Chapter 162: Not After Her

General Tornhawk silently fell in behind her, and I followed the two of them across the courtyard. We climbed the stone steps leading back into the mansion, passed through the large double doors, and continued into the quiet entrance hall. The cheerful music and conversations from outside faded behind us, replaced by the softer sounds of servants moving through the corridors.

Only after we were alone did the Queen speak again. "I wish to ask you one last time."

I looked at her. "What is it, Your Majesty?"

She slowed her pace and turned toward me. "Are you absolutely certain Cadence is the killer?"

I remained silent for a moment. The letter. The lock of blue hair. The dried blood. Everything pointed toward him.

At the same time, the man outside didn’t look like someone capable of such cruelty. He looked like a loving husband celebrating his marriage with friends and family. Even so, the evidence didn’t lie.

"Yes," I answered. "I’m certain."

The Queen held my gaze for several seconds before giving a slow nod.

She turned toward Tornhawk.

The general immediately understood without needing another word. He bowed respectfully and walked away down a side corridor.

The Queen faced me once more, her hands still folded neatly before her. "Very well," she said calmly. "Tomorrow, it shall be done."

I lowered my head. "Yes, Your Majesty."

She walked toward the entrance, opened one of the large doors herself, and stepped back outside into the sunlight.

I remained standing where I was.

From the doorway, I could still see the celebration continuing in the courtyard.

Cadence smiled as another guest congratulated him. His wife stood beside him with her arm linked through his, and together they thanked everyone who approached their table. They looked happy. They looked peaceful. They looked exactly like a newly married couple should.

The sight made my stomach turn.

Instead of seeing the man standing in front of everyone, I remembered Jelda. I remembered how she had been assaulted. I remembered finding her body with half her skull split apart.

Then I thought of Hatche, who had only wanted justice for her daughter before meeting the same fate.

I slowly shook my head. "Two-faced bastard," I muttered quietly.

Tomorrow, everything would finally come to an end. Either Cadence would answer for everything he had done, or this entire investigation would have been for nothing. One way or another, by this time tomorrow, the truth would no longer remain hidden.

ꨄ︎ꨄ︎ꨄ︎

It was getting dark, and I was getting bored by the minute.

Most of the guests were already drunk. Some danced to the musicians’ lively tunes, others sang loudly with cups raised high, and a few had simply given up and fallen asleep on benches or beneath the trees. The festival games had gone on for nearly three hours before finally coming to an end, leaving the courtyard filled with tired but cheerful nobles enjoying the last hours of the evening.

I got up from my seat and wandered over to the great elder tree. Crouching beside its massive roots, I rested my forearms on my knees and looked up at the darkening sky.

Damn, I was exhausted.

This whole marriage ceremony had drained every bit of energy I had. Thankfully, tomorrow would be the last day. By then, if everything went according to plan, Cadence would be hanging from the very same street where Jelda’s body had been found.

"Ace, wasn’t it?"

I glanced over my shoulder.

Cadence stood a few steps behind me with his hands resting on his hips. He looked up into the branches of the elder tree before taking a slow breath and letting it out. Even he looked worn out after spending the entire day greeting guests and participating in every tradition expected of him.

"I have to say," he said with a warm smile, "your presence truly was a blessing to our marriage. Thank you for attending."

I stared at him for a moment.

He was thanking me?

Even now, when nobody else was around, he still wore that same pleasant smile. If it was an act, then he had perfected it. The more I watched him, the more unsettling he became. That alone convinced me he deserved whatever punishment awaited him.

Personally, I wouldn’t have chosen hanging. After what had happened to Jelda, he deserved something far worse. Still, justice was justice.

I gave a small shrug. "You don’t have to thank me."

"I still wanted to." His smile remained unchanged. "Having someone blessed by Ambly attend our ceremony can only bring good fortune."

I slowly stood up to face him. "Which god blessed you, Lord...?"

He laughed softly. "Please, call me Cadence. I hate formalities."

