The Exchange Ch. 08

Jorun nodded. "I have more to say, if the Great Dowager would allow it."

"Go on." The grandmother's face almost smoothed out a little, just almost.

Lataa's toes ached and tangled under her backside.

"I strongly believe that the person who arranged for the viper to be sent to my mistress' cell framed her for her alleged crimes, and waited so long to send the viper because they wanted her to suffer."

Another gasp from Nitishila, and he reached out, crying, "How can this be?!"

"SILENCE!!" The Dowager stood and pointed her index finger at her grandson. Her eyes were so fierce that they might as well have glowed. "I will not have a single disobedient member of my family go unpunished!! One of you men, discipline this unruly prince on my behalf!"

As he was mechanized, one of the guards stepped over to Nitishila. He knelt down, quickly apologized, and got back up. Then he slapped Nitishila across his face and went back to his previous spot. Nitishila took it very quietly.

And Jorun simply ... went on ...

"The poison and abortifacient that were discovered in my mistress' room, they were in the same basket, in matching black jars. My mistress has a single question concerning this fact. Assuming she was meant to drink the abortifacient, why would she purposely keep it in a matching jar, and close to the poison?"

"A fine question," the Dowager said as she sat back down, her wicker chair creaking. "One would eventually take the poison by accident, since the containers look the same. Again, whoever arranged this didn't know what they were doing."

Lataa had to force herself not to cut her palms with her fingernails. The fingers themselves were almost numb. Her face was hot with anger and what she considered to be betrayal.

Nitishila sounded like he was gagging and trying not to vomit.

"There is one other question, and I'd like to ask it, if I may be so bold." Jorun said as her head slowly rose, almost meeting the Empress Dowager's eyes.

"Ask it," the Dowager said.

"When did Princess Consort Inka tell Prince Nitishila that Princess Lataa had poisoned her food? I've never heard of such a thing, and I believe Prince Nitishila and everyone else in this Grand Imperial Family have never heard of such a thing."

No!! That had to be a lie!!

Lataa's neck nearly snapped as she turned her face to look at Nitishila. And Nitishila ...

He actually gave ...

Affirming nods to his parents ... and then ... his eyes froze into a dry and sour state as he looked at Lataa. His jaw was clenched.

Lataa suddenly heard Rahki's broken wailing behind her. She looked back with a snarl and saw Rahki shuffle ahead and prostrate herself. "A quick death!! That's all I can beg for!!" Her whole body trembled and swelled with her sobbing. "Oh wise Empress Dowager, please let my execution be swift!"

"Bite your tongue, Rahki!" Lataa demanded with a rising voice.

"Guard," the Dowager said, "discipline Princess Lataa."

The masculine slap across the face wasn't taken as well as when Nitishila was the recipient. Lataa screamed and fell over, holding her cheek. The pain throbbed and heated her up.

"Raise your upper body and continue, Attendant," said the Dowager.

Rahki moved up, still kneeling. "It was all because of my mistress! She's so vicious! She threatened my life! I had no choice but to comply!" She made a heavy, thick sniff and wiped at her tear-filled eyes with her sleeve. "Princess Lataa ordered me to serve Princess Inka a private snack and pretend it was poisoned, then pretend I didn't have the courage to kill her and beg for forgiveness. Princess Lataa wanted her to be outraged and present the food to a higher authority, and when no poison would be found, she'd be called a liar."

Quickly swaying her hands back and forth, Lataa's voice rose to something that was nearly a scream. "She's lying! Inka's bribed her!"

"Guard!" the Dowager said with an eyebrow haughtily raised.

Two more blows to Lataa's delicate face. That shut her up for the moment, mostly. She still wept.

Jorun gave a bow. "May I please remind the wise Empress Dowager of the witnesses that have been prepared beforehand?"

Witnesses?! What witnesses?!

If Lataa wasn't afraid of her lip bleeding, she'd have shrieked at the redhead.

The Empress Dowager held her hands close to her bosom and weaved her fingers together. "One of you men, present those witnesses to me."

A guard left the tent, but he soon returned with three different people, one man and two young women. The man was introduced as a manager of the Communal Serving Department and the women were maids from that department.

And the manager said the most frustrating thing.

"One of Princess Inka's servants, a woman named Dey, she came to me and asked for two maids from the Communal Serving Department. She specifically said she needed two maids known for their honesty, the kind to never accept a bribe. Princess Inka wanted to borrow them to eavesdrop on an upsetting event that required witnesses."

And of course, each of the maids testified. Dey and even Jorun helped the maids sneak into Lataa's apartment. Then the maids were placed in a certain location where they could hear the conversation between Rahki and Princess Lataa. They even knew it was sweet dipping sauce that had been called poisoned!

"You may examine these women's purchases and belongings if you don't believe them," the manager said. "They haven't been bribed."

Nitishila was coughing. The Empress Consort had to help him calm down.

The manager and maids were dismissed. The Empress Dowager spoke again. "It seems as though Princess Inka knew she'd be betrayed. How is this?"

"Because, Your Grand Imperial Majesty," Jorun said, "I warned her. Princess Lataa tried to beguile me." And she dared to point her finger at Lataa!! "Princess Lataa told me that my mistress' position wasn't secure, and I could find safety with her. So, I pretended to be loyal to Princess Lataa. I learned that she bribed someone to poison the prince's snake. I'm the one who put the poison and abortifacient in my mistress' bedroom, but I did so with my mistress' knowledge. I also warned my mistress of Lataa's plan, and when the viper would be placed in the cell. Princess Lataa wanted to have my mistress imprisoned, tortured, and eventually killed, all for no other reason except her own pettiness."

If a single, thin strip of metal fell from one of the women's hair pieces onto the soft rug, it just might have been heard. That's how quiet it was. The lack of noise almost suffocated Lataa. What was worse was how everyone's eyes were on her, pricking her heart and mind.

She'd never felt this way before.

Baked in visible hatred.

This wasn't happening!!

***