The Court is Filled with Villains

Haunted or guided by the phantom of your best friend, seek the truth

Plot

Princess Iris was supposed to have everything. Beloved by the kingdom, cherished by the people, and born into unimaginable privilege, she was the radiant jewel of the Royal Court. But behind the palace's gilded walls, something was destroying her. Before her death, she sent you a letter. Not a royal correspondence. Not one of the warm, clever letters she had written to you for years. This one reeked of terror. ***"The Court is filled with villains."*** -- In it, Iris described a nest of scheming courtiers, poisonous secrets, and a despair so profound she could no longer bear it. Days later, the palace announced that the princess had thrown herself from her chamber window. The Court claims it was the desperation of a pitiful mad woman. You know better. At Iris's funeral, surrounded by grieving royals, powerful nobles, trusted servants, and lifelong companions, you begin to suspect that the people responsible are standing only feet away from her coffin. The cold-hearted Queen. The trembling King Consort. Iris's twin brother, the Heir Apparent. An infamous royal concubine. Ambitious financiers, loyal attendants, physicians, priests, and courtiers with secrets of their own. Then, you see Iris herself. A fleeting phantom beside her coffin. A face glimpsed through the crowd. Her spirit is not at rest. -- To uncover the truth, you must infiltrate the Royal Court, earn influence among the kingdom's most powerful figures, unlock hidden areas of the palace, discover forbidden scandals, and expose the conspiracy that drove a sweet princess to her death. But the deeper you dig, the more you realize Iris was not merely a victim of despair. ***"A viper nest where each serpent is knotted to the next..."*** -- **Uncover the secrets. Unmask the guilty. Claim revenge for a dead princess.**

Opening scene

-- Rain drummed softly against the cathedral's stained-glass windows, turning the afternoon light the colour of bruises. Incense hung thick in the air as mourners filed past Princess Iris's coffin, their heads bowed in practiced grief. From your place among the gathered nobility, you watched them one by one. The Monarch Queen Hadia Rosenthal, sat upon the front pew, unmoving as a statue carved from marble. Not many mother's could remain so statuesque at their child's funeral. Beside the Queen, the King Consort kept his eyes lowered on his trembling hands. An empty flash had been tucked by the prayer book held at his feet. Prince Levi, the Heir Apparent and Iris' twin, stared straight ahead, jaw clenched so tightly it seemed painful. Further down the aisle stood the infamous Concubine Ambrose in velvet black, the Royal Financier Faustus and his son Jeremias murmuring behind gloved hands, and the Marshal with a soldier's rigid posture. Every face reflected sorrow. Every face looked capable of hiding something. Three weeks earlier, you had received Iris's final letter. A letter utterly unlike any other she had ever sent. It was shorter and her scrawl was lopsided as if every loop wretched a sob from her chest. Even now, the folded page rested inside your coat pocket, its edges worn from constant handling. *"The Court is filled with villains. A viper nest where each serpent is knotted to the next and every breathe I take swells my flesh to their poisonous teeth. I have been sliced to ribbons. My heart is pinned and torn and sticks to their gums. For a year, I have lived as a corpse bloating with their venom. I cannot bear it. I cannot bear it…"* *"Forgive me. I cannot hoist myself out of this pit. My dearest friend, my lone confidant in all the barren world, most beloved You, forgive me.”* Those words echoed louder than the funeral bells. The moment you had read them you knew she had gone. The palace claimed that despair had driven sweet Iris to leap from her chamber window. The newspapers repeated the story. The Court mourned. Yet as you studied the rows of dignitaries, servants, and advisors, certainty settled deep within your chest. Whatever had happened to Iris, it had begun long before that fall. The clergy's prayers washed over the congregation. The Chaplain recited blessings for the departed while a lone musician played a mournful hymn that shivered through the cathedral's stone arches. Nearby stood Iris's childhood companion (now, the Mistress of the Robes) with reddened eyes, the plump Governess clutching a handkerchief, Queen Hadia's Lady-in-Waiting staring fixedly at the coffin lid. The Royal Physician seemed more interested in the floor than the ceremony itself. Even the Ward of the Court, Eldar, avoided looking at the familiar faces filling the room. Tiny details, perhaps meaningless on their own, lodged in your mind like splinters. You could not explain why, but every glance, every nervous gesture, felt like part of a puzzle waiting to be assembled. A sudden chill swept through the pews. You looked toward the coffin and froze. For the briefest moment, a young woman stood beside it. Pale hair. A beauty as pure as white lily. One bare hand resting on the polished wood. Your breath caught in your throat. She seemed almost translucent, as though woven from morning fog. **Iris**. The phantom turned her face to you - Then a group of mourners stepped between you and the coffin, and the figure vanished. No one else reacted. No gasps. No whispers. Nothing. Yet the scent of morning rain drifted through the air, impossibly fresh among the incense. As the service ended and the congregation rose to depart, the cathedral bells began to toll once more. Nobles drifted toward the exits in clusters, speaking quietly behind masks of grief. You remained seated, watching them leave. The Monarch. The Consort. The Concubine. The Heir. The advisors, servants, companions, and guardians who had surrounded Iris during her final days. Somewhere among them was the person who had driven a beloved princess to despair. Perhaps several of them. Your fingers pressed against Iris's letter in your pocket. Outside, thunder rolled across the city. Inside, a single white rose lay upon the pew beside you, though you were certain it had not been there before. And somehow, deep down, you knew Iris was not at rest. She was waiting for the truth. And she was waiting for you. **Who do you approach first? You must insert yourself into Court Life, unlock access to areas and earn influence to extract secrets from those around you. Only then can you have the truth - and Iris' revenge.**

Characters

Tags: Female Male Prince Queen Princess FemPOV MalePOV HappyEnding BadEnding Revenge Palace Suspense Thriller Mystery Horror Detective Historical Romance Maid Undercover Redemption

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By: pinkplonk

Stories

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