There is a serial killer in Castle Krakenburg. And they're plotting to murder the Queen of Nohr.
Prince Leo is in charge of the investigation, but with no evidence and little time, he's struggling to keep his sister safe. He desperately needs help...
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Leo and I discussed how each suspect could possibly have murdered our four victims and attempted to murder Silas until the sun had risen.
"If it was Gideon, he would have had easy access to the poisons," Leo said as the rest of the castle began to stir.
"But the killer used different poisons on each of the victims until the fourth, when they used the same one again," I replied. "They didn't make any repeats on Silas -- they used pixie. Gideon has access to a large array of poisons for his research. Why would he use one twice? It's more likely that the murderer is someone else, and they pick the lock on his chest to take some of the liquid from the bottles. For whatever reason, they were unable to sneak in and do that for the fourth murder. If they're quiet enough to kill people without making much noise, then they could easily break into his quarters at night without him hearing, despite what he says."
"Ninjas are the only people who possess such an uncanny ability to be quiet," Leo said. "But they were guarded all night, so it can't have been one of them."
I tapped the hilt of my remaining dagger, deep in thought. "Maids aren't as stealthy as ninjas, and I'm not certain I can imagine Clara managing to kill four people, but they are good at blending into the background. They're also good at tidying things and putting them back exactly where they found them. What I can imagine Clara doing is successfully breaking into Gideon's quarters while he was out and her tampering not being noticed."
Leo frowned. "She might not need to break in. She isn't Gideon's assigned maid, but they all help each other out when necessary. He wouldn't question it if she arrived to tidy up. Then all she would have to do is pick the lock on the chest while he was in the next room."
Someone knocked on the door, disrupting our musings.
"Enter," Leo said.
King Xander strode into the study. He nodded at both of us, his gaze settling on Leo. He looked far wearier than I'd ever seen him. "May I speak with you for a moment?"
Leo sat up straighter. "Of course."
"Have you made any breakthroughs in the investigation?"
"We've discussed the prospect of Clara, Grace's maid, being another suspect," Leo said. "But that's it, and even then, there are flaws with that theory." He looked at me. "Perhaps it's a collaboration, and someone stronger does the actual killing?"
"Well, I've arranged for the committee to meet again later this morning," King Xander said. "Perhaps our nobles, with their separate lives in Windmire and fresh eyes, will see something that we cannot."
Leo didn't look pleased. "Perhaps."
"I also wanted to see how you're getting on with everything else. I hate to say this at such a time, but deadlines for other business are always looming. The rest of Nohr does not stop in accordance with the happenings of Castle Krakenburg."
