Truth

"Debby, how could you keep poisoned food in the house? And why did you not give Collins food last night? Tell me" Perfect shouted angrily.

"Please forgive me my king, I was so careless and I'm such a big fool" Debby said and cried more.

"It's okay mother" Cassey said sadly.

Prince Collins was buried the next day, Perfect was devastated and everyone mourn him for almost a month.

"This is just the beginning Perfect, I will ruin you forever, you just lost a child, I promise you will lose your whole family" Cassey said and smiled wickedly.

Ten years later, it's the coronation ceremony of prince Eddy, since he is now the only son of the king, he is to be the crown prince of the kingdom.

"I am very happy for Rahm, she will be the queen mother, today reminds me of my son, I wish he had survived" Debby said as tears ran down on her cheeks.

"I will celebrate with Rahm for her victory, she won the fight" Debby said as she cleans her face with her hands but tears runs out more.

"Don't worry mother, today you will hate Rahm with all your heart, Eddy will never be the crown prince of this kingdom, I won't let that happen" Cassey thought and smiled wickedly.

The chief priest arrived at the ceremony few minutes to the coronation proper.

"Priest, you are welcome, we have been waiting for you" Perfect said smiling.

"My king, this coronation can not take place" he said and shake his head.

"Why priest?" he asked as the people started murmuring.

"Calamity will befall this land if Eddy is crowned, Collins' soul is not at rest" he said sadly.

"You speak in parables, please make us understand" he said and the people shouted in unison.

"Queen Rahm was the one who killed Collins" he blurted out.

"Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee" the people shouted.

"She poisoned him so her son can be the king of this kingdom" he said again and chant incantations.

"This is an abomination" one of the chieves said angrily.

Debby opened her mouth shocked while Rahm fell on her knees pleading and crying.

"Please forgive me, I did not kill Collins, I only gave him food since he was hungry" Rahm pleaded in tears.

"You gave him food?" another chief asked rhetorically.

"Yes I gave him food but I didn't poison the food" Rahm said and cried more.

"But you never us you gave him food" Perfect said sadly.

"I was scared, I swear I didn't poison the food, that was the same food my children and I ate" Rahm defend herself.

"We did not ask you that, everybody in this kingdom know that Collins died of food poisoning and you never told us he ate your food" another chief said and Rahm cried more.

"That means you truly killed him" one of the villagers said angrily.

"No, no, I swear I did not kill him, I will never kill anyone" Rahm defend herself.

"I have delivered my message, I have to leave now" the priest said and left chanting incantations.

"My king, we give you three days to decide her punishment, chieves let's go" another chief said and they stood up.

"Igwe" they greeted the king who waved his staff and began to leave one after the other, the people also left with them.

"Rahm, I am so disappointed in you, you have never hidden anything from me before, why did you hide this one?" Perfect asked sadly.

"I am sorry my king, I was scared, I........

"Scared? Scared of what? The truth is now clear to me, Collins did not eat the poisoned food my mother kept under the cupboard, it was your food he ate and besides, I was the one who threw the food under the cupboard away, I did not say anything about it because I thought my mother had kept food under the second cupboard" Jane said sadly.

"There was no food under the second cupboard and even if there was, Collins wouldn't have eaten it because I had secretly given him food at night since mother refused to give him" Cassey said immediately.

"Mother, did you really poisoned the food? Please tell me, you can lie to others but don't lie to me" Jewel said as tears ran down on her cheeks.

"Please forgive me, I did not poison the food" Rahm said and cried more.

"Oh really! Nobody will ever agree to their crimes until they are caught in the act, my brother won't rest till he gets justice" Jane said sadly.

"It is enough now, we will discuss this later" Perfect said sadly.

"If it was her son, you wouldn't have said that" Cassey said angrily while Perfect opened his mouth shocked.

"Yes father, we know what is happening in this palace, if it was her son that is dead and my mother is responsible for it, you would have thrown her out even before the chieves left" Jane said sadly.

"Mother, stand up mother" Cassey said as tears ran down on her cheeks, Debby looked at her and began to cry bitterly.

"Please stop crying mother, don't cry again" Jane said as tears ran down on her cheeks.

"Debby, please I did not kill your son, he was like a son to me, please believe me" Rahm said and cried more.

"Please let's go inside mother" Jane said sadly.

"Rahm why? What did he do to you? I thought you said he was your son as well, you once told me that you won't let anything happens to him, then why did you do this? Why did you kill him?" Debby asked and cried more.

"Mother, stop crying, you should have known that there is no queen that will not want to be the queen mother" Cassey said eyeing Rahm, Rahm looked at her shocked, she don't know what to say or do to prove her innocence, she only hope and pray that the gods vindicate her.