CHAPTER 15

So many things were said that he wasn’t hearing anything at all. He was so confused he just wanted everything to stop.

At that moment, the Empress and the other concubines walked in. What were they doing in the hall?

They all bowed down and the Empress was the first one to cry out.

“We just heard the news of what had just happened and we are here to ask what should be done.”

How can she be a hypocrite? Before he answered her, his personal attendant whispered something in his ear and he felt very relieved.

“I have good news everyone, we just found a survivor from the fire. Send him in,” the Emperor said hoping everything will come to light.

A maid was brought in looking very haggard. You could tell she had suffered a lot and was still scared.

She bowed down and he made her to rise.

“Tell us exactly what happened,” he said.

The maid began to narrate what happened in the inn that night.

“We all had our dinner and retired to our respective rooms. It was during midnight when the inn was filled with smoke and by the time we tried to leave, the inn was already on fire.

We were all trying to save our lives that we didn’t think of anything else. I ran through the fire and managed to get out, I didn’t think of turning back at all. By the time I came back the whole inn was burnt to the ground and my Mistress and the young lord were nowhere to be found.

I found their belongings in the fire; they never go anywhere without them. They are both dead, I think and I don’t know who did it. Please help me serve justice for my Mistress!”

There was proof that someone instigated the fire and yet he couldn’t find out who exactly did it. He needed to do something fast or else the consequences of assassinating the Saintess or attempt on her life would be huge. He didn’t need another war to break out at time like this.

“Your Majesty, we shouldn’t rust a word of a mere maid. What if she was the one who caused the fire? How is even possible that one survived a fire that great?” another official asked.

“We need to interrogate her and make her spit out the truth before any war erupts,” the Prime Minister finally said something and he knew that they were going somewhere now.

He was going to let him do that and see how things will turn up. He was going to make sure that no stone will be left unturned. He was going to find everything that was connected to that fire, even if it meant not getting any sleep until the truth was out.

“Do that Prime Minister and make sure the truth comes out. I don’t want any blood on my hands,” he said as he stood up.

The Emperor left the hall and retired to his palace. He took a cup of water and drank it. He needed to quench the thirst he got from all that talk about this horrible talk.

“The Noble Consort is awake,” his personal attendant said.

He ran immediately to her palace to see her. He held her hand the second he sat on her bed.

“How are you feeling?” he asked her.

“Where is my son?” she asked him.

“He is gone, my love. I’m very sorry,” he said.

“You should have kept him in the palace. Why did you let him go? How could you make me lose my son twice? Do you know what will happen now those people had killed the Saintess too?

I have lived on the mountain and I know exactly how those people operate. They will never let it slide. Blood will be shed and it won’t be nice at all. You have to do whatever you can to make the truth come out,” his consort said and she made sense.

“I will do everything I can to make sure nothing like that happens. I promise you I will make the people responsible pay for their sins. I promise you that,” he said kissing her hands.

“I need to rest now,” she said getting back on the bed.

She was mad at him, mad at herself too and nothing that he does now will make up for it. He was going to make sure that she has a peace of mind and have the Empress and her father be judged according to the law.

He left her palace and returned to his palace. He was distracted and he had to do something to keep himself idle. The day ended and there was still no news on who burnt the inn. The maid was tortured but still she didn’t know a thing.

He had heard about rumors that the Saintess can never be killed so what exactly happened? He was glad about the news but at the same time, he lost a son he had just fund again after a very long time.

The next day he went to the interrogation grounds. The maid said she will confess so everyone was there. The court officials and the harem were present. The Noble Consort had also joined in even when she was still sick. He sat down and let the confession begin.

“I lied yesterday, I know who set the inn on fire,” she said.

He could tell these people had made her pin the story on someone else. Why would she suddenly confess after insisting on not knowing the whole day?

“Go ahead,” he urged her.

“I saw a man wearing black setting the fire on the inn and I heard him giving an instruction to another man in black. I heard who the instigator was,” she said.

“Who was it?” he asked her and he saw the way she looked at the Prime Minister as if to get approval.

“It was the…” she stammered.

“Say it!” the main interrogator yelled at her.

“The Prime Minister is behind it,” she blurted out and everyone was shocked including the Prime Minister himself.

“Do you know accusing an official for doing something like that is treason?” the Emperor asked her.

“I can never lie. I swore an oath to serve my Mistress; she saved me and gave me a new life. I will never let anyone go free after doing that to her,” she said looking very ferocious.

One wouldn’t tell whether it was just her that seemed to be weak all this while.

“How dare you?” the Empress cut in looking very angry after her father had been accused of arson.