One afternoon, Queen Amarpati stood inside a small chamber at the back of the palace.
Before her stood a wooden table covered with containers of dried leaves, plant roots, and small dark-colored bottles.
The scent of herbs filled the room.
A servant named Ayu stood several steps away, her head bowed.
Queen Amarpati picked up a chalice containing an herbal mixture and stirred it slowly with a silver spoon.
The liquid inside looked perfectly ordinary.
There was nothing suspicious about its color. Even its scent resembled the health tonics frequently served to members of the royal family.
Yet beneath its harmless appearance lay something capable of taking a life.
"Ayu."
The servant immediately raised her head.
"Yes, Your Majesty?"
"Take this drink to King Tarumanagara."
Queen Amarpati handed her the chalice.
"I have prepared it especially for my beloved brother. Tell him this tonic will help maintain his stamina and health."
Ayu accepted the chalice with both hands.
"Yes, Your Majesty. I shall deliver it immediately."
"Good. Do not spill a single drop."
Queen Amarpati's gaze sharpened.
"And make certain my brother drinks every last drop."
Ayu bowed obediently, unaware that she had just become part of a murder plot.
She promptly left the chamber and made her way toward the king's quarters.
However, her steps came to a halt when a man in a white robe emerged from behind a pillar in the corridor.
Ki Jaka.
The elderly bodyguard glanced at the chalice in Ayu's hands before shifting his gaze to her face.
"Stop for a moment."
Ayu immediately lowered her head.
"Is something wrong, Master Ki Jaka?"
"What are you carrying?"
"An herbal tonic for King Tarumanagara. Queen Amarpati prepared it especially to maintain His Majesty's health."
Ki Jaka frowned.
"Queen Amarpati prepared it herself?"
"Yes, Master."
For several moments, Ki Jaka said nothing.
He reached out and took the chalice from Ayu's hands.
Then he brought it close to his nose.
He could faintly smell leaves and spices. However, beneath those familiar scents, he detected something unusual.
Something that should never have been present in a health tonic.
His expression immediately turned cold.
He had spent most of his life serving the royal family. His knowledge of medicinal plants and poisons far surpassed that of most palace servants.
And his instincts told him something was terribly wrong.
Without wasting another moment, Ki Jaka stepped away from the king's chamber.
Then, before Ayu's astonished eyes, he poured the entire contents of the chalice onto the ground at the corner of the corridor.
"Master! What are you doing?"
"Silence."
Ki Jaka's voice was low but firm enough to make Ayu fall quiet.
He handed her the empty chalice.
"Now, go and see Queen Amarpati."
Ayu looked confused.
"What about the tonic, Master?"
"Tell her that King Tarumanagara has drunk it."
Ayu's face grew even paler.
"But, Master, would that not mean I must lie to the queen?"
Ki Jaka stared directly into her eyes.
"If you wish to remain alive, do as I say."
Ayu dared not argue.
She immediately left the corridor, carrying the empty chalice that had nearly become the instrument of murder.
Meanwhile, Ki Jaka remained where he stood.
His eyes were fixed on the ground where the tonic had spilled.
He knew one thing for certain.
If his suspicions were correct, someone inside the palace had attempted to murder the king.
And that person might very well belong to the royal family itself.
────────
Two days passed.
Throughout that time, Queen Amarpati waited for news of her brother's death.
She had imagined King Tarumanagara falling ill after drinking the tonic. In her mind, his death was merely a matter of time.
However, the news she received was the complete opposite of what she had expected.
King Tarumanagara continued performing his duties as usual.
He attended meetings with government officials, reviewed administrative reports, and issued orders to his military commanders. There were no signs that he had suffered from poisoning.
In fact, reports about his health suggested that he was doing even better.
Queen Amarpati began to grow restless.
She paced back and forth inside her chamber, occasionally clenching her fists until her knuckles turned white.
"Impossible…"
She stopped in front of a table.
"He should already be dead!"
A servant standing near the door immediately lowered her head in terror at the sound of the queen's voice.
Queen Amarpati turned sharply.
"Get out!"
The servant hurriedly left the room.
The moment the door closed, Queen Amarpati swept everything off the table, sending the objects crashing to the floor.
The sound of shattered ceramic echoed throughout the chamber.
"Who ruined my plan?"
Her breathing grew ragged.
"Who?"
She began recalling every detail of her scheme. The tonic had been prepared carefully. Ayu had been ordered to deliver it personally. No one should have known what she intended to do.
