Chapter 68 Alliance of Traitors
East wing of the castle, rooms of Marisela.
Antonio walked with two royal guards behind him. He approached the door of the Lady of the Colinas Gemelas and came face to face with a young page.
Antonio: Please give this message to your Lady.
He waited a few minutes until the woman and two tall knights appeared in the hallway.
Marisela with indignance: Are you here to arrest me if I do not respond to the summons?
Antonio calmly: No, Lady Marisela, they are here for my safety and yours.
Marisela smiled: I entrust my safety to my knights. They will accompany me, or I will not go with you.
Antonio: Of course. The count wishes you to know that this is a request.
The group walked towards the central part of the castle and arrived at the chambers of Count Esteban. The tiny delicate woman entered with her knights and found Esteban, Tatiana, and Danilo. She sat down in an empty chair and looked at the serious faces.
Marisela: The message mentioned my page, Francisco. Is he in a difficult situation?
Esteban: Yes, but it is not because of his bad behavior. He was involved in a fight between pages and other servants. Some pages captured many maids, from your house, from our houses and common maids. They were prisoners. Francisco and others formed a group and attacked their captors. Their actions were very brave. Francisco received a terrible wound. He might die.
Marisela in a low voice: Paco? He is such a good boy.
Tatiana: Yes, his honor and nobility are the reason why he acted with others.
Marisela: I want Paco in my chambers. A loyal servant of an ancient family deserves the attention of his Lady. Thank you for taking care of him. You are an honorable couple, a quality that is lost in most of this castle.
Tatiana nodded: I can have it done immediately. The guards can take the bed to your rooms. He is deep in slumber. The skilled servants have done their best for him.
Marisela changed her voice to a harsh tone: Who was the leader, a page?
Esteban: I do not yet know but I doubt it was the idea of a fourteen-year-old. If it was a nobleman, I am going to hang him. But it is my fault. The security of this castle is my responsibility. These children did my job because I was playing politics like the rats in this castle.
Danilo, with a sad smile: Rats like you and I Lady Marisela.
Esteban: There is something else to talk about.
Danilo spoke without emotion: They know. I have told them everything I know. Lying serves no purpose now.
Marisela remained silent for a few seconds.
The woman finally spoke: I told the duchess you would be weak. But the cooperation of the man who controls the royal messages was necessary. Are you going to hang me?
Esteban: Not now. There are more important things to address besides traitors. When Olivia is on the throne, you can ask her for mercy.
Danilo: Marisela, do you know who killed the king?
Marisela: Lieselota killed the king. The hand that carried it out, that I do not know.
Tatiana tried to speak softly: Why did you help her?
Marisela in a low sad voice: She found out about my love for Heinrich. She used it against me. With Wulfhem on the throne, we could marry and our children would continue the lineage of our houses. We knew that the king would never approve of him and I being the nobles of Colinas Gemelas. His family will always be called traitors tby hose who benifited from the cruelty of Aloisio.
Esteban: Does the count know about the plan?
Marisela: I do not think so. Heinrich knows a lot, but, like Danilo and me, he does not know everything.
Esteban: How long were you part of the plot to kill him?
Marisela: A little over a month.
Danilo: It was the same for me.
Tatiana: Do you think she planned this for just one month?
Marisela: No, she has been planning how to destroy the king for years. She has improved her ships and the defenses of her cities. For men, revenge is swift, carried out with a sword or an axe. For women, it is a matter of time and opportunity. She waited until she had the necessary pieces to kill the king and seize the throne for her son.
Esteban: Can we count on your genuine support at the meeting?
Marisela: Yes. I am intelligent enough to recognize when I have lost. If you talk to Heinrich about this, I cannot predict how he will react.
Esteban with concern: Yes, we are thinking about that.
Danilo: Is it possible to use this to control his support?
Marisela: If you confront him, he might feel his nephew is threatened. Then he would do whatever it takes to protect him.
Esteban: Do you think he will support Valero?
Marisela: He is a soldier. Think about who has more knights, more soldiers, more weapons. If you try to control him with this secret, it is possible. Valero is stronger and does not know that Heinrich is a traitor.
Danilo: And if we tell Valero that after Heinrich declares his support, it seems like a trick.
Tatiana spoke with more calm than she felt: If we tell the whole truth at the royal court meeting, the war will begin in that room.
Marisela: Yes. It was impressive that Danilo convinced two honest people to lie about the death of the king. If he were braver, the plan could have succeeded.
Tatiana: We believe we can turn this plan into an aid for our alliance. If we can get the support of Heinrich, he can change the fleet orders to support us.
Marisela: I doubt he will do anything against his sister of the law, but it is possible if he is protecting his nephew and the people of Puerto Blanco.
The lady of Colinas Gemelas left with her faithful page and a strange sense of relief.