"Alright. Which god blessed you, Cadence?"

"Martyn," he replied. "The God of Trickery."

Of course. It almost felt like the gods themselves were mocking me.

He stood there smiling as though he weren’t responsible for countless ruined lives, and for a brief moment I imagined drawing my dagger and driving it straight into his throat.

Instead, I forced a smile of my own. "How nice."

"Yep."

"What about Lord Merygold?" I asked.

"My father?" He nodded. "The same blessing as mine."

"I see."

Silence settled between us for a few seconds before I looked around the courtyard.

"I haven’t seen your mother today."

Cadence laughed. "Which one?"

I blinked.

"My birth mother passed away years ago," he explained, the humor fading from his expression. "My stepmother couldn’t attend. She’s currently in Marmedian on family business."

"Oh... right."

He sighed quietly. "I wish she could’ve been here."

I nodded sympathetically, though I had no idea where Marmedi... Marme... whatever that place was.

"I heard something while staying at the dormitories," I said carefully. "People mentioned you were supposed to marry another girl before."

Cadence looked toward the ground. "Jelda." His voice softened. "That poor girl who was murdered."

There was genuine sadness in his expression. Or at least it looked genuine. I couldn’t tell anymore.

"It was actually my father who wanted the marriage," Cadence continued. "He believed she’d make the perfect wife for me, but I refused. She was still far too young."

"It was your father’s idea?"

Cadence nodded. "You know how fathers can be. Once they convince themselves something is right, changing their minds becomes nearly impossible."

He smiled faintly, though it didn’t quite reach his eyes.

"Jelda’s mother, Hatche, had served our family for years. She used to be an adventurer before settling down, and my father respected her greatly. And... I think... he also... well... loved Jelda’s mother. That’s why he wanted me to marry with her daughter."

"I see."

Cadence let out another quiet breath before shaking his head. "I shouldn’t have told you that... it’s... it’s the drunk in me. Don’t mind it."

"I didn’t hear anything."

"This isn’t exactly the sort of conversation people should be having during a wedding."

He gently patted my shoulder.

"Tell me something happier instead. Have any of the ladies here caught your attention, my Ambly-blessed friend?"

I laughed quietly. "I’m too poor to be thinking about romance."

"I don’t believe that."

He folded his arms comfortably.

"If two people truly love each other, money shouldn’t matter."

"Maybe."

He smiled again. "Then again, I’m probably the last person who should be explaining love to someone blessed by Ambly. You likely have a different woman chasing you every night."

"No comment."

That ship had already sailed.

Not after her.

Cadence laughed. "I should get back to my guests. They’ve traveled a long way to celebrate with us."

He extended his hand. "It was nice talking with you, Ace. Enjoy the rest of the evening."

"You too." I said, shaking his hand.

He gave me one final smile before turning around and walking back toward the gathering, greeting guests almost immediately as though our conversation had never happened.

I watched him disappear into the crowd before turning my attention back to the great elder tree, its enormous branches swaying gently in the evening breeze. The more I learned about Cadence, the less certain I felt about the man behind that smile, and somehow that made tomorrow feel even heavier.

ꨄ︎ꨄ︎ꨄ︎

Morning came much sooner than I wanted.

I groaned, rubbed my eyes, and stretched before sitting upright on the bed. I had barely gathered my thoughts when loud voices drifted in through the window. They weren’t the cheerful sounds of another festival morning. People were shouting over one another, someone screamed, and I could hear the unmistakable bark of soldiers giving orders.

I immediately got out of bed, hurried to the window, and pulled the curtains aside.

The back courtyard was in complete chaos.

Cadence was on his knees in the middle of the courtyard with two royal guards standing on either side of him. His hands had been bound behind his back, and although he tried to keep his composure, the confusion on his face looked completely genuine.

Guests had gathered in a wide circle around him. Some stared in disbelief, others whispered frantically to one another, and several maids had stopped working altogether, their trays still in their hands as they watched the scene unfold.