"Y-Your Highness, hold on now!" Howdy panicked, sensing the energy emanating from Wally.
"Wake him up."
"There must be an explanation!"
"I just want to talk to him."
"I've known Henry since we were pupas, he wouldn't harm a fly!"
"Wake him up, Howdy."
The men's altercation was cut short by the laughter of Lady (L/n). They both turned to her, concerned by her reaction.

"My love?" Wally asked. "Are you alright?"
"I was wrong!" she turned to them, still holding onto the threat letters. "Well, I was right, but I was wrong! Someone is trying to kill me!"
While Howdy was hit with that shocking information, Wally looked at Henry, then back at her.
"Evidently, yes."
"But the notes are fake!"
The two men shared a confused glance.
"Think about it." she waved the notes. "Why is it such a bad idea to send a threat letter, multiple ones for that matter?" there was a pause. "Because these can be traced back. And here we find these out in the open like this? Howdy, were these already on the desk when you brought your cousin into the room?"
"Why, yes they were." he nodded.
"You're saying that the real killer planted them here." Wally said.

She nodded
"Henry is being framed. For the murder of Mr. Ashwood, and for a murder that has yet to be committed. Mine!" she pointed at herself with both of her hands. "This is a set up!"
"Are you sure this is a set up and not just Henry being an amateur?"
"I'm quite confident in my claim, yes." she nodded. "Besides, it's been established that Henry is... He makes his presence known. I can hardly imagine him, drunk, sneaking threat letters under people's doors."
"It could be an act."
"It isn't. I'm telling you, My King," Howdy said, shaking his head. "Henry is not one for papercrafts."
"Yes, I figured he wasn't one for murder either."
(Y/n) gasped as the three of them turned over to see Sunny, leaning on the doorway with his arms folded.

"Detective!" she exclaimed. "We've made a discovery!"
"I wouldn't expect anything less." he snapped then pointed at her as he went to the bedside table and picked up the glass of water. "My assistants and I have as well."
"That's wonderful- Wait. Assistants plural?"
She turned towards the door and saw Catherine and Miriam.
"Miriam? What are you...?" her voice trailed off once she noticed the letters in her hand.
The young woman had a grave expression on her face. Wally noticed it too.
"Let's go to the study to debrief." he said.
"Excellent idea, Your Highness." Sunny pointed at him putting the glass back on the nightstand while wiping his other hand with his shirt.
"Shouldn't we wake Henry up first?" (Y/n) asked, gesturing towards the deeply asleep caterpillar man.
"Whatever interrogation you would like to conduct, I would prefer to have all information at my disposal before going further into this case. Howdy, good sir, keep an eye on your dear cousin. If he ever wakes up, let us be the firsts to hear about it, will you?" he waved and left.

The group gathered in the study. Miriam avoided looking at the body. Sunny started first.
"Thanks to the assistance of Lady Tempertuft, I have pieced together the sequence of events leading to the murder of the Count of Tremontes!" he exclaimed, striking a pose.
"You did?" Catherine asked, surprised.
"Of course! It was easy!" he shrugged. "As easy as making macarons!"
"Those are known to be one of the hardest things to bake." (Y/n) mumbled.
"But yes, I was about to crack the case wide open when Miss Ashwood came to us." he gestured towards her.
"Miriam, are you feeling better?"
The young woman stared into space.
"...I don't think I can." she shook her head and looked back at her. "But I can't just sit and stare at my wounds forever."
A sad smile formed on (Y/n)'s face.

"Detective." Miriam turned towards him. "You said you had questions for me."
"Ah yes!" he pointed at her. "I was waiting until we regrouped to ask them."
He went up to her. He still had his usual grin, but his eyes were more piercing now.
"Did you know Mr Henry Pillar was working in the basement of the Goliath?"
(Y/n)'s eyes widened a little bit, recognizing these questions.
"No." Miriam replied.
"Have you ever met your parents' investors or any other business partners in the last year?"
"I was never interested in their business." she shook her head. "Any business-related meeting would be conducted here, and Father would lock the door."
"When were all those candles installed?"
This time, Miriam took some time to think.
"There was always one in every room. But for the last year or so, they've installed more and more."

"I see..." he slowly nodded, his gaze wandering as he and everyone in the room tried to link this information to the case at hand. "My Dear Madam!" he suddenly faced (Y/n), startling her. "What have you found on your end?"
"The murder weapon." she took the contraption out from the hiding spot they left it in and showed it. "Miriam, does this look familiar?"
"I've never seen this thing before." she replied, looking baffled. "What is it?"
"This, madam," Sunny walked up to it to take a closer look. "is what killed your father. That strange thunder..."
Without taking his eyes off of it, he took out the small metal ball that Olga found in Mr. Ashwood's heart. He took the weapon and pointed the barrel upward. He then placed the ball inside.
"It's a perfect fit."
"And we found out that it might have been Robert's." (Y/n) said.
"He was hiding it in a secret compartment in his drawer." Wally added.
"This belonged to my father?!" Miriam asked, shocked.
"Not only that, but Henry Pillar made it. Mr. Ashwood might have commissioned him while he was under his employ."

"How could he have died from his own weapon?" Catherine asked, confused.
"Easy enough question." Sunny casually said. "The killer knew about the contraption hidden in the drawer."
"That does seem to be the only explanation." (Y/n) nodded with a grave expression.
"Really? The only explanation?" Catherine tilted her head. "Maybe he got in a fight and wanted to use it on the killer to defend himself, but they snatched it from him instead!"
"Right." Miriam nodded. "The room was a mess when we found him, right? So there was a struggle."
"You're forgetting that we heard the furniture move around after the strange noise, after the weapon was used." Sunny said without looking away.
He examined it from a few angles. He then put his finger on the trigger.
"Detective." (Y/n) warned him.
He looked her in the eyes before going back to the murder weapon. With his thumb, he pulled on the strange S. There was a small click and everyone's heart stopped beating for a second. The S stayed in place. Sunny hummed.
"I'd advise you all to step back." he said as he pointed it at a bookshelf with a look of focus.

They all did, and everyone besides him covered their ears. He pulled the trigger, the S snapped back in place with another click. It created a spark. But nothing else happened.
"Ow." he relaxed, his shoulders dropping.
"Oh I'm sorry you're disappointed!" Catherine glared. "You almost gave us a heart attack!"
"Was it not reassembled properly?" (Y/n) asked.
Sunny tilted the weapon so that the metal ball falls into his palm.
"I figured it would require this black powder your dear husband found." he said. "And even then, it might be a single-use device." he smiled at everyone. "Pardon the scare, dear fellows, I was simply curious."
Catherine sent daggers at him, which he blissfully ignored.

