Bounded by Chains (Orangebat)

Chapter 7: Change for Earth

"Someone she trusted..? You don't mean someone in the castle, do you?" I ask, still shocked at his proclamation.

"I do," he hurriedly walks down the stairs and I follow him. Immediately after he told me his deduction, he left the room to tell the chief of police.

"Eddelrittuo is the only one here, so she can't be suspected. The murderer surely would have ran." I'm a little relieved that she's here. I know she loved Empress Asseylum with all her heart and would do anything to protect her.

"That doesn't mean anything," Inaho says, dismissing my statement. "The chief of police told me she was the person who reported the murder. It is likely she used that as a way of directing attention off of herself."

"That's not true!" I yell, stopping in my tracks. "Eddelrittuo is the most loyal servant possible! She would never harm the empress! She went undercover with her during the assassination plot and watched over her body everyday when she was injured! If she wanted the empress dead, she had better opportunities than this to do it!"

"You can't let your emotions control you," he says calmly in response to my outburst. He stops and turns to look at me. I stare back without backing down. "But I trust your conclusion. You know each of these people more than anyone else here. I'll let the chief know."

I nod curtly. "Thank you."

We start walking once again. I focus on my thoughts and unconsciously grab Inaho's hand so I don't run into anything. Who would have done this? I thought everyone adored Asseylum. And if it was someone close to her, it wouldn't have been someone on Earth that disagrees with the peace. And no one close to her would kill her for a reason like that.

I feel Inaho let go of my hand and look up to see the chief  and Inaho in deep conversation. I look around and see Eddelrittuo now sitting by herself, crying into her hands. I walk away from Inaho and the chief of police and join Eddelrittuo on the steps of the mansion.

"Hey.." I'm not really what to say. She just lost the most important person in her life.

She looks up at me, her eyes clouded with tears. "Slaine.."

I give her a sympathetic smile. I want it to be real, but it still feels fake. I haven't gone through what she's feeling. I don't know exactly how horrible it feels. "I'm sorry to hear what happened.. Empress Asseylum was a truly amazing person."

"Y-yes," she stutters through tears. "S-she.." Eddelrittuo trails off and her eyes fill with more water than I thought possible. "I should have been with her..! The other servants were all on vacation, s-so I offered to make her d-dinner!" She puts her head back in her face.

"They were..gone?" If they were all gone, then none of them could have killed her. "Eddelrittuo, who was all present?"

"Huh..?" She looks up at me again, her eyes a mix of despair and confusion. "It was just m-me, Empress A-Asseylum and Emperor Klancain."

I feel anger boil inside me. "It was him."

"Wha..?"

"Klancain killed Asseylum! Where is he!?" I stand up, anger and adrenaline pulsing through my body. I stomp into the house and look around. "Where could he be hiding?" I mutter to myself.

"W-wait! Slaine-san!" Eddelrittuo runs after me, tears still in her eyes, but more horror. "T-the emperor had no reason to kill the empresses!"

"He's the only one who could have! He probably craved power!" I look around, opening and closing doors, looking for any sign of him. I look through drawers and under large objects as Eddelrittuo begs for me to stop. I don't listen.

As I pass the window, something shiny catches my eye. "There!" I move closer to the window and make out a small dagger in the grass. "Go tell the chief!"

Eddelrittuo nods and runs off. I stand by the window and look through it. Why would he leave the murder weapon in plain sight? He's surely smarter than that.

I hear footsteps and see the chief of police and Inaho following Eddelrittuo back. The chief gives me a suspicious look. "Where is the weapon?"

"Outside." I point to it through the window.

The chief looks in the direction I'm pointing and puts his transmitter to his mouth. "I'm standing inside the far right window in the west wing. A dagger has been found laying in the grass. Test fingerprints and blood samples." He pauses. "Yeah. I'll meet you down there." He puts the transmitter back on his belt and turns to Inaho. "You can go home. We'll let you know if we need your help. Thank you."

Inaho nods and salutes the chief. Once the chief salutes in return, Inaho turns to me. "Come." He turns and starts walking before waiting for my response. I click my tongue in annoyance. He decides things on his own.

We walk silently. I feel a bit awkward. Inaho has his usual emotionless expression, but something feels off.

Once we get a few hundred metres from the mansion, Inaho stops and looks at me. I'm shocked to find traces of anger in his normal expressionless face.

"What were you doing, Slaine!? I explicitly told you to stay by me the whole time and you wandered off! Not only that, but you found a possible murder weapon! Even if they find someone else's fingerprints on it, they might think you're an accomplice! You could go back to jail!" His voice has hints of anger, but doesn't stray too much from his normal voice. It's enough to give me the message, though.

I wait a few seconds, trying to figure out what to say in response. "I was just trying to find Klancain.." I say lamely. "He had to have been the murderer.."

"You should have told me anything you found out, and we'd look together. You'll be lucky if they overlook this." His voice still has the same anger from before.

"I know.." I hang my head.

He says no more. He abruptly turns around and continues towards the house. I follow, almost suffocating in the guilt even though I don't believe I did anything wrong.

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Sorry it's been so long! I'm going to try to update at least a few chapters within the next few days, but I'm not sure if I will. I hope you enjoy, though!

Bye, bye!

9-4-18