Responsibility Ch. 13

These people took their seats to the far left of the throne, the far right for the people that would face the throne. Stacks and piles of documents had been kept in chests and shelves on wheels near them, with assistants to help them find anything they needed. One seat was empty. That was for when Rahela would finish her part in Tarmo Ammas' case.

The required nobles and some other people arrived, mostly to be an audience but also to discuss requests or cases they'd brought to the Emperor beforehand. It was considered polite to arrive at the castle a few days early and submit one's documents before the official meeting.

Rahela had certainly noticed a bit more people hanging around the castle than before, but she hadn't socialized with any of them. She'd been preoccupied with her own matters, and the castle was so huge that it was actually quite easy to never meet any one specific person.

For a moment, as Rahela tightened her black cloak over her form and stood closer to a brazier for extra warmth, leading Gabi with her, she pitied all the people that had traveled here during this thick winter. It must've been dangerous. At least there was comfort in how well maintained the roads were. She'd even heard that many nobles and the Imperial Family, would donate salt and labor to ease typical ice problems.

Princess Tuya was soon asked to pass through tall doors, her girls behind her, and into the throne room. She'd sit down on the throne's right, the left from the perspective of those facing that throne. There were several chairs in that area. The girls had to all sit down near her. Rahela dared to admire the pretty silver chains and polished green emeralds trailing down her very long veil as she moved on. Even with all that weight, Princess Tuya walked gracefully and evenly.

Taking a golden pendant from her mouth, the Empress Dowager went on soon after that, her girls following. Normally, she'd be the one to sit on the throne, but there was little room for such a thing now. The Emperor was here.

On the older woman's smoothing brow, Rahela noticed loops of beads, gold and quartz, attached to the tall headdress. Strings of matching beads were loosely and deeply draped from two points on the ends of that headdress, framing the area under the woman's chin. Her expression had been so frustrated but once she was at the doors she was calm. She didn't even grip a single piece of jewelry.

Once the Empress Dowager and her girls were seated, it was Rahela's turn.

Rahela sighed and whispered to Gabi to be silent and don't stare directly at anyone.

She went through the doors, Yana, Oksana, and Gabi on her heels.

At this event, Rahela was still a very Testoan image, but at least she was in indigo. It was the most expensive gown she owned. There was gold braiding with rows of rubies and pearls, even on the dangling sleeves. The silk material had a fine sheen. The tighter sleeves of the gown underneath were visible, bright yellow with a heavy silver pattern of deer and bare trees. There was a drooping necklace with no clasps, but instead an open ring on one end with a heavy pendant keeping the other end through that ring. Her fillet was her thickest one, and the one with the most stones. She even had three rings per hand.

Despite all that, she knew was so plain in comparison to the women that had arrived before her. That was likely how she was viewed, lesser than, not as fine as.

Then, once Rahela and her girls were seated, it was time for the throne to be filled.

The Emperor entered, his squire and page mechanically and somberly walking behind him. Servants had to hold the Emperor's cloak up for him. It was the lavish cloak with ermine lining that Rahela had worn for a time just before that journey to Yahsin had begun.

His crown was bigger than the last one Rahela had seen on his head. His gown was the darkest yet also shiniest indigo with a pattern of gold medallions. Each medallion had small, pale opals in their centers. Similar gold and rows of more opals made thick borders on his sleeves, hem, and neckline. And he had two wide necklaces of gold, pearls, and large green emeralds.

His face unusually grim, his dark eyes like iron, His Majesty moved to the steps leading to the throne. His steps were mellowed by the rug. When he was seated, his cape moved out of the way and trailing over one of the throne's arms, his squires and page took seats close to the throne's platform.

A servant hurried up to offer His Majesty a scepter from a wide red pillow. That scepter was fairly long and heavy looking, gold with pieces of silver, every kind of gemstone Rahela could've imagined, lovely engravings of plants and animals, and a golden wolf on top of a large orb.

His voice rang out, less gritty than it normally was.

"The first case will be the most difficult! I'll have it finished before everything else! The 'Tarmo Ammas Sentencing' case is now open for discussion!" The Emperor held his scepter out and used it to draw a diagonal line in the air. "Tarmo Ammas will be placed before the court immediately!"

Indeed, his word was almost law. Soon after he said that, a pair of guards entered the room with a healthy looking Tarmo Ammas between them, stopping on the rug roughly between the throne's platform and the audience-like people. While he had been technically under Rahela's care, she hadn't seen him very often. Some of his hair was growing back, but his face was still well shaved. There was more color in his skin. Even his posture and breathing had improved. Rahela was glad to know that sending him off to train with the guards had been a good idea.

Curious, Rahela let her eyes scan the faces all around to see if there were any peculiar expressions or any other reactions, to the sight of the man that had been wronged. She couldn't find much, except for a well dressed man among the nobles, likely a noble himself. He had the start of a very gratified smile, and his eyes were excited. He seemed to be looking at something or someone ... what or who?

As the Emperor gave the background information for the case, his voice the only one in the room, Rahela tried to follow that smiling man's eyes.

