BENEATH THE CROWN
(AMANDA’S TALE)
CHAPTER 20
The entire courtyard was engulfed in an eerie silence, with everyone staring at the items on the ground. It was known throughout the village that using chárms was a grave taboo.
Elder Chibuzor looked at the items with tears in his eyes, and Amanda’s knees weakened at the sight of the items on the floor.
Nonso looked at Elder Chibuzor before shattering the silence. “These items were found buried at his backyard, my king, and were discovered by his own son.”
“Elder Chibuzor, so you are the one responsible for the deáth of our late king, and you have been pretending to be his friend. My question is, what was his crime for you to have done this to him?” Elder Ejike asked.
Elder Chibuzor didn’t respond but was mumbling some words under his breath, with tears rolling down his eyes.
Mama Amanda ran into the courtyard immediately, kneeling beside her husband with tears staining her cheek. “My king, please have mercy and seek true justice; my husband is being accused falsely. I have known my husband for many years, and I know very well he doesn’t have the heart to kîll anyone or commit this great evil. He is a man who loves and respects tradition with all his heart. My king, please look into this matter properly.”
Elder Ejike got enraged by her words and lashed out. “Woman, will you keep quiet? What do you know about your husband? If truly he is a man who loves and respects tradition, he would have been able to train your daughter properly. I have every reason to believe that he is the one responsible for the deáth of the king.”
Ulomna (Mama Amanda) could only cry with no words to reply to Elder Ejike, but she was certain that it was a setup.
King Ikenna finally broke his silence. ”Elder Chibuzor! You have always been a great friend of my father and also like a father to me. Why did you do this? Why did you do this to my father? Is this the reason you suggested my studies abroad to my father just for you to kîll him?”
“I…”
“Answer me,” King Ikenna snapped.
Elder Chibuzor looked at the king and answered with a croaked voice. ”My king, I don’t have hands in the king’s deáth. I am being accused of something I don’t know. I am the one who feeds the king, but all I do is collect the food from the maid, feed it to the king, make him take his drugs, and allow him to rest. That is all I do.”
“Then why are these items found in your backyard?” King Ikenna asked.
Elder Chibuzor sighed. “My king, I don’t know how these things got to my backyard. I didn’t kill the king; I don’t understand what is going on.”
“Papa! You are lying. Those items belong to you; I saw you when you buried them at the backyard,” Lotanna retorted as he made his way through the courtyard, stopping in front of the king.
“Lotanna, what is wrong with you? How can you say such a thing about your father?” Ulonma snapped while looking at her son.
Lotanna looked at his mother angrily. “Mama! I know what I am talking about; your husband is responsible for the king’s deáth.”
Amanda still couldn’t believe what her brother was saying. She walked forward, ignoring the pleas from Mama and Chukwuma, stopping right in front of Lotanna.
“Lotanna, what are you saying? We both know how Papa worshipped the late king, especially after the late king saved Papa’s life on two different occasions. You know that was the reason Papa resolved to take care of the king on his sick bed. Why will you tell such a huge lie against Papa?”
Lotanna rolled his eyes at Amanda before revealing an evil grin on his lips. ”Look at who is talking, you shaméless whore. Who gave you the right to speak here? Like father, like daughter. Shámeless things.”
*Clap! Clap!*
Amanda could no longer hold back her anger, landing two tight slaps on her brother’s cheeks.
King Ikenna groaned in frustration, rubbing his temples to relieve his splitting headache. “ENOUGH! Since the evidence is already there, I will pass my judgment.”
Amanda immediately went on her knees, clasping her hands together. “My king, I plead for mercy for my father; do not make haste in your decision and give an unfair judgment. I request that this case be investigated properly before the final judgment.”
Elder Amadi slammed his staff onto the ground, having had enough of the drama. “What gives you the right to ask for mercy from the king after all your family has done? You all deserve to be banished from this village.”
King Ikenna’s eyes reddened as he stared at Amanda. “I don’t know what I have done to deserve what I got from your family. All I got from your family is humiliation, disgrace, and now being responsible for my father’s deáth; have you no shame to ask for my mercy.”
His words broke Amanda’s heart. She looked at herself, finally realizing that she had fallen in love with the king. But now, his words carried a hidden word: háte. Just when she had finally fallen in love with him, this had to happen.
She crawled to King Ikenna and held onto his leg. ”Please, all I ask for is mercy and time to seek the truth.”
King Ikenna ignored her pleas and pushed her off his legs, letting her fall to the ground. He turned, looking at Elder Chibuzo and Ulonma in disgust.
“With the evidence at hand, Elder Chibuzo will be imprisoned until further notice, Ulonma will henceforth cease to be the women’s leader, and the whole villagers will cease communication with this family. This is my judgment.”
Upon hearing the words of the king, Amanda stood up, laughing maniacally, and walked towards her brother.
*Clap! Clap! Clap! Clap! Clap!*
Amanda landed five consecutive slaps on Lotanna’s cheeks, still laughing and tears rolling down her eyes. She walked closer to him and said. “You will suffer and be mîserable for what you have done; you will be so miserable until you confess and seek mercy from whom you have wronged.”
Amanda glared at her brother before walking off, stopping in front of Ogechi. ”The same applies to you, but this time you will run mád immediately after you confess.”
Ogechi burst into serious laughter along with the maids and the youth present. Amanda simply ignored them and walked back to help her mum up.
“And I wish to announce this. I will be getting married to Adaku in two weeks’ time. Preparations will begin in earnest.” King Ikenna said, causing an uproar in the courtyard and bringing smiles to Elder Amadi’s face.
King Ikenna smiled and continued. ”There will be a celebration for three whole days to host this great event. Now let the palace guards come and take this man away from my presence.”
The palace guards quickly dragged Elder Chibuzo up from the ground, pushing him towards the palace dungeons.
Amanda couldn’t stand the sight of her father being dragged away as she began to feel dizzy. Her vision became blurry, her breath became shallow with every passing minute, her heart clutching tightly against her chest. She clutched her chest, unable to stand the pain and pressure, as her weak legs gave way, welcoming her into a world of darkness.
Please chapter 21🙏
Loving this story
Chapter 21 please