Wicked Steps

Chapter 20

The Imperial Investigator looked like a kindly grandfather, with deep-set wrinkles and a jolly smile. But as Emberlee sat in the carriage with him and the Imperial Prince, his keen eyes missed nothing. Their matched outfits, the Prince escorting her around; it wasn't a subtle show of building a relationship, but it was necessary. They now had to work against the previous rumours calling Oberon her paramour, but she'd been expecting that to wait until after the Investigation concluded. Not wanting the Inspector to pick up on the deliberate nature of their manipulations, Emberlee tried to act like it was natural for her hand to seek the Imperial Prince's out as the carriage jostled them along the route to the Ivory Tower.

Either picking up on her subterfuge, or enjoying playing the role, Prince Damien intertwined his fingers with hers and spoke as if bolstering her nerves, "By now she would have no doubt heard about the circumstances of her incarceration; you will not have to answer any of her questions, but when the Investigator is done you'll hopefully have all the answers you needed."

"Actually," the Investigator jumped at the chance to pry, "I was wondering if you might provide some context for Jimena's frame of mind leading up to the night of the incident."

Emberlee knew this would all go on the Official record, a part of the investigation available to any seeking it from the archives. "It's no secret that Jimena was trying to establish herself as the Lady of the House," it was smart to assure the Investigator would be politically aware even if not savvy. He'd know the social complexly of a foreign second wife in a Household where the Heir had taken the title; Jimena was overreaching from the start. "I'd sent her and her daughters here early, knowing it'd be safest for the babe she was trying to pass off as my Father's," he'd already know of Grandfather's investigation into Josson's paternity, "and to get some peace at home." Everything she said would be checked into and he could verify all of it from witnesses and records. "When I arrived in the Capital it was to find she'd replaced the staff, claimed the title of Marchioness, removed all trace of myself, my Mother, and my brother Aubin," Oberon could attest to all of this, as could the Guards and the Stussican butler. Of course, Oberon would also gladly confirm that she could fly, just for the amusement of watching them try to prove him wrong. "I also discovered that Jimena had told the entire Court that I was an incapable Marchioness, and needed her moral guidance, as she implied I had a sexual relationship with the Envoy from Adaba." Here is where she started to include things that'd be harder to verify as all the witnesses were dead or culpable. "As I attempted to rectify the wrongs done against me, Jimena turned my dead brother's nursery into a place for her child, stole my gown for the debut to have her daughters present it to the Imperial Princess as their gift to Princess Vivian." Emberlee had to fight actual emotions for the next part to come out clearly, "I had brought my Mother's wedding dress to the Capital and returned the day before the debut to find it befouled!" She couldn't tell what expression her face had, just feeling grateful for the almost painful pressure of Prince Damien's fingers against hers, "and when I confronted them on it I was physically restrained by the Knight Sir Ludwig and beaten bloody."

She couldn't mention that they had locked her in her room deliberately so she couldn't attend the debut. Regardless, she felt the Investigator searching her for tells and reactions that even they couldn't fake. "And yet you attended the debut as the Envoy's partner, and danced with his Imperial Highness." It

wasn't quite a question but she knew a prompt to fill in the blanks.

"Perseverance," that was the undiluted truth, "I was fortunate that the night of the debut Princess Vivian's Physician tended to me after I fainted. But I had been appointed the Ambassador with Adaba by the Emperor and I didn't want to fail my duties." It was a gamble to name Sir Ludwig, he could deny it had happened, but the damage to her back was still visible; at best he could deny not participating and then any Jimena's confirmation could doom him. But she wasn't trying to use this investigation as her way of gaining retribution on the Knight.