Crown of Blood

10.2.|| Interrogation

Kat avoided telling Leila about the presence of Jinx and Jazz. She wasn't sure why she felt the need to hide them, especially since she knew Leila had been on the ship with them and could tell her clearly whether they were friends or not. She could also reveal their powers and their weaknesses, and Kat needed the upper hand.

But Leila knew everything, and it was that particular detail which made Kat uneasy. Her mood had shifted again, frustration taking over her previous certainty. Why couldn't she remember things clearly? She knew that Lucille, her grandmother, had worked on her mind, but it was to provide her with everything she needed to rule. She'd truly appreciated it because without it, she wouldn't have known even where to begin leading a kingdom. But sometimes, she got a nagging feeling that her faulty memory was hiding more. Important details that shaped a part of her personality which now seemed to be gone.

Jazz and Jinx seemed to fall under such details. Could she truly believe that they meant her no harm? They had sounded sincere, but she couldn't trust her own judgement when there was a blank slate where the two used to be. Since she didn't want to talk to Leila about it, she summoned Keith and met him in her private chambers.

"Your Majesty, I do not believe it is appropriate for us to meet here," he said, his eyes taking in her imposing furniture.

She started pacing the length of the room, the skirts of her dress a hindrance. She had half a mind to put a pair of trousers on. Something told her it wouldn't be the first time, but this was once again something she couldn't truly remember, and it further frustrated her. 

"General, palace gossip is the least of my worries at the moment."

Keith shifted his weight from one foot to the other. "I understand, but the rest of the staff, of the nobles..."

"Can choke on their malevolent words." She stopped pacing and narrowed her eyes. "Is there something you're not telling me?"

The man looked like a cornered animal.

"You are my adviser as well as my general. You know I came from Iride. If there are any important Endirian customs I'm missing, please share."

Keith hesitated some more, but finally seemed to relax as his frightened demeanor left way to that of the confident man she'd first met in Corosa. "I heard you executed a man in the Circle."

"That is true. A rapist who got bold."

He nodded. "The warden described his disgusting affirmation. Your action was justified and has earned you an appropriate reputation among the lowlifes."

The words had her muscles tensing painfully. Once her mood had shifted, she didn't want to remember that she had murdered a man in cold blood. It didn't matter that he deserved it, that he was disgusting, that he'd probably hurt many women. She was not a killer. 

And yet, sometimes, she was.

"Go on," she said, waving her hand.

Keith heaved a sigh. "Your Majesty, you must know that Endir is traditionally a patriarchy."

She rolled her eyes. "Why am I not surprised?" The fact that rapists weren't hanged stood testimony to the worth of women.

Iride wasn't different. Women were considered trophies to be paraded around by men. She'd suffered so much for possessing intelligence. This was a part of her life she remembered to some extent. The town of Darkwood, living in abject poverty with her controversial father. Being betrothed to a simpleton who only cared about her pretty face.

Her beauty is the least impressive thing about her.

Words spoken in a voice she longed to hear infiltrated her mind and the numbness in her chest. It was so painful, she had to fight not to wince, not to show Keith the turmoil inside her. Memories like that never became clear.