"So tell us princess…was it you who murdered the Emperor?"
"Well no, I mean I-I…" Adelheid was on the verge of tears. 'Why was it that she always attracted bad luck wherever she went,' Adelheid thought 'She had a terrible husband, a wicked lady-in-waiting and only enemies, no friends! Now this! What should she do? What could she do? Drag Boris into this? He's an Emperor! And no one would believe her if she said Boris killed the nobles using her. Maybe she could deny it, no, she had already confessed! How about she deny killing the Emperor but accept killing the nobles…no, she would prefer being killed than staying in that Prison.'
Adelheid watched as all her dreams and aspiration died and death come face to face with her. She could deny it but that would just prolong her death. Adelheid sighed accepting defeat, she took a deep breath and said
"I murdered the Emperor,"
There was a moment of pin drop silence before everyone started talking at once. Few murmured between themselves that it was impossible for a lady to kill a man but many demanded her immediate execution.
"Silence!" Boris commanded, raising his hand to signal everyone to be calm. He then turned to look at Adelheid "Dent it!" His cold voice rang ('Deny it' is like a modern expression- 'Are you sure?')
"What do you want? More drama? You already know the truth, why bother asking?" Adelheid murmured within herself. She gave him a look of disdain, cursing him to die a thousand deaths in her mind. "Yes," She still answered "I did it!"
"You dare confess to regicide in the house of the lord?" The high priest roared at her. He had every right to do so, this was an abomination!
"You dared to crown a concubine 'Empress' in the house of the lord!" Adelheid ranted, who were these priests to judge her when the committed an equal abomination.
The guards rushed to the altar to handcuff her. There was a major commotion in the cathedral as many came up with the hypothesis that Boris always preferred his concubine to his wife because his wife killed his father.
General Seymon, an army general- the only good Imperial council member Adelheid could not kill, sat among the Imperial council watching this nonsense unfold. 'Had everyone lost their sense of reasoning?' He thought, 'How can a lady kill a man? How can a lady kill an Emperor? Doesn't he have guards around him. Boris must have thought the all are fools to believe this nonsense,'
"Enough!" Seymon's voice rang out, he couldn't take it anymore. His words made everyone quiet down. "With all due respect your majesty, I suggest a trial for the princess to prove her innocence before the Imperial council. The princess should tell us why she killed those nobles and besides, this situation seems funny…doesn't it occur to us all that a woman cannot fight, needless to say, kill a man! I demand a trial!"
Adelheid saw a ray of hope instantly and found herself nodding to General Seymon's words. If a trail occurred her life could be saved and she could pour some dirt on Boris.
"I have a confession to make," Tatianka suddenly spoke, "I have hidden this secret for a while because it threatened my life but I feel it is necessary to say it now…Adelheid is a witch!"
Adelheid had been frowning as Tatianka was talking, nothing good ever came out from that lady's mouth but when she heard the accusation she turned to Tatianka and asked, maybe she heard wrong "I'm a what!"
"She is a witch. That was why she was able to kill the nobles including the Emperor. Don't believe me…bring the needles," Tatianka continued. She wanted to do 'the needle test'. It was said that to confirm whether a person is a witch or not, prick the person's finger with a needle. If the person gets a cut and bleeds- he or she is not a witch/ wizard but if the person's skin refuses to cut then the answer is obvious.
Adelheid looked at Tatianka like she had three horns on her head. She refused to bring her finger and be deliberately hurt by Tatianka. She that had never wounded since she was little. "Bring out your hands princess. Don't you want to prove your innocence to everyone?" Tatianka asked.
"I am not a witch!" Adelheid scowled.
"Then bring out your hands and prove it!" The high priest spoke. Adelheid paused 'these nobles are actually taking this accusation serious'. She knew the punishment for practicing witchcraft, and the witches were even being hunted. With the look on everybody's face, if she doesn't bring out her hands soon they'll assume the accusation is right. And heaven knows what they'll do to her under the guise of her being a witch.
She brought out her fingers and closed her eyes, preparing her body for the pain. Sure enough, it came. The congregation started murmuring among themselves and a curious Adelheid opened her eyes and looked at her fingers.
No blood, not even a scratch. How was it possible, she was not a witch. Everyone started pouring out their accusations instantly, the priests at the altar sprinkling holy water and chanting words of condemnation at her. "I am not a witch" Adelheid countered constantly, her voice getting louder each time she repeated it.
"By the order of his Imperial majesty," The herald cried, hushing the entire cathedral at once "Adelheid, formerly princess consort of Krevia,"
"Formerly?" Adelheid interjected but the herald droned on
"You are stripped of all titles, all honours and all rights. You stand guilty of murder, witchcraft and the foulest of crimes- regicide"
The council clerks and priests walked towards Adelheid. "What are you doing, don't come any closer or I will…."
'R-RIP!' The sound of fabric tearing filled the hall. The clerks tore her cloth starting from the part of her gown that bore the royal symbol. The sleeves of her gown was torn, robe and gloves removed, tiara broken.
Beads poured, shredded cloth pieces scattered on the floor and her slippers was removed from her feet. When they were done, they spat on her- one by one and walked away.
The guards came next and bounded her hands. Adelheid kept her head down all through. This was the most embarrassing situation she had faced in her entire life. Tears pored down her eyes, mixing with the spits of the men that had touched her faced. She was stripped by men in front of the cathedral ON HER CORONATION! Boris and Tatianka had taken this far, too far.
The high priest took an aspergillum and walked up to Adelheid. "Die witch!" He said and tried to flog her with it. Adelheid was already drowned in a sea of anger and once he called her 'witch' she turned, with her hands still bounded, and hit him so hard. The hit carried her anger. She spotted Tatianka talking to one of the priests and rushed towards her like a mad woman. The priest tried to alert Tatianka to look behind her but before she could Adelheid had already hit her with a stick, right on her head…she fell unconscious. Boris unconsciously took a step back.
The guards held Adelheid before she could cause more harm and dragged her out of the palace. Adelheid screamed and trashed all the way. This was so unfair! Never in her life would she have dreamed this would happen to her. How was she so foolish that she didn't see it coming.
The bells of the Sanctus cathedral tolled as she was led out, not in celebration but in the gathering of the people of Krevia, to witness her murder.
---
Boris said his proclamations as the Emperor, keeping a straight face all through, it was impossible to know what he was thinking. He did the honours of cutting Adelheid's head with the sword Queen Darya, Adelheid's stepmother, had given him. When this sword was given to him, he thought it would be of no use since he had a sword of his own but after the 'needle test' at the cathedral today he doubted that a normal sword would work on Adelheid…her stepmother must have known that she was a witch. He didn't know if Tatianka used blunt needles or faked the whole test but he was really shocked when she was mentioned as a witch.
"His imperial majesty," The guards bowed to Boris after he was done cutting Adelheid's head, "Should we dispose off the body?"
"Don't bother," Boris shunned, "I'll take it from here"
Tatianka came to Boris after the guards had left, wearing a smile she said "I'm so glad the plan worked"
"Me too" But he didn't sound like it.
"Anyways, since Adelheid is gone now should we continue with the crowning?"
Boris gave Tatianka a creepy smile. To Tatianka, a smile was a smile…had he agreed?
"Know your place," He snorted coldly and left.