"I'm just a wandering priest who seeks the truth"
The man said, his voice still hanging in the dungeon's damp air as the iron door clanged shut behind him.
The guard footsteps became quieter and quieter until there was no more as it faded. The priest posture changed, his shoulders loosing from pious humility into something sharper, a defender posture.
The man then sat on the chair infront of the imprisoned princess and said
"Before dawn arrives i'll need three major evidence, the dagger that supposedly used to stab the crown prince, the record of your activities and the origin of the poison that was inserted into the crown prince drink to weaken him before his supposed death"
The priest tone was noticeably cold as his atmostphere changed from his original self that was filled with humility.
The princess look turned wary and said
"Why did you want to help me? What is your intention"
The priest who heard the question gently strokes his chin and in a calm and dismissive manner he said
"My intention will be revealed once this is over, but no need to worry, what's important now is to prove your innocence"
The princess's wariness subsided as she chose to believe in the priest promise to prove her innocence
After that the priest sat back down and with a reassuring smile he said
"Where was the dagger kept?"
The room falls silent as the princess thought about it and she finally remembered
"The dagger was likely kept either in the investigation room or is hidden by the culprit"
The priest sighed as it got harder and then priest then asked
"If you think the culprit have it then....
the culprit must either be a person that dislike you or a person thats siding with the older princess"
The priest said while pondering on who might be the culprit. The princess kept her silence and then she opened her lips and said
"One. There might be only one person who have the dagger, its my best friend, Bianca the second daughter of duke Gideon"
The priest who was deep in thought snapped out of it after hearing what the princess said. The priest suprised expression changed as his smile turned to that of a person who was interested in the situation.
The priest left and goes to the place where it was rumoured that the second daughter always hangs out on to find handsome men, the Gilded Grape bar. It was a bar reserved only for the wealthy merchants and nobles. The priest entered and there the quiet atmostphere outside turned noisy with a bunch of laughters and chatterings that poured out as soon as he opened the door.
But the moment he stepped inside, he was shoved back out. The priest recoiled from the shove, a flicker of suprise crossing his face before his eyes found her. There, framed in the doorway, stood the second daughter of Duke Gideon: Bianca. Her lips curled into a smile, sharp as a blade and just as cruel. The priest studied her, unlflinching. That smile too practiced, too pleased . She knew. Of course she knew.
News of the youngest princess's trial had spread like poison through the culprit's ranks, and now Bianca's mocking gaze told him everything she'd been waiting. The evidence he sought wasn't just hidden; it was already a step ahead of him, clutched in the hands of a girl who thrived on others' desperation
After that, the bouncer's hands slammed into his chest, shoving him back into the street. The priest staggered a step, then straightened, unruffled.
"This wasn't going to work"
Not like this. Not with his face already known. He dusted off his sleeves with a quiet sigh and slipped into a nearby alley, where the noise of the Gilded Grape bar faded behind him.
The merchant's disguise was simple well cut but unremarkable clothing, a silver pin to suggest minor wealth. But his hair was the problem. Even in the dim light, his long blonde strands were too recognizable. With quick fingers, he tied it back, tucked it under a plain brown wig, and smoothed the edges.
"Good enough"
When he returned to the tavern, he was no longer a priest. He was Ansel, the unassuming son of a modest merchant. No one stopped him this time. Inside, Bianca lounged near the hearth, already deep into her second glass of wine. He ordered a drink, took a seat nearby, and waited.
"Let the wine loosen her tongue first. Then, the truth"