"Now!" he placed the weapon on the desk and clapped his hands. "There is but one last important question in order to crack the mystery of Robert Ashwood's murder! The answer of which will give us an essential clue as to who the true killer is!" he paused for dramatic effect. "How did the murderer escape from the crime scene? Which – may I remind you – was a locked room that wasn't opened after the killing itself, Miss Markov can attest to that! Answer?" he raised his two indexes, clearly excited. "The exact same way the killer killed the Count without Miss Ashwood noticing!"
"...Which is?!" Catherine leaned closer.
"I believe I know the answer." (Y/n) raised a hand.
"Take it away, Madam!" Sunny happily gestured her to go ahead.
"When Olga wanted to take back her stolen works, she managed to go from the closet down the hallway to the library – which is a floor above it – in just a minute. In order to do that, she used a secret passage. The Goliath used to be a fortress, it would make sense if there were shortcuts and secret passages all throughout it."

"Are you aware of this, Miss Ashwood?" Wally looked at her.
"I know this, yes. I even sometimes use them to get faster into certain areas." she nodded then suddenly realized something and became pale. "Down the hallway... Where Rodney left, there is a secret passage!"
Catherine gasped.
"The painting?!" she looked at Sunny.
"It was clearly a hidden door." he smirked. "Even before I saw that 'frame', the dents around it created a draft between the painting and the window. Not only that, but when we went back to the spot where Miriam and the Count had their secret conversation, the painting there was also fake."
"It's the eyes." Miriam said. "We were being watched...?"
"The killer listened in on your conversation, saw that the Count was going to use his influence as a mafia member, and killed him."
"By the stars..." (Y/n) whispered, slowly shaking her head.

"And..." Miriam looked at her. "You're saying there is another secret passage here?"
"...You don't know?"
"I wasn't aware there was one in the study. I rarely go in this room."
"Well, yes." she started looking around. "Although I'm uncertain where it might be."
"Perhaps I can help with that." Sunny smiled and stepped forward. "None of the paintings here are fake, so we are dealing with a regular shaped door. Doors are heavy – especially secret ones – so the floorboards bend ever so slightly under its weight. And since the Spades Kingdom is known for its horizontality." he showed the small metal marble. "It should be easy to find."
He put it down and they all watched it slowly roll towards the bookshelf. Him, (Y/n) and Catherine rushed towards it and started to look for some sort of mechanism. While Catherine removed every book one by one, (Y/n) spotted a particular book and pulled on it. There was a click and the entire bookshelf moved into the wall a little bit. She then opened it like a door, revealing a staircase descending. Sunny giggled at this new discovery.

"How did you know it was this book?" Catherine asked.
"On the spine, there's the name of the publishing company and the year it was published."
"...And?"
"That company only started publishing medical books three years after." she said with a cheeky smile. "I learned that when I once had a meeting with the company's owner."
"¡Bien hecho, señora!" Sunny beamed, shaking her hand in excitement.
Miriam stepped closer and looked down into the dark staircase.
"I don't recognize these stairs at all." she shook her head, confused, catching the attention of everyone. "There is this entire system of secret tunnels throughout the Goliath, most of them are connected to each-other, I know them by heart. But I've never seen this one before."
"Could you provide us with a map of this tunnel system?" he asked more seriously.
"I made a map when I was younger." she nodded. "It's in my room."
"I shall go get it!" he raised a finger in the air before closing the secret door. "After that, his Highness and I will go down to investigate while you ladies go join the other guests!"
"What?!" the three ladies exclaimed.

"You said so yourself," he looked at (Y/n). "the killer is after you. You can't put yourself in any more danger."
"I agree." Wally walked up to her. "Detective Sunny and I will get to the bottom of this. And it would give me great peace of mind knowing you're somewhere safe with people you trust." he nodded to Catherine.
"I told you," she said. "I'm used to dange-"
"My dear Madam." Sunny spoke in a graver voice. "You are the Lady of Spades and the Queen of Hearts, all at the same time. Such a combination has quite literally never been done before. Whether your humble heart accepts it or not, you are a historical figure. Losing you would leave far more damage than any one of us might think."
She was taken aback by his words.
"We've establish that these threat letters were fabricated, but what if the public doesn't know that? Even if they did, there would be doubts."
Her eyes widened as she unconsciously thought of the years that would follow if she were to be killed tonight. The Hearts and Spades people would go back to hating each-other. There would be outrage, riots, terrorist attacks until eventually they'd have hurt each-other well enough to go to war. She became pale, her hands shaking.

"...If you encounter Howdy again, please tell him to burn the letters." she requested under her breath.
"Will do." the two men said at the same time then looked at each-other.
Just as they were exiting the study, Francis came up to them.
"My Lady. The Queen of Clubs' partner is at the door."
"The Queen's partne-? Oh gosh no!"

"By the Eight Planets!" Sally Starlet let herself in and was now marveling at the interior. "How come nobody told me a lavishing estate such as this existed!"
For some background context: A few months after the events of the last story, Sally was finally exposed for her lies. A member of the Court of Stars came down to Earth looking for 'two runaway servants'. Sally gave a beautiful speech about why she tricked the people of both Space and Earth, and about the reasons why she stayed. In the process, she confessed her love to Julie, who at this point reciprocated her feelings. After negotiating with the Space person, it was agreed that both Sally and Jeremiah could stay on Earth, but they could never come back to the Court of Stars, which they were okay with.
This incident didn't leave a dent of their reputation. After all, a servant from Space is still someone from Space. Sally and Julie began to court each-other, but Julie couldn't wait for all the lovey-dovey shenanigans. But there was a problem, Sally didn't want to be Queen. She wanted to write plays and travel the world. So they became 'partners'. Being in an official relationship without being married would normally be the biggest scandal in history, however, because Sally was a Space person, an exception was made.

"Pardon me if I'm being noisy, Madam," Sunny asked as the group walked down the stairs. "But why such panic? Do you perhaps dislike Lady Starlet?"
"Not at all, no!" (Y/n) shook her head. "It's just that she can be...a bit all over the place, when she gets too excited. And in a setting such as a murder investigation..." she saw her in the distance. "Sally!"
"Ah! Lady (L/n), dear friend!" she opened her arms. "Your Royal Highness." she bowed to Wally.
"What are you doing here?" she walked up to her.
"Why, as soon as I received Catherine's note, I dropped what I was doing and came instantly! Which was a relief, mind I add. Nights here on Earth are so boring! Everyone is asleep!"
"Catherine's note?" everyone looked at the Baroness.
"Sally gave me a piece of space paper." she explained.
"Space paper...?" (Y/n) tilted her head.

