Chapter 741 (+25 Bonus)
Florence, an elderly woman, was confined to a small, relatively clean cell, separated from the other Harmony Palace servants. Since her arrival at the Supreme Court, she had neither eaten nor drunk, nor spoken a word. Matthew had personally questioned her and urged her to eat, but she remained in her cell, seemingly resigned to death.
Rafael knew Florence wouldn't speak ill of Eleanor. She had raised the Grand Princess, and their bond far surpassed that of a servant and mistress. While others came and went from Eleanor's service, Florence's loyalty remained steadfast. Consequently, she was privy to Eleanor's secrets, many of them sordid.
"Matthew interrogated Kurt today," Rafael revealed. "We learned that Aunt Eleanor initially ordered your uncle's face to be disfigured and his entire family killed. Florence intervened, preventing Kurt from carrying out the order. Otherwise, your uncle and his family would be dead."
"Grand Princess Eleanor is deranged! She'll do anything to force anyone resembling my mother to become Henry's concubine and bear his children. And anyone resembling my father? She wants their faces ruined and their families murdered! Is she insane?" Carissa exclaimed angrily.
"Only Florence knows how many people Aunt Eleanor has harmed," Rafael continued. "This isn't just treason; it involves blood debts. His Majesty may disregard the latter, but the living and the dead deserve justice."
Carissa nodded in agreement. Treason was heinous, but each life Eleanor destroyed was unique and irreplaceable.
"I need to talk to her."
"I'll have someone bring her to an interrogation room."
"Don't bring any torture devices."
Rafael chuckled. "Our interrogation rooms lack torture devices. There's a separate room for that. We either take the prisoner there or bring the tools. We haven't used torture in our interrogations. Come, I'll take you."
The Supreme Court, a sprawling building, was grand and imposing. The prison cells were located in the rear left section, requiring several detours to reach. The rear area had few trees—a scattering of short, mostly bare ones, their leaves having fallen. The interrogation rooms were in the rear right, a row of seven or eight small huts. Rafael opened one and instructed someone to bring Florence.
The small interrogation room was partitioned by a screen. Observers could sit behind it and hear everything, even the faintest sigh. The area was well-lit, allowing those behind the screen to see the subject's expressions and movements. However, without a light behind the screen, the subject could not see the observers.
Carissa sat with her back to the screen, examining the room. Besides two tables and three chairs, there were no torture devices. A desk stood before her, lit by two lamps (one on each side) with a third lamp positioned for a clerk, who would instead record Florence's testimony from behind the screen with Rafael. This setup would create the illusion that Florence was alone with Carissa.
When Florence arrived, weak from lack of food and water, two men supported her. Carissa noted her sunken cheeks, chapped lips, lifeless eyes, and air of desolation. Florence could barely sit upright, but upon recognizing Carissa, she placed trembling hands on the table and struggled to straighten herself.