Chapter 211
People jerked around together to look at the source of that voice.
A young man pushed through the crowd and rushed in.
He was a teenager, roughly 15 years old, standing at a lean and agile figure.
His golden curly hair cascaded in unruly waves, framing a very youthful face.
He had a pair of piercing blue eyes, which reminded Janet of a certain person right. here in this room.
She looked to Westin, and then back to this young man again.
The similarity was striking
These two were definitely related.
“Prince Wells.”
The group of people bowed to him in unison.
There was a tight frown between Westin’s brows, “Not now Wells. We are dealing with important matters here.”
That young man named Wells pouted, looking indignant, “You haven’t even heard me out yet, brother! I know there was a poisoned barrel at the ball tonight and you are looking for the person responsible. I happen to have a witness!”
He beckoned to somebody outside of the crowd.
A maid with a freckled face, dressed in an apron, slowly made her way into people’s sight, holding her head down.
“K–King Westin…Elders….Good day,” said she in a small, shaky voice.
“This is Sammy, the kitchen maid,” Wells introduced.
Elder Lamonte surveyed Sammy with piercing eyes, “What is she doing here? Prince Wells, we don’t have time to waste on someone irrelevant.”
Wells gritted his teeth.
A rumbling growl came from his throat.
“Watch your tone!” he snarled, “The only person who gets to scold me is my brother, the King! The rest of you should learn to respect your prince!”
The other elders lowered their heads in silence.
“Fine.” Elder Lamonte said, looking disdainful still. “Do continue, my prince.”
Wells turned back to Sammy the maid and patted her back, “Go ahead, Sammy. Tell them.”
“I…I was in the kitchen, preparing for tonight’s feast…”
Sammy clenched her apron, saying in a terrified voice.
“…I was counting the bottles of wine required at the ball and the maid bumped into me from the back. I fell and twisted my ankle. The maid saw that I couldn’t walk, so she volunteered to get that wine to the garden for me…I agreed and let her do it… Then I bumped into Prince Wells in the kitchen. He said that I should have my ankle examined by a doctor, so we came to the hospital together…and that was when
we heard that someone was poisoned…”
“Why was Wells in the kitchen?” Westin asked grimly.
“Prince Wells often came down to the kitchen for midnight snacks and night cups,” said Sammy.
Westin turned to his brother with a tight frown, “Is it why you skipped the ball tonight? To steal food from the kitchen? You should be at my side entertaining the guests-”
Weils pouted, “Great, another lecture…But you are missing the point here, brother! The point is that Sammy saw the person who brought the barrels of beer from the kitchen to the garden! That person was the real criminal responsible for the poisoning!”
Janet perked up.
Finally!
Westin didn’t see that maid.
Annie lied about ever seeing that maid.
She was at the end of her wits.
But now she finally had somebody to support her version of the story.
It was perfect!
She immediately took a step up and asked Sammy, “You are certain that you handed all the barrels to that person?”
“Yes. I am sure,” Sammy nodded. “18 barrels. I just finished counting when that maid hit me.
“Then it was all clear now.”
Janet looked around the crowd, saying in a loud voice, “This is a deliberately planned crime. Somebody knocked Sammy down on purpose to hijack the barrels from her and poison the beer. Then the person responsible brought the barrels to the garden, waited for me to show up, and then used my kindness to frame me- “That can’t be right.” Agnes said softly, “Annie said that she didn’t say any maid. near the barrels.”
“And I am telling you that there was one. Annie even pointed at her for me,” said Janet in a freezing voice.
Agnes let out a small chuckle, “Annie, can you tell Lady Janet that she remembered. everything all wrong?”
Annie held her head down in silence.
Agnes tightened her grip on Annie’s shoulder.
Annie shivered, and spoke up in a choking voice, “…L–Lady Janet, you remembered. it wrong… There was no maid. Nobody asked for your help. Y… You carried the barrels into the garden all by yourself…”
Janet felt a sudden burst of anger.
That poor girl was clearly taken hostage by Agnes!
Just then. Wells strode forward abruptly and dragged Annie away from Agnes by
Just then, Wells strode forward abruptly and dragged Annie away from Agnes by
force.
“Stop pinching her you evil woman!” he snarled.
Agnes rounded her eyes, tears welling up, “What are you talking about, Prince Wells? I didn’t pinch anybody…”
“I saw you pinching her!”
Wells pointed a finger at her, crying furiously, “You were manipulating Annie’s testimony, didn’t you? Ha, I knew! You are behind everything!”
Agnes’s face turned pale.
She looked to Westin with tears streaming down her face and sobbed pitifully, “My King, I brought Annie here to help…I won’t have us insulted like this…not even by your brother…”
“CRYING? REALLY?!” Wells said loudly, “Don’t get all teared up again. That only works for my brother. Not me!”
Agnes wailed.
She buried her face into her palms, her shoulders shaking, “I…I am just sad… If Keavy were still alive, he would definitely come forward and defend me…Yet right now I have nobody by my side…Just a helpless widow, bullied by everybody…”
“You manipulative bitc-” Wells cried.
Elder Lamonte cut him off sullenly, “Careful, Prince Wells. You don’t want to call my daughter that.”
He walked up to Agnes and placed a hand on her delicate shoulder.
“Keavy was my son,” he said, staring at Westin darkly. “Ever since he died, I have sworn to protect his wife like she was one of my own. Agnes is now a proud member of the House of Shadow. If anyone bullies her, they are also making enemy with my entire House.”
There was a clear hint of threat behind his voice.
Westin narrowed his eyes.
Lamonte turned to face the crowd, an arrogant look on his face, “Sammy said that there was a maid. Lady Agnes and my daughter said that there wasn’t. So it was a maid’s word against two ladies‘ words. It is clear whom we should believe in-”
“I voucher for Sammy! I am the Prince!” Wells cried, puffing his chest.
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: Kidnapped and Rejected The Return of Alpha’s Luna (Janet and Daran)