THE PALACE LIE 3 - by Ibrahim Haruna Madison

Episode 3 The Palace Lie The big court room inside the palace was completely silent. Everyone was waiting for the Queen to speak. The tension in the air was so strong that it felt like a heavy blanket. The Queen sat on her royal throne, looking very wise and very serious. She did not take her eyes off the two girls standing before her. She had a very important question to ask, and she knew that the answer would reveal the whole truth about the missing diamond ring. The Queen looked at the tall palace guard who was standing by the large wooden doors. She knew he had been patrolling the palace grounds all day long. He was a brave man who always watched over the kingdom. The Queen spoke to the guard in a loud, clear voice, Tell me, did you see anything near the forest wall today? The guard took a deep breath. He stepped forward toward the center of the room. His metal armor made a loud clinking sound as he walked. He looked very strong and very honest. The whole room watched him. Even the little children in the back of the room stopped talking. Everyone wanted to hear what he had to say. The guard stopped walking when he was right in front of the throne. He looked directly at Chika. Chika was standing there with the ring in her hand, but she did not look proud anymore. When the guard looked at her, she began to tremble like a leaf in the wind. Her knees started to shake, and her hands were no longer steady. She looked very scared. She knew that the guard was a witness to her secret.I did, Your Majesty, the guard said. His voice was firm and sounded like a drum. I was standing by the forest wall near the old oak tree earlier this afternoon. I saw Chika hiding behind the big stone wall. I saw her wait quietly for Adora to come down from the tree. I saw her push Adora into the deep mud, and I saw her snatch the ring from Adora's pocket. As the guard finished speaking, the room erupted into whispers. Everyone was shocked. They had all thought that Chika was the hero who found the ring. Now, they realized she had done a very bad thing. Chika’s face went from white to red. She felt very hot, and she looked like she wanted to disappear into the ground. She opened her mouth to say something, but no words came out. She tried to think of another lie, but she was too frightened. Her heart was beating so fast that she felt like she might faint. She looked at the Queen, and then she looked at the guard, but she could not find a way to escape the truth. The Queen stood up from her throne. She walked down the steps toward the two girls. She reached out and took Adora’s hands in hers. She looked at them very closely. She felt the rough, sharp scratches from the tree bark on Adora's palms. She saw the dried mud and the small bits of dirt under Adora's fingernails. It was plain to see that Adora had worked very hard to climb that tall, rough tree. Adora’s hands showed that she had been through a lot of pain and hard work to recover the precious ring. Then, the Queen turned and looked at Chika’s hands. Chika’s hands were very soft. They were clean, white, and perfect. There was not a single scratch, not a single thorn mark, and not a single bit of dirt on them. They looked like the hands of a girl who had spent the whole day playing inside the palace, not climbing a giant oak tree in the middle of the forest. The Queen turned back to face the crowd, and her voice was very firm. The ring was in a bird's nest high up in the old oak tree, the Queen said sternly. She looked at Chika with eyes that saw everything. To get that ring, you must have climbed the tall tree. You would have had to grab onto the rough branches and pull your body up very high. The Queen pointed at Chika’s dress. Chika, your clothes are clean, and your shoes are brand new. They are perfectly white and bright. How did you climb the tree without getting a single spot of dirt on you? Chika realized her lie had been caught. She realized that she could no longer pretend. The truth was out, and everyone in the kingdom knew that she was a greedy girl who liked to tell lies. She felt very ashamed. Her hands began to shake even more than before. She looked at the ring in her hand. The diamond did not look beautiful to her anymore. It just looked like a piece of metal that was getting her into a lot of trouble. Without saying a single word, Chika opened her fingers. She dropped the ring on the cold marble floor. The sound of the diamond hitting the stone floor echoed through the large palace like a loud thunderclap. It was a very sharp, ringing sound that made everyone jump. The ring rolled across the floor and stopped right at the Queen’s feet. The room was silent again. The truth had finally come out. Adora stood there, looking brave and honest, while Chika stood there with her head hanging low. The secret of the palace lie was no longer a secret. Everything that Chika had done to steal the glory from Adora was now known to the whole kingdom. The Queen looked down at the ring on the floor, and then she looked at Adora. She saw the girl’s courage and her kind heart. She knew that Adora deserved much more than just a reward. She deserved to be honored for her honesty and her hard work. The Queen looked back at Chika and saw how small she had become. The girl had tried to take what was not hers, and she had tried to ruin the reputation of another person. The Queen knew that she would have to decide what to do next. The story was reaching a very important moment, and the people of the village were waiting to hear the Queen's final judgment. Adora felt a sense of peace wash over her. She knew that the truth was the best thing to have. Even though her knees were sore and her clothes were ruined, her heart felt light. She did not care about the reward as much as she cared about being known for the truth. The Queen smiled at her, and it was a very warm, kind smile. It was the smile of a mother who was proud of her child. The palace guards moved closer to Chika, but they did not touch her yet. The Queen had not given the order. The air was still thick with the feeling of what was to come. Everyone knew that Chika had made a very big mistake. A lie is like a stone that you throw into a pond; it makes ripples that spread out further than you think. Chika’s lie had caused a lot of trouble for the Queen and for Adora. The King, who had been watching from the side, walked over to stand beside his wife. He looked at the ring, and then he looked at the girls. He had a look of disappointment on his face as he looked at Chika. He was a fair man, and he did not like to see people being dishonest. He knew that the kingdom was built on truth and kindness, and Chika had broken that promise. The mystery was finally over, but a new chapter was about to begin. The Queen took a step toward the center of the room. She was going to speak to the village people. She was going to make sure that everyone understood why truth was so important. Adora watched the Queen, feeling grateful that she was finally understood. She had been through a long day, but she knew that the truth had kept her safe. The palace was no longer a place of confusion. It was now a place where justice would be served. The Queen raised her hand, and the room went quiet once more. Do you think the Queen will forgive Chika, or will she give her a big punishment? How do you think the villagers will treat Adora now that they know the truth? If you were the Queen, what would you say to Chika after she dropped the ring? Do you think Adora will be given a special job in the palace because she was so brave? We love to read all of your ideas. Your comments make our stories more fun for everyone. Please type your thoughts below and tell us what you would do if you were in the Queen's shoes. Do you want to know what the Queen will do to Chika for her big lie? Do you want to see if Adora finally gets the reward she earned and how the story of the The Palace Lie comes to an end? You definitely do not want to miss the next episode of this exciting palace mystery. To be continued........FINAL EPISODE COMING SOON <a class="tc-blue" href="https://twocents.space/insights/tag/𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙙𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙠𝙥𝙖𝙮𝙨𝙤𝙛𝙛">#𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙙𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙠𝙥𝙖𝙮𝙨𝙤𝙛𝙛</a> <a class="tc-blue" href="https://twocents.space/insights/tag/suspense">#Suspense</a> <a class="tc-blue" href="https://twocents.space/insights/tag/touchingstories">#TouchingStories</a> @metaexplorer <a class="tc-blue" href="https://twocents.space/insights/tag/trendingnow">#trendingnow</a>

Other insights from Ibrahim Haruna Madison

Referral Earning

Points-to-Coupons