ADEBIMPE (Episode 9)

Prince Adewale (POV)

The palace had gone quiet but not the peaceful kind.

It was the silence of suspicion, the kind that crept into corners and listened. By dawn, I had already made my decision. The seal incident would not be buried like other palace matters. Too many things did not sit right in my spirit.

My seal did not fall carelessly.

And Adebimpe did not lie easily.

I summoned Iya Morounkeji first.

She stood before me with her usual calm, but her eyes were sharp.

“You believe the girl?” I asked.

“I believe in patterns, my prince,” she replied. “And this palace repeats itself. Innocence is often accused before guilt grows bold enough to show its face.”

I nodded. “Then we will watch.”

That morning, I ordered something unusual: all maids assigned to my corridor were to continue their duties as normal. No punishments. No announcements. No fear.

Just observation.

Because liars relax when they think they have won.

Adebimpe (POV)

They released me back to my duties by midday.

No apology.

No explanation.

Just whispers.

Some maids looked disappointed that I still breathed palace air. Others looked nervous especially those who had once smiled too quickly at me.

Sade avoided my eyes.

That alone told me everything.

As I swept the corridor, my body moved automatically, but my mind stayed alert. I remembered Iya Morounkeji’s words: The truth walks out of shadows.

So I watched too.

Sade’s hands trembled when guards passed. She spoke less. Laughed too loudly when she did. Fear clung to her like sweat.

That evening, she approached me again.

“I heard you were lucky,” she said softly. “The prince is merciful.”

Her smile was crooked this time.

“Yes,” I replied carefully. “Very merciful.”

She nodded too quickly and walked away.

That was when I knew she knew.

Prince Adewale (POV)

I called for the guards quietly.

“Watch the seal room tonight,” I told them. “Do not be seen. Report only to me.”

Then I waited.

At midnight, one of them returned.

“My prince,” he said, kneeling. “A maid entered the record room.”

My chest tightened. “Which maid?”

“Sade.”

I closed my eyes.

So it was true.

Continue reading Episode 10