"Yes." she nodded. "It's embedded with Sally's magic. As soon as I write my message, it disappears and appears right in front of her."
"To use only when the juiciest of drama has happened!" Sally said. "So that I can be notified as quickly as if I'm in the room myself! As soon as I learned of tonight's tragedy, plus this secret liaison with that mysterious Count, I came flying!"
"How did you make your way through the rain?" Wally asked.
"I simply flew over the clouds, popping back down every now and then to see if I've arrived yet!"
"You can fly?!" Miriam asked.
"Of course we fly!" she lifted her chin when she said 'course'. "How do you think we nagivate through space? We would just be floating aimlessly otherwise. Although here on Earth, it requires me to go against gravity, which is extremely draining. I do need to lie down now!"
"You sure don't look like it..."
"Thank you."

Meanwhile, (Y/n) was still stunned. She scoffed.
"Magical paper? And you use it for gossip?!" she exclaimed, thinking back of all the times where such an item would've been useful.
"And good thing I did!" she dramatically pointed while Catherine nodded. "Or else I would've missed this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to witness a murder mystery!"
"This isn't a play, Sally." Wally said.
"But it could be." she whispered.
"Well, Lady Starlet." Sunny went up to her and shook her hand. "It is a pleasure to meet you. I am an avid fan of your work. My name is Sunny Santana, I am the detective working on this case."
"Goodness me, a 'detective' you say?!" she took out a quill and paper. "Do tell me more about that!"
"I would love to, after the investigation is over. Now if you would please-"
"Wait, detective!"
Everyone looked at (Y/n). It would seem that she had an idea.

"Sally." she slowly leaned towards her. "You could once again become a key player in this case!"
"As I always am, dear friend!" she stuck a pose. "What do you need me for?"
"I must say, dear Madam, I am a little confused." Sunny said.
"You see, detective, Sally here is a master of reading people's faces."
"Ahahaaaa indeed!" she puffed up her chest, "Us people of Space don't have regular faces like you Earth folks. As an acting expert, I can spot even the slightest of changes and interpret them to perfection!" she said with big movements.
"If we talk to all of the guests, we can surely find out if any more of them are hiding something."
"Aaaah!" Sunny nodded with a smile. "¡Impresionante!"
"Then it's settled then." Wally nodded. "You'll regroup with the guests while we-"
He was cut by a scream coming from outside, muffled by the sound of rain.
"Go on." Wally placed a hand on his wife's back before he and Sunny ran out the front door.

Wally used his magic to shield the two of them from the rain, but it was Sunny to led the way. They went around the manor and saw two people, wrestling in the mud. They recognized one of them as a butler working here. The other one was wearing a hood.
"What happened?" Wally asked as they ran over.
The servant gasped and quickly looked at them. He looked agitated.
"Y-Your Highness! I found the killer!"
"Killer?! Get this maniac off of me!"
"That voice..."
"Get off of him, good sir." Sunny said.
"Detective, if he's the killer then-"
"Get off of him." Wally repeated.
"Y-Yes your Highness."

He stood up, revealing the hooded individual who sat up. Wally removed the hood.
"Brahms."
"As in former high knight of the Spades army? Lady Tempertuft's former fiancé?!" Sunny smiled widely. "Well, that surely solves the stalker mystery!" he giggled.
"I wasn't stalking! And anyway, this guy tried to kill me!" he pointed at the butler.
"N-No! I didn't want him to run away, I thought he was the killer!"
"Maybe he is." Sunny said (just to freak them out).
"What?!" they both exclaimed.
"Why don't we go inside, gentlemen? Talking under this rain is just stressing you out."
"Good idea." Wally invited everyone under his shield and they all walked back inside.

They went to the kitchens to talk privately, sitting around the table where the servants would eat. Brahms was given a towel to dry himself – he clearly caught a cold, being under the heavy rain for several hours – and Sunny ordered a round of hot coffee.
"I do hope the ladies have ordered some as well," he commented. "it is the middle of the night and we are far from over."
"I'll go ask them later, sir." the butler nodded.
"No, do bring a coffee to my wife." Wally said. "Black, with nothing added to it."
"Very well, your Highness."
"One more thing," Sunny said as the man walked away. "you may reconsider walking around with that knife."
The man froze, stiff.
"With the current circumstances, people might get the wrong idea." he added with a sly smile.
"You're right." he chuckled nervously and took out the hunting knife. "It's usually in my room, a gift from my father you see. But after tonight, I took it in case I needed to protect myself."
"Mmh."
"And you almost killed me with it!" Brahms pointed with a glare.
"I-I'm terribly sorry! In my defense, you were really suspicious!"
Sunny kept staring at him as he extended a hand. Under such a piercing stare, the butler gave him his knife and turn to make coffee.

"Please pardon the man," the detective turned towards Brahms. "everyone is a little on edge here tonight." he jammed the table with the knife when he pressed on the word, making him flinch.
"Right... What was that about a killer?"
"Don't feign ignorance with us." Wally said with an unblinking stare. "We don't have time for that."
"There have been three murders here tonight." Sunny leaned closer.
"Two, detective, and one suicide."
"It doesn't sound as impressive though." he leaned towards him and whispered. "Your Highness, if you want to intimidate someone in order for them to spill the beans, you must throw a little exaggeration here and there."
"It has nothing to do with me though!" Brahms exclaimed, sneezing in between sentences. "I swear I was just trying to approach Catherine and beg her to take me back! I have nothing else to say!"

The two men stared at him, not moving at all. The long silence made him uncomfortable, looking back and forth between them. Meanwhile, the butler put the coffees on the table. He eyed his hunting knife and started to reach a hand out to it but Sunny grabbed the handle, glancing at him. The butler looked at Brahms, who sent him a distressed look. He tensed up and left quickly, thinking that they were going to use that knife on the poor stalker, who was also thinking just that.
"I disagree." Sunny said, leaning back on his chair. "I think you have a lot to tell us."
Brahms gulped, now getting drenched in sweat. He sneezed again. No one said 'bless you'.

Before entering the room where the guests were gathered, Sally was brought up to speed.
"Sally please, quiet." Catherine said as another giggle escaped her friend's lips.
"Need I remind you that we are talking about people that were very dear to Miriam?" (Y/n) harshly whispered.
"It's alright." the young woman in question waved a hand. "I'm glad someone isn't mortified by tonight's events. It makes the air a little lighter."
"If you say so." she sighed.
"Apologies, most sincere apologies." Sally bowed her head a couple of times. "I'm ready now."
"Ah." (Y/n) was about to open the door but then realized something. "Maybe we should come up with a story explaining your presence here."
"I have it all prepared, do not worry!" she opened the door wide open. "Lady Starlet of the Court of Stars has arrived!" she struck a pose.
'You've been banished from the court though...' both (Y/n) and Catherine thought.
That 'pesky little detail' mattered very little to the eyes of the populace. Sally was quickly surrounded.

