against him, and even if he's a sword master, I don't think my skills are good enough to go against someone who's probably had a few years more training than me. I don't think I'm going to get a choice here, though.
"Of course, father."
At my father's words, and upon hearing my voice, Henry's expression becomes one of delight.
"Is it okay for me to fight a Lady, My Lord? Would it not appear unfair having her face a well trained Lord in the sparring ring?"
"She's shown promise and has been praised by her instructor, Sir Verret. I'm sure she will be capable on the field. I do need to correct you on one thing Henry. You're no longer a Lord. This duel won't just be to defend your honor. If you land a strike I will consider lessening your punishment and restoring your honor. If you win the duel, I will restore your lands to you."
His face went from joy, to confusion, to anger, and finally to hope.
"I will gladly accept My Lord. Though it would be against my nature to fight a young girl in a duel, if it's at your command and to show My Lord's firstborn daughter her mistake, then it would be my honor."
Does he think because my father doesn't show any reaction to his words, that he agrees with his disgusting attitude? I might have believed my father did in the past myself, but now…
Henry attempted to grovel and approach my father again, getting a kick from Sir Perrin this time.
"Don't injure him Sir Perrin, he needs to be in good shape for his duel. I'll order his movement to the upper cells on our way out so that he doesn't think his loss is because of his treatment here."
With that, we moved deeper into the lower dungeons.