Archduchess Finé rested in her bed, her eyes closed. For the most part, her headache was gone, but the doctors advised her to rest. Her concussion had been pretty bad, but if she took proper care, she would make a full recovery.
What bothered her the most was not that she was hurt, but that whoever orchestrated the attack wanted her fiancée dead. They had gone to her directly, past the other rooms in the cottage, and pointed the gun right at her. Finé was glad she was awake to hear them come in. If she hadn't…
She didn't want to think about it.
Finé knew how guilty Izetta felt about the incident, even though it wasn't her fault. Finé wished she could convince Izetta that it was okay, that Finé didn't blame Izetta for her concussion. However, Izetta never had high self esteem.
A knock came at Finé's door. "Come in," Finé called out, sitting up. She sighed heavily, her head throbbing for a few moments.
The door opened, and there stood Lotte, giving a wave. "It's tea time," Lotte smiled. Upon seeing Finé's face twisting in pain, she frowned. "Shall I come back?"
Finé shook her head. "No, it's fine." She replied. "I'll be up, just give me a moment."
Lotte gave a nod, and Finé rested her head in her hands before getting to her feet. The young maid helped Finé into her clothes and out toward the tea room.
Izetta was already there, sipping a cup of tea, her face solemn. Her elbow was still bruised. When her eyes landed on Finé, her face lit up.
"Finé!" Izetta smiled.
Lotte pulled a chair out for Finé, and the Archduchess took her seat. Lotte then poured a cup of tea for Finé, and Finé took a small sip of the sweet drink.
"Archduchess," a man started, walking into the room and saluting Finé. "You have a visitor."
Finé was hesitant. She wasn't sure she was in proper condition to talk to a guest, with her concussion. However, the guard gave her a soft smile, letting her know it was someone she knew.
"Alright, send them in," Finé agreed. The man ducked out of the room, and a few moments later, in walked a familiar face.
"Tikva!" Izetta grinned. The woman gave a wave of her hand. She had a headwrap covering her hair.
"Hey Izetta," she responded bittersweetly. "I'm so glad to hear you're all okay."
"How did you know?" Finé asked curiously. She didn't think the press knew already.
Tikva gave a smile. "Lotte called and told me." She gestured to an empty chair in the room. "Mind if I take a seat?"
Finé shook her head, and Tikva promptly sat down.
Tikva was a close friend of the two girls. A Jewish woman from Germania, Tikva had managed to escape the mass genocide of her people. Her family, however, hadn't been so lucky, and were gassed in the death camps of Livonia. Finé knew her parents' deaths still bothered her, especially with them not being there at Tikva's wedding a month before.
"I'm so glad you're all alright," Tikva said again. Izetta's large bruise caught Tikva's eye, and Tikva grimaced. "My, Izetta, that looks nasty."
"It's alright," Izetta responded, not wanting to draw attention to herself.
Tikva sighed and shook her head. "I just hope whoever it was gets the punishment they deserve."
"There were three that we can recall," Lotte told Tikva. "But we caught one of them!"
"I know," Tikva replied. "Speaking of which, I have some news." She leaned forward, crossing her hands under her chin and resting her elbows on the table. "Götz has interacted with the intruder."
Izetta and Finé sat up straight, this catching their attention. Götz was Tikva's husband, a prison warden at the kingdom's prison.
"What happened?" Finé asked, furrowing her eyebrows. Tikva took a deep breath, and she began to tell the story of what she heard.
Götz stood in front of the cell. The salmon-haired woman sat inside, behind the bars, her back pressed against the wall. Her eyes were red and puffy, and she was weeping excessively.
Götz stared at her, his face full of anger and hatred. This woman had just attacked his close friends, almost killing one of them. He needed to know this woman's motive, who she was with, everything. He needed to ensure all those who were guilty were put behind bars.
"So," Götz started, his tone surly, "what happened?"
The woman stared at her lap, her lip quivering. She didn't respond.
Götz stepped closer. "Who were you with?" He asked, his tone growing angrier.
More tears streamed from the woman's face. She shook her head, looking as if she was going to talk, but instead, only sobbed.
He moved even closer, gripping the cold steel bars of the cell. His face twisted in fury, but he kept his voice low and under control. "Why did you do it?"
That moment, the woman let out a loud cry. She pulled at her hair, shaking her head as her body trembled with each labored breath she took. She turned and faced away, refusing to talk, or being unable to.
Götz stepped back and took a deep breath. He was getting nowhere. He would have to wait until she calmed down. Until then, he would keep a close eye on her.
"He wasn't able to get a single word out of her." Tikva ended her story, her eyes clouding with dismay. "I know it's not very reassuring, but I thought you might like to know."
Finé drew a deep breath in. Tikva was right- it wasn't very reassuring, but Finé was glad at least one of the intruders was behind bars. Maybe eventually they would get some information out of her.
Bianca walked in the room, standing beside Lotte. Finé smiled- now she could address the both of them.
"Lotte, Bianca… I want to thank you, both of you." Finé started. "Without you two, Izetta may not be here with us today. You both put your lives on the line for us." Her eyes focused on Lotte. "And Lotte, without you, we wouldn't have one of them in jail right now. Thank you."
Bianca dipped her head, closing her eyes. She still felt guilty for what happened. However, she knew Finé wouldn't lie to her. If she was upset with Bianca, she would let Bianca know. What mattered the most at the moment was that everyone was safe.
