374 How to Punish?
Beatrice’s heart began to pump abnormally faster after listening to that blood-curdling threat from the King.
To make the matter worse, she received that threat before she came clean that not only did she not intervene when Tilla was being mistreated by Marcella, but she had also actively participated in threatening Tilla.
She was still hiding the fact that she was also an accomplice to the crime. And yet, the King had already linked her with the crime that Marcella had committed on her own accord.
Beatrice had never thought that Marcella would be foolish enough to forget her status and try to prey on the Queen. Now, she was also going to pay for the foolishness of her friend, which she thought was too unfair.
However, no matter how unfair it was, Beatrice had no other option than to stay quiet. She wasn’t foolish enough to provoke the King into killing her sooner, or worse, killing her slowly and painfully.
“Answer me!”
Beatrice was scared out of her wits when Caspian hollered at her in rage.
“Do you realize how you put the Queen’s life in danger by not taking an initiative to stop your friend?” Caspian asked the maid in a low yet scary tone.
Beatrice held her breath and hung her head low. Her mind stopped working because of fear and all she could do was clutch her gown with both of her palms and rack her brain in search of an appropriate answer.
.....
Before she could answer though, Caspian asked another question while glaring at the body that lay beside Beatrice. “Where were you when the Queen was being abused and attacked by her? Were you just watching the whole thing like a bystander?”
Beatrice instantly looked up and shook her head. “No, Your Majesty! I wasn’t there when the Queen was being attacked. I left as soon as Marcella got what she wanted from Tilla. If I was there then I would have definitely dragged her back to our room before things escalated.”
“Are you sure you would have done that?” Caspian gave an icy-cold glare to Beatrice.
And Beatrice was doubting herself thinking if she said anything wrong or if she said anything that the King didn’t want to hear.
Caspian folded his arms and kept on glaring down at the stunned maid. He was contemplating how he should punish her.
‘What should I do? Should I kill her as I initially intended to? Or should I reconsider doing that? Or should I make an example out of her by killing her in front of everyone? That should work as a warning for everyone else.’
Caspian sighed and suddenly walked out of the punishment room, unable to come to a conclusion.
He headed straight towards the servants’ quarter once more. He stood in front of Tilla’s room and knocked. “Tilla, I need to ask you something,” he said from outside the door.
Vincent was the one who opened the door for the King.
“You’re still here?” Caspian asked while slightly raising his brows.
“Umm… I was about to head towards the Queen’s chamber and see how she is doing now,” Vincent replied.
Caspian simply gave a nod and focused his attention on Tilla. She was still lying on the bed like before. “About that other maid, I wanted to ask if she did anything to you. And if she was still there while Anna was being mistreated by the one who got killed.”
Caspian came all the way here because he wanted to make sure that Beatrice was telling the whole truth before deciding on what to do with her.
If it was before, he would have squeezed out the truth from them by using any means necessary. But for some reason, he didn’t feel like using any means of torture anymore.
Tilla heaved a sigh before answering the King. “She slapped me once and threatened to throw me in the well if I shouted for help. She wasn’t as aggressive as Marcella, but… I was still afraid of her. She went away before the Queen came to find me.”
“Hmm…” Caspian nodded and then asked Tilla again, “How should I punish her? Should I sentence her to death or give her some lighter punishment?”
Vincent glanced at Caspian, surprised that he was asking someone else about how he should punish a criminal.
Tilla wasn’t sure if the King was just testing her or if he was serious. But whatever the case, she didn’t want to decide someone’s fate. Thus, she simply replied, “I don’t think I should have a say in this matter, Your Majesty. The answer will obviously be biased.”
Caspian then turned to Vincent as if he was seeking an opinion from him.
Vincent wasn’t going to easily let the matter slide. He knew that if this matter wasn’t resolved, then it would be a problem later on.
Thus, without hesitation, he said, “She obviously deserves the death penalty. Who is to say that she wouldn’t have misbehaved with the Queen too if she hadn’t left the crime scene?”
Caspian was also convinced that it was the right thing to do after all. “Yes. I think so too. I think I was being too soft for no reason for even considering giving her some lighter punishment.”
Suddenly, Tilla interrupted the both of them by saying, “I am sorry but, may I say something?”
Caspian gave a nod.
Tilla gulped drily and then spoke in a polite manner, “I am sorry but I have been hearing things that have been happening outside of the castle walls. I think Your Majesty is also aware of how things have escalated after the noblewoman was killed, although fairly in a blood duel.”
“Are you talking about everything that Bartholomew is doing?” Caspian asked with a subtle frown on his forehead.
Tilla gave a nod and confessed, “Yes. I got to hear the gossip about how your decision to protect the Queen was costing the Kingdom’s peace. Some were expressing their concerns about how Your Majesty might have overreacted at that time.”
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