"Her Highness and dear friend of mine, the Lady of Spades," she said, gesturing widely to illustrate her words. "had planned for me to arrive at the climax of the party. Misfortune favored us all tonight, not only my arrival was delayed by the storm – Surely an omen from the spirits! – but I am welcomed by much tragic news! Three deaths in one night?! May their souls find eternal rest in the afterrealm!"
She then recited a poem about grief and the guests applauded her. After that, she began to converse with them.
"...Oh wow." (Y/n) just realized. "She did it."
"That was one smooth infiltration." Catherine said as the two of them nodded.
"She's really good." Miriam added, surprised as well.
"Do we just wait now?" she looked at (Y/n).
"Of course no..." she closed her eyes and rubbed her temple.
"Lady (L/n)?"
The Lady began to sway a little bit. Catherine and Miriam instinctively held her in case she lost her balance.

"I'm alright, thank you." she stood straight. "Just a moment of vertigo."
"I get it." Catherine said. "We're all very tired. And with you organizing the party, I'm willing to bet you haven't slept much these past months either."
"You need to rest, my Lady." Miriam muttered.
"What I need, friends, is a good cup of good ol' Spades coffee."
"My Lady?"
They turned to see a butler, holding a small trail with a single cup of black coffee on it.
"His Highness your husband thought you would need this."
The three ladies let out an 'aww' with a hand over their heart.
"That is so romantic!" Catherine beamed.
"He knows me." (Y/n) took it with a big smile. "Thank you, good sir." she nodded to the butler, who bowed and walked away.

As soon as his back was turned, (Y/n)'s smile dropped and she took out something from her pocket. A small piece of paper.
"What's this?" Catherine asked.
"It's been coated with a solution that reacts to certain elements." she explained as she took a small spoon from the buffet table and scooped up some of the coffee. "Depending on what comes in contact with it, it will change colors."
"Is it magic?" her eyes widened.
"It's this new thing the doctors came up with. They call it 'science'?" her eyes squinted. "I don't see much difference, to be perfectly honest, but it works."
She put some drops of coffee onto the paper. The three of them stared at it.
"If it turns blue, that means it's poisoned."
"Huh?!" the two ladies looked at her with big eyes.
The paper turned red. (Y/n) breathed a small sigh before drinking her coffee.
"Do you use that often...?" Miriam asked, disturbed.
"No. But I'm not taking any chances anymore tonight." she thought for a moment. "I should've brought more. We won't be able to check everyone's drink."
"It's alright." Catherine said. "Poison doesn't seem like the killer's style either."
"We can't be sure about that." she whispered, scanning the room.

"I have an idea." Miriam said. "May I?"
(Y/n) gave her the small paper and Miriam left. The two ladies watched as she announced there will be coffee for everyone. She asked a maid to make some and when she came back with the dining cart, Miriam dipped the other side of the paper into the pitcher. She made a quick thumbs up to the ladies who responded with a nod.
"Now," she said after she joined them again. "we just keep an eye on it."
"Very clever Miriam." (Y/n) whispered, the two of them exchanging a smile.
"Lady (L/n)." Catherine tapped her arm. "Mrs. Ashwood is back."
"What?!" her and Miriam quickly looked.
There was Mrs. Ruth Ashwood, her arm held by Francis as they walked across the room. He led her to a chair and helped her sit.
"She seems shaken up." Catherine said.
"As anyone would be." (Y/n) mumbled, looking back at the dining cart.
"Especially at her age, the poor woman..." her voice trailed off as she remembered that the woman's daughter was right next to her.
(Y/n) glanced at Miriam. She seemed to be hesitating.

"You can go see her, Miriam."
"Thank you, my Lady." she bowed her head.
"Wait." she grabbed her wrist, startling her. "Whatever you read in those letters, and anything regarding the case, please don't mention it-"
"Of course-"
"-to anyone." she looked into her eyes.
"Y... Yes." she nodded, caught off guard.
The Lady's voice was soft and calm as usual, but at that moment, she sounded stern and pressing. She nodded back and let her go. Miriam rushed across the room, calling out for her mother and gave her a big hug which she returned. Now alone, Catherine looked at (Y/n).
"Lady (L/n)...?"
She glanced at her and the two of them locked eyes. It was as if they understood what the other was thinking, but it would seem that they were in disagreement. (Y/n) quickly looked back at the cart.
"Please keep an eye on Sally. You can even join her if you want."
"And leave you alone? I'd never."
The two of them smiled. After a while, Sally came back.

"These people are lovely!" she said. "A lot of them have secrets though." she popped the T of 'lot'.
"What kind of secrets?" the two ladies leaned over, speaking quietly.
"Not the murder kind." she waved a hand. "For example, I talked to Mrs. Brimsley about her foundation and she seemed to be so in need of funding that she resorted to sell some of her own belongings."
"Really? That's surprising." Catherine raised an eyebrow. "Does that mean the Ashwoods also had financial difficulties? It was them that founded it."
"Even she doesn't know, she told me she was planning on talking to Robert about it before tragedy struck!" she whispered harshly, trying not to smile at the drama of it all. "The other guests had little everyday secrets. And then..." she paused for dramatic effect, her voice graver. "there's Mrs. Ashwood."
"Mrs. Ashwood?" the two ladies repeated, caught off guard.
"You got to talk to her?" (Y/n) added.
"Yes! As soon as she walked in, I pretended to run into her."
"Good job Sally." Catherine gave her a thumbs up.
"And you're saying she has a secret?" (Y/n) asked.
Sally looked back, to make sure no one was listening, before leaning closer and whispering.

"I gave my condolences and asked who could've done such a thing. And then I saw it. A deep pain- different from grief." she quickly clarified. "More like a betrayal. I kept asking questions, and it became plainer and plainer to see, like she knows why he died."
"Betrayal...?" Catherine whispered.
While she and Sally theorized about what that could mean, Lady (L/n) was deep in thoughts, thinking of every piece of evidence she's gathered so far. Slowly, her eyes became wide open, and her face turned pale.
"Keep an eye on the coffee." she quickly whispered before leaving.
"My Lady?" Catherine asked, but was ignored.
'If I'm correct, then this is much much more tragic than we thought.' (Y/n) thought as she moved across the room.
"Francis." she called with a stern voice.
"Yes, my Lady." he faced her, also catching the attention of Miriam and her mother.
"May we talk privately for a moment?"
"Of course, my Lady." he bowed his head.
"Lady (L/n)?" Miriam stood up from her seat.
The two of them looked at each-other.
"...You may want to join us, Miriam." she quietly said.