Lotte gave a grin. "Of course!" She replied. "Anything for the Archduchess and the witch who saved the whole world!" She yelled. The last war was still fresh in her mind, and she would never forget the ones who saved them.
However, one question still remained. "Who were those guys?" Lotte asked, looking concerned. Finé frowned and shook her head.
"I don't know." Finé responded.
"I-I don't know either…" Izetta's voice trailed off. "I wish I did."
Bianca sighed heavily, putting her hand on her hip. "Well, I'm sure we'll find out soon enough. We have some investigators on their way here." Bianca told them. "Are you girls feeling good enough to talk to them?"
"We can't waste any time." Finé pointed out. "Once they get here, we'll talk."
Bianca nodded her head, and the five conversed with each other. Lotte tried to bring a lighter tone to the conversation by asking Tikva about her life as a married woman.
"It's nice," Tikva answered. "It just feels so good to be able to call him my husband."
"He's a good man," Finé replied.
After a few minutes, a few of the Royal Guards came into the room, followed by a group of men. They introduced themselves as the investigators on the case.
A man approached Finé and Izetta. A small but visible scar trailed down the left side of his forehead, cutting into his left eyebrow. However, a friendly smile was on his face. He held a notebook and pen in his hands.
"Archduchess Ortfiné and Lady Izetta," he breathed.
"Hello," Finé said.
"My name is Gershom Mehlberg." He introduced himself. "I'm the lead investigator on this case. It's an honor to work for you two!" His voice grew softer as his expression grew solemn. "But I am terribly sorry about what happened."
"Thanks," Izetta replied sadly.
"Thank you very much, Herr Melhberg," Finé thanked him, and he smiled once again.
"Please, just call me Gershom!" He responded. "Now, I'll cut right to the chase. What information do you have about the intruders? Anything will be of use."
Izetta and Finé thought hard about the question. Finé's memory was a blur, and it was difficult to recall the scene with her concussion. She closed her eyes, rubbing her temple as she thought.
"It was so dark," Izetta answered. "I could hardly make out their faces."
"I… can't remember," Finé murmured. "I apologize."
"It's alright," Gershom replied, tapping his notebook with the pen. "If anything comes to you, just give me a ring any time."
As the investigators asked Lotte and Bianca questions, Izetta cleared her throat, wanting to get to know Gershom more.
"Are you from Landsbrück, Gershom?" Izetta asked hesitantly. Gershom shook his head.
"Not quite. I'm actually from Germania. Frankfurt, to be exact." He chuckled, a bit uncomfortable. "I never participated in Otto's regime, and I would've moved out of Germania before the war if I could. However, things were quite difficult for me. As soon as the war was over, I quickly moved here to Eylstadt."
Izetta nodded her head and didn't question him any farther. The war was a painful memory for everyone.
Tikva approached Gershom. "Hello," she greeted, giving a wave of her hand. He turned to her, and she smiled. "My name is Tikva Lehmann. I'm a close friend of the Archduchess and her fiancée." Tikva introduced herself.
"Hello Ms. Lehmann." Gershom responded. "How can I help you?"
"My husband Götz Lehmann is a warden at the jail." She started. "He's come into contact with one of the assailants."
Gershom's eyes grew wide. "Oh, so you're Götz's wife? Yes, I know him." He nodded his head.
"If you talk to him, he can take you to the assailant." Tikva replied.
"Alright, thank you!" Gershom responded.
Upon hearing this, Izetta perked up. "If you're going to see the intruder, I'd like to come." She said. Tikva and Gershom stared at her with wide eyes, and Gershom put his hand on his chin, looking hesitant.
"I'm not sure that's such a good idea…" he replied softly.
Finé put her hand on Izetta's shoulder. "I'd like to go too." She stated. "I want to know who it was who attacked us."
Gershom rubbed his face, furrowing his eyebrows. "I don't know," Gershom started. "I'm sure what happened was pretty traumatic for you two."
"Please, sir!" Izetta whined, looking desperate. "They wanted me dead, they almost killed my fiancée… I need to see who did it."
Gershom gave a heavy sigh, looking defeated. "Alright," Gershom gave in. "You can come with me." He averted his eyes. "I'm not sure what good it'll do though."
"Then it's settled." Finé stated.
"I'll have it arranged. In the meantime, you girls should get as much rest as you can." Gershom instructed. He looked at the other investigators, gesturing to them that it was time to leave. He then shot a soft smile at Finé and Izetta. "I wish you two a speedy recovery, and I swear to you, I will do my best to bring the assailants to justice."
"Thank you, Gershom," Finé replied.
The investigators left the room, escorted by the Royal Guards. Lotte put her hand on her hip, shaking her head.
"I gave as much information as I could, which wasn't much." Lotte whimpered. She looked at the Archduchess and former witch. "I hope your visit with the intruder goes as well as it can go."
"Thanks Lotte, I appreciate it." Izetta dipped her head in gratitude.
"He's right. You two need as much rest as possible before the interrogation." Bianca told them. "Especially you, Finé. You can't leave the palace in your condition."
"Alright," Finé agreed. "We'll be sure to rest up."
"I'll let Götz know about the visit." Tikva started, looking uneasy. "Take it easy now."
Bianca led Tikva out of the palace, and Finé sat back down in her chair. Maybe it wasn't a good decision for Finé and Izetta to go see the prisoner, but it was something Izetta wanted, and Finé would do anything for Izetta. After all, their wedding was scheduled in a few days.