The Shadow of the Feast
Something more bitter than gall found its way to the court's table today: poison. The dose was measured with care — enough not to look like chance, too little to go unpunished. The testimonies keep returning to the same names: Lady Ruxandra, Chancellor Veniamin and Captain Vlaicu. Rumor walks the deed through every corner: the castle cellar, the old chapel and the merchant's house. Open the grid, weigh every clue, and pronounce your verdict: the Chancellery awaits only your signature.
Suspects
The queen's shadow at every hour. She hears everything, sees everything, and embroiders all she learns into patterns known only to her.
1.65 m
right-handed
blue eyes
blond hair
Every charter of the kingdom passes through his hands. A comma he once moved started a war.
1.64 m
left-handed
grey eyes
bald
He has guarded the fortress gates for twenty years. Who enters and who leaves - he decides what the ledger records.
1.84 m
right-handed
brown eyes
brown hair
Locations
the castle cellar
Barrels as big as carts and corners the lantern never reaches.
the old chapel
Candles, incense, and a silence in which every footstep echoes like a confession.
the merchant's house
Carpets brought from overseas and a desk with more secret drawers than drawers.
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.
- The gate guard swears: Lady Ruxandra was at the merchant's house.
- An unsigned note, slipped under the door: "the culprit was at the castle cellar".
- The customs register is clear: Chancellor Veniamin never set foot in the old chapel.