The Violet-Eyed

Chapter 6

"Yes?" Solaria prompted.

"They're missing, Lady Queen. I'm so sorry to distress you, but it seems that the murderer has again removed his victims from the scene," Haywire said grimly.

Solaria glanced into Miriam's quarters and noticed that she wasn't there. "Where's Miriam?" she wondered out loud.

"I don't know, but from what I've heard, she's been disappearing a lot lately," Haywire said.

"Is that so? I've certainly noticed that she has conveniently disappeared both times a murder happened in the palace. Keep an eye on her, will you, Haywire?" Solaria asked. Haywire nodded quickly.

Solaria was in shock. The murderer had gotten into the palace, which could only mean that she was in grave danger. She could easily call for extra bodyguards, but that would mean thinning out the defenses at other parts of the castle. It was creeping her out – the murderer knew how to plant fear in people's heart, and his or her delay in removing the victims just to let the bodies be discovered first was bone-chilling. Let alone the fact that she suspected Miriam to be behind these murders, and it did not help that Miriam had so many chances to be near her.

She summoned Lady Sonora to her sitting room, but Sonora sent word that she was in the middle of a Senate meeting and unable to come. Which reminded Solaria that she hadn't yet learned about how the Senate worked, so she headed to the palace archive to find historical records about the Senate.

After a lengthy period of studying documents, Solaria had gained a basic understanding of the Senate.

The Senate was comprised of five nobles, of which Lady Sonora was the highest ranking. These nobles were the leaders of the Senate, and in the queen's absence, they would rule the kingdom together (of course, Sonora would be the temporary queen). There were representatives from each village, although they had practically no influence over major decisions. On minor decisions, they were allowed to voice out their opinion; on major decisions, such as the amendments of laws, or the unseating of a monarch, the five nobles made the decision based on voting, whereas the participation of village representatives was forbidden. The queen was not required to attend every week's Senate meeting (which were held on Thursday afternoons); she was, however, encouraged to join whenever she could in order to understand the matters of the kingdom thoroughly.

Solaria made a mental note to attend the next Senate meeting. She hadn't gone to a single one since she'd been crowned, and she felt bad for neglecting her duties.

By the time she had finished reading all the relevant documents, Solaria's head throbbed from a splitting headache. She retired to her bedchambers and lay down on her bed.

Just when she was about to doze off, Sonora announced her presence at the door and asked to be let in. Sighing, Solaria muttered about how her subjects had no respect for her private time at all, and grudgingly went to open the door.

"Lady Queen, your presence is requested at the Senate now," Sonora announced.

"But Senate meetings are on Thursday! Surely you're not telling me that today's Thursday, when my calendar clearly says it's Tuesday," Solaria retorted.

"Yes, but in light of," Sonora paused to think of a suitable word, "rather interesting situations, it has been changed to today, and your presence is critical."

Solaria shook her head. In ten minutes, she had dressed herself in a simple gown and followed Sonora to the Senate meeting hall.

Upon entering, she noticed that there were only four nobles, none of which she knew. She felt a pang of shame for not knowing her subjects' names. Then it dawned on her that only major decisions were made by solely the five nobles, like changing the laws and....

Her chain of thought was interrupted by the voice of Lady Sonora.

"Let the meeting begin. Today we have assembled to discuss the potential unseating of Her Majesty Queen Solaria for treason."