Heidi sat on her seat, her brows knitted in worry like every other guest who stood in the grand hall. Viktor and the Queen mother had disappeared through the doors a while ago, and there were no signs of them coming back. Heidi's gaze drifted to the vizier who stepped into the hall, followed by a group of guards, their expressions sullen and pale.
Something was definitely wrong, Heidi thought wryly, her gaze fixed on the vizier. She didn't have to wonder for too long as the vizier stepped forward to make an announcement.
"The king has been murdered," he announced, eliciting gasps and murmurs from the crowd. "A thorough interrogation will be conducted immediately, no one is permitted to leave the castle at any point."
He paused, his eyes scanning through the guests before he continued. "If you try to leave, you will immediately be pinned as the murderer and duely punished. Slave or guest, everyone is involved in the interrogations."
The crowd began to murmur in shock and surprise. "D-does this mean the murderer is here, among us?" Lady Noelle asked, her voice cracking at the end.
The vizier nodded in response to her question. "Nothing has been clarified until the interrogations are over. For now, I implore everyone to cooperate, to find the person behind this heinous act.
Heidi face drained of color after hearing the vizier's words. She was shocked to hear that the king had been murdered and during the celebration. She bit her lips nervously, her mind racing with the implications of being interrogated. She had to change this gown before the interrogations began or her true status would be revealed.
Heidi's eyes darted towards the guards, who had begun to gather the guests into a single file to begin the interrogations. Her gaze drifted to the door and she moved towards it. Taking a look, to be sure no one was watching her, she slipped out of the door.
Heidi entered the adjoining corridor, sighing in relief when she didn't sight anyone. "Please change to the slave gown." She whispered, to avoid drawing unnecessary attention. The fabric shimmered immediately, transforming into the slave gown.
Heidi made to walk out of the corridor, when she heard a voice call out to her. Her footsteps halted immediately, wondering if anyone had seen the gown transform into the slave uniform.
"You over there!" The voice called again and Heidi turned to face the owner of the voice. It was a guard who had a grim expression on his face.
"What are you doing here?" He asked, his gaze narrowing as it rovered around Heidi. "Didn't you hear that the slaves are to be interrogated along with the guests?"
Heidi quickly bowed, her voice apologetic. "Pardon me, I didn't hear of the information." she raised her head slightly to see the guard nod curtly.
"Follow me then, it will soon begin." He led the way, disappearing into the next corridor. Heidi quickly followed behind him, running a little, as she didn't want to fall behind.
Meanwhile, Viktor walked across the castle floors, headed for the room where everyone had gathered for the interrogations. His expression was stoic and there were no emotions in his eyes. Levi walked behind him, following closely in order to keep up with his pace.
His gaze drifted towards Viktor, hesitating a little before asking. "Do you intend to interrogate every single guest? That would take quite a while."
Viktor let out a soft sigh, his footsteps echoing as he walked. There were a lot of guests in the castle, in addition to the slaves. It would surely take a while to interrogate every single person in the castle. It was also not reliable as lies could easily surface the truth. And while they spent their time interrogating, whoever murdered his father would escape.
"I plan to conduct a handwriting analysis, it would be faster than an actual interrogation." His mind went back to the writing on the piece of paper. It was a long shot, but if he could find a matching writing, it would lead him to the murderer.
Levi nodded, his thoughts aligning with viktor's. "And Wilson? His hands were drenched in the king's blood."
Viktor took a deep breath at the mention of Wilson. He had a feeling that Wilson was a red herring, to distract him from seeing the true murderer. It was possible that Wilson stumbled into the scene after the murder had taken place. "I will interrogate him, after the handwriting analysis."
Levi nodded as they got to the interrogation room. The place was filled with guests who stood in one line, and the slaves in another line. Some of the guests murmured, unhappy to share the same space as the slaves.
"Hmmph! I should have a separate interrogation room from these slaves!" Lady Yvonne, one of the high standing guests complained, disgust evident in her voice.
The man beside her nodded in agreement. "True, this is outrageous! I demand a separate ---"
Viktor's voice cut through, stopping the man from saying any other thing. "Noble or slave, you are all suspects in my eyes," he paused, his gaze sweeping through the crowd, before he continued.
