Chapter Sixteen: Hurry and Summon the High Priest

However...

Eunice’s gaze was deep and unwavering as she stared at Robert, who foamed at the mouth. Recalling his once arrogant demeanor in life, a subtle twitch curled the corner of her lips.

Inwardly, she mused that the woman suppressing Robert in that intimate way was not to be underestimated.

She turned to Ralph, her tone calm and measured. "Wake her up. I have some questions to ask."

At this moment, Eunice was no longer in a hurry to leave. Lady Yal had fled, and Yal himself had departed for Valhalla; the place had, paradoxically, become safer.

She resolved to wait here for Harold’s arrival.

Robert tried to rouse the woman, patting her face, but there was no response. Frustrated, he pinched her nose and mouth shut.

The woman’s cheeks puffed out like a hamster storing food.

Witnessing this, Eunice’s expression darkened with displeasure.

Gently lifting the left leg that Ralph held, she delivered a light kick to Robert’s backside with her leather boot. “Naughty,” she chided.

The woman slowly regained consciousness. She first scanned Eunice and the others with wary eyes before hastily covering her body with a blanket.

However, she seemed to realize that the lord beneath her had grown cold. Looking down, she saw his eyes had lost their life’s luster, now a lifeless ash-gray.

“Ah...” she screamed, a piercing wail that shattered Eunice’s eardrums and made her regret not having someone cover the woman’s mouth earlier.

“Silence her!” Eunice commanded.

Impatient, Robert slapped the woman sharply, snapping her back to reason. “If you scream again, I’ll kill you!”

Ralph spoke coldly, relaying Eunice’s command: “I ask, you answer.”

Terrified, the woman nodded, her eyes filled with fear and unease as if awaiting an unknown fate.

“What is your name?” Ralph inquired.

“Ayana,” she replied, voice trembling.

Eunice pondered briefly before speaking softly, “Ayana, you murdered the lord because he died beneath you. Do you have anything to explain?”

Ayana’s expression faltered, waving her hands quickly. “No, it wasn’t me!”

Ralph restated Eunice’s words with icy precision, “No one will believe your excuses because you caused Yal’s death!”

“It wasn’t me!” Ayana hesitated, too frightened to offer any useful information.

---

A glint flashed in Eunice’s eyes as she sensed Ayana was hiding something.

Suddenly, she realized that the frothing at Yal’s mouth might not be simple; it hinted at a deeper secret.

She recalled her own prior experience—after drinking a love potion laced with wind thorn, she too foamed at the mouth. That potion was connected to Holger, who in turn was linked to Lady Yal.

Though she was unsure if Robert was involved, one thing was certain: as the lord of the territory, Robert had no reason to stoop to such measures.

That left only one explanation—someone drugged Yal, and Ayana, the woman before her, was likely the culprit.

Eunice imagined a scenario in which Ayana had circumvented Lady Yal’s authority in a bid for power. The story behind this was probably far more complex than it seemed on the surface.

“You’re lying. Yal died of poisoning. You poisoned him!” Eunice fixed Ayana with a piercing gaze, searching for any sign of guilt.

Ayana visibly trembled; her face stiffened, panic deepening. Her eyes darted away as she clutched herself tightly, as though seeking comfort.

“You’re lying! You poisoned Yal!” Eunice’s tone hardened with intimidation. “Lady Yal would never allow a second woman by Yal’s side. You secretly drugged him behind her back! Now that Yal is dead, you will be executed!”

Ayana’s panic grew, desperation flooding her eyes, yet she persisted in denial. “No, I didn’t!”

Suddenly, understanding dawned on Eunice. She realized why Lady Yal had targeted her—it was out of jealousy.

Yet even this explanation felt insufficient.

It made no sense that, with only a door separating them, Lady Yal would allow this woman to have her husband... Her thoughts faltered as she sensed something amiss.

She scrutinized Ayana again. Though fearful and desperate, there was a guarded hesitation lurking deep within her eyes.

Eunice began to doubt that Ayana was the true culprit—or perhaps she was not the only one involved.

There must be a far more intricate conspiracy at play.

“It wasn’t me! Stop lying! Lady Yal made me do it!” Ayana finally spoke, revealing a crucial piece of information.

Lady Yal’s orders?

Eunice seized this vital clue. “But Lady Yal accuses you of killing Yal!”

“No, it wasn’t me. Lady Yal put the love potion in Yal’s drink...” Under Eunice’s pressing questions, Ayana confessed the entire sequence in detail.

“What? You mean Holger was executed by Yal?” Eunice was taken aback.

“Yes, the whole territory is abuzz. Holger harmed Prince Harold; Yal was furious and...”—the woman’s voice faltered, too scared to continue.

Eunice frowned. What had happened during her unconsciousness? Why had Holger attacked Harold?

---

“Then why did Holger harm Harold? How is Harold now?”

“I heard it was because of a woman named Eunice!”

At this, all eyes turned to Eunice, who was utterly bewildered. She hadn’t expected to be implicated.

“What did she do?”

“Apparently, Holger and Harold fought over this woman named Eunice. Holger stabbed Harold, leaving him unconscious. The high priest is currently treating him.”

Eunice’s mind spun as she analyzed. So, while she was unconscious, Holger tried to assault her; Harold intervened to save her, but was gravely wounded by Holger and now rested in the high priest’s care.

If she was saved, then who had hung her on the tree outside the door?

Wait—what about the cause of Yal’s death? Right, Lady Yal had given Yal the love potion.

So, Lady Yal poisoned Yal, leading to his death?

Interesting!

The exact truth no longer mattered. Even if it wasn’t true, Eunice had the means to make it so.

Now, with witnesses and evidence in hand, all that remained was to find an arbitrator.

Yal was dead, Lady Yal had fled, Holger the steward was executed. The highest authorities left in the territory were the high priest and Harold, the rightful heir.

“Robert, go to the temple and fetch the high priest. Tell him Yal sent him here. The others stay outside Yal’s door. No one except the high priest and Harold may enter! Say it’s Yal’s order!”

“Understood, Miss Eunice!”

Robert hurried away to carry out Eunice’s command. The others left the room, leaving only Ralph and Eunice behind.

There was no avoiding it. The new lord’s succession required the gods’ sanction, represented by the high priest.

“You want to live?” Ralph relayed Eunice’s words, his tone laced with threat. “If you obey me, I can ensure you avoid suspicion for poisoning Yal and guarantee your future safety and comfort.”

The woman nodded, her eyes filled with desperate longing to survive. “I do!”