SHADOW AND LIGHT (CHIAROSCURO)

A CONSPIRACY?

As I carefully read through the papers in my hands, Lord Ferdinand carefully raised his head to me. He looked at me with those conniving eyes of his and dared to ask, "But sire, how could you have found out about those things?"

I looked over the papers into his daring eyes and mischievously chuckled, "You must want me to pluck out those dirty eyes of yours" My voice deepened and Lord Ferdinand lowered his head immediately in fear.

I continued, "Ahh... You also mentioned that you sent, sorry, you 'recruited' the young men into town to work honourable jobs. What honourable jobs? Huh?"

Lord Ferdinand kept his head low but he still answered, "I-I gave them the privilege of guarding the town as guardsmen." I immediately slapped him after that statement.

I leaned into his ear and calmly whispered, "You think you're smart? I know that's just half a lie. You sent half to work as your so-called guardsmen and the other half...?" I slowly retreated from his ear.

I looked at the papers and loudly stated, "You sent the other half of the young adults and men to work in the dark mines close to the dark forest, and we both know how dangerous that is! You didn't even send with them any protection!"

"I—"

"Shut your bloody trap! I'm not done." I interrupted him before he could say anything and he kept silent with his head low.

I continued with a stoic expression, "Ah... Now this, THIS is the icing on the cake! If I remember correctly, you lastly mentioned that you established a certain 'district' for the young women to WORK and PROVIDE for themselves in these trying times, didn't you!?"

I slowly took a step forward and began to approach him. With every step towards him, he took another step back, retreating from my advance.

"I-I... Umm, the thing is! I-I just wanted to..." Before he could finish his sentence, I gave his face a resounding back slap infused with aura then immediately a slap with my palm after that.

*SLAP* *SLAP* Lord Ferdinand lost a few teeth in the process of receiving those heavy smacks to the face.

Then, I said menacingly, "You bastard! That's the last lie you told. You sent those young ladies to a red light district where men, mostly disgusting nobles and mercenaries would have their way with those innocent ladies, some of those girls never expected what would happen next and you sent them there..."

"Please, sire! No more!" Lord Ferdinand fell to the floor shielding his half-bruised face.

There was silence. A lot of tension filled the air, murderous tension oozing from me. Lord Ferdinand cowered to a corner, still shielding his face and body like the coward he was.

For a second, I almost reached for his neck with aura in my hands but stopped myself midway.

"Hmm... That was close, I almost went for his neck just now. How odd?" I thought to myself.

I didn't realize this at the time but something dark, something sinister, and yet, very familiar was brewing in me.

I calmed myself after attempting to strangle Ferdinand and instead went to his side and whispered into his ear, saying with a devilish smirk, "I know who you really are, what you've done and where you've hidden all your lies?" I bluffed the last part, I had only heard a few possibilities of where he had hidden his 'trophies'.

But my words seemed to have reached him because immediately I had said that, almost as if he had just gotten a chance to finally breathe from drowning, Ferdinand already on the floor with his two knees, bowed to my feet and asked for mercy, "Please sire! No, your majesty! Forgive me for my impertinence!"

"Whoa... It seems there was actually something here?" I thought with a smile on my face. There was also the fact that he called me 'Majesty', especially when that was a title one would address the king and the king alone. But I decided to ignore it as he may have been trying to lead me astray from the conversation.

"Don't be silly, why would I need to forgive you, it's not like you sinned against me...!?" I said in a serious tone, egging him on to hear him expose his secrets to me. What he said next did surprise me, it was certainly a peculiar response...

“It was all because the king ordered me to do it? I'm sorry, sire! Please forgive me, sire! Please forgive me!”

I stood there confused, I'd thought it would just be some kind of counsel of criminals in town or something like that but it was even more interesting.

"It seems my father, the king, had instigated Lord Ferdinand's deeds, but how much and why?" I thought to myself. My brows furrowed even more as there might be a conspiracy of some sort in the manor, maybe even the state

To take my time interrogating Lord Ferdinand, I pushed him aside and closed the doors to my chambers shut. Once I did, I cracked my knuckles as I menacingly approached him to instil even more fear in him.

But just before I could investigate further, Penelope busted into the room with her face flushed, he mouth heaving and her chest bouncing.

She approached me, interrupting my interrogation with Lord Ferdinand with an announcement.

With her bosom flexing and bouncing with every heavy breath she took, she got up close and personal with me with those deep blue eyes. She fell gracefully into my arms and rested her bosom as well as her head on my broad chest.

"She must have been running to meet me," I thought as I patted her dainty head like a cat's.

Acting surprised by her sudden entrance, I asked, "What's the hurry, Penelope?"

She looked straight at me with her flushed cheeks and gasping breath. She left my arms, saying, "Forgive my rudeness, sire. I was in a rush to see you."

"Ok...?" I responded with a slightly worried expression.

She curtsied in a haste and urgently said while panting, “ Forgive me, your highness, for not telling you at once. Sire! Ha...! Ha...! There's... a visitor here to meet you!”

"Who?" I calmly asked with a tilt of my head and a relaxed expression.

She took a deep breath, composed herself then calmly said, "The Queen, your highness. The Queen of Gladia is here."