"Who could do such a thing?" Sorceress Beatriz whispered, her eyes wide with fear.
"I do not know, but we need to get help!" Serena shouted, glancing around frantically. "Someone has to notify the guards and Duchess Camila!"
Just then, the sound of hurried footsteps echoed down the corridor, and in walked in Duchess Camila and four guards. Her eyes scanned the scene before landing on Adanna and Serena, who were kneeling beside Larissa.
What is happened here?" she demanded, her gaze sweeping over the scene.
Adanna looked up, desperation in her eyes. "Enchantress Larissa has been pushed down the stairs! We need a healer!"
Duchess Camila's eyes darkened as she knelt beside Larissa, her voice turning commanding. "Guards get the healer immediately!" she ordered, "We need to clear the area. No one leaves until we get to the bottom of this."
The guards ran off in a flurry of movement, their heavy boots echoing down the corridor. After a while, the guards rushed in, followed by a huffing and puffing Curandera Rosa, her medical satchel in hand. She ran up to Larissa, her eyes assessing the situation quickly. "¿Ella está bien?" Duchess Camila asked, her voice laced with concern. (Is she okay?)
"Ella esta sangrando por el corte del florero, esta inconsciente y lastimada, si me lo permites deseo llevarla a mis aposentos para monitorearla." Curandera Rosa's words were urgent and precise, as the guards gently lifted Larissa, carrying her towards the staircase. (She is bleeding from the cut from the vase, she is unconscious and hurt, with your permission, I wouldd like to take her to my quarters to keep an eye on her.)
"¿Cuánto tiempo estará inconsciente? ¿Tendremos que retirarla del concurso? " Duchess Camila asked, her eyes never leaving Larissa's face as the healer worked. (How long will she be unconscious? Will we have to remove her from the competition?)
"Por lo que veo, no parece haber lesiones externas, pero solo el tiempo lo dirá... en el peor de los casos, es posible que nunca más pueda caminar... " Curandera Rosa spoke gravely, her words trailing off as she focused on her patient. (As far as I can tell, there are no external injuries, but only time will tell... in the worst case, it is possible she might never walk again...)
The other ladies watched in silence as they were unable to understand Spanish except from Lady Catalina, Lady Isabella and Olimpia who stared at the duchess and the healer with stoic faces. The gravity of the situation weighing heavily on everyone's mind. The competition had taken a dark turn, and no one felt safe anymore.
As the Duchess, Healer Rosa and the guards walked up the stairs, Adanna noticed a piece of paper underneth the vase shards. She picked it up, her heart racing. It was a note, written in a hasty scrawl: "Consequences... I said, the duke is mine." Adanna's eyes widened as she read the words out loud, her voice shaking. The room grew colder, the air thick with fear and accusation.
The ladies gasped in shock. Countess Seraphine's eyes narrowed, filled with suspicion. "What... who would write that?"
Before anyone could respond, Olimpia sauntered into the room with her trademark smugness, her eyes sweeping over the scene with an almost casual curiosity. Her lips curled into a mocking smile. "Oh dear," she drawled. "What a tragic accident."
Lady Isabella's expression darkened. She stepped toward Olimpia, her hands clenched into fists. "Was it you?" she accused, her voice shaking. "Did you push her down the stairs, Olimpia?"
Olimpia let out a sharp laugh, crossing her arms and rolling her eyes. "Darling, really? I was right here with all of you. How could I possibly have done that?" she said, her voice dripping with feigned innocence.
Just then Duchess Camila walked down the stairs, her face etched with worry. She spotted the note in Adanna's trembling hands. She took it from her and read it with furrowed brows. Before she could say anything a guard burst into the stairwell, breathing heavily as he skidded to a halt in front of Duchess Camila. "Duchess Catalina, Lord Tobias Veridan is here!" he announced urgently.
At the mention of the name, Adanna's heart skipped a beat. Tobias Veridan? The name was all too familiar, and the memories rushed back to her like a flood—the masquerade days ago, the masked man, the man who had made her feel uncomfotable...the closest friend of the Duke's father Ricardo.
Adanna's eyes widened as her breath caught in her throat. "Lord Tobias..." she murmured under her breath.