Confused, the young lady said goodbye to her mother – who barely heard her – and followed them. They walked down the corridor, to make sure they were away from prying ears (Miriam chose a room with no secret passages). Once they closed the door behind them, there was a moment of tense silence, which (Y/n) eventually broke.
"I'll just ask you one question, Francis." she went up to him, staring into his eyes. "And I advise you to be completely honest with me."
"What is it?"
"You said Mr. Ashwood came to check on his wife after she left the party. Did the two of them go to the study together?"
"What?" Miriam frowned.
Francis looked caught off guard as well. He hesitated to speak.
"I understand you want to protect the woman you've cared for for years now. But please, don't lie."
"What is the meaning of this?!" Miriam asked.
(Y/n) looked at her and sighed.
"There's no point in hiding it from you, Francis." she faced him again. "Robert was exchanging letters to Raymond, the spy, effectually committing treason which would have resulted in the death sentence."
He gulped and rubbed his neck, picturing either a noose around it, or an axe cutting through it.

"My word..." he whispered, his gaze distant.
(Y/n) then turned to Miriam.
"Your parents have worked side by side for their entire careers, surely she would've known about his 'business' with Raymond sooner or later, along with the weapon Henry made. And she would know about the Goliath's secret passages more than you."
Miriam's eyes turned bigger.
"What if she learned of it just a few hours ago? And what if, knowing of Henry's weapon, she used it on her own husband, not only because she felt betrayed, but also so that he wouldn't suffer a slower execution by the hands of the royal court."
There was a moment of silence. The air felt heavy.
"This is...ridiculous!" Miriam exclaimed. "My mother barely knows where she is half of the time! You're telling me she's capable of murdering her own husband?!"
"I know it sounds crazy, I know." she shook her head, her eyebrows furrowed. "But... It would answer most of the questions we have..."
'And it'd match Sally's intel.'

"And Raymond, huh? What about him?!"
"Is there a hidden door in your parents' bedroom?"
"...There is. But-"
"Whether it's to make sure she or her husband wasn't exposed, you have to admit that she had an opportunity. She stayed in her bedroom for most of the night. Were the passages in that hallway connected to her room?" she pointed to a direction.
Miriam opened her mouth, but no coherent words came out. She shook her head in denial.
"Francis." (Y/n) faced him. "Did Mrs. Ashwood leave her room before the murder?"
His eyes darted around, and he looked like he was holding his breath. Then, he relaxed with a long sigh.
"Yes. When Mr. Ashwood came to check on his wife, he asked if they could talk in his study."
"And when Henry came in, you didn't let him see Mrs. Ashwood, because she wasn't there."
"Correct." he looked down.
"W-Wait..." Miriam uttered, but said nothing more, putting a hand to her head and finding a table to lean on.

"And the threat letters. Is it your doing? As head butler you had easy access to both my and Henry's room. Even without the secret passageways."
"I...I wanted to throw you off her scent."
"You even placed one in Mr. Ashwood's study, by using the secret passage just like Mrs. Ashwood did."
"I'm sorry..."
"Francis..." Miriam's voice sounded weak.
(Y/n) took a deep breath.
"There's only one thing left to do." she said. "We must talk to Mrs. A-"
She was cut off by a loud and rapid knock, startling all three of them. It came from the front door.
"Royal guard! Open up in the name of his Majesty the King!"

Going back in time, from where we left our new investigating duo. Brahms gulped.
"For the entirety of our stay here, you've been observing from outside, were you not?" Sunny asked.
"A...As soon as Catherine arrived, yes." he nodded.
"You heard that strange thunder, didn't you?"
"Yes..." his voice trailed off as he recalled. "What was that?"
"The sound of someone killing Mr. Ashwood." Wally said with a cold tone.
Brahms gulped again. He was clearly shocked.
"I-" he sneezed. "I had a feeling something terrible happened. I figured a murder was possible but... Mr. Ashwood...?"
"Is that why you stayed outside?" Sunny tilted his head. "You know, instead of walking in and 'begging Catherine to take you back'." he gestured the air quotes. "It would surely raise suspicions, learning that an uninvited guest was lurking around the crime scenes."
Brahms grunted, bashful. Still, he nodded.

"And then, the body of Count of Tremontes was thrown from a window on the third floor." Wally continued. "It was then moved to the other side of the manor."
"And might I add," Sunny raised a finger. "it was found right after Lady Tempertuft saw a mysterious cloaked figure that she claims has been stalking her for some time now." he tilted his head.
"I-I-I didn't do anything I swear!" Brahms shook his head intensely.
"Did you even see the body?" he pressed, leaning closer.
"No. I ran to hide in a bush as soon as Catherine saw me. How was I-?!" he sneezed. "How was I supposed to know a body was going to pop up around the area I was just standing on?!"
"It didn't 'pop up', Mr. Meredis." Wally said with a grave voice, staring into his eyes with a piercing stare. "Someone moved it there. And we want to know why."
That quickly 'calmed' the ex-captain down. Sunny leaned back, thinking His Majesty had this interrogation covered. Brahms took a deep breath.
"I'm telling you." he slowly said, waving his hands up and down like it punctuated his sentences. "I didn't see any body. I didn't do anything- I'm not a murderer! I've never set foot in the manor, nor the temple!"
"Pardon?" Sunny suddenly leaned closer.

There was a moment of silence. The thunder roared outside. Looking at his two interrogators, Brahms understood that he held a key piece of information.
"The temple in the backyard?" Wally asked.
"Th...Uh..."
"Let me be clear, Mr. Meredis." he leaned closer. "You will face consequences for stalking Lady Catherine. However, if your intel turns out to be useful for our investigation, you might get a lighter sentence. Might."
"I understand..." he nodded, clutching onto the towel. "While I was hiding outside, I saw people going to the temple and coming back here after five minutes or so. Well, except that one time where they came back after like half-an-hour. It'd happened every so often."
"Who?"
"It was too dark for me to see. They didn't carry any lanterns, probably 'cause of the rain."
"It's more likely that they didn't want to be seen..." Sunny said with a distant gaze. "Who it was matters little, your Majesty. What matters is what and why." he looked back at the interrogatee. "Were they carrying anything?"
"Not that I noticed." he shook his head.
"You said 'people'. How many?"
"Sometimes there was one, sometimes there were two."
"And it happened multiple times?" Wally asked.

