Chapter 68: The Truth Revealed
Chapter 68: The Truth Revealed
“They secretly sent a few men ahead to start the fire, extracted their people, and then returned to the scene as if nothing had happened to calmly clean up the mess. Bold doesn’t even begin to describe it.”
“The physical evidence is scarce, but there’s no doubt.”
Sillas’s lips twisted, unable to contain his anger.
“Lord Chionel, who neglected security, will have to take responsibility once this is resolved. To hole up in the manor without even offering the bare minimum courtesy as a fellow noble, utterly disgraceful! If they had so much as set foot at the fire site, they would’ve realized something was amiss.”
“…I have no excuse to offer.”
Even in the border region of Rozia where there was no lord, the situation hadn’t been this bad. Regardless of Dottricia being family, Kassel felt no desire to shield Lord Chionel. There has to be some merit, at least a shred, to justify covering their faults with compassion.
Even when they handed over the bandits, the lord didn’t show his face. He just sent knights to clean up.
The Crown Prince retrieved something else from the drawer and set it atop the report.
“What do you think the chances are that Saintess Kaphia is involved in this?”
“Extremely high.”
It was a shame he couldn’t share the entire conversation he’d had with his sister, Fay, in front of Sillas. If he could, he wouldn’t say ‘extremely high,’ he’d say one hundred percent. Still, Kassel didn’t fear hiding the truth.
Because Sillas, the man he served, was a prince of great capacity and generosity. Even if, in the future, he were to learn of the truths Kassel withheld, he wouldn’t interrogate him over it. He would understand. He would comfort him, and Fay as well, acknowledging how difficult things must have been.
A sovereign worthy of absolute trust.
And in return, there was one thing Kassel could promise with certainty.
He would never let the false noblewoman, who dared to love the Crown Prince, come anywhere near him.
“The Saintess has sent a letter saying she plans to come to the palace soon. For now, she’s traveling through the capital’s outskirts on a mendicant mission.”
“I heard that as well, a few days ago.”
“Do you think we should allow her to enter the palace?”
Kassel bowed his head deeply.
“Yes. Let her come and expose herself. And… Your Highness, the investigation you entrusted to me has borne some fruit.”
“Let’s hear it.”
Sillas’s tone remained as steady as ever, though he was surely desperate for answers.
“The reason Duke Orleans pressured Lady Lâtel into calling off the engagement was singular. During the Lâtel Kingdom’s heyday, they colluded with corrupt officials to weaken the kingdom from within.”
But the Crown Prince couldn’t remain composed as he listened. Kassel could see the fury burning behind those pale golden eyes.
“…That’s all? That’s the reason?”
Spies were everywhere, always had been, and always would be. Severing those roots was never easy, tangled as they were in webs of conflicting interests. It wasn’t unusual for spies from one country to collaborate with influential figures in another for mutual gain.
“Afterward, the Lâtel Kingdom teetered on the brink of bankruptcy, beyond even the royal family’s ability to fix. You know this well, Your Highness. When the kingdom was finally absorbed into the Empire, and Lady Lâtel became betrothed to you, the Duke’s family panicked.”
Every word that left Kassel’s lips only deepened Sillas’s disgust.
“Haa.”
“They say Lady Lâtel is of quiet temperament, but once she is formally crowned and becomes Empress… Just as I uncovered this truth, she would have too, eventually. And then, retaliation against Duke Orleans would be inevitable. So they…”
“They’re insane.”
Sillas dropped his head into his clasped hands.
Even Kassel found it hard to restrain his rage. To undermine a foreign kingdom for personal gain, and when that kingdom’s last princess was about to marry into the imperial family, to force her into breaking the engagement?
And this time, it wasn’t just any marriage. It was the Crown Prince’s.
“To hold them accountable, we’ll need to expose everything from the past.”
As he said this, Kassel thought of Fay in the Mage Tower.
Poor Tiana… No matter what path she chose, he would trust her, support her, and wait for her. Even if the world didn’t know she was the daughter of House Klein, he did.
My one and only sister.
And I would be responsible for your happiness to the very end.
“…It’s outrageous. They profited from espionage and now they pressure the princess to call off her engagement?”
Kassel understood Sillas’s fury all too well. During his investigation, even in his absence from the capital, he’d learned much about the Crown Prince’s reputation. Ever since the abrupt broken engagement, some factions had begun subtly eroding the imperial family’s prestige.
Duke Orleans must have known this would happen.
And yet they dared meddle in the affairs of the Emperor’s direct heir?
There were limits, even to arrogance.
Sillas asked firmly, “Are you certain Sir Raphael had no part in this?”
“Yes. He’s been closely monitoring his family’s movements and keeps in contact with me. He even said, if his house were found guilty of treason, he would abandon his name and live as a lone knight.”
