Scratch marks

Bailey said with a half-smile, "Nanny Eva, how about this? Both you and I roll up our sleeves, exposing just our forearms. We'll see whose arm bears the cat claw marks. Let the king take a look and determine who injured Grant."

"A young girl's arms should not be casually exposed. It is improper for the queen consort to suggest such a thing and also lacking in decorum. It will invite criticism for being indecent!" Brenna objected.

As if hearing a joke, Bailey sneered, "The only man in this room is the king, my husband. Since we are already married, what harm is there in examining our arms? Who are you implying is lacking in decorum? Is it, not an irony?"

"Are the concubines attending to the king's rest all fully dressed? And as for you, Nanny Eva, you still have your contract of indenture within the palace. The palace purchased you, and now you feel aggrieved about your arm? How precious do you think you are?"

Brenna was left speechless by the rebuke, her face turning red and then pale. Tearfully, she grasped Rory's sleeve, a pitiful sight to behold.

Rory stepped forward to speak on her behalf. "Bailey, you've gone too far!"

Bailey paid no heed to his attitude. "I have my eyes set on Nanny Eva's arm, and no amount of persuasion will sway me! If her arm bears no marks, I am willing to cut a gash on my arm as compensation to Grant. But what if Nanny Eva does have an injury on her hand? Then what?"

Nanny Eva knelt on the ground, overwhelmed with guilt. She knew she could no longer conceal the truth. Thus, she proactively rolled up her sleeve.

Sure enough, there were several reddened scratch marks on her right arm, clearly from a cat's claws.

Even Rory, simple-minded as he was, now understood the truth of the matter.

Nanny Eva cried, "Your Majesty, Grant did scratch me, but it was when I was bandaging its wound. It hurt, and that's why it scratched. I pledge my name to guarantee that I did not cause Grant's injury."

"You mean to say cleaning a wound is more painful than scratching? So, it scratched you accidentally because it was afraid of others after being injured by the queen consort?" Bailey retorted sarcastically.

Bailey confidently rolled up her sleeve, revealing her fair and slender arm. Rory glanced at it briefly, then awkwardly averted his gaze.

This woman lacked propriety! Nanny Eva persisted, not willing to give up. "A cat scratches people based on its mood. Perhaps after being injured by the queen consort, Grant became wary of others. It thought I would harm it and cannot be judged solely based on these scratch marks. I feel unjustly accused!"

Bailey pointed out the flaw in her words directly.

"You were adamant before, swearing that Grant would never bite people. Why have you suddenly changed your tune, claiming it scratches people depending on its mood? Isn't that contradicting yourself? If you have nothing to hide, why all the cover-up?"

Brenna looked at Nanny Eva with complicated eyes and made a firm decision. "Your Majesty, I can testify that these scratch marks were indeed left by Grant when Nanny Eva was tending to its wound. The nanny didn't mention it before because she feared you would blame Grant and not allow it to stay with me any longer."

Bailey sneered and retorted, "So, the concubine is suggesting I am lying?"

Brenna, frightened, quickly knelt. "I dare not. In the end, it is all my fault. I failed to take care of Grant properly, allowing it to wander into the queen consort's quarters and disturb your tranquility."

Initially, Rory had been somewhat wavering upon seeing the scratch marks. However, when he saw Brenna nervously taking all the blame, any trace of doubt vanished instantly.

"You cannot keep kneeling like this. Don't worry. I will seek justice for you, no matter what."

"Your Majesty, let's stop here for now. I do not wish to pursue this further. Grant is just a cat. After some time, once its wounds heal, everything will be fine," Brenna pleaded.

Bailey was quicker than Rory to reject her proposal. "Exactly! We've come this far. How can we not pursue this? Your Majesty has already determined that I injured the cat. Who will I confide my grievances to? Now you want to smooth things over? It's too late!"

With that, she stroked Grant's furry head. "Cats are always clever. Grant, tell me what hurt you. I will seek justice on your behalf."

The cat meowed a couple of times.

Nanny Eva rolled her eyes disdainfully. She thought the queen consort had become more brilliant, but it turned out she was still a fool!

As bright as the cat may be, could it understand human speech?

But the next moment, Bailey carried the cat and headed towards the door.

"Let's go to the Shoreline Pavilion."

The Shoreline Pavilion was where Brenna resided, and Rory immediately became displeased. "What do you want to do?"

"Are you feeling guilty too, Your Majesty? Is that why you're afraid to let me find the murder weapon?"

"Fine, if you can't prove it when we get there, I won't go easy on you!"

Brenna walked anxiously at the back, feeling incredibly guilty. It was not easy to find someone to retrieve the item for her. She kept comforting herself, believing the cat couldn't be that extraordinary!

As they passed through the garden, Bailey noticed the flowers and instructed Meghan, "Go pick some dandelions and bring them here."

Rory looked at her, puzzled, but she didn't explain. She strode purposefully towards the Shoreline Pavilion.

When they reached the doorway, Grant ran towards Brenna's chamber.

Bailey hurriedly followed, pushing the door open. The room was well-lit and elegantly decorated, far surpassing her chamber! How ridiculous that the concubine lived so much better than the rightful wife.

Nanny Eva stared intently at Grant. She saw it using its uninjured paw to vigorously scratch a cabinet beside the bed, pulling open one of the drawers.

Startled, she rushed forward to stop it, but Bailey pushed her aside

"You wretched slave, you won't destroy the evidence!"