Chapter 181: The Assassination 2

Lynessa frowned. "What?" He opened it. A brass key was inside. All three stared. Lynessa’s face paled. "No." The second guard took it. His expression changed. "It’s the key to her private room." Lynessa shook her head. "It’s not mine." He looked at the teeth. "It matches." "I’ve never had this key!"

The older Tigerfolk looked at the pouch. "How long have you had this?" "It’s my work pouch. I keep my coins, thread and small tools in there." "Did anyone touch it tonight?" Lynessa opened her mouth. She then closed it. During the festival there had been a lot of people. Lots of people brushing past her.

Once she had left the pouch on a bench whilst helping Sora get some food. Anyone could have touched it. "I don’t know." The guards exchanged a glance. This wasn’t helping. The second guard wiped one side of the key with a cloth. A dark smudge appeared. Blood. Lynessa took a step back. "No."

However, he noticed something. There was a slight smudge of pale wax on the bottom of the key. He looked at Mereth’s desk. There was a broken seal lying next to the scattered papers. The wax was the same pale colour. His face tightened. "This key has been used recently." Lynessa’s breathing became shallow. "I didn’t use it."

The older guard looked at the open door and then at Lynessa. "The house was locked. There was no broken lock. Lady Mereth’s private records had been tampered with. One of her ledgers is missing and you were found in the room with a blood stained key that opens the door." Lynessa’s voice cracked. "I didn’t kill her."

The second guard looked at the knife. He carefully removed it. He frowned. "It’s the kitchen knife." The knife had the household’s engraved crescent near the hilt. The servants all used the same knives for cooking. The older guard looked at Lynessa. She often worked in the kitchens so would have had access.

This was all adding up. Too much. Lynessa realised. This hadn’t been a random occurrence. Someone had planned for her to be found in here. The door was unlocked. The hidden key. The missing ledger. The kitchen knife. Everything was pointing to her. "I didn’t do it."

The first guard’s face softened slightly but he didn’t let go. "I think you think that." Lynessa stared. "Let me go." "I can’t." "Why not?" "Because if I let all of this slide due to feeling sorry for you and you did kill her then I’m failing in my duty." It hurt more because it made sense.

The second guard stood up. "We’re taking her to the Wolf Crown." The older guard nodded. Lynessa’s eyes widened. "No please." "If you’re innocent we need to properly investigate." She looked at Mereth’s body. And then at the key. Someone had put it on her. They had known where she would be.

And they had known exactly how to make the guards believe what they were seeing. Lynessa stopped fighting. For the first time since entering the room she felt fear turn to something colder. Someone had chosen her. She had no idea why.

---

The news reached the royal district just after sunrise. Tanaka was halfway through his breakfast when there was a pounding on the door of the guest residence. Raizen raised his head. Tanaka’s Mana Sense recognised Garric outside. He opened the door. The deputy chief strode in. "Lord Tanaka. Something has happened."

Tanaka set his food down. "What?" "A woman has been murdered in the academy district." Tanaka frowned. "Who?" Garric hesitated. "Lady Mereth Raukhan." Tanaka froze. Lynessa’s owner. His mind immediately jumped to the festival. The hidden watcher. The strange presence.

"How?" "She was stabbed in her private room." Tanaka stood up. Raizen did the same. "Who found her?" Garric looked at him. "This is where it gets complicated." Tanaka’s expression hardened. "Just tell me." "It was the cat girl you’ve been spending time with." A pause. "Lynessa?" "She was found in the room."

Tanaka stared. "The house should have been locked after midnight. There was no forced entry. One of her private ledgers is missing and a key to her room was found in Lynessa’s work pouch." Tanaka’s eyes narrowed. "What else?" "There was blood on the key. Some of the broken seal wax from Mereth’s desk was stuck to it. The murder weapon came from the kitchen."

Tanaka’s expression hardened. "Convenient." Garric didn’t argue. "She had access to the kitchen and was found in a room she shouldn’t have been in." "Did anyone see her kill her?" "No." "Did she confess?" "No." "Was she covered in blood?" Garric hesitated. "No."

Tanaka crossed his arms. "So someone managed to murder her, steal one of her private ledgers, not leave any forced entry and conveniently left everything needed to frame Lynessa for the guards to find." "That’s one way of looking at it." "It’s the obvious way." Garric’s expression tightened. "It’s still serious evidence."

Tanaka knew this. This was what upset him the most. This hadn’t been sloppy. Whoever had framed Lynessa knew how investigations would work. They had created a story around her. A story that was believable enough that even the best guards couldn’t ignore. Garric continued. "There’s more." "Of course there is."

"Lady Mereth wasn’t just an academy property owner." Tanaka waited. Garric’s voice lowered. "She was the younger sister of Lord Tavren Raukhan, the ruler of the Tiger Clans." Tanaka halted. Everything had changed. This wasn’t just murder. This was the assassination of a member of a ruling family during a festival where nearly every major beastfolk leader was present.

"Where is Lynessa?" "In the custody of the Wolf Crown." Tanaka immediately started to head for the door. Garric blocked his path. "Lord Tanaka." "Let me through." "You need to understand what has happened." "I understand." "She has a motive." Tanaka’s eyes hardened. "What motive?" "Because she belonged to her."

Just that annoyed him. Garric continued quickly. "Several people know you have questioned Lynessa about how she’s been treated. Mereth’s household also knew that Lynessa was resentful of the work she was forced to do due to the debt arrangements of House Velmire." "Resentment isn’t murder." "No. But with the evidence people will use it."

Tanaka stared. "You’re telling me a sixteen year old girl who everyone thinks can’t do magic somehow managed to assassinate the sister of a Beastfolk ruler in her own secure house without anyone hearing a thing?" Garric said nothing. Tanaka stepped forward. "Someone wants her to be blamed." Raizen stepped forward from behind him. "The festival." Tanaka looked at him. "The watcher."

Raizen nodded. Tanaka remembered the presence vanishing into the darkness. Someone had been planning something. And this had to be connected. Another messenger appeared outside. He was panting. "Deputy Chief!" Garric turned. "What?" The messenger quickly bowed. "Lord Tavren Raukhan has arrived at the detention hall." Garric swore.

Tanaka frowned. "Why is that bad?" The messenger looked at him. "He wants the prisoner handed over to the Tiger Clans immediately." Tanaka’s expression changed. "And if they don’t?" The messenger hesitated. "He says he’ll view it as protecting his sister’s murderer." Raizen growled.

Tanaka looked up at the rising sun over Varghelm. Yesterday had been a celebration in the capital. Today one dead woman threatened to tear apart everything the Beastfolk rulers had worked to keep together over the generations. And at the centre of it was Lynessa. Alone. Blamed. Tanaka headed for the door.

"Take me to her."