"Maiden, tell us the truth. Did he really force you?" Osaze asked. If possible, he wanted to clear his son's name. This was not just about getting a wife, his son's reputation was also at stake.
The maiden felt a cold sweat run down her back at this question. Of course, the young man had not touched her; he was helping her out of kindness.
This was not the plan. The man had told her clearly that as long as she hugged the young man, he would force himself on her, and then people would arrive to catch him in the act. That way, Efosa would be compelled to marry her to cover up his "crime." This would ensure she
smoothly became the first wife of the heir of the general's family. Otherwise, given her background,She was not qualified to become his wife.
She had followed the instructions, but Efosa had not done anything to her. "What do I do now?" the maiden thought, panic racing through her mind.
She was unwilling to give up the Opportunity to marry such a good husband. Besides, what would happen to her if she admitted to falsely accusing Efosa? "I am telling the truth; l have no reason to lie. I don't know how you managed to put your clothes on so quickly when you heard people approaching,'' she cried.
Everyone turned to look at lyare again. Although she was fully dressed, her clothes looked slightly disheveled.
"We fell down just now. It's normal for my clothes to look disheveled," lyare said calmly. Although there are no witnesses, Iyare was confident to prove herself innocent.
"If I had not witnessed it today, I would never have known you could lie so well. You are dragging our family's name through the mud," Osaro said angrily. He had carefully crafted this plan and would not let it fail now.
"Uncle, you know our family values honesty. Ever since I was young, I've followed Grandfather's teachings: A good name is better than riches.' I am your nephew, but you choose to believe a stranger?" lyare challenged.
Osaro had not expected Efosa to be so articulate. The boy was spoiled, and he thought it would be easy to ruin him. "Efosa, though I am your uncle, l will stand by the truth. Father and Brother are also here. The Edosa family are honest people. We would not support you if you are wrong," Osaro declared. He was confident Efosa could not outwit him.
"Ah! Honest? Uncle, I think you're just out to hurt me. You must be jealous because | outshine your son. So, it doesn't matter whether she speaks the truth or not; you want to ruin me,'' lyare retorted.
Everyone was surprised by lyare's words, but they made sense. Osaro, as the general's firstborn, might resent losing the position of heir to another branch of the family. Everyone present knew Edosa was
a just man. No matter how skilled Efosa was, if today's accusation held, he might lose his position, creating an opportunity for Osaro's son.
"Stop talking nonsense!" Osaro shouted, raising his hand to slap lyare. This time, lyare dodged the slap with quick reflexes. She was used to taking beatings from her mother but would not let her uncle hit her for no reason.
"How am I talking nonsense?" lyare questioned.
"If it's not nonsense, are you calling us all blind? We clearly saw you with our own eyes,'' Osaro replied.
"There's a saying: 'Every lie has a loophole. Uncle, when you came, you were the one who pulled me away from her. When did I have the time to put my clothes on? You've all been watching me since then,' lyare countered.
Hearing lyare's words, everyone fell
silent. There was truth in what she
said.
They had all witnessed Osaro pulling her up from the maiden. She truly hadn't had the time to dress.
lyare swiftly lifted her garment to reveal her innerwear, still intact. "Grandfather, Father, everyone, see for yourselves I haven't even removed my innerwear. How could I have touched her?" lyare declared, not giving her uncle a chance to continue with his accusations.
Judging by the situation, her uncle seemed to be behind this setup. lyare could have proven her innocence from the beginning but wanted to observe everyone's attitude.
"How can this be?" Osaro was shocked to see his nephew fully dressed. He had clearly spiked Efosa's palm wine with a herb meant to cloud his judgment and drive him to act on impulse. To ensure success, he had sent the maiden to him but nothing had happened.
"So, the maiden is really lying?" one of the warriors asked.
"Of course she is! My son has already proven his innocence,' Osaze quickly defended his son.
"You've all seen it. What do you think? I don't want it to seem like my family is using our power to silence a poor maiden,' Edosa asked the warriors.
"This... I think your grandson is innocent. But why would a maiden lie about such a serious matter?" one warrior asked.
"That's right. Sometimes, things are not as simple as they seem,' the second warrior agreed.
"I am willing to go before the God of Truth and swear an oath,'' lyare said firmly. In disputes like this, the guilty party would face divine punishment if they lied under oath.
"Yes! Let my son swear,' Osaze agreed, eager to clear his son's name.
"Maiden, as long as you're telling the truth, you won't have a problem taking the oath tomorrow at the hut of the gods, will you?" Edosa asked.
The maiden had stopped crying, knowing her lie had been exposed. She dared not swear an oath. "My parents would rather kill me than let this incident become public," the maiden stammered.
lyare was surprised by the maiden's stubbornness, even at this point.
"Father, this is a serious matter. Let's think of another way," Osaro interjected, wanting to leave room for rumors.
"Grandfather, since she's afraid her parents might harm her, how about we take her into our home and send someone to inform her parents? This way, they won't have the Opportunity to harm her," lyare suggested.
"Father, let's do as Efosa suggested. We can't let a girl die if she's telling the truth, but neither can we let Efosa bear false accusations," Osaze added. His statement pleased the two warriors.
"This is true. Since both are insistent, only the gods can reveal the truth," the second warrior agreed.
"Maiden, are you willing to swear?" Efosa asked.
The maiden hesitated.
"Think carefully before answering. The gods cannot be fooled. If you confess now, you may be punished,
but your innocence won't be completely ruined, giving you a chance at redemption,'' lyare offered, extending a lifeline.
After all, someone might have coerced her into this act. Only by saving her could they uncover the real mastermind behind the scheme.