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“You know I would never harm anyone, least of all the royal family. I’ve always been proud to be a part of their lives here in the palace. I’ve served them faithfully for so very long. It hurts that they doubt me, it hurts even more that you doubt me, but even so I’d still never cause them harm. I’d never cause you harm. They know this. You should know this!” Mirilla exclaimed tearfully.

“I thought I did. But now I wonder if I saw the things I wanted to see rather than the way things really were. Don’t blame them for creating the doubts I can’t unsee now. Their child was attacked, their nanny assaulted when she fended off the attacker. Clearly that wasn’t you, you don’t bear the evidence of her defensive attack. But do you know who it was? I think you might. Someone slipped in in your stead, knowing they could. Did you tell them it was possible through an innocent conversation and leave it at that, or did you make it possible through manipulation of me and the situation? Why was the only night you didn’t stay with me, the night the attack took place? Can you not see how convenient it seems?”

Mirilla’s tears tracked down her face as she blinked, but she refused to sob or to openly cry in front of these people. She was stronger than that. She was better than that, even if they didn’t see it. She stood a little straighter, got her emotions in check and looked Bart in the eye as he spoke.

“Mirilla, we’re desperate to ask all the questions we can to determine who targeted us,” Vivian said, still holding Alexandrusclose, his entire body and head hidden from view in the deep, rich green blanket he was wrapped in. “If it wasn’t you, fine. But surely someone knows how you were getting in and out without having to deal with the guards outside. That alone would lead us in another direction. Who was it? That’s all we need. Who was it?”

Mirilla shook her head slowly, and linked her fingers together at hip level in front of herself. “I don’t know. I kept my relationship with Chairman Bartholomew private because I care about his reputation. I kept our relationship private because I care about the reputation of the palace and those who work and live here and I’m an important part of making sure that all runs smoothly. If they begin to see me differently, I won’t be able to perform my job as I do now— I would lose respect. I didn’t let it be known that I’d lost a passkey because I honestly thought and still think that it’s in my rooms somewhere, and because I was afraid to admit I’d made a mistake. I didn’t speak of our engagement because I hadn’t had the chance to share the information with Sovereigna Eula. Once she was aware of our plans, and the proper announcements had been made, the situation would have changed. Everyone would have known of my plans to leave and I could have openly worked with anyone who cared to take my place. It would have been a positive thing and I could have helped with the transition to whoever was going to be the next Head of Staff. I would have been proud to speak to any who asked about it, but until then, I felt it only right that certain protocols be observed. As it stands, I am a servant. He is Chairman of the Consortium. It is not the usual way of things. I planned to speak to Sovereigna Eula about it this very day, but someone attacked your family, so I didn’t. The time wasn’t right, so instead, I performed my duties this morning, made sure that every single detail was addressed by those who needed to address them, and went to the Sovereigna’s private sitting room to wait for her after I heard the news. I even went to the length of forbidding any I overheard gossiping from continuing to do so. I wasn’t hiding from anyone who was searching for me. I was waiting for the Sovereigna. It’s not myfault your warriors didn’t check her sitting room. I’m here now because I willfully came in search of Sovereigna Eula out of concern for her, and your family. I was not trying to slip into Au’revele’s quarters again — I was simply walking down the corridor on my way here when the guards spotted me and decided that I was a fugitive. In order to be a fugitive, one has to run and hide. I did not run. I am not hiding. I don’t know who it was that attacked your family. I wish that I did so that I could condemn them myself. But I don’t. I never spoke of my comings and goings here to anyone at all and I was never even aware that the guards witnessed it, much less anyone else.”

“How do you still stand there and deny every single thing we’ve presented? Can you not see all the coincidences lining up?” Quin shouted.

Mirilla winced, taking a step back at the same time Bart took a step closer to her protectively, but she stepped even further back, away from him rather than accepting any kind of protection from him. “I see the coincidences. But they’re not accurate. I did none of these things. And if someone happened to see me as I entered Au’revele quarters, I’m unaware of it. I made errors in judgment — I did not, nor will I ever betray the monarchy of Cruestace. Regardless of what you believe, my loyalty has never wavered.”

