"Then let us call the chief maid and the king's chef." Axel also nodded, forcing Amy to agree with them as well. "The two of you... can leave. But you're not off the list yet." She added.
"Thank you, my lady."
"Thank you, my lady."
The two bowed once more and left the area in a hurry. After a while, the ones bowing before everyone were two ladies of varying beauty. Yet each of them, were as pale as dead bodies.
"I won't beat around the bush, so be outright with me. Tell me the truth, and maybe, just maybe, we might not make this hard for you." Amy said after a moment of silence, right when the two servants were about to break down.
Her words were calm, and her expression serene, but her glare was full of hate and anger. And everyone could feel it straight to their bones, let alone the two of them.
"My lady, I am not aware of what is going on. I have nothing to do with–"
"I don't want to hear that. It's either you answer what I ask, or keep quiet and go to hell." And as usual, Amy did not allow anyone below her to speak as they pleased. Especially so, when her question wasn't being answered.
"Why don't we calm down, Amy? This situation needs delicate interventions." Axel smiled lightly and diffused his younger sister's words, who reluctantly had to agree and calm down.
"Now that's more like it. Head maid, we will deal with you first, I hope you don't mind." He kept his smile and took the situation under his control.
"Yes, your highness." The head maid nodded at his words, and took a deep breathe as to calm down her nerves.
"For starters, do you know the maids that were responsible of serving the king, and preparing the table today?" He asked, and she lightly nodded her head. "Very good. Now, are you sure they would never do such a thing as to poison the king?"
"Under normal circumstances, no, your highness. But if perhaps, they were threatened or under special circumstances, I am afraid I do not know." She said.
"Are you claiming that one of us here would force you guys to poison my father?" Amy's anger piled up even more as she queried.
But the head maid did not say anything, and only shook her head. Instead, the one to speak was still Axel, "Now now, she does have a point. So let's loosen up, shall we?" He said, his smile getting even brighter.
"Whatever." Amy clicked her tongue in annoyance. She knew that Axel was enjoying the opportunity to make her out as the bad person, and him as the good guy.
"Thank you." He said, and that only drove more of her anger to boil. Yet he ignored her, "I see your point, head maid. Alright, you're dismissed. Please take care, and, our apologies for wasting your time like this."
"...It's my pleasure to have a conversations with you instead, your highness. Please excuse me." She stood up, performed a noble bow, and left right afterwards.
"Why did you let her go?" Amy interrogated, and he casually responded. "We cannot keep her here, when she was physically not present. Otherwise, what makes you less of suspect than her, since you also weren't here moments ago?"
"..."
Amy was left shocked and speechless, hence her pulling back on the matter. Adison and Alison also frowned, as those words made sense... They weren't off the hook either.
Axel looked down on the king's chef, a smile of nonchalance on his handsome face. "You're the king's chef, are you aware of that?" He asked, his tone implying that he was not conducting an interrogation of sorts.
"Yes." But she responded nonetheless, fear slowly creeping onto her bones regardless of how sure she was that she was innocent.
After all, cooking food was a risk in and of itself. One can just make a mistake, and create poison instead. Or on the off chance, she gave the king something his body had negative reactions towards to.
Even if it wasn't directly her fault, she would still get fired. Or maybe even be hanged for attempted murder of the king.
"Marvelous. Now what did you give to the king this evening, after dinner?" Yet Axel made it seem as if all her worries were for naught. His tone was quite gentle and soothing.
"Nothing, your highness. His majesty had no contact with me, nor my staff, right after he had had his dinner." She responded as such, and he nodded in understanding.
"Then it can not be an error that led to food poisoning, since we as the family, are okay." He said, then added "And it can not be direct poisoning either, as the food testers are not dead yet."
Everyone nodded in understanding, and the king's chef felt the large weight on her shoulders as heavy as a ton, decrease.
"But, that doesn't mean you do not have any tricks up your sleeve. After all, with how everything is becoming strange and supernatural, whose to say that you can do a miracle?" His smile brightened.
People could now cut down buildings, shape nature, summon creatures, and even heal wounds or regrow limbs, whose to say one cannot create a unique kind of poison?
"No, your highness–"
"Shh. It's alright. Just come clean." He knelt down, and used his fingers to lift her head to look at him, straight directly within his eyes.
The king's chef was a woman in her forties, almost the same age as their father. She was a bit haggered, and weared out by life, but her beauty still remained the same.
But at this moment, when her eyes lined themselves with those of Axel, she felt a chill so cold, it froze her bones, run down her spine. Those eyes, they were completely dead, with zero emotions, contradicting his smile and tone.
Coldness no man, could imagine a normal person could exude. And as frail as she was, her heart froze and sank to the deepest pits of hell.
He then smiled even brighter as he whispered to her, "Come out clean,and admit your sin. Who knows, if you do, you might just save your family, your friends, and most importantly... my time. Or else..."
...!!!
Her heart sank even lower than the pits of hell, as at some point, she couldnt even feel her breathe, but only his intoxicating voice. "Now, come clean and admit your sins. You've killed the king, didn't you..?"
She tried to deny, but her voice failed her, and only her thoughts rang out. Yet even then, they were easily overpowered by his lustrous words of authority. 'No, I–'
"You killed the king, didn't you?"
'Your highness, I–'
"You, killed, the king, did you not?"
Her world suddenly went dark, and then, she was presented with countless vivid images of her poisoning the king, over and iver again. Everything felt real, and true.
Her senses then returned, and her eyes dulled out. The interaction from the whisper and her mental breakdown only lasting a few seconds. "...Yes, I've killed the king." She blurted out.
"Oh? Really now? How nice of you to come out clean. Well then, that's decided." He stood up and looked back at everyone and added, "You've heard her right? It seems I've got the deed done."
"What... did you whisper to her?" Adonis frowned, finding g the whole situation quite unsettling for him. But Alonis sighed as he replied, "Just him using threats."
"So he threatened her to take the blame? Eldest brother, that's not how we solve situations." His frown grew more and more unsatisfied, but Alonis responded once more. "I wouldn't put it like that."
"What do you mean?" Adonis was surprised, and so was Amy, who was about to snicker at Axel for his underhanded tactics.
"He only told her how if she didn't come clean, and was found to be at fault, he would simply kill her, her friends and her family. Detestful, buy efficient nonetheless." Alonis explained what he heard, and comprehended.
"...But that's cruel." Adonis frowned once more, yet Axel shrugged his shoulders with a casual smile. "It worked, and always does. Let's wait to hear about father's situation, shall we? And as for you–"
Everyone turned back to the king's chef, whose thoughts were here, but her body not. 'E–Everyone, please, please don't believe me!! I... I don't know... what I'm saying...' Her soul cried for justice, yet to no avail.
For her body's response was to tremble in guilt and shame, no words being said. Axel then continued, "–Stand by. Just in case father is still alive, just show yourself out, and never appear before our faces. Clear?"
"...Yes, your highness. Please, excuse me." She forcefully said, yet no one thought strange of her tone. They believed she was being strangled by immense guilt or regret.
Everyone then stood aside, and waited for the door to their father's room to be opened. And they did not wait for long, as the interrogations had wasted quite a lot of time.
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