<Duke Cassian’s connection to the Underworld remains intact!>
<Yeffa Cassian: Who are the ones hiding her?>
<Cassian’s Heir apparent Roxis, mastermind behind the Inner Palace Fire?>
<Roxis Cassian’s Misdeeds ― Suspected in the Martins Murder!>
Thump! Liliana slammed the newspaper she had been reading onto the table. The name, Cassian, was scrawled across the front page.
While Roxis received the most condemnation, her own name wasn’t entirely absent.
‘At least Nartavan wasn’t implicated.’
Nartavan of Rivolain Teritory She had worked long and hard for it..
If it had been revealed to the world and taken away from her, she couldn’t have just sat there and kept quiet.
But the simmering anger inside her was unstoppable.
Rohiriel. That child had turned against her.
‘I knew she was up to something, but…’
Moving the Imperial Knights to launch a full-scale attack on Cassians was beyond anything she had ever imagined.
That, in part, was why she had dealt with the situation so carelessly.
With the thought that Rohiriel’s desire was Roxis, she had tried to gain some advantage on the side.
‘And on top of that, the Emperor is awake. What on earth is going on?’
She had heard news of his death.
The national mourning had begun, and hadn’t her father headed for the palace?
But the Emperor was alive, and the Imperial Knights, who were supposed to protect him, were targeting them.
The more she thought about it, the angrier she became.
Feeling manipulated by Rohiriel in a well-orchestrated plan, Liliana was utterly frustrated.
“Master.”
As Liliana contemplated how to repay Rohiriel twofold, there was a knock on the door, and Ratman’s voice could be heard.
Cheniel opened the door, and Ratman stepped into the room with bread and soup.
“I brought you something to eat.”
Ratman raised a tray onto the table and carefully poured water into a cup, placing it in front of Liliana.
Liliana casually lifted the glass and took a sip.
“Is this all you have?”
Dry bread and lukewarm vegetable soup.
For Liliana, who had never tasted such food in her lifetime, it was a meal that could only elicit complaints.
Ratman lowered his head apologetically.
“I apologize. The innkeeper said this was all that was left. If we ask for something fresh, our presence might be remembered, so we just quietly brought what was available.”
“Ha…….”
Even if she didn’t like it, it was not an unusual sentiment.
Of course, Liliana considered herself very fortunate that Ratman, along with the maid, had come to find her.
The moment she saw an unidentified group attacking, Liliana immediately hid with Yeffa on the opposite path of the mountain.
Despite running as far away from the battlefield as possible, she was eventually caught by a persistent pursuer.
If Ratman hadn’t timely appeared to rescue her, she might have ended up in the palace prison by now, possibly accused of abducting Yeffa.
‘Even though we lost Yeffa…’
The opponents were too powerful to escape with Yeffa. Since Ratman wasn’t a formidable fighter either, Liliana concluded that abandoning Yeffa was the best option.
In the end, with an unwilling heart, Liliana took a bite of the bread.
It was so tough that chewing was difficult, and even biting into it caused pain.
She lifted a spoonful of soup, but it, too, lacked any semblance of flavor.
“Useless!”
Impatient, Liliana picked up the bread and threw it at Ratman.
The bread hit Ratman in the forehead and fell to the floor with a thud.
“Apologies, my lady. Tomorrow, I will surely bring better food.”
“Of course, that’s what you should do.”
It seemed as if Liliana had forgotten the momentary thought that, if not for Ratman, she might have been taken to the palace.
Ratman casually picked up the fallen bread and, without missing a beat, adjusted his attire.
“When can I return to my mansion?”
“I apologize. With the arrest warrant issued, the palace investigators have also arrived at your mansion.”
“……And the evidence?”
“I handled it thoroughly.”
Relieved by Ratman’s response, Liliana took a breath and reluctantly spooned more soup. It was so unpleasant that it made her feel repulsed, but she forced herself to eat it.
Despite the current unfavorable circumstances, she was confident her father would find a solution.
After all, they were Cassians.
‘How dare they touch me?’
Liliana’s anger swirled within her.
Cheniel observed her in silence.
*ੈ✩‧₊˚༺☆༻*ੈ✩‧₊˚
The abrupt issuance of a warrant turned the entire empire upside down.
Naturally, the Duke of Cassian did not comply with the demand for his presence.
