The Kingdom of Tokavsk, Session 20: The Testimony of Solamina Kolpakina, Maid

I was completing my early rounds yesterday morning as was customary.  There is much preparation to be done before the members of the court awaken.  I was tasked with disposing the waste.  I went outside and thought I saw somebody, so I went to investigate.  I know it was improper of me, but curiosity has always gotten the best of me.  I suppose I should have known it would bring me to trouble eventimes.  So I had already disposed of the trash as I had to, and I went around the corner where I had thought I had seen the figure and saw nothing.  I thought it was just my eyes playing tricks on me when I walked a little ways down the alley and saw something for real this time.  There was something unusually dark on the ground, and I figured it was not water because of the cold.  Or perhaps it was freshly spilled, I don’t know.  Whatever my reasoning was, I went to look and saw…him.  You know.  And I screamed.  What else was I to do?  He was lying there and…I never thought I would find…I had no idea what to do.  I ran back screaming for help, and that’s when one of the guards rushed up to me.  But I was too terrified to form words.  You don’t believe me, do you?  You think I was….  I would never.  Never.  And now multiple servants were swarming me and I had to get them to follow so they could see.  But when I got there another guard had already found him.  And they didn’t believe me until I was searched and Solkha—you know Solkha, he was in charge—told them I had been with him.  And I had been asleep before then and could not have left.  Somehow they didn’t fully believe me.  And here I am, still not believed, and now people think I’m a killer.  Like I would ever have any reason.  I have a job and lodgings.  Why would I risk all that?  He is an advisor.  I don’t know of the advisors.  I mean, I know of some of them, but my work is not about them.  I am low level, you see.  Only been here five years.  Low level and needing to keep my job.  So no, I did not notice anything before that, have no idea how others thought of him, anything.  I am a maid, after all.  Well.  I know you won’t believe me, but that is all I have to say.