Embedded

Sixty.

Chapter Sixty.

"Less ego and more understanding makes it more beautiful." x Taniya.

••

Darkness. I'm covered in a cloud of darkness and there is no light in sight.

What I feel next is a hard slap on the face before my eyes shoot open and I'm still here. These four corners are not doing me any good and how I managed to dose off with the amount of fear I have in me is shocking.

"Your Royal Highness... Please follow me." an officer says and opens the cells of this hell. I've been in here for hours and I already miss my husband and baby. My siblings too.

Is this where Bangi was as well cause it sure as hell looked nothing like my imagination.

"Sit."

I sit on the cold, uncomfortable chair staring at the man who walks in. He's the same man who walked me to the car that brought me here. I think I hate him. I think I hate the Queen too... And that tiny container of cyanide.

"Princess Zanokuhle Shazi, formerly known as Zanokuhle Dlamini. How does it feel being the murderer of the King of this Kingdom?"

I chuckle watching him sit down. He's stupid.

"I mean, it's pretty convincing that the woman who had nothing would kill the King so that her husband can get everything and ultimately go from nothing to something herself."
"Are you hearing yourself mara?"
"I'd speak with a little more respect if I were you. Out there you're a Princess but in here, you're my pet, my prisoner."

"I'm not a prisoner."
"Then why are you here?"
"Because I've been set up!"
"Lower your tone Mrs Shazi. I've seen too many liars in my career to know that this is one of them. "

I sigh and sit back because I knew this was about to drag.

"Ready to plead guilty so we can settle this case and throw the key away?"
"I didn't do it!"
"Then how would you explain the bottle of Cyanide we found in your bag?"
"I don't know. I've never seen that bottle in my whole life... Heck I barely even knew how Cyanide looks like until a few hours ago."
"So you're telling me this bottle flew to your bag for no good reason."
"Yes... I mean no... I mean how would I know where the hell this thing came from?"
"Is this your first murder Mrs Shazi?"
"What?"

I'm sure my soul left my body the moment he accused me of being a murderer.

"I'm confused. Aren't you supposed to ask me where I was and what I was doing on the day this madness happened?"
"Go ahead."
"I was sleeping. I woke up to find a creepy Alakhe in my room before he disappeared to thin air. We had a meeting with the guards and then I had something to eat. This is all before I found| His Majesty deceased in the room he was kept in."

"How convenient too. You found him?"
"You're missing the whole point here!"
"Okay... Okay. Do you have anyone that would confirm your alibi?"
"Yes. My husband. The entire Palace...apart from my mother-in-law."
"Why?"
"I guess she didn't really like me that much." I take in a sharp breath and look down at my knotted fingers. I just want to go back to 3 days ago and stay at home. Had I known this would happen I would be as far away from this as possible.

Ngaze ngazisola.

"Wait... There's a doctor who had been caring for the King. He was knocked unconscious... Maybe he knows something." He looks at me, nodding. Just as he was about to say something the door bursts open and another policeman walks in looking rather pale.

"Officer Mahlangu..."

Oh?

They speak in private, and I'm not sure what to think. They are bickering about something though and before I know it he turns to look at me. I don't like the emotion I'm reading from this.