Using illness as an excuse, he refused to leave his mansion and had been absent from noble meetings for days.
“Your Highness, such a thing is unheard of in the law. Please reconsider.”
“Yes, Your Highness. It’s inappropriate to press high nobility with mere evidence.”
“First, we should investigate if this evidence is valid before questioning Duke Cassian.”
In a meeting without the Cassians present, the nobles were all expressing support for the Cassians.
While some remained silent and observed the situation, the most influential nobles opposed the comprehensive investigation of the Cassians.
Julion frowned at the pouring objections and scrutinized the nobles.
“If they have nothing to hide, there should be no reason not to cooperate with the investigation.”
“…I heard the duke is currently ill. Moreover, pressuring Cassian, who is a prominent family, like this is not right, Your Highness.”
“Moreover, such weighty matters should be decided by His Majesty, the Emperor.”
“When His Majesty recovers, perhaps he will reconsider this matter then.”
The nobles slyly pointed out that Julion was not yet the emperor.
Julion chuckled bitterly.
‘I am in no better place than I was a few months ago. It was evident that the Duke had acted swiftly.’
Not long ago, there were those who vehemently opposed and despised Cassian when he proposed to marry Rohiriel. Some went so far as to strongly discourage it, claiming it should never happen.
Now, however, they all seemed to be siding with Cassian.
It was clear that Cassian had tightened the leash around using the poison beetles.
Looking at the silent Marquis Thetman among them, Julion remembered Rohiriel’s words.
[To create an antidote for the poison beetles, we need a sample.]
[Sample?]
[Blood from an infected person. It would be better if the person was exhibiting symptoms. Is there anyone willing to cooperate?]
Marquis Thetman’s name was undoubtedly on the list of poison beetle-infected individuals.
But he had never spoken out in Cassian’s favor.
‘He must have been infected even before His Majesty collapsed. But how…?’
Cassian wouldn’t have left Thetman alone.
As Julion stared intently at Marquis Thetman, he felt the gaze and nervously bit his lip.
He assumed Julion was asking for his opinion, so he opened his mouth cautiously.
“I hope you will consider your…… decision carefully, Your Highness.”
It was a noncommittal response. Something that sounded like an objection but wasn’t.
He had heard that Thetman had a special relationship with Countess Rivolain. It seemed necessary to find out more through her.
Julion shifted his gaze back to the nobles.
“I have no intention of reversing my orders. If any of you wish to oppose, bring forth valid reasons.”
“Y, Your Highness…”
“Therefore, if Duke Cassian does not attend the palace within the specified deadline, we will forcibly bring him in accordance with imperial law.”
Upon the mention of forced detention, Count Iel, who had been quiet until now, exclaimed in surprise,
“Your Highness, Duke Cassian, is a prominent noble, a duke! Forced detention is unheard of!”
“Yes, this goes against imperial law…”
“This requires the Emperor’s seal!”
A wave of agreement echoed through the assembly.
Observing the nobles trying to defend Cassian, Julion smirked, lifting one corner of his mouth.
“You all seem more like Cassian’s nobles than Sertizan’s.”
The nobles’ faces stiffened at the blunt words.
Although casually spoken, Julion’s words could be interpreted as implying that the Cassians were plotting treason.
In the chilling silence that ensued, Julion rose first.
Just before leaving the room, he turned his head slightly and added another remark to the stiff nobles.
“Come to think of it, I noticed some familiar names in the information related to the underworld.”
Drip.
As if one could hear the sound of rolling eyeballs, the nobles looked at each other and exchanged meaningful glances.
Julion chuckled at the absurd sight.
“I hope that you all will uphold the dignity of being nobles of the empire.”
As the door to the meeting hall closed behind them, Julion rubbed the corners of his tired eyes.
Knowing that most of the nobles had been affected by the poison beetles, the meeting felt different from usual.
’I thought they were just stubborn individuals who opposed everything.’
Perhaps dealing with the poison beetles had compelled them to adhere to Cassian’s words more than he initially thought.
Having gained control over all the nobles of the empire, what could their next goal possibly be?
Lost in thought, Julion was interrupted by Freck’s hesitant report.
“Your Highness, this report just came in…”
Julion’s expression furrowed deeply upon hearing Freck’s report.
Thank you for the chapter!❤️🔥