Look What You Made Me Do

Part IX

Look what you just made me do

With the Chief-of-Army out of commission, it became clear that the castle could not offer protection from the mysterious murderer. That would be why the Grand Judge was currently ordering his Coach Driver to prepare his carriage; he wanted to leave as soon as possible. He felt perhaps that his own home could offer him greater perfection. The fool--didn't he realize that there was no escape?

I must admit however that this did throw a bit of a wrench in my plans. I had thought that he would at least spend the night, but I'd overestimated his nerves.

I'd just have to improvise then. It wouldn't be as poetic as what I had initially planned but surely I could come up with something good despite the short notice.

And I'm proud to say that it only took me ten minutes to think up a workable, although rather crude, plan.

In another fifteen minutes, I had done my part. Now, I was hidden in one of the stalls in the stables, listening to see if it would play out how I thought it would.

I heard the voice of another servant, calling for the coach driver. The Grand Judge wanted to know what was taking so long. The servant's voice stopped abruptly, and then I heard his rapid footsteps, running out of the stables. He must have found the man then.

A few minutes later, there were more voices and more footsteps coming in. I recognized the voices of the Grand Judge and the False King amongst them.

"He's dead!" exclaimed the False King. I rolled my eyes. No, he wasn't. I wasn't going to kill any innocents; I'd only knocked him out.

"Go get the body!" he barked at somebody.

Another set of footsteps. "My Lord, he's alive!"

"What?"

"Yes, there's a pulse!"

"Get him back to the castle. Inform me as soon as he awakens--I will question him myself and we'll get to the bottom of these murders."

I scoffed. Did he think I was an amateur? I hit the back of the coach driver's head; he never saw my face.

I listened intently to the sounds of them taking the Coach Driver away, then from the Judge, "You see? You see what's happened? The killer doesn't want me to leave!"

The False King said, "Stop panicking! Just wait here a little bit longer. I'll provide protection for you--we'll find the killer!"

The Judge's voice rose to hysterical levels. "You? Provide protection? All this has happened under your nose! I should've known better before I got entangled in your cockamamie plans! The King and Queen were my closest friends and I betrayed them on the promise that you would make me your Regent. But you never fulfilled your promise and now someone's discovered the truth and is out for revenge! All of it has turned out to be for naught. Oh, if I could only turn back the hands of time!"

"No one knows!" exclaimed the False King. "Do you think these people would have let me take the crown if they knew what I had done to their precious Royal Family? Nay, it's a secret that'll be taken to the grave."

"Is it a coincidence then that all those that were a part of it are being horrifically murdered? Or perhaps it is a ghost bent on vengeance? Or...or...it's you, isn't it? Heavens above, it is! You knew who all who were involved and to make sure it stays a secret, you're getting rid of everyone involved!"

"Have you gone insane? It's not me!"

"I don't care what you say! I don't trust you and I'll not stay a minute longer in this godforsaken castle! I'm leaving now!"

"Your coach driver--"

"I'll drive myself!"

I heard him clamber onto his carriage and yell for the gates to be opened. The carriage rolled out and some time later, I heard the subdued footsteps of the False King leaving the stables.

After wiping the stable muck thoroughly off my feet, I returned to the castle. So far, my plan had worked to perfection. Everyone had been so focused on the coach driver that no one had noticed that one of the carriage wheels had been loosened. At the speed that the panicked judge was going, there was bound to be an accident. But whether it killed him or injured him or didn't hurt him at all was now in the hands of fate. I didn't like to depend on her for she was a capricious mistress but in this case, I had no choice.

This time, however, her fickle face smiled at me because the next morning's rising sun brought with it the news of the Grand Judge's death. His carriage had overturned while making a sharp turn and had fallen into the Black River. A heroic rescue attempt had taken place, but it had been of no use. His washed-up, swollen body was brought back to the castle for a funeral and burial together with the Chief-of-Army.

The False King did not attend. He'd barricaded himself in the Royal Chambers again and doubled the guards at his door.

My treacherous maid did not attend either. She locked herself in her room and set up her own security measures by gathering about her all manners of charms and amulets.

I attended and while I shed no tears, I did pay my respects to the man that had once been so dear to my parents.