Chapter 234. Disclosure, Part V
Translator: Khan
Editor: Aelryinth
"Your Majesty, we can know even though we didn’t see everything. The Duke’s servant has been captured. It turned out he had poison, and it was from the Kiellini family. He also confessed that it was ordered by the Duke. As the Duke of Haint said, why did he do such a thing? The position of a prospective son-in-law who has deceived the people so far seemed to be at stake, so he did it to raise his prestige. Look at the princess running away. He thought something was wrong, so he harbored her." The words of the Duke of Miguel continued without knowing where to stop.
"Your Excellency Duke Miguel, I heard the tongue of the servant of Duke of Kiellini you had caught was cut and his wrists were broken, so how did you come to that conclusion?" Oswald tilted his head strangely.
Excited, Duke Miguel said something he shouldn’t have said, and looked at the Duke of Dudley in embarrassment.
The Duke of Dudley stared at him for not doing what he had entrusted to him, and said, "It was unexpected that the servant tried to cut off his own tongue. Who would have expected him to roll away and break both wrists? What the Duke of Miguel said was that the servant confessed as soon as we captured him."
"The Duke, what a pity it is! Everyone who heard the testimony is Francis’s people. How should I accept it? If so, would you like to hear the story of this side?"
Killian glanced stealthily at Julietta, checked her appearance, and opened his mouth. "On the last day of August, Princess Kiellini was kidnapped at the Imperial Banquet that closed the season. Fortunately, I secretly attached someone to escort her, so she was rescued unharmed."
When the word kidnap which had come out earlier was officially mentioned again, everyone listened with a nervous expression.
"By the way. I heard it was Francis’s servant who called out Mrs. Raban, who attended as the chaperone of Princess Kiellini that day."
At Killian’s words, the Duke of Dudley answered, without changing his face. "Someone made this up to frame His Highness Francis."
"Is that so? Even though Princess Kiellini left the Imperial Castle in a carriage belonging to Prince Francis on that day, is it still slander?"
"It’s slander! I wouldn’t do such an obvious thing unless I was crazy," Francis intervened angrily.
"That’s right. It’s slander, and the accusation about me which was accused by a servant whose tongue has been cut off is not slander... what kind of yardstick are you using? You only do it your way."
"But after all, nothing happened. Isn’t that enough? If you don’t find a suspect, shut up. Don’t try to pin it on me," Francis said.
"That’s right, Your Highness Killian. I think what happened this time is more important than that. Don’t keep talking about an irrelevant story."
Killian spoke coldly at the words of Duke Dudley. "There is a direct correlation between them. As I said before, they might have kidnapped the princess to frame the Kiellini family."
"Are you trying to calm down the fact that she ran away like this?"
Killian crept up his mouth, in protest of the Duke of Dudley. "Do you know that the princess caught the poison? If it was a poison of the Kiellini family, why would the princess fall down after taking it?"
"I’m sure she was deliberately trying to avoid suspicion because she had an antidote."
"Did she deliberately take poison to avoid suspicion? Do all of you think that is possible? There could be a side effect of her hair turning white. Do you think the reason she did it was that she felt insecure about my already solid position? Say something that makes sense."
The opinions of both sides were too tense. If they listened to this one, they would find it right, and if they listened to that one, they would find it right.
"First, check the body of the Duke of Kiellini tomorrow, make sure how the poison was distributed, and then get back together."
"Your Majesty, this is obvious. Killian must have done it, why should we postpone it until tomorrow?" What Francis had insisted in the Emperor’s office was brought up again.
"It’s because it doesn’t seem clear and obvious. The only witness is a servant whose tongue is cut and whose wrists are broken. After a thorough investigation by the imperial investigation team, I will issue an order to convene again. Now leave."
After struggling all day, the Emperor rubbed his forehead and left the hall.
"Killian, you’ll never get away with it this time. That pompous face will soon be gone, so be anxious." Francis left after growling those words, and Duke Dudley, the First Queen, and Marquise Anais followed him. Killian also left for the Asta Palace with Marquis Oswald and Julietta.
"This is not easy. I think it’s going to take longer than I thought," Oswald sighed anxiously.
"Your Highness, we have to bring in the maid who poisoned me."
Julietta reminded him of Jane, the maid. On the first day of the treatment center, the maid ran away from the mansion under the pretext of volunteering, and now knights were monitoring her hiding place.
"It has been a while, someone who had incited her to poison you should have contacted her. It’s so weird," said Oswald. It was unfortunate that she had to be a witness before she could even contact the person behind her.
"I think she ran away because she failed to kill me."
"Then it might be better to bring her in and make her confess, with a promise to protect her safety."
Killian was horribly angry at that opinion. "No way! I don’t want to protect her safety. She’s the woman who tried to kill Julietta."
At Killian’s rage, Julietta grabbed him by the arm to soothe him. "I don’t want to forgive her, either. I almost died. But since no one has access to her, we can’t get any evidence, and the most useful way now is that she tells us who abetted what she did."
"But, Your Highness, why didn’t you immediately say that the captured servant was the one who had stolen the poison recipe, the secret of the Kiellini family?" Oswald asked something he found strange.
"It would seem more believable to have the story coming from someone who has nothing to do with us than me saying it."
"There’s been a lot of talk about it today, but no one seems to remember it." Oswald was worried.
"If the investigation team is dispatched tomorrow, they will investigate the cause of the Duke’s suicide. At that time, it must be naturally revealed that the servant stole the poison recipe. If it is reported, people will remember the story of a runaway servant they heard not long ago. Only when it turns out so naturally will people suspect that this might be someone’s slander."
"How will you explain the whereabouts of the princess? No kidnapping should take place because it will last at least two days. I know you emphasized kidnapping to arouse suspicion. But she’s going to be the Empress. The kidnapping scandal will haunt her for life." Oswald shook his head as if this should not happen.
"I hate such a scandal, too. But there’s no other way to explain the whereabouts of the princess. Sadly, we have to choose the second alternative since the scandal that she was kidnapped is better than that she ran away."
Killian patted Julietta on the head as if he were sorry. Julietta accepted his touch and spoke a while later, "Please get me a house in the area where the poison did the most damage."
At her sudden words, Killian raised his eyebrows. "What are you going to do with a house all of a sudden?"
"I don’t want to suffer from a scandal all my life. I can endure the anxiety of my false status being found because I made my own decision. But I hate being misunderstood as something I wouldn’t do. The noble families who seek the position of the next Empress will never miss this opportunity. I’m sure they’ll be frantic trying to cancel my engagement with Your Highness, saying I lack the qualification."
"If I say no, who would dare do such a thing?"
"Everything doesn’t go by your will. This time, things have gone awry. I can prevent it in advance, and I don’t want to take a difficult road. I don’t want to be nervous, either."