I Am Wronged Wronged
The burly man they were questioning flinched under the Duke of Crestfall's sharp gaze and nodded quickly.
"So, from the time you bought The Cauldron's Famous Duck Pie from the restaurant until you got back to your place, did you run into anyone?" the Duke pressed. "See anything weird? Notice anything out of the ordinary?"
He paced the main hall, his voice gaining an edge of certainty. "If that pie had been poisoned at the restaurant, the Princess would've found something when she was questioning them. Since she didn't, it means something happened on your way home. Or you ran into some scumbag who poisoned it then."
The man tied up on the floor just stared, stunned. He mumbled, "On the way home... I don't think anything happened. We just bought the pie and came straight back."
Then, something seemed to click. "Wait, I remember now!"
he said, his voice a mix of doubt and conviction.
"When Leo and I were walking back, we ran into his girlfriend. She was standing at the mouth of an alley and called him over. They went off to a quiet spot to talk, whispering about something. I was standing a little ways off, but I couldn't hear what they were saying."
He shook his head. "After they finished, we came right back here. It wasn't long after that when Leo finished the pie, screamed that his stomach was killing him, and... then he was gone."
"What's his girlfriend's name? Where does she live?" the Duke demanded.
The man shook his head again. "Leo never let me get into his business. But he came to Argent just to see her. Said that once things settled down, he was going to take her back to his hometown in the country. Said they were going to start a nice life together."
"A 'nice life together,' huh," the Duke scoffed. "Steward! Get on this! Find out who Leo's girlfriend in Argent is. I want her name, her address, and every place she's known to hang out. I don't care if you have to turn the entire city upside down, find her!"
A moment later, the steward had marshaled the manor staff and swept out to begin the search.
Cassidy rubbed her chin, annoyed with herself. *Damn it, I should have asked about that.* It was a stupid oversight.
*And it's all Crestfall's fault.*
The thought hit her like a physical blow. He had to be the mastermind. How else would he know to ask all the right questions? The pieces clicked into place, and Cassidy's suspicion hardened into certainty. The Duke was the killer.
She leaned over to Prince Ashworth. "Dad," she whispered, "if the Duke is willing to kill his own servant to shut him up, you think he'll try to silence us if we find evidence? What if he sneaks into our manor in the middle of the night and kills us both?"
Prince Ashworth leaned in close. "He wouldn't dare. I'm a prince."
"Dad, the man has already committed treason and sided with the enemy. You think he gives a damn that you're a prince?"
A chill shot down her father's spine. He stared in horror at the corpse on the floor, a sudden, vivid image of his own head on the chopping block flashing through his mind.
"Then what do we do?" he hissed. "Are we going to make it out of Crestfall Manor alive tonight?"
Cassidy glanced at the elite guards she'd brought with her. "Dad," she said uncertainly, "do you think my guys could win in a fight against his guards?"
Prince Ashworth swallowed hard. "Cassidy, are you saying this Duke has his own private army? Is he... is he planning to..."
Before he could get the word "rebel" out, the Duke's furious voice cut him off.
"Your Highness! Princess! Am I insane? Why in God's name would I kill you?"
Did they think he was deaf? They were whispering about him, framing him for murder, treason, and rebellion, right in front of his face. He had reached his limit.
"Did you two not hear a word the man just said?" he snapped, his voice tight with rage. "Leo has a girlfriend. Our priority should be finding her!"
He was absolutely furious. How could the wise and powerful emperor have sent these two troublemakers to investigate the marquis's case?
"Then go investigate," Cassidy said, giving him a weird look. Was he waiting for her to do it? She was swamped. She still had a whole list of names to track down. She didn't have time for this.
The Duke was so mad he looked like he was about to explode. "Aren't *you* the ones His Majesty assigned to this case?" The biggest clue yet had just fallen into their laps, and they couldn't be bothered. They were too busy framing him!
Prince Ashworth gave him a strange look of his own. "But I already figured it out. You're the mastermind."
The Duke threw his hands up in sheer frustration. "I did not frame the Marquis of Stonehaven! How many times do I have to say it? I've been framed! Framed!"
Cassidy just frowned. "You say you've been framed, then show me proof. What's the point of complaining to me about it? It's not my job to clear your name."
The Duke was speechless. He stared at her, his mind a complete blank.
*Wait a second,* he thought, bewildered. *Who's actually investigating this case? Didn't the emperor assign it to this father-daughter duo? How did it turn into me doing all the work?* Was this how investigations were supposed to go? He was utterly baffled.
No, he wasn't going through this alone.
"Princess, Your Highness," he said, rallying. "Aren't the Second and Third Princes just as suspicious? Maybe one of them poisoned Leo!"
Cassidy rubbed her chin. "You've got a point, but His Majesty already has my brother Drake locked up in the Imperial Clan Court. My other brother... oh, right. Where *is* the Second Prince?"
She turned to her father, her eyes wide with dawning horror.
"Dad, you don't think he killed Leo to shut him up and then skipped town, do you?"
"He didn't," Prince Ashworth said with a sigh.
The Fourth Princess, who had been listening intently, piped up. "Uncle, how do you know?"
Cassidy looked at him curiously. "Dad, did he bribe you?"
A shadow of regret crossed Prince Ashworth's face.
"Your uncle's household is a complete mess right now. His grandson has been acting like he's possessed lately, insisting he's going to run off to St. Jude's Abbey. He's dead set on becoming a monk and has even requested to study under The Vagabond Saint."
He shook his head sadly. "He won't look at his books anymore. Just stays in his room all day, banging on a prayer drum and mumbling about seeing through the illusions of the world. No one can talk him out of it. His heart is set on joining the cloister."
When he finished, his face was filled with sorrow. *My poor brother,* he thought. *He only has two grandsons, one with a strange personality who won't talk to anyone, and the other determined to become a monk. It's a true family tragedy!*
He looked at his daughter and niece, his expression earnest.
"You two are his aunts. You should show some concern for the younger generation. When you have time, you should go over to your uncle's and try to talk some sense into that boy. He's so young, what does he know about worldly illusions?
How could being a monk possibly be better than the life he has with the imperial family? We can't let him throw his life away over some foolish impulse."
Cassidy was speechless.
So was the Fourth Princess.
They both immediately looked down at their shoes, a silent, mutual agreement to say absolutely nothing.