Narcissa scanned the crowd, her eyes settling on Duchess Wilhelmina who was standing with Madam Lucille and Lady Hortensia.
“By the end of the ceremony, my eldest son will reveal his choice of a possible bride among the debutantes...”
Cheers went through the ballroom. Narcissa set Misty on the floor.
“...before we commence the ceremony, our mentors would like to say a word about their experiences this Season.”
Narcissa paused and swept her skirts over her cat. I let go of the breath I was holding and looked over to Ash. He looked similarly relieved. I wished he would have remembered that the mentors spoke right before the Choosing Ceremony and not thirty minutes before.
Duchess Wilhelmina and the two other mentors stood before the dais and took the goblets offered to them. The white-blue glow around the duchess’s goblet confirmed that she had the truth potion. My stomach tensed in anticipation.
Lady Hortensia was the first to speak. She praised the debutantes for their beauty and wit and charms and commended the gentlemen as handsome and well-bred. She praised the queen, the duchess, and the courtiers’ generous donation that made the event possible. She probably would have praised the maid who dusted the vases in the ballroom if Madam Lucille hadn’t coughed and told her it was quite enough. Lady Hortensia raised her goblet and sipped.
Madam Lucille’s speech was much shorter in comparison, but I still did not have the patience to listen to her rave about the talents and graces of this Season’s young ladies. Eventually, she too raised her goblet and drank. It was fifteen minutes till eleven when it was the duchess’s turn to speak.
“It has been an enchanting experience mentoring this year’s debutantes....”
The rest of the duchess’s words faded as I focused on her goblet. Time seemed to slow. I didn’t know how long I stared before she tilted her head back and let her lips touch the rim of the goblet. She swallowed.
Then, a voice shouted from the crowd, “Who poisoned the queen?” To my utter amazement, it was Olivia’s.
Tori jumped onto a stool on the far side of the ballroom. “Who poisoned the queen?”
“Who poisoned the queen?” Genevieve said from beside her.
All at once, everyone began to speak.
“What is this?” King Maximus said, rising from his throne.
“Why, I have never heard such disrespect!” Lady Hortensia exclaimed.
“Young ladies, you ought to be ashamed!” Madam Lucille said.
The duchess said nothing. Her eyes were wide open and her lips were pressed tightly closed. I gritted my teeth. The truth potion made one tell the truth, but only if one spoke. She would never confess her crimes if she weren’t forced to speak.
The clock read one minute till eleven. “Duchess Wilhelmina, will you not answer?” I shouted. “Who poisoned the queen?”
“How dare you wreak havoc during this celebration?” King Maximus said. His voice boomed through the ballroom and I ducked behind a tiered stand stacked with sandwiches. The guests around me were giving me scandalized looks, so hiding was futile. “All of you will face punishment for your brash mouths. Guards!”
“Father, wait!” Ash’s shout cut through the noise as members of the Royal Guard streamed in. “Duchess Wilhelmina has not answered.”
The king glared at him. “Do not tell me you are a part of this scheme, boy.”
“The duchess has no reason not to clear her name, Father,” Ash said coolly.
King Maximus’s face pinched in annoyance, but he turned to the duchess. “Wilhelmina, put an end to this foolishness.”
Her face turned an unflattering shade of puce. She was biting so hard on her lip I thought she would draw blood. The grandfather clock chimed. The deep, melodic peals reverberated through the quieting murmurs. When it reached the eleventh, she spoke.
“I poisoned the queen.”
Dead silence ensued. The remaining chime resounded, louder than the ones before. The king stared. Queen Cordelia clutched the arms of her throne, her face drained of color.
“Is this true?” the queen said.
Duchess Wilhelmina pressed her hand to her mouth, then shakily removed it. Something in her mien changed, like a snake shedding its skin. Suddenly she stood straighter, her eyes shone with defiance, her lips twisted into a depraved grin. “It is, Cordelia,” she said. “I want you dead.”
Gasps and shrieks went through the crowd. Lady Hortensia fainted right there on the steps, but nobody came to help her. Madame Lucille stumbled back. The king was still frozen in shock.
