“Dirtied girl!”
The Crown Prince closed his mouth and turned to see one of the younger Princes standing at the side, not eligible to join the discussion as he hadn’t come of age yet, nor was the Emperor’s son.
Çuiren walked up to the Emperor without so much as wincing. She went down on her knees slowly, put her hands on the floor, and bowed deeply.
“It is my greatest honour to have laid my eyes on Your Majesty. I am unworthy. May the deities know I am beyond blessed this morning.”
She then turned to the Crown Prince, still on all fours. This impressed not only U’il-šanad, but the others too. Years had smoothened the stone, but to drag one’s hands along it would still hurt because of dirt and grovel brought inside.
“His Imperial Highness the Crown Prince, may the deities prove my innocence. If I am indeed guilty, may they strike me a thousand times! Fire knows my heart is true and my conscious pure!”
U’il-šanad opened an eye to look at his cousin’s reaction. The Crown Prince looked slightly at loss at first, then coughed.
“Rumours are you’re no longer a pure lady. These are the words spread around everywhere in the Palace. What do you have to say about this?”
“Çuiren has done no wrong. I have only seen teacher Žul, the Princes and the servants. Where could I have met this highly esteemed man they speak of, unless it is one of the Princes? But I wouldn’t dare be close to someone who is not to be my Master. Today is the first time I meet you, Your Highness, and I’m at a loss what to do.”
Someone clicked their tongue, and U’il-šanad discreetly glanced toward his uncles. Which one of them showed disdain?
“Eldest imperial brother, your guard said they came to the conclusion this girl seduced a man, but how did she get past the guards?”
“It’s highly unlikely she could sneak out. The Palace of Peace and Hope is heavily guarded. If she did sneak out, that would mean father Emperor has to investigate how such a thing could happen.”
“It’s worth looking into regardless, don’t you think, Your Highness?”
“If none of us brothers have touched her, and she cannot meet with the officials, are you saying she was with teacher Žul?”
Laughter broke out at the thought, and even U’il had to snicker where he sat, trying to act embarrassed.
“If it was teacher Žul, the deities must have blessed him with miracles.”
The Crown Prince coughed a few times. “We can confirm it’s not the teacher. Let’s have the guards investigate the possibility she snuck out, and if so, I shall report to Your Majesty.” The Crown Prince looked up as the Emperor who nodded in acknowledgement.
“So what shall we do with the girl?”
U’il-šanad shivered, and one of the Imperial bodyguard leaned closer. “Where is your coat, Your Royal Highness?”
The Prince lowered his sleeve, only now getting a good look at the girl on the floor. Her hair laid spread around her as she still was on the floor. She trembled slightly, and he couldn’t determine if she may be cold or tired.
“Çuiren,” he said softly, and the hall fell silent. “Please come over here.”
The slave girl, stiff from maintaining the same posture, rose to her feet slowly.
However, one of the younger cousins grew impatient, walked over to her, and grabbed her hair, pulling her upward.
U’il-šanad stood up in genuine anger. “Let her go.”
The young prince was startled by the deepness of U’il-šanad’s voice. He hurriedly let go, unwilling to offend. Çuiren fell heavily to the floor, just barely catching herself with her hands.
The Ninth Blood Prince smiled at his cousin and walked over to the girl who had silently endured. He squatted down, untied the coat he had lent her. He put it back on before he glided back to his seat, as if nothing was out of the ordinary.
“Father Emperor, may I suggest she stays at the Princes’ Palace until we have resolved this situation?” he asked before closing his eyes again.
U’il-šanad had spoken too softly. The Seventh Blood Žemal-šanad. sitting next to him, had to repeat the question to His Majesty.
The Emperor mumbled to himself for a moment before he looked at Çuiren, who now stood up, facing him. He seemed to struggle with making a reasonable decision.
“Crown Prince, will you keep her by your side?” one of the Elder Princes asked. “If you keep your eyes on her, she can’t repeat the offence again before we know the truth.”
The corners of U’il-šanad’s mouth twitched and he pressed his lips into a thin line. Despite this, he still kept his eyes closed, as if stubbornly trying to ignore everything around him.
The Crown Prince looked Çuiren up and down. “I don’t want her. Keep her away from me.”
He looked so disgusted, it wasn’t difficult to guess, the heir apparent didn’t like the idea of keeping this “used goods”. Even Çuiren understood this.
“Please, be benevolent, Your Imperial Highness! I am but a young girl with nowhere to go!”
Someone snickered at the word “benevolent”. She certainly asked the wrong Prince, if she wished for someone to show mercy.
Unbeknownst to him, several Princes glanced at U’il-šanad.
“Anyone else?” the Emperor asked.
The Princes hemmed and hawed, muttering between each other. The whispered obscene jokes, and admiration of the girl’s body, made U’il-šanad curl his fingers within his sleeves
However, who would dare to take something from the Crown Prince, even if he said he didn’t want it?
Only the Emperor.
“Well then, We shall assign one of you to keep an eye on her. If it turns out she has indeed done wrong, the Crown Prince will make the decision about what to do with her. If she cannot be found guilty of anything, she will remain with the one We choose. If things remain of questionable nature, We shall let the Prince make a choice after the next full moon.”
The Emperor carefully looked at each of his children. He knew very well that his youngest wished to have her, though he couldn’t understand for what purpose. U’il-šanad carefully chose each of his servants, slaves and bodyguards, and even the Emperor would have to yield when he decided against someone.
As he studied the young girl, trying to decide, a thought crossed his mind. He leaned toward a servant next to him and asked in a hushed voice: “When did they say these rumours began to spread?”
“Seven or eight days ago, Your Majesty,” the servant answered quietly.
“Hmm.”
A smile played in the Emperor’s eyes, but only the servant noticed.