The Empress Dowager? That was the only point that seemed to be in line.

Rahela saw that while the Empress Dowager was still and calm, something in her eyes was different, something that wasn't worried as she'd been for a long time. The lines under her eyes, and the shape her eyelids took, it had Rahela thinking of ... well ...

The occasional glances the Emperor gave her.

His Majesty demanded to hold the records noting Tarmo Ammas' sentencing date, and when it was meant to end. He read it aloud. Then he had the records handed over to the scholars. Some moments passed, in which the scholars each looked at the scroll. Then they looked through their own documents to be sure that the sentence was legal, the recorded sentence at least.

The Emperor nodded. Then he pointed the wolf and orb of his scepter towards Rahela and said, "My Betrothed, Princess Rahela of Testoa, was receiving a lecture in the Loveless Tower when she found Tarmo Ammas. She will testify now."

That was Rahela's signal to rise and walk over to a spot maybe a bit close to one of the Emperor's squires. She swallowed down anything that could be called a knot in her throat. Then she calmly stated her version of events. When she was finished, the Emperor told her to reclaim her seat.

The rest of the events held new information for Rahela. She hadn't been involved with most of the investigation.

The Emperor suddenly called out to someone in the audience.

"Baron Utkinsky, you will stand before the court and Tarmo Ammas will step to the side."

Rahela's fingers laced so tightly that her hands trembled for a moment. Gnashing her teeth for a second or so was the most effective way for her to to still her hands.

A new person got up from their seat in the audience. Rahela had never seen this person before. Richly dressed, sparking with jewels, maybe a bit all, and certainly old, this was a man. Rahela couldn't see anything unique about this person, except that maybe his eyes protruded slightly and there were spots of darkness under his eyes.

Ammas and the two guards near him moved away, their feet stopping near one of the black lines on the rug. Baron Utkinsky stood alone in the space.

He was shaking.

At first, Rahela wondered if he was cold. Then she wondered if he was ill. But maybe a few seconds on and Rahela came to the conclusion that the man was terrified.

The Emperor pointed his scepter towards his mother. "The Empress Dowager has interesting information. You must be away from any whispers, so that you may hear her well."

Rahela wanted to hear her well too.

The Empress Dowager stood up. One of her ladies-in-waiting adjusted her veil and hanging jewelry to have it fall flat against her back and legs. Before, those items had been kept behind the chair so the woman wouldn't have to sit on them. The Empress Dowager's voice held the lofty tone Rahela had often associated her with, and she almost smiled, almost.

"That man, Tarmo Ammas, he was accused of embezzlement through his then wife. A recent investigation has shown that woman is now dead. She'd been living in Liesha." At that last word, Rahela noticed that the old Baron Utkinsky cringed. "She'd been found dead of strangulation, but concerning that possible murder nobody had been arrested. It seems that many people in her community believed her current and widowed husband was the culprit. It's doubtful that an investigation even took place."

Rahela tried to remember the province Liesha. She'd never been there, obviously, but she knew she'd had to have read the name. She might've forgotten, however. There were so many provinces and lords that most of them were fuzzy and weak in her brain, and that wasn't because of a lack of studying.

"Liesha, that's your domain," the Empress Dowager said with part of a nod, looking down at the old baron, "and we soon learned that Ammas' former wife was in fact married to a bastard child of yours, a child you're known for being very protective of."

Oh!

That was thought-provoking, wasn't it?

Rahela's belly and chest seemed to spark and wobble. She swallowed a sudden lump of mucus in her throat and tried not to hurt herself with her straining fingers.

"After discovering the warden of the Loveless Tower had certainly been bribed every month," the Empress Dowager continued, "it wasn't difficult to follow the trail of coins. Secret carriers sent him money to keep Ammas imprisoned longer than permitted, and so, the entire case against him must be reviewed. That means that you, Baron Utkinsky are unfortunately the peak suspect, and you'll be arrested in a moment."

Baron Utkinsky suddenly cried out, a hand at his heart, and he seemed to break down, falling to the floor. Many gasped at the sight. It didn't matter. Armed men hurried over to the old man to carry him off, although they seemed to do so gently. The Empress Dowager even requested to have a physician examine him before locking him away.

There was no need to hush anyone, but the Emperor suddenly rammed the end of his scepter against the platform's floor, the crisp and startling noise echoing throughout everyone's hearts, or that's how Rahela assumed it must've been. She'd nearly recoiled at the noise and many other people had similar reactions.

"If anyone has any objections to this, then they must be brought here now!" That's what His Majesty said to the court, but if any objections existed then nobody had the courage to voice them. Everyone was still. The Emperor nodded and made a swooping, festoon-like line with his scepter. "Tarmo Ammas will be dismissed and sent back to his room." The couple of guards to the side wordlessly led Ammas out of the throne room.

His Majesty slightly pointed his crowned head over the vague direction Rahela was in, and he said, "Princess Rahela, leave your ladies and maid-in-waiting to work with the law scholars. The 'Tarmo Ammas Sentencing' case is not longer before the court, and I have many more to judge."

***