The discovery was a chilling revelation. It could only mean one thing: Taylor, Dara's personal servant, was the one who had carried out the execution. But why Taylor? This pointed directly to Dara's involvement, suggesting Obed might have been suspecting the wrong person.
Why would Taylor, a mere servant, be entrusted with such a task? If Mara, was truly behind the plot, the execution should have been carried out by one of her own servant, not a Dara's man servant. This discrepancy raised a storm of questions, leaving Dara reeling in disbelief.
What could Jane have done to warrant such a drastic punishment from Dara? There is nothing serious that was supposed to be between Dara and Jane, it should have been Mara... The situation became very much confusing. But at least he got a clue that's pointing just one person, from there he can fish out the rest.
He was left with a knot of confusion and a burning desire for justice. He knew that the people responsible for his sister's death wouldn't give him vengeance. Which means Dara, Mara and the rest of them are not innocent of this, they have a hand in it. They were the ones who had orchestrated the entire affair. The only hope for justice lay with him. He was the only one who could avenge his sister's death.
Obed, outwardly composed, was consumed by grief. He chose to stay in the same room where his sister had died, a silent testament to his loss. The room was cleaned, but the air hung heavy with sorrow, a constant reminder of the tragedy that had unfolded.
The small space, though filled with sorrow, offered him a sanctuary. It was here, amidst the echoes of his sister's absence, that he could ponder the events that led to her death. He didn't need more evidence; he already knew the truth. He was convinced that the prince, was responsible since it's a work done by his servant, there is no other explanation to it.
Obed wanted revenge badly but he understood the risks involved in confronting the prince directly. It would be a chaotic and dangerous move. Even if the royal family spared him, the people, enraged by the death of their beloved princess, would likely turn on him. He needed to be patient, to play his cards carefully. He would remain low-key, a seemingly harmless observer, while secretly plotting his revenge, like a scorpion poised to strike.
            • Day One •
Obed only managed to spend the night in the room. He couldn't sleep, the memory of her death replaying in his mind like a broken record. It was as if her spirit lingered, swirling around him, playing with him, trying to tell him something. It felt like her spirit wasn't at peace, that it craved revenge.
He could have easily left the room, found another place to stay, but something held him there. It was as if the room was the only place he could find solace in his grief, the last place where his family, his kind, his blood, had died. He vowed to stay until he had avenged her death, then he would find a new place, far away from this city, to start a new life. But that was after his revenge, not now.
His lack of sleep wasn't just due to the grief. He was also on edge, his senses heightened. He was afraid someone might come in and kill him too. But he had taken precautions. Two guards were stationed outside his door, and the passage was secured by other guards, all provided by the prince. Yet, none of it felt like enough. He was doing all this to protect himself, to hide his secret, but it felt like a futile exercise.
Obed lay in bed, eyes open, staring at the ceiling. He had been beaten badly the night before, but the pain was nothing compared to the agony of his sister's death. He replayed their last meeting in his mind, the memory vivid and painful.
Suddenly, a knock came at the door. Obed sat up, his heart pounding. He went to open it and found Ruth standing there, the guards that was supposed to be protecting his room had left already and nowhere to be found and then he believed that maybe that was the prince's order, they are only to protect him against the night.
"Hi..." Ruth said, a hesitant smile gracing her lips.
Obed was taken aback. He hadn't expected to see her again, especially so early in the morning. It was a pleasant surprise, of course. She had come to check on him, which was kind, but the truth was, he no longer trusted anyone in this place. Not a single soul.
"Hi... umm, I brought you some breakfast," Ruth continued, her voice soft and almost shy. "I thought you might need it, especially after last night. And I wanted to check on you, see how you were doing. I hope you're feeling better now and you've had breakfast." She spoke quickly, her words tumbling over each other, and she avoided meeting his gaze.
"I..." She started to say something else, but Obed cut her off. He was tired of her rambling, her long explanations that made no sense to him. They were a waste of his time.
"Oh yes! I need the breakfast," he said, taking the plate from her. "Thank you very much for bringing it. I appreciate you caring about how I'm doing, but I'm fine. Okay?" He tried to sound as casual as possible.
Ruth smiled faintly and nodded. "Okay then, I should take my leave" she said, a hint of disappointment in her voice. She had hoped for more, for him to ask her to stay, to spend some time with him. She had come prepared, ready to spend some time with him, but his curt response had dashed her hopes. Obed simply nodded, and Ruth turned to leave.
"Yes! You can leave now! Thank you very much for the food. I am very grateful. I should have breakfast now!" Obed said, quickly shutting the door behind her. Ruth was surprised and disappointed. This wasn't the response she had hoped for, but she was still happy. She had seen a flicker of gratitude in his eyes when he accepted the food she had made for him, and that was enough to satisfy her. She left with a smile.
Obed, however, immediately grabbed the plate of food and locked the door. He set the plate aside with an irritated look on his face, then returned to the bed, tossing and turning restlessly.
          • Mara And Peter •
On the other hand, Mara and Peter were still secretly working together. They had already devised a plan the previous night, which involved the same Taylor who had been assisting them.
Now, the three of them were gathered in a room, discussing their next steps. It was crucial to remember that Tailor only met with them when he was free. If Dara ever noticed that he was consistently meeting with Mara, he would lose trust in him. Once that trust was gone, his position in the palace would be in jeopardy, and he could be dismissed by Dara. In other to keep himself secured.
"My princess! Everyone you asked me to eliminate, including all the elders who have refused to support you, is now out of the way. I believe there will be no one left to oppose you," Taylor said to the princess.
 "Well, that's not enough anymore! Dara has grown more powerful, he acts like a king now. He knows exactly what he can do and he's already using it. I don't think what we're doing is going to be enough to win this. There's only one way we can take the throne for ourselves," Mara said. Peter looked up at Taylor, waiting for his response.
Kill him!" She ordered.
And Taylor was surprised. He never thought it would reach this point, where they would ask him to kill his master. He knew the consequences wouldn't be pleasant. But if he did kill him, Peter would cover for him, telling everyone that he died of natural causes. If both the princess and her brother claimed the same story, everyone would believe it.
"Yes! that is exactly what we want you to do right now, so all you have to do is just name your price, whatever it is we are going to pay.... just kill him away!" Mara added.