The Scheming of the Feast
A bold theft has shaken the calm of the court, and calm will not return until the truth comes out. The loss is not only in gold: it is in the trust that shattered along with the lock. The testimonies keep returning to the same names: Safta the Herbwife, Countess Velica de Arin, Princess Smaranda, Petru the Herald and Manole the Jeweller. The places named in the testimonies — the customs cellar, the tourney field, the throne room, the mill by the river and the queen's garden — each await their turn under scrutiny. A sharp eye is not enough here — it takes an archivist's patience: fit everything together, then pronounce your verdict.
Suspects
She gathers herbs at hours when honest folk sleep. The herbs, she says, speak then.
1.58 m
right-handed
green eyes
greying hair
She collects fans, debts of honour, and bedchamber secrets. She wields all three as weapons.
1.70 m
left-handed
green eyes
red hair
She has refused seven suitors and kept the gifts of all. She calls it practicality, not greed.
1.66 m
right-handed
green eyes
chestnut hair
He proclaims the crown's will to every corner of the kingdom. Sometimes he proclaims it before the crown itself knows.
1.82 m
right-handed
blue eyes
blond hair
He tells gold from gilt at a glance. With people, he admits, it takes him two.
1.69 m
right-handed
brown eyes
brown hair
Locations
the customs cellar
Sealed crates, thick ledgers, and air that smells of undeclared goods.
the tourney field
Empty stands outside festival days. An excellent place for meetings that never happened.
the throne room
Gold, purple, and the most closely watched place in the kingdom. In theory.
the mill by the river
The wheel turns day and night. Its noise drowns out any conversation - which is why some are held here.
the queen's garden
Roses trimmed to a line and paths you may walk only by invitation. At night, the hedge has ears.
Objects
the bronze key
Heavy, old, its teeth worn smooth. No one knows what door it opens anymore - or so they say.
the rusted sword
An old weapon, forgotten on the rack. The rust on the blade is newer than it looks.
the customs scales
Copper pans, sealed weights. One of the weights rings hollow.
the locked chest
Three padlocks, two rows of straps. Fresh scratches around the hinges, not the locks.
the vial of belladonna
A small flask, a wax stopper, a label written with care. Three-quarters empty.
Motives
a debt of honour
O făgăduială care cântărește mai greu decât viața.
blackmail
Un secret ținut ca funia la gât, strâns exact cât trebuie.
the inheritance
O avere așteptată, pe care numai o moarte o desparte de mână.
revenge
O datorie de sânge pe care numai fapta o mai șterge.
jealousy
Otrava care mistuie pe cel ce râvnește ce nu-i al lui.
Open the Grid (below) to solve the case, with the testimonies at hand.
Touch a cell: blank → ✗ (excluded) → ✓ (certain) → blank. Each pair of categories meets exactly once.
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Verdict
The culprit always lies; everyone else tells the truth.
- In the Chancellery's ledger it stands in black and white: the queen's garden and the inheritance go together.
- The Chancellery checked twice: Countess Velica de Arin never touched the rusted sword.
- At the Chancellery, Manole the Jeweller maintains: "I was at the tourney field".
- Even the jester says it in earnest: the customs cellar and blackmail do not go together.
- In the Chancellery's ledger it stands in black and white: the mill by the river and revenge go together.
- The tracks in the dust do not lie: the suspect with brown eyes handled the customs scales.
- Every scout reports the same about the culprit: the culprit handled the bronze key.
- The gate guard swears: the locked chest and blackmail go together.
- The healer says it with a raised finger: if the suspect with greying hair handled the vial of belladonna, then the suspect with chestnut hair handled the locked chest.
- The tracks in the dust do not lie: the left-handed suspect was driven by jealousy.
- At the Chancellery, Safta the Herbwife maintains: "I was driven by the inheritance".
- An honest-faced witness saw it plainly: the queen's garden and the vial of belladonna go together.