"Y-Yes?" he nodded. "I thought you knew, the butler guy was on his way when he spotted me."
The two men's eyes widened. They looked at each-other briefly before Wally suddenly stood up.
"We must catch him at once-"
"He'll just deny everything." Sunny said, his voice graver. "And his accomplices will surely back him up." he stood up. "We must get to that temple. That is where we'll find answers."
"...Very well. I shall trust your expert judgment."
"Thank you, Mr. Meredis." he took his hand and shook it. "If anyone asks anything," he tightened his grip. "you don't know anything about a temple. And we are investigating around the manor. Trust me, it's for your own good. Go ahead and join the other guests, now! You might want to be somewhere where there's a lot of people."
"...Who are you?" he said under his breath, scared.
"Detective Sunny Santana." he patted his shoulder. "Charmed." he stood up. "Now let's hurry along, your Highness. ¡El juego está en marcha!"
Wally nodded before the two of them ran out.

"What do you know about this temple, your Highness?" Sunny asked as the two of them made their way across the backyard (with Wally still protecting them from the rain with his magic).
"From what I remember, the Goliath was a fortress during the Eclipse War, and before that, it was a church for one of the Spades' ancient religions. The temple in the backyard remained the same for historical purposes. My dear wife knows more about its history than I do."
"I would expect nothing less." he smiled. "The Spades' people are deeply connected to their land's history. Could this explain why one would visit it by walking out in the rain?"
"No."
"I thought so too. It's being reworked I see!" he said as they approached it.
"Mr. Ashwood said it was closed for renovation, yes"
"Mr. Ashwood said that, mmh?"

They glanced at each-other and hurried to go inside. They lifted the cloth covering it just enough to pass under. The space was rather small and empty, with some construction bleachers near the walls which were almost ruined after the Eclipse War. Nothing out of the ordinary so far, but there was also a set of stairs going down into the earth. The two men nodded to each-other and went down. It was dark and damp, they could still hear the thunder outside. Wally conjured a small ball of light so that they could see where they were going. Shortly after, they've reached the bottom. There was a large old door, but Sunny noticed the lack of dust. And he had also noticed that the stairs were wet, not because the rain water flowed down, but because someone with wet shoes and clothes came by...

Wally reached for the doorknob but then paused.
"Get behind me, detective." he looked at him. "In case there are dangerous people in there."
"How kind of you." he replied as he stepped forward and opened the door.
"You-" he rolled his eyes with a silent sigh.
The door opened slowly and loudly. Wally swiftly went past Sunny so he could step in first. The detective would normally chuckle, but seeing inside the room, his face fell, just like Wally's.

The temple was circular, the ceiling was a dome with carvings of spirits and mythical creatures, and there were holes meticulously placed to let the sunlight through, but they've been covered from outside. There were tapestries covering the walls, probably depicting an ancient myth, and at the center of the room there was an altar. Neither Wally nor Sunny could see them clearly however, for large crates, stacked on top of each-other, filled the room. There were also multiple bags piled up in a corner. Wally stood there, frozen in shock, while Sunny started to look around. He found various tools in a corner and grabbed a crowbar. He then used it to open the first crate within his reach. He opened it and sighed, as if its content was exactly as he expected to find. He reached inside and took out a weapon that was exactly like the one that killed Robert Ashwood. He showed it to Wally as he turned to face him. In the silence, they heard the muffled sound of lightning striking outside.
"All packed and ready for shipping. These bags must be filled with black powder." he said. "Now we know what 'Raymond' the spy came here for. The people coming here – servants under Robert's employ no doubt – were probably checking if their goods weren't damaged by the rain." he looked around. "There are about a hundred of them in each crate. Such an amount... It's surely enough for a small army. The perfect leverage against the Four Kingdoms..." he mumbled.

Wally clenched his fists. He breathed deeply, trying to calm down, but the ground beneath him started to shake under his magic's pressure.
"Not only is this an act of war." he said between his teeth. "But... This place's history is sacred. If (Y/n) was to see that it was being used to smuggle deadly weapons en masse, she would be heartbroken." his cape began to slowly float. "They will pay."
Despite his assistant's dangerous anger, Sunny was walking along the walls, inspecting. He noticed a circular mark on the stoned ground and looked at the wall it was connected to. He lifted up the tapestry and noticed one of the stone bricks was slightly different. He pressed it, and a door opened which led to a dark hallway, which then separated into multiple directions.
"It's probably connected to the Goliath." he thought out loud. "Why bother going outside in the rain to check on the merchandise, then...?" his eyes narrowed, thinking.
That question calmed Wally down as he thought about it.
"Because... They couldn't get to it."
Sunny snapped his fingers and pointed at him without looking.
"Does a smuggling operation still continue if both parties are dead?"

"...Oh yeah." Wally's eyes widened as he realized. "Robert, Raymond, they're both dead. But then, why are Robert's accomplices still checking on the merchandise?"
"Because the operation is still in effect. Whoever is buying this will just send another spy. But who will they buy it from now?"
"Maybe... The servants. They get to keep all the money for themselves."
"R.A... They have the same initials." he whispered, his eyes widening.
"What?"
Sunny quickly turned to look at him.
"I figured it out! I know who's behind all of this!"
"I would've expected you to be excited about it." Wally said, taken aback.
"Because, your Highness," he walked past him. "your wife might have also figured it out on her end. But without the proper context, she'd be led to a wrong conclusion. Which puts her in great danger."
Wally's eyes widened.
"Let's take the secret passage." he said. "It'd be faster-"
"We'd get lost, it'd take too long. We have to hurry!"
The two of them ran upstairs.

While his men were securing the manor, Lady (L/n) talked to the captain of the guard about everything that happened.
"And we may have found out who did it." she finished with a grave voice.
"You have?! Who should I send my men after?"
"That's the thing," her eyebrows furrowed. "it hasn't been confirmed yet... But we have a decisive testimony that-!"
"No, this has gone on for long enough."
She turned to Miriam, who was standing next to her.
"Let's go to the crime scene, where it all started, and bring the truth to light." she looked her in the eyes.
"You mean...?"
"I'll bring my mother along."
"...Very well."

The two ladies, Mrs. Ashwood, and the captain went up to the library. Both Miriam and her mother looked away when the body was uncovered. (Y/n) explained how detective Santana's investigation went. She showed the weapon in the drawer and explained how it worked, then showed the secret door and explained how the killer used it. But she didn't mention the letters between Robert and the spy.
"So, the murderer must have known not just about the weapon, but about the secret passage instead. One that not even Miriam knows about."
There was a pause. She took a deep breath before looking at the old lady.
"Mrs. Ashwood. After you left the party, you met with your husband, didn't you?"
"Excuse me?" she asked, looking confused.