Serena, noticing the change in Adanna's expression, leaned in close. "You know him?" she whispered, her tone filled with curiosity and concern.
Adanna nodded, her thoughts spinning as the memories of the masquerade resurfaced. "Yes... I met him at the masquerade. He—" She hesitated, unsure how to describe the strange, lingering feeling that had settled in her chest from that night.
Before she could explain further, Duchess Camila stepped forward, her regal composure taking over as she addressed the guard. "Bring Lord Veridan to the drawing room. I will see him immediately."
As the guard bowed and left, Duchess Camila made her way to the drawing room, the note still in her hand. Olimpia, who had been enjoying her moment of superiority, caught the slight shift in attention. She raised an eyebrow at Adanna's reaction and tilted her head, curiosity gleaming in her eyes. "It seems our dear Adanna has more secrets than we thought," she remarked with a sly grin.
Serena shot Olimpia a cold glare. "Do not start, Olimpia. We have enough to deal with already."
Olimpia shrugged, clearly unfazed by Serena's coldness. "Just making an observation. We all have secrets, don't we?" Her eyes lingered on Adanna for a moment longer before turning away.
Adanna's mind raced as she exchanged a glance with Serena, both of them sensing that the arrival of Lord Tobias Veridan was more than just an ordinary visit. Why was he here now, of all times? And why did the mention of his name stir something uneasy in her chest?
The other ladies glared at her, their suspicion and frustration growing by the second.
"Let us not jump to conclusions," Princess Anjali finally spoke, her voice calm yet firm. "We do not know who did this, and we must not accuse anyone without proof."
Adanna nodded in agreement, but her mind was elsewhere. Lord Tobias Veridan. His presence seemed more than a coincidence. What was his role in all of this, and why did she feel so unsettled by it?
Meanwhile the tension in the room crackled like a live wire as Serena's gaze locked onto Princess Anjali with a cold intensity that made everyone present feel the heat. Adanna was oblivious to the tension until Serena spoke up, her voice laced with bitterness. "Anjali," Serena began, her voice low and biting, "You are far too quiet for someone who claims innocence."
Anjali's eyes widened in disbelief, and Adanna could hardly believe what she was hearing.
Anjali straightened her shoulders, her regal posture unaffected, but there was a flash of hurt in her eyes. "What is that supposed to mean?" she asked sharply, her tone defensive.
Serena folded her arms across her chest, her face hardening. "I did not want to suspect you, but the sneaking around? The bribing guards? Being suspicious with a man?" Her voice dripped with accusation as she emphasized the word. "What exactly are you hiding, Anjali?"
Lady Isabella, who had been watching from the side with a smug expression, smirked and leaned in, clearly enjoying the drama unfolding before her. "Oooh," she cooed, "Princess Serena is accusing our dear Anjali!"
Adanna's stomach churned as she shot Serena a confused glance. "What are you doing?" she whispered urgently, trying to pull Serena back to her senses. This was not the time for fighting, especially with the chaos surrounding them. But Serena ignored her, her focus solely on Anjali.
Lady Midori, usually quiet and composed, finally spoke up, her brow furrowed in concern. "It is odd," she said carefully, her voice filled with uncertainty. "All the sneaking around... there are whispers, you know."
Adanna's heart sank further. "Serena, stop this," she urged again, but Serena was relentless. Her jealousy, though she had not acknowledged it yet, was clouding her judgment.
Anjali's composure finally cracked as her eyes blazed with anger. "You think I am hiding something?" she snapped. "I came to this contest for the sake of my family! I am here because I have to be, not because I want to be!" Her voice rose, and her hands balled into fists at her sides. "But all I have faced since I arrived is hostility and suspicion!"
Serena did not back down, her expression hard and unforgiving. "That does not explain the sneaking around. You are avoiding accountability. What exactly are you hiding, Anjali?" Her voice was sharp, accusatory.
Anjali's face flushed with fury. "I will not stay here and be insulted like this," she said, her voice trembling with rage. "I have done nothing wrong."
Just as the room seemed on the verge of exploding into chaos, Olimpia's voice sliced through the tension like a knife. "Oh, look at her, running again," Olimpia said with a mocking smile. She glanced around the room, clearly enjoying the spectacle. "Just as she is running away from Meera."