"I'll advice you all refrain from making any other silly comments. Doing so will be taken as a confession to the murder."
The guests who had been murmuring earlier quickly shut their mouths, not wanting to be accused of anything.
Viktor's eyes fell on Heidi, who stood at the back with her eyes fixed on the floor. She was wearing her slave attire now but she was no different from when she was dressed like a noble. His gaze drifted back to lady Yvonne, who had started the protest.
"Why don't we begin with you lady Yvonne?" he offered her a smile, that sent chills down the lady's spine. "You seemed quite energetic earlier."
The lady's eyes widened in surprise, she didn't expect that she would be the first person to be interrogated. "M-me?" She glanced around the room, seeking support, but found none.
Viktor clicked his tongue in disapproval, "I'm sure we both know that you are the only lady Yvonne in the room." He turned away, dismissing her, and walked towards the interrogation table.
There were quills, ink and parchments on the table. Viktor took out the paper, which he had earlier secured in his pocket. Turning the parchment towards lady Yvonne, he placed the quill and ink close to the lady who took a seat.
Viktor unfolded the piece of paper, placing the note to face the lady. "Write exactly what you see on this piece of paper." His gaze followed the lady as she took the quill, her hands trembling slightly.
As she finished writing, she dropped the quill, her relief palpable. Viktor's eyes scanned the parchment, comparing the handwriting to the note on the paper. His expression remained stoic, but a flicker of interest sparked within.
The writings were nothing alike.
"Next," Viktor said, his voice firm but controlled, signaling Lady Yvonne to leave.
The lady quickly scurried away, happy to leave viktor's intimidating presence. The next person in line quickly sat down, repeating the process again. As the guests finished writing, the slaves began their turn. Viktor eyes scanned through every writing but none of them matched the writing he was looking for.
"Next," he said, his gaze falling on Heidi who walked towards the table. She took a seat, her gaze anywhere but on Viktor.
Heidi could feel viktor's piercing gaze on her, making her hands tremble slightly. She picked up the quill, before dipping into the ink. Her fingers shook a little, trying to keep the quill in place on the parchment.
Viktor raised a brow, watching her intently. "Are you going to write or not? You will make me think you are the murderer."
Heidi's eyes widened at his words, her gaze finally meeting his. She had obviously been with him since the evening until the masquerade dance. Was he trying to taunt her?
She took a deep breath, steading her hand, before writing the words on the parchment. Viktor's gaze fell on her writing, which was questionably neat for a slave. He waved his hands, signalling her to leave as her writing didn't match the one on the paper.
Heidi hastily rose from her seat, almost knocking it over in her eagerness to escape his intense gaze. She offered a quick curtsy before scurrying away from him.
Viktor's eyes lingered on her retreating back, his lips curling into an amused smile as he watched her disappear through the doors. "How bothersome." He mumbled under his breath.
As the last slave finished writing, the guards took their turn, followed by the royal family. Viktor's gaze drifted to Wilson, standing at the corner, lost in thought. Viktor dipped the quill in the ink and wrote on the parchment himself, demonstrating the process. He raised it for his family to see before placing it down.
Genevieve stepped forward, her tone laced with disapproval. "Is it really necessary for us to write on the parchment? You should focus on questioning Wilson over there." She nodded towards Wilson, her eyes narrowing.
The Queen Mother's expression turned stern, her voice firm. "I respect Viktor's decisions, and you should too, Genevieve. Pointing blames without a proper investigation makes no sense." Her gaze held a subtle warning.
Genevieve's sigh was audible as she walked towards the table, taking a seat. "Alright, Mother, let's get this over with." She dipped the quill in the ink, her handwriting flowing effortlessly onto the parchment. Viktor's eyes scanned the writing, but it still didn't match the one on the paper.
Lady Vivian stepped forward next, followed by the other members of the royal family. Viktor's eyes narrowed as none of their handwriting matched the mysterious note. He was certain every person in the castle had written on the parchment. The inconsistency baffled him.How could none of the handwriting match?