Bitter Hearts: A Dark Cinderella Retelling

Twelve

Present Day
        
   General Pricha was quite irritated by the man shaking shamelessly before him and King Volker, how had Zenaida let herself be engaged to this coward of a man, the man couldn't even look him in the eye!

"What's your name and what do you do?"

"Liu General and I'm a wood carver and a hunter," the light skinned man replied, an obvious tremor in his voice.

"Why those two professions? They are very different," General Pricha asked slightly curious.

"Well General wood carving is my family's ancestral business, it's what I've grown up to do as my father's first son but hunting is my passion, I enjoy laying traps and coming back to meet those traps full," Liu replied a slight smile on his face.

"So that means you're quite familiar with the forest?"

"Yes General,"

"And you're familiar with the plants that grow in these forests?"

"Yes General," he answered  shakily wondering where the General was going with his questions.

"Okay do you do anything to catch animals besides laying traps?" General Pricha asked leaning forward.

"Not really, except maybe adding poison to the traps to kill the animal that gets stuck in it,"

"Why do you add the poison?"

"So that the animal caught will die before I come to check my traps so that I don't get attacked by a wounded animal especially if it's a snake,"

"What is this poison made of?"

"Just a bunch of leaves that I've learnt are poisonous,"

"Ohh really," the General said nodding his head.

"So what was your relationship with Zenaida like?" General Pricha asked.

Liu fell silent and bent his head, the only sign that he heard the question were the tears running down his cheeks to the stone carved table.
General Pricha rolled his eyes, the waakye; a filling, flavourful breakfast that combines beans, rice, moist garri(cassava flakes) and stew, he ate that morning was not to be wasted on a grown man's tears.

"Liu!" he barked the man's name his voice as usual reverberating across the hall.

"I-I loved her," he cried.

"I love her and now she's dead,"

"Liu, you haven't answered my question, what was your relationship with the deceased like, answer me and stop shaming your ancestors with these crocodile tears you shed," General Pricha barked not feeling one ounce of pity for him.

"I loved her...,"

"Yes you've established that already," the General rolled his eyes even more.

"We were engaged and in love, she was a beautiful woman who knew what she wanted, she was always in charge and could not be controlled but when it came to me she was soft, she said I tamed her, she said she..." Liu answered breaking out in tears.

"Did you people have any quarrels recently?"

"Not that I can think of?" Liu answered looking confused.

"Are you sure?" General Pricha asked, staring the man in the eye.

"Yes"

"Good, you can leave."

General Pricha waited till the man had left the hall before turning to the King.

"My king, he's hiding something," he said running a hand through his locks.