"Mother." Miriam – who's been holding her arm this whole time – gently patted the back of her hand. "You don't have to deny it. Francis told us everything."
(Y/n) felt her heart squeeze as the scene unfolded. Miriam faced her mother, still holding onto her hands.
"We know what father has done, we know he's been conspiring against the Land of the Four Kingdoms. I know you want to protect the family's name but, mother..." she pursed her lips, her eyes getting glassy. "We've stopped being a family for so long now. The fame, the money and the 'honor' has clouded our hearts." she shook her head. "And I don't... I don't want to be in the shadows anymore. All these secrets, kept for years, they've all come crashing down tonight. Please. I beg of you. Let's put a stop to this once and for all. I know Lady (L/n) will do everything in her powers to get you a lighter sentence." she smiled, her eyebrows furrowed. "She knows you're innocent, mother, and so do I-"

Her voice was cut off, and because her back was to her, (Y/n) didn't know why at first. Miriam stumbled, mumbling short syllables before collapsing. (Y/n)'s blood turned cold. Time slowed down. She could see the handle of a knife poking out of Miriam's chest. Before the young woman even hit the ground, (Y/n) was hit on the head from behind and she passed out.
"Fuckin' Francis ratted me out."
The two ladies were dragged down the secret staircase, and the door closed, leaving the room empty. Outside, the thunder roared.

"Remember, your Highness." Sunny told Wally before they walked back to the Goliath. "Every single staff member is a potential enemy."
"I'm a King, detective. I know how to look out for those." he went past him and opened the door.
Sunny smiled at the parallel of this moment and the two of them stepped inside. They went to the room where all the guests were, where (Y/n) should be. But they couldn't see her. Though now, the atmosphere was a lot lighter and the people looked relieved.
"Your Highness!" Catherine rushed up to them. "The royal guards arrived at last!"
"Ah. That's good to know."
"Yes," Sunny looked around. "especially since we would've never guessed it ourselves. Where are they?"
"The captain left with Lady (L/n), Miriam and her mother. Then he came back to get his men, saying they had to catch the killer!"
"Ah! So she did figure it out!" Sunny sighed, relieved. "Good for her!"
"You knew too! Does that mean... Miriam really did it?" she whispered harshly.
"Oh dear Madam, I'm afraid the truth is much more tragic than you think." he patted her shoulder. "But! I'm glad we're not too late. I assume they went to the first crime scene? When did they leave?"
"They did, yes." she nodded. "Around five minutes ago."

"Good. Good..." he turned to Wally and spoke quietly. "They might be inspecting the secret passage. It's only a matter of time before they find the temple, and the extent of the killer's plan."
"Shall we go join them?"
"Instead, I say we tie up loose ends." he glanced at Francis. "Starting with the big one."
Wally followed his stare and the two of them nodded at each-other. They approached the head butler as if nothing happened.
"Francis my good sir!" Sunny waved. "May I ask a simple question?"
"Of course, detective."
"How long have you been in the Ashwood's employ?"
"For about a year."
"Aaaaah! So around the same time as the start of the Ashwoods' project mmh?"
"Pardon? The line of prosthetics was announced just a few months ago."
"But it started long before that, did it not?" he said, as more of a statement than a question.

Francis opened his mouth to say something, but he froze when he noticed the look on the men's faces. They kept staring at him, and despite their smiles, they did not look happy. He had a feeling they knew what was happening. A moment passed, and he ran out of the room. The people standing nearby gasped at the sudden movement.
"Oh my! Some action!" Sally giggled.
"Get him!" Sunny exclaimed.
While Wally ran after him, the detective pulled out Miriam's map of the secret passages. He got it while he and the others went to greet Lady Starlet. He quickly inspected it, then exited from another direction to block the butler in his escape.

(Y/n) was woken up by a violent kick in the stomach. She coughed loudly, catching her breath as she raised her upper body, resting on her forearms with her fists tightly closed. She was in a cold and dark room, laying on hay. Now that she was in the moment, she quickly sat up and faced whoever woke her up. The 'captain of the guard'. He smirked with a 'heh' and walked away, past Mrs. Ashwood, and left the room, locking the metal door behind him. This was a cell. As a former fortress, the Goliath had a two story basement, the deepest one being the dungeons.
"It's no use screaming." Mrs. Ashwood said.
There was no quiver, no lack of strength, no restlessness in her voice. She sounded assertive, confident. Even her posture was more straight, making her look taller. It sent a chill down (Y/n)'s spine.
"You figured out that I did it, and yet you were still wrong!" she shook her head. "And you had to bring my daughter into this."
"You killed your daughter, Ruth." (Y/n) said with a defying stare. "Just like you killed your husband."
"Because of you!" she pointed at her. "This whole thing is your fault!"
The Lady just stared at her. The old woman clicked and went to sit on a small wooden table and poured herself a glass of wine. While she drank, (Y/n) stood up and glanced at the door. She pursed her lips as she remembered that it was locked.

"Robert and I used to be the Spades' one and only hope." Ruth broke the silence, catching her attention. "In the eyes of the rest of the world, we were the one good thing that came out of this forsaken Kingdom. And it was that way for decades." she wiped her mouth. "But as the years passed, we'd lose in relevance little by little. Keeping Olga around kept our names in the papers but it wasn't enough, nothing like the glory days." she looked at her and smiled. "So we had the idea to make the fame come to us, by creating the demand and providing the supply. First plan was to recreate the Spades Plague. Tested it out on some forgotten village in the middle of nowhere." she waved a hand.
(Y/n)'s eyes widened. Her face grew paler as she remembered those few days spent at home during the Shuffling. Now it made sense why the disease worked differently than previously recorded.
"You did all of this...?" she mumbled in horror.
"It was a failure. Too short lived, no money coming from this, you went to the rescue before we could even pretend to have just heard about it, and everyone was talking about how you stepped up for these people, and how the 'great and generous King of Hearts' came to the rescue! Long live the King!" she raised her hands, speaking in a silly voice before grunting and grabbing the bottle. "Damn Hearts."
(Y/n) frowned as Ruth poured herself another glass.

"After thinking hard about it, we finally came up with a plan to put ourselves back on the map. Tell me, in what situation do we need doctors the most, besides a plague?" she paused and leaned back. "A war."
(Y/n) felt her heart drop.
'They both have the same initials. How could I have not realized?!'
"We never invited weapons before, but we knew someone who could help. The famous runt of the Pillar family. As soon as we mentioned money, he was in our pocket. After a little back and forth, he sent us the final sketch. Robert liked it so much he wanted one of his own." she smiled in a bittersweet manner. "Finding a buyer was also really easy. As it turned out, a lot of people would rather that the Four Kingdoms hate each-other!" she laughed. "Don't ask me why, I don't care much for politics."
(Y/n)'s mind couldn't help but wonder who, just like when she read those letters. But she knew that right now, it didn't matter. Right now, the enemy was right in front of her.