“He said that?”
“He seems unaware of the contents of this report.”
Even as he said it, Kassel recalled Raphael joking that he’d better get on Maurice the stablemaster’s good side, he might need a place to sleep if he had nowhere else to go.
“Well, that’s a relief.”
Kassel allowed himself a faint smile.
As flippant as Raphael Orleans could be, no one truly disliked him. Kassel himself found him irritating sometimes, especially when he’d playfully wave olive branches around, but nothing beyond that.
“The Duke’s side claims they didn’t know about Saintess Kaphia’s current travels. But there are traces of past communications.”
“How devious. I thought my broken engagement was the biggest issue, but no. Exhuming and reburying the bones of an entire family under false names, all sanctioned by the Grand Temple of the Supreme Deity? What could their aim be?”
“Surely to make that aim known now. She must think the seeds she’s sown are finally ready for harvest.”
Kassel was determined that, when the Saintess finally revealed her crimes, she would be forced to pay with her life. There would be no forgiveness. No turning a blind eye. He wouldn’t let her live in peace.
“I see.”
“What do you intend to do, Your Highness?”
Sillas raised his head and spoke resolutely.
“I’m not sure yet. But we can’t allow Duke Orleans to go unchecked. Even if they’ve long been considered the Empire’s ‘right-hand heart,’ if they’ve committed crimes to tarnish that glory, they must be held accountable. And what about their conflict with the Marquis Hyante? Did you find the reason?”
“Yes. We’ve found a lead.”
“What is it?”
“A mine.”
“A mine…?”
In the Arkan Empire, all rights to valuable resources—gold, silver, copper, iron, as well as salt, honey, and mana stones—belonged exclusively to the imperial family. Only obsolete materials like tin or non-essential gems could be mined with approval.
The Empire didn’t prohibit all profitable mining, but jewels, despite their value, had little bearing on national necessity, so exceptions were allowed. Thus, when Kassel mentioned a mine, the resource in question should not have belonged to the restricted list.
Had it been rare jewels, there might’ve been some room for leniency.
“As you know, Your Highness, the two houses’ estates border each other on a narrow strip of land.”
“A spur of the Driana Mountains.”
“Yes… And traces of a gold vein have been discovered there.”
“…Haa.”
Upon hearing the name of a forbidden mineral, Sillas once again let his head fall into his hands.
Marquis Hyante was at fault, but what of Duke Orleans? A public-acknowledged loyalist family, behaving like this?
Sillas sighed, drained of even the strength to grow angry.
“There’s no way they didn’t know that all exploitable minerals and mana stones, along with salt and honey, are under exclusive imperial control.”
“None whatsoever.”
“Kassel, sit down and continue. You’ve had a hard time, I’m sure.”
Seated by Sillas’s side, Kassel delivered the most outrageous part of the report.
“Unfortunately, both families discovered the gold at nearly the same time. Drunk with greed, they ignored their reporting obligations and began aggressively tunneling into the vein in a race. In the process, a misfired explosive caused serious injuries to workers from both sides.”
“…”
The golden light in Sillas’s eyes roiled with fury. His face didn’t flush red, but the rage was unmistakable. Even without words, his expression radiated revulsion.
Kassel wouldn’t have been surprised if Sillas had ordered both families’ leaders and knights arrested on the spot.
“Only after the explosion did they realize the other’s involvement. Since then, they’ve stopped using explosives but continue mining in secret.”
“Now I understand. That tiny explosion I triggered during the Harvest Festival… no wonder they reacted so sensitively. I was trying to expose a rift between them, but they thought the other side was provoking them with explosives.”
The coincidence worked in the Crown Prince’s favor after all.
“They cowered in fear of war breaking out in their territories, while escalating their fight here in the capital, making a total mess of things.”
In that moment, Kassel thought the golden fire in Sillas’s eyes might truly ignite. And yet, Kassel wasn’t afraid of his sovereign.
“Your Highness…”
Suppressing the cold blaze in his gaze, Sillas asked, “Did they smuggle the gold they mined? If the market has been destabilized, even if the gold’s been hidden, the people must be compensated.”
Yes, this was his lord. Not one to give in to emotion, but to reason.
“No. Due to the tense standoff following the explosion, not much gold has been extracted. There are reports of a major vein deeper underground, but without the use of explosives, they’re all stuck.”
For the first time since the report began, Sillas scoffed.
“They’ve fallen into their own trap.”
“The gold they’ve mined so far hasn’t even been transported to their central estates. It’s being guarded under strict watch near the site.”
……
T/N: Everything just fell on its place perfectly, I simply had nothing to say
Usurpadora
Amo quando não há falhas ou erros de continuação nas histórias ❤️