The feast started with all the usual formalities. Toasts to the King, to the kingdom, to the new princess. Polite conversation about weather and harvests and trade routes. All of it surface-level, meaningless.
I watched everyone carefully, cataloging details. Lord Corvain dominated the conversation, steering it toward politics and power structures. Lady Bloodmoon said little but watched everything with those sharp eyes. Lord Darkwater drank too much wine too quickly. Lady Thornheart asked pointed questions about court gossip. And Lord Nightshade simply... observed.
"Tell me, Princess," Lady Bloodmoon said during a lull in conversation, "how are you adjusting to Shadowmere? It must be quite different from Eldoria."
"Very different," I agreed. "In Eldoria, we rarely worried about shadow beasts attacking our carriages or creatures climbing through windows to murder people in their sleep."
Lady Bloodmoon's expression didn't change. "Yes, these attacks have been most... troubling. Any idea who might be behind them?"
"Several ideas, actually. Would you like to hear them?"
"Elara," Kael said quietly, a warning.
But I ignored him. I was tired of playing games. "Someone with access to dark magic. Someone who knows the castle well enough to move unseen. Someone powerful enough to breach royal wards and skilled enough to hire or summon creatures to do their dirty work." I met Lady Bloodmoon's gaze directly. "Someone with motive to destabilize the crown."
"That's quite an accusation," Lord Corvain said mildly. "Are you suggesting one of us is responsible?"
"I'm suggesting someone at this table knows more than they're saying."
The temperature in the room seemed to drop. Even the servants looked nervous.
"Princess, you overstep," King Aldric's voice was cold. "These are not common criminals you're addressing. These are the highest lords and ladies of the realm—"
"Who all had access to Queen Arianna," I interrupted, and now I had everyone's complete attention. "Who were all in the castle when she died. Who all benefited in some way from her death."
Kael's hand found mine under the table, squeezing hard. I'd gone too far. I knew I'd gone too far. But I couldn't stop now.
"The Queen's death was ruled a suicide," Lady Thornheart said, her ancient voice cutting through the tension. "Are you suggesting otherwise?"
"I'm suggesting that Lady Morgana discovered something that contradicted that ruling. And now Lady Morgana is dead." I looked around the table. "Convenient, isn't it?"
"This is outrageous!" Darian burst out. "Father, are you going to let her accuse—"
"Let her speak," King Aldric said quietly. His black eyes were fixed on me, unreadable. "I want to hear what she has to say."
I took a breath, committing fully. No turning back now. "Lady Morgana wrote a letter before she died. In it, she said she'd discovered something about Queen Arianna's death. That it wasn't suicide. That it was murder." I looked at each lord and lady in turn. "She was killed before she could reveal who. But whoever did it knows we're investigating. Knows we're getting close. That's why they're escalating, the creatures, the staged attack on Prince Darian, the message written in blood."
"Staged?" Darian's face went red. "I nearly died"
"Did you? Or did someone shoot a crossbow bolt near you to create fear, to make it seem like multiple people were being targeted?" I kept my voice calm. "A real assassin wouldn't have missed at that range. Not with a crossbow."
"She has a point," Theron said quietly. "I wondered about that myself. The angle was wrong for a kill shot."
Darian looked at his twin, betrayed. "You think I'm lying?"
"I think someone might have staged it without your knowledge. To sow chaos." Theron turned to the table. "But the princess is right about one thing, someone here has answers we need."
Silence. Heavy, suffocating silence.
Then Lord Nightshade spoke for the first time all evening. His voice was soft, unremarkable. "What makes you so certain it's one of us? Why not a foreign power? Why not mercenaries hired from outside Shadowmere?"
"Because the magic used is distinctly Shadowmere in origin," Kael said, backing me up. "The shadow beasts, the way the wards were breached, it requires intimate knowledge of this kingdom's magical traditions. An outsider couldn't do it."
"And Lady Morgana's letter specifically said she knew who killed the Queen," I added. "Not that she suspected, or had theories. She knew. Which means she recognized them. Someone familiar."
"This is all very interesting conjecture," Lord Corvain said, his tone suggesting it was anything but. "But do you have proof? Any actual evidence?"
"Not yet," I admitted. "But we will. Because we're not stopping until we find it."
"Brave words, Princess." Lady Bloodmoon's voice was cool. "But bravery without wisdom gets people killed."
"Is that a threat?"
"It's a warning. From someone who's survived forty years of court politics by knowing when to push and when to retreat." She stood, setting down her napkin. "I've lost my appetite. Your Majesty, if I may be excused?"
"You may not," King Aldric said sharply. "Sit down, Mira."
Lady Bloodmoon's eyes flashed, but she sat.
"We will get to the bottom of this," the King continued, addressing the entire table. "The princess is right—someone has been killing people in my castle, threatening my family, destabilizing my rule. And I want answers." He looked at each lord and lady in turn. "You will all cooperate fully with the investigation. You will provide alibis, access to your estates, information about your activities over the past month. Refusal will be taken as an admission of guilt."
"You can't possibly" Lord Darkwater started.
"I can and I will. This is not a request." The King's voice was iron. "Someone at this table may be a traitor. Until we determine who, you're all suspects. Act accordingly."
More silence. Then Lady Thornheart laughed—a dry, crackling sound. "Well. This is the most interesting feast I've attended in decades. Young princess, you certainly know how to liven up a party."
"I wasn't trying to entertain. I was trying to find a murderer."
"Oh, I know. That's what makes it entertaining." She raised her wine glass. "To the princess. May she survive long enough to catch her killer."
It wasn't exactly a ringing endorsement, but several others raised their glasses too. A toast to my survival.
How comforting.