Unless…
Ki Jaka.
His name suddenly surfaced in her mind.
The elderly bodyguard was always near King Tarumanagara. His loyalty to the royal family had endured since the days of their father.
But was it possible that the man in the white robe had discovered her plan?
Queen Amarpati fell silent.
Slowly, the corners of her lips curled into a faint smile that held no trace of happiness.
"Very well, Brother."
She gazed toward the window.
"If the tonic cannot kill you, then I shall end your life myself."
This time, she would allow no one to stand in her way.
Not Ki Jaka.
Not the guards.
And not the throne her brother had fought so desperately to protect.
────────
Night descended upon the Kingdom of Kandis Srinjani.
The sky was dark, devoid of moonlight. The wind swept through the trees surrounding the palace, carrying a chill that crept into the stone corridors.
Most of the kingdom's inhabitants had already fallen asleep.
Only a few guards remained on duty around the gates and the main courtyard.
On the other side of the palace, a woman dressed in dark clothing moved silently through the shadows.
Queen Amarpati.
Her long hair hung loose around her shoulders. A dagger was concealed beneath the folds of her clothing, while her eyes continuously scanned her surroundings.
She had memorized the palace's guard schedules long ago.
She knew when the guards changed shifts. She knew which corridors were rarely used and which parts of the royal complex could be crossed without attracting attention.
That night, she did not come as a princess of the royal bloodline.
She came as an assassin.
After passing through a rear corridor, Queen Amarpati arrived near King Tarumanagara's chamber.
The window was slightly open.
She paused for a moment, listening for sounds from within.
Nothing could be heard except the whisper of the night wind.
Carefully, she pushed the window open and climbed into the chamber.
The light of an almost extinguished oil lamp illuminated the room in a dim glow.
On the bed, King Tarumanagara slept peacefully.
His face appeared serene. There was not the slightest indication that danger stood only a few steps away.
Queen Amarpati tightened her grip on the dagger.
For a moment, she gazed at her brother's face.
They had grown up in the same palace. They had been raised by the same father. They had once lived beneath the same roof, before the throne transformed their blood ties into a rivalry filled with hatred.
But that night, none of those memories meant anything to her anymore.
The man before her was nothing more than an obstacle standing between her and absolute power.
"Forgive me, Brother," she whispered softly.
Her voice was so gentle that it nearly blended with the night breeze.
Yet there was no remorse in her eyes.
"I have waited too long."
Without another thought, Queen Amarpati raised the dagger in her hand.
Then, in a single swift movement, she plunged the weapon into King Tarumanagara's abdomen.
The king jolted awake.
His eyes flew open. His breath caught in his throat as an unbearable wave of pain tore through his body.
He tried to raise his hand, but his strength was already fading.
"Who…?"
His gaze moved slowly until it settled upon the woman standing beside his bed.
When the oil lamp's light illuminated the face of his attacker, King Tarumanagara froze.
"Amar…pati?"
Queen Amarpati did not answer.
She simply stared at her brother without expression, as though the dying man before her were a complete stranger rather than someone who shared her blood.
Tears gathered in the corners of King Tarumanagara's eyes.
It was not merely because of the pain consuming him, but because he had finally discovered the identity of the person who had betrayed him.
"Why… would you do this?"
Queen Amarpati gritted her teeth.
"Because that throne should have been mine!"
Her voice trembled beneath the weight of the anger she had suppressed for so long.
"All this time, everyone has praised you. They call you wise, powerful, and worthy of being king. And what about me? I am nothing more than a younger sister who is expected to accept our father's decision!"
King Tarumanagara tried to speak, but blood had already spread across his clothing.
"Amarpati… we are siblings…"
"Being siblings will never give me power!"
Queen Amarpati pulled the dagger free.
King Tarumanagara slumped onto the bed. The light in his eyes slowly faded, and his breathing grew weaker.
Moments later, his body lay motionless.
The king was dead.
His blood stained the bed where he had spent his final night.
Queen Amarpati stood frozen.
For the first time, she witnessed the consequences of her actions with her own eyes.
But the fear that briefly crept into her heart was soon replaced by a single realization.
King Tarumanagara was no longer standing in her way.
At last, the throne could be hers.
She wiped the dagger clean with a piece of cloth, then hurried out of the chamber through the same window.
The night swallowed her departure without leaving a single witness behind.
Or so she believed.