The King's Unbreakable Wife-Chapter 199: Dead maid (5)

"Poor girl got drunk and fell. What a terrible way to go but at least she escaped being punished for stealing."

"Watch your words around the dead," Mark warned the guard who had no regard for where he stood. "You are to keep anyone from keeping this way, not speak of how you think she died."

Mark shook his head as some of the guards were a headache and made him wish he had gone home instead of being in the palace so late. He came to see what kind of accident happened in the palace but was not expecting this.

"The king is here."

Mark stood up to greet Tobias. "King Tobias."

"Mark, it’s a little late for you to be here unless you have been staying in the palace. I would like for it to be explained why my wife’s maid is lying dead here. Why?" Tobias questioned, not wanting to believe it though the familiar face was there.

"Everyone here seems to think that she stole a bottle of rum, got too drunk, and came to the tower which led to her death," Mark repeated the words of the guards.

"You sound as though you don’t believe it," said Tobias.

"Because I don’t," Mark replied, looking up at the open spaces in the tower where Lynn could have fallen out of. "It is a bit strange that she made it to any opening to fall out instead of tumbling down the stairs inside. Unless she started drinking in the tower."

Tobias pinched the bridge of his nose as regardless of how she died he didn’t know how to tell Hazel about this. What was she doing here with such an expensive bottle? "It is unfortunate that the only person who can tell us what she might be doing here at this hour is my wife. What kind of luck is this?"

"A bad one. It could be that someone did this. It can’t be ignored that this is the queen’s maid. Anything concerning anyone around you and the queen must be carefully looked into so I will try to figure it out though my peers are eager to write it off as an accident," Mark said, looking around at the other men from the court who were eager to go home.

"They want the story to be that she was a thief-"

"No," Tobias interjected as that wouldn’t work. "Find something else. Find the real story. Who she was with last. If she got that rum from storage, it is impossible that someone did not see her or at least drink with her. Check to see if there is any rum missing from the palace."

"If there isn’t a single one missing then she got it from somewhere outside the palace or maybe a gift from someone. It wouldn’t be the first time that I saw a maid flaunting an expensive gift and ending up dead days later. I am leaving you in charge of this one," Tobias said.

Tobias trusted that Mark would look for the real story and not just try to close it as a case of the maid getting drunk. He also trusted that Mark would be respectful of Hazel if he had to come to ask her questions.

"Thank you," Mark replied. "I will figure out what happened to her as fast as I can. I ugh, I hope the queen will be well."

"I hope so too. Send for me if you learn something new. I might be back trying to stop my wife from coming here. Excuse me," Tobias said, leaving Mark’s side to go to Hazel. frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓

Not only did she eat dinner alone but now she had to be woken up to bad news.

If he could, Tobias would like to keep her in the dark and say that the maid had to return to her family, but he couldn’t. Tobias couldn’t bring himself to lie to Hazel. Should she find out about this from anyone else, she would not forgive him for trying to keep it a secret.

Tobias had to be honest, but he couldn’t stop wishing to not say anything as he dreaded her reaction. He believed that it was no coincidence that the maid he saw Hazel getting along with so well was now dead.

The one maid was always at the front of the others and the one he could see was ready to attack anyone to protect Hazel. Many would want to get rid of someone so loyal to Hazel so there was no easy way of pointing out who did this right away.

It was a slow walk to Hazel’s room and when he reached there, Tobias stared at the door for a moment. He had never been in a position to not share news because he was worried about how the person having to hear would take it. He would have been quick to tell anyone else, but this was Hazel.

Tobias walked to the door and opened it, finding light in the dark room coming from the fireplace. Then there was a candle on the table beside the bed as Hazel had stated loving to use one to read when it became late.

"You’re late."

Tobias was startled by her voice as he assumed that she was fast asleep.

Hazel sat up to glare at her husband. She was angry with him but also confused as to why he used the door to come to her instead of climbing up the balcony as he always did. "Did something happen? Why did you use the door? Tobias?"

Tobias made his way around to the right side of the bed to sit with Hazel. "Because I have something to share with you."

"Why do you look so down? I will forgive you so there is no need for you to sulk. You are such a crybaby," Hazel said, palming his face to cheer him up. "You can sleep here tonight."

"Hazel," Tobias said, holding her left hand. "I don’t know how yet, but one of your maids has died. The one that was always to the left of you-"

"That is not a good joke to make," Hazel replied, pulling her hand out of Tobias’s hold. "Lynn was the last one here and I sent her away so she could have time to herself. Are you drunk?" She asked, leaning forward to smell his breath.

Tobias held her hand again. "I am not drunk Hazel but they believed that she was drunk which is why she fell out of the old tower. There was a bottle of rum."

Hazel pulled her hand from Tobias once more. "That is impossible. Lynn could not be dead as I sent her back to her room and she wouldn’t be drunk. Not when she would want to be the first one here to serve me in the morning and she was in a good mood when she left here. Please put an end to your joke."

The tears filling Hazel’s eyes were close to stopping Tobias from telling Hazel what he had seen. Of course, she wouldn’t believe him when it wasn’t long ago that she would have seen the maid. He wouldn’t believe it too if he was in her shoes but Hazel had to believe it as it was the truth.

"Hazel, you know that I wouldn’t joke about something like this to you. I saw it myself where she was lying on the ground with all the blood- No," Tobias said, holding her before she could get off the bed. "You can’t go there. I can’t let you do that."

Hazel fought to get Tobias’s hold off her. She couldn’t believe him or anyone that Lynn was dead. It wasn’t that long ago that she was here with Lynn brushing her hair trying to keep her company since Tobias was busy.

It didn’t feel like many hours had gone by since she had sent Lynn away so Lynn could enjoy her night. Instead of letting Lynn stay a little longer to keep her company, Hazel had sent her away.

"Let go of me before I hurt you, Tobias. She’s my maid so I must see if it is true. Let go," Hazel pleaded, her head bowed as she became filled with guilt. "She couldn’t be dead when she was just here tending to me and offering her help."

Tobias allowed Hazel to roughly tug on his hand to try getting out of his hold. Her cries were no different than being bruised by a sharp blade. He stayed silent to let her weep for the maid she cherished.

"I should have kept her here and she-"

"Do not blame yourself for this," Tobias said, refusing to let Hazel be filled with guilt. Then the death would be harder to take. "This is not your fault. We will find out what happened so please, don’t blame yourself."

Hazel couldn’t do as Tobias told her as she couldn’t stop thinking that if she kept Lynn around longer Lynn would still be here.

Hazel’s cries filled the once-quiet room as she mourned the loss of not only a loyal servant but a friend.

Tobias pulled her close to him to let her cry her heart out and to comfort her with his touch.