Eula reached out and briefly covered Mirilla’s hand with her own, though Mirilla gave no indication that she’d noticed. “Mirilla, I think it’s probably best if you return to your quarters and wait for me there. You’ll be out of the way of anyone who might be over-reactive because of the situation,” Eula said.

Mirilla inclined her head. “Whatever you think is best, Sovereigna,” she said quietly.

“Ba Re’, will you please escort her to her quarters, and do so gently?” Eula said.

“Yes, Sovereigna,” Ba Re’ said, stepping forward and gripping Mirilla’s upper arm.

“It is not necessary to drag her there. She is perfectly capable of walking on her own. You need only walk with her,” Eula said.

“Yes, Sovereigna,” Ba Re’ said, releasing her arm.

“In fact, if any attempt to accost her, defend her as though you were defending me. I can’t see how she’s done anything wrong other than be too concerned with the opinions of others,” Eula added. She turned to Mirilla and put her arm around her. “All will be well, you’ll see. We just need to finish our investigation and find the true culprits. Then all will return to normal.”

Mirilla raised her gaze to Bart’s and held it. “Things will never be normal again.”

“They will. Tempers are just running hot at the moment. You’ll see.”

“I’m sure I will, Sovereigna.”

“Ba Re’,” Eula said.

Ba Re’ gestured toward the door, and rather than drag her out of it, to his credit, escorted her without touching or dragging her in any way.

Mirilla went willingly, her faith in the royal family shaken, but not destroyed. The Sovereigna had tried to soothe her, had encouraged her to believe that everything would work itself out — so maybe it really would. But then she heard Quin’s voice just as she exited the royal residence and the doors were still open.

“I don’t care how much she denies it. There is no other feasible answer! Someone knew of her visits here. And they gained access to her key! She was either planted here to create weakness in our security, or she shared the information with someone else and she’s protecting them by not telling us who it was.”

“I’m really not sure about that, Quin,” Vivian said. “Did you see her responses? She’s struggling. I don’t think she did it.”

“Of course she’s struggling. She doesn’t want to rot in prison or face an executioner for treason,” Quin said.

Fear shot through Mirilla’s body like a drug on hearing that he planned to send her to prison, or have her executed. Her steps faltered and she looked up at Ba Re’. “I didn’t do anything,” she said, her voice cracking and shaky with fear.

“Again, female. I don’t care. It’s not my place to decide,” Ba Re’ answered.

Mirilla’s lips trembled for a few seconds before she managed to get herself under control again, then she started down the corridor with Ba Re’ at her side. They walked in silence, not speaking when she led him into the service hallway, or when she led the way to her quarters. She opened her door and stepped inside, turning around to face Ba Re’. “Thank you for getting me here safely.”

“Lock your door.”

She nodded and closed and locked her door.

She listened to his footsteps retreating, then, walked over to her dresser and got on her hands and knees, searching for the missing key. She even pulled the dresser away from the wall and looked behind it, but it wasn’t there. She spent the next twenty minutes tearing her bedroom apart as she searched for the missing passkey, but it was nowhere to be found. Whoever had gained entrance into the royal residence, had most likely used her missing key. But how? Who could have broken into her room and taken it without her knowing? She sat down on the edge of her bed and allowed herself to fall apart. She cried like she’d never cried before. She was truly frightened of what her future would hold, and regretful over not speaking up about the key to begin with. Had she, she might have stopped the attacker from getting near the Sire’s youngling. And Bart… that was another heartbreak entirely. She’d thought he truly loved her, but he made no move to defend her at all. He just stood there and let Sire Zha Quin shout accusingly at her. Even Bart doubted her innocence. But the truth was, she wasn’t even sure she blamed him; the arguments Sire Zha Quin made were too reasonable and too strong to be ignored. If she didn’t know for sure that she’d not done what they accused her of, she’d question her own innocence. Everything was just lining up too nicely.

Feeling the heartache overtaking her again, she collapsed in tears on her bed again. She cried until exhaustion set in. Too tired to move, yet her mind was unable to stop playing scenarios in her mind. Retracing her steps. Replaying any conversationshe’d had since Bart arrived, trying to find any little thing she might have forgotten. Any little thing that could be a clue to the person responsible for all that had happened. Eventually, she gave into the fatigue and fell asleep.

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