Apotelesma

palter

palter

(v). to talk or act insincerely or deceitfully; lie or use trickery

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Trigger/Content Warning: emotional manipulation, brief mention of body parts/limbs, blood, and gore. You have been warned.

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The rest of the afternoon and evening, Evangeline had spent out in the courtyard while the body of Saorise Caelan was taken care of and investigations of the palace staff were carried out. Obi-Wan hadn't left her side due to her request; he could sense her emotions through the Force, and it broke his heart how broken up she was about her death. From what he knew, Saorise had been her handmaiden since her early teens and the princess had viewed her as a second mother figure.

Koa and Anakin were in charge of the investigations, interviewing every single member of the palace staff about where they were and if they had seen anyone on the third floor or lingering around Evangeline's room. They all shook their heads; some were observing Dacre's funeral, and some had locked themselves away in their quarters. No one had seen the perpetrator, and that made Obi-Wan extremely uneasy.

The only one who had given them any sort of information was Kaltain, the head of the house. He explained that he and Saorise had known each other well and spent a lot of time together training for their positions. Wiping away tears, he told them that the last he saw her, she was heading up to the princesses' room to prepare it for the evening. "She had a feeling that with Mr. Kohinoor's death, her Highness wanted to spend the evening alone. I offered to go with her but she declined." he let out a sad sigh as a tear dripped down his cheek. "I wish I had persisted more."

With the investigations coming to a close, they had gotten nowhere. The perpetrator had simply appeared and then vanished into thin air. Everyone was on edge, wondering if the murder of the princess's handmaiden was a threat to the princess herself. No one could suggest a strong enough motive for someone to want the princess dead.

"She's out here, Mr. Oberon." Clarimond, the head housekeeper who had volunteered to take over Saorise's duties, opened the door to the courtyard. "She's still in shock."

Evander gave her a slight nod. "My thanks, Miss Makai."

Based on past interactions, Obi-Wan knew that Evander didn't like his presence, or the presence of the Jedi, for that matter. His feelings of annoyance rang clear throughout the Force. Obi-Wan would be damned if he allowed him to speak to Evangeline alone.

"Uncle Evander," the broken tone of the princess's voice brought him back into the present.

"Hello my dear," he replied, his tone of voice lowering to be as soft as hers. Feelings of comfort started to drip into his Force signature as he addressed his niece, then turned defensive as he addressed the Jedi. "Master Kenobi."

"Mr. Oberon," The Jedi acknowledged him to appear cordial.

The High Priest's gaze fell back down to his niece. "I heard the news about Saorise. I'm sorry you had to see such an upsetting sight."

Tears welled back up in the princess's eyes as she remembered the sight of when she had stepped into her bedroom and saw her handmaiden, someone she considered one of her best friends, lying lifeless and still on the ground. She would never wish for anyone to see something like that, not even her worst enemy. "I'm just glad you're here, Uncle."

Evander offered her a kind smile before he furrowed his brow. "You seem conflicted. Would you like to talk about it?"

Evangeline hesitantly moved her gaze to Obi-Wan's figure, her internal debate decided. She nodded, took in a deep breath, and addressed the Jedi. "I'd like a moment with my uncle to ask him about something."