The Spy of the Lady
In Realm of the Crown they say the walls have ears — and this time the saying has proven true. The Chancellery has caught only the end of the thread; the whole skein is still in someone's hands. Before you, one by one, will stand Teofil the Chronicler, Anica the Miller, Balasa the Seamstress, Iustin the Mariner and Lady Ruxandra. On the inquiry's table, like pieces in a game, lie the locked chest, the ruby dagger, the silver-clad icon, the customs scales and the vial of belladonna. Few files have tested so many investigators; untangle the threads, catch the lie, and pronounce your verdict.
Suspects
He writes the kingdom's history as he is ordered. The unwelcome drafts, however, he keeps every one.
1.69 m
left-handed
brown eyes
greying hair
Her mill grinds grain by day and rumours by night. The flour comes out white; the rumours, always black.
1.63 m
right-handed
brown eyes
blond hair
She sews the garments of all the nobility and knows everyone's measurements - including those that do not show.
1.59 m
left-handed
blue eyes
red hair
He brings goods from ports with unpronounceable names. Half the cargo never appears in the customs records.
1.78 m
left-handed
blue eyes
black hair
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
Locations
the old dungeon
Cells abandoned since the new dungeon was built. "Abandoned" is one way of putting it.
the old chapel
Candles, incense, and a silence in which every footstep echoes like a confession.
the scriptorium
Slanted desks, ink, and working silence. Here a quill creaks louder than a conscience.
the throne room
Gold, purple, and the most closely watched place in the kingdom. In theory.
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 locked chest
Three padlocks, two rows of straps. Fresh scratches around the hinges, not the locks.
the ruby dagger
A short blade, its hilt set with a stone red as a frozen drop. It was sharpened recently.
the silver-clad icon
The silver casing is old craftsmanship; the nails that hold it were driven this week.
the customs scales
Copper pans, sealed weights. One of the weights rings hollow.
the vial of belladonna
A small flask, a wax stopper, a label written with care. Three-quarters empty.
Motives
fear of exposure
Groaza de a fi dat în vileag, care împinge la orice.
blackmail
Un secret ținut ca funia la gât, strâns exact cât trebuie.
jealousy
Otrava care mistuie pe cel ce râvnește ce nu-i al lui.
a debt of honour
O făgăduială care cântărește mai greu decât viața.
greed
Dorința nesățioasă de avere, care nu se oprește la nimic.
Moments
at dawn
When the citadel is barely waking and the guards still doze.
after matins
The hour after the morning service, when the abbey empties.
at noon
Midday, with bustle in the markets and silence in the alcoves.
at dusk
When the shadows lengthen and the lanterns are not yet lit.
at vespers
At the evening service, when the bells drown out any footstep.
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 chancellor deduced it coldly: if Lady Ruxandra was at the scriptorium, then Balasa the Seamstress was there at vespers.
- A maid whispered it at confession: the silver-clad icon and greed go together.
- In the Chancellery's ledger it stands in black and white: the suspect with greying hair was driven by a debt of honour.
- At the Chancellery, Lady Ruxandra maintains: "I was there at dusk".
- The Chancellery checked twice: Anica the Miller never set foot in the place where all is gold and purple.
- The gate guard swears: the queen's garden and fear of exposure go together.
- The tracks in the dust do not lie: the old chapel and the vial of belladonna go together.
- In the Chancellery's ledger it stands in black and white: the queen's garden and the locked chest go together.
- An honest-faced witness saw it plainly: the old chapel matches that hour: at vespers.
- A maid whispered it at confession: Anica the Miller was driven by blackmail.
- At the Chancellery, Teofil the Chronicler maintains: "I was there at dawn".
- Before the investigator, Iustin the Mariner firmly repeats: "I was driven by jealousy".
- The tracks in the dust do not lie: the ruby dagger matches that hour: after matins.
- An honest-faced witness saw it plainly: Lady Ruxandra was in the place where a quill creaks louder than a conscience.