"Robert came up with the whole 'marry my daughter' thing, to get Miriam out of our hair since a great man was the one thing missing in her life- Her words, not mine." she quickly clarified. "Brilliant move, if you ask me. Things went smoothly from that point on. We replaced our staff with people who spoke our language," she rubbed her fingers together to signify money. "crates and crates of firearms were piling up. Of course, that operation cost a lot of money and our benefactor was providing us with plenty. But we couldn't let the accountants over at the charities know what we were doing with it instead of giving it to them. Thankfully, King Doombarrow came up with that prosthetic limb idea and it was exactly what we needed!"
"Money laundering..." (Y/n) said under her breath.

"Whatever fancy word you call it, it worked." she shrugged with her arms open. "And it was going well. It was going to be perfect. We were going to kill you and blame it on the Pillar boy- That fool was becoming a liability. War would break between you and our client. During the chaos, we help both parties. That way, no matter who wins, we'll be on their good side and we'll be famous because of it. Just like we did during the Eclipse War!" she smiled.
(Y/n)'s mind once again shattered. The last remnants of the image she had of the Ashwoods came crashing down atthis moment.
"But then you stepped in," Ruth's voice lost any enthusiasm. "saying you wanted to 'celebrate' our anniversary. And of course we had to accept. Humble commoners like us can't possibly say no to a Queen. To the Lady of Spades! Kind and selfless (Y/n) (L/n)!" she gestured towards her before letting her hands fall on the table. "Fooling you was easy. Keeping you out of our business was easier!"

(Y/n) thought back to all of the interactions between her and the Ashwoods. She shook her head, fixing the old lady, who noticed the judgment in her eyes.
"Don't act like you're better than us!" she glared, pointing at her before taking a sip of wine. "All your life you've been rich, you were born into it. And then you just kept climbing the ladder, the High Council, the Shuffling and then you became a god damn Queen." she said with a voice a mother uses to passive aggressively scold her child. "The fame, the recognition, I know how it feels, me and Robert are the only peasants in the Spades Kingdom to know." she paused. "Ever since the Shuffling, you've been keeping the spotlight to yourself. And with this party, you're just rubbing it in our faces." she said lowly, her voice full of venom.
"You're delusional, Ruth." (Y/n) spoke sternly, standing tall. "Blinded by greed and vanity, you killed your own husband to keep that spotlight for yourse-"
Ruth threw her glass at her. (Y/n) dodged and it crashed into the wall behind her.

"How dare you?! You think I wanted to kill him?!" she shouted. "I told you, this is all your fault! You tricked him!"
"Tricked him?" she frowned, confused.
"He bought your act, seduced by your cheap compassion." she clenched her fists. "He wanted to back out of our deal. He even tried to convince me to do the same." she shook her head, there was now a certain sadness in her voice. "Sixty-six years of working together, we've always agreed that, in this world, having a consciouce was a burden. Not meant for Great people. Out of nowhere, just as we're about to make the deal that would settle us for life, he grows one? Told me that you were genuine, that what we were doing was wrong. Do you have any idea what this kind of betrayal feels like, after sixty-five years of marriage?!"
"I know that with age comes wisdom. And you seem to still be a child."
"You pretentious bitch." she slowly said as she stood up. "You even turned my own daughter against me. I'm all alone now because of you!"

"So you killed Robert. You killed Miriam because she wanted you to confess. You killed the Count of Tremontes because you knew he would expose you. Are you going to kill me now?"
Despite asking, she knew she wouldn't. Why bother bringing her here when Ruth could've just stabbed her like she did her own daughter?
"That would be too quick. I think you're underestimating this situation." the old lady pointed down. "You perfectly represent everything me and Robert hate. We wanted to get your murder over with, but now... Now I want you to slowly suffer and watch as the world you helped build burns down in flames, letting us to benefit from it all." she smirked. "You shall be a nice bonus to our client."
(Y/n) felt a chill. Her face became paler, finally understanding why she was here.

Ruth chuckled and walked to the door of the cell. She knocked and it opened.
"It's only a matter of time before that pesky detective finds out the truth as well. So we'll get out of here quick and take the goods with us. Half of us at least. The other half worked so hard and they deserve a break."
As she stepped out, the 'guards' slowly walked in.
"Have fun boys. I left the bottle for you. Remember to 'escort her to safety' once you're done." Ruth said, her voice fading away.
They all snickered. The 'captain' convinced the others to wait outside, saying they'd take turns. He then approached her.
(Y/n)'s breath became shallow. Her hands were shaking. Her mind was racing. She was all alone. The room was small. The only exit was blocked. No way of contacting anyone for help. If Ruth could shout then surely no one upstairs could hear her. In front of her was a large man, approaching her. He was speaking, but she wasn't listening. There was nothing she could do.
She could hear her fast heartbeat ringing in her head. Right now, none of her noble status mattered. She was shaking like a leaf. Any diplomatic shield was gone. Right now, she was just a meek woman.
This would be nothing like when she was with Him. There will be no politeness. No gentle peer pressure. No flattering her way out of this. If she tried anything, she'll surely be hurt, a lot.
Her breathing quickened, her mind screaming at her to do something. Anything!

As soon as she felt his hands on her, she wrapped her arms around him and let herself fall with all of her weight, catching him off guard and bringing him down with her.
"Ow! What the-?!" he exclaimed but then screamed when she bit his ear with all of her might, chomping a big piece of it off.
He pushed her off of him. She stood up but he quickly grabbed her ankle and pulled her with a sharp movement. She fell and hit her nose on the ground. It started to bleed but the adrenaline made her ignore the pain. While he pulled out a knife, she reached for the wine bottle on the table and quickly smashed it on his head. He screamed again and without a pause she began to kick him relentlessly. He dropped the knife just as the other men came in, having heard the cries of their mate. One of them quickly went to the lady, who picked up the knife. When he grabbed her arm, she jammed the blade into his calf. He screamed and let her go. She quickly stood up and stepped back so that her back was near a wall.
"Wh-What the fuck?!" shouted the man with his ear bit off as he was excited out. "You sure that's a Queen?!"
"The Queen of Hearts isn't here right now. Nor is the Lady of the High Council." (Y/n) said. "This is a Spades woman who refuses to bow down to you." she raised the blade, shaking. "[You want to go to war, Ruth?!]" she called out, not taking her eyes off the 'guards'. "[Fine! Then you better pray these men will kill me! Because from now on, it shall be me before anyone else!!!]"
The door opened wider. More of them came in.