“That’s right, the evidence that the Fourth Prince killed the Crown Prince.”
Gallota stared down at me with wide eyes. He trembled violently and then suddenly burst into laughter like a madman.
“What? You’re going to give me evidence that the Fourth Prince killed the Crown Prince? Hahaha…!”
Gallota glared at me.
“Are you mocking me?”
“Isn’t that what you want? A chance to eliminate your political rival. Didn’t you spread the rumor that the Fourth Prince killed the Crown Prince…”
I had to gasp for breath in the middle of speaking. My tongue was still partially paralyzed, making it difficult to talk.
However, I gathered all my strength and continued speaking, “And, you provoked the Fourth Prince to kill the Crown Prince.”
This time, Gallota’s face turned pale.
His expression became strangely contorted like a creaking machine. He looked horrified, wondering how I knew this fact. As his fear reached its peak, he turned violent.
“Where did you get this nonsense?”
He shouted, gripping my wrist tightly.
I screamed in pain.
Ignoring my cries, Gallota shook me violently.
“The Fourth Prince killed the Crown Prince! I wasn’t even near the capital when the Crown Prince died! I was far away!”
“When the Crown Prince died, you were in the perfect place to avoid suspicion.”
Gallota’s hand stopped shaking me.
He growled in a cold voice.
“Are you suggesting I left to create an alibi? Unfortunately for you, I didn’t leave on my own. The Emperor sent me away for a trivial reason. To a cold and lonely place!”
“Contributing to the Crown Prince’s injury during the hunt is obviously not a trivial matter.”
Gallota froze like ice.
“How do you know about that…?”
He let go of me and stepped back, trembling.
‘I threw out bait, and he took it.’
I hadn’t been certain that Gallota had a hand in the Crown Prince’s death.
But when I learned through the information guild that Gallota had been in a cold and harsh place at the time of the Crown Prince’s death, I started to suspect.
‘Gallota used that as an excuse to avoid suspicion of being behind the assassination.’
Right after the Crown Prince got injured during the hunt, he was sent to a harsh place unfit for royalty.
It was clearly a punitive exile.
‘What happened during the hunt with the Crown Prince?’
Perhaps it was Gallota who caused the Crown Prince to get injured.
Furthermore, the suspicion was strengthened by the fact that Gallota was the one who spread the rumor that the Fourth Prince was behind the assassination.
He had set up an escape route for himself and orchestrated the entire situation.
“You deliberately injured the Crown Prince, didn’t you?” I glared at Gallota.
“It seems Your HIghness has gathered some half-baked information. That was an accident. How is it my fault that the Crown Prince fell off his horse? The Emperor only got petty and punished me because I had suggested the hunt in the first place.”
Gallota tried to act nonchalant, but his rambling speech betrayed his nervousness.
Now was the time to push further.
“No, you deliberately injured the Crown Prince.”
“Why would I do that? It would have made things troublesome for me.”
“If the Crown Prince was injured, he wouldn’t be able to escape from the Fourth Prince’s assassin who was coming a few days later.”
“!”
Gallota’s mouth fell open involuntarily.
“You deliberately injured the Crown Prince at the hunting ground to make it easier for the Fourth Prince to kill him.”
“…….”
“And you were the one who egged on the Fourth Prince, weren’t you?”
His dark eyes swirled with confusion.
I looked straight into his eyes and said, “If you tell me the truth, I’ll give you the evidence that the Fourth Prince killed the Crown Prince.”
“Haha, it seems you’re trying to trap me with sophistry. Dream on, Princess. I didn’t kill the Crown Prince. And even without your help, I can find plenty of evidence that the Crown Prince was assassinated.”
“Then why haven’t you presented any yet?”
“…….”
“If you had the evidence, you would have already ousted the Fourth Prince and come to Berg alone.”
“Th-that’s….”
“You came with Palleta, sharing the merits you could have achieved as an envoy because you don’t have the evidence to implicate him. Isn’t that right?”
Gallota glared at me with trembling lips.
He rubbed his face roughly, his complexion reddening as if it would burst from his anguish.
After a moment, he spoke.
“How can I believe you have the evidence? The Fourth Prince is hot-headed and foolish, but his maternal family is powerful. They erased all evidence completely.”
“Give me the antidote and I’ll prove it.”
Gallota’s face was skeptical.
“If you don’t want to, take me to the Eastern continent. I doubt if it’ll even help you to throw out the Fourth Prince’s maternal family.”
Gallota hesitated for a moment, then pulled out a small pouch.
He poured its contents over my face.
“This is the antidote. Breathe in deeply.”
A pungent smoke enveloped my face.
“Ugh!”
It was painful. Gallota watched me with curious eyes as I coughed.
“Your Highness can already move? The effect is fast.”
I realized that while talking to Gallota to stall for time, I had used divine power to cleanse my body. Thanks to that, the paralysis had almost worn off, making the antidote’s effect swift.
However, Gallota seemed more focused on the “evidence.”
“Now, show me the evidence. If you deceived me, I’ll make sure I turn you into a pretty doll.”
Instead of answering, I took out a pendant necklace from my pocket. Gallota frowned as he noticed it.
“That’s the trash Palleta carries around. The one he wears every day with a grin because the Emperor gave it to him. How did you get it?”
“He gave it to me as a gift.”
I smiled and swung the pendant.
“Do you know what this is for?”
“It’s just an ornament found in an ancient temple.”
“No. This is a very useful holy relic.”
I opened the pendant.
Several small square windows appeared before my eyes. Only I, who could use divine power, could see them. Each window was filled with dates and words written in the language of the gods.
I selected one of the windows.
A sharp voice in the Eastern Continent’s language emanated from the pendant.
“You fool! How could you kill the Crown Prince without consulting your mother first?”
“But we couldn’t miss this golden opportunity. We wouldn’t be able to assassinate the Crown Prince otherwise.”
Gallota’s face filled with shock.
“Wh-what is this…!”
The pendant continued to play Palleta’s mother’s voice.
“I asked my family to clean up all the evidence. Even the cunning Second Prince won’t be able to find proof that you were the culprit.”
This pendant was not a mere trinket.
‘It’s an ancient relic with a recording function.’
When Palleta had opened the pendant earlier, the same windows had appeared.
‘The letters on the windows seemed like transcripts of conversations.’
The inside of the pendant was inscribed with the divine language detailing its purpose and usage.
< Mouth of Truth: Validating the truth & retribution for the deceitful.>
I instinctively realized it was a recorder.
‘This holy relic ending up in Palleta hands was no coincidence. It was meant to judge him.’
The recordings contained only incriminating evidence against Palleta, which was proof enough.
In the Eastern Continent, they didn’t understand the relic’s true purpose and value.
‘Palleta was defenselessly recorded for the truths he wanted to hide.’
That’s why I immediately took the pendant from Palleta.
Suddenly, Gallota tried to snatch the pendant from me.
I narrowly evaded him.
“Trying to steal the evidence? Without knowing how to use it? Without my help, it’s just a useless antique.”
Gallota seethed with frustration.
“Spill the truth already. You helped kill the Crown Prince, didn’t you?”
Gallota closed his eyes tightly.
But he had no other choice. To win the war of succession and secure the throne, he had to confess the truth to me.
Gallota finally made up his mind and spoke, “…I was born just an hour later than the Crown Prince. But the Emperor favored his firstborn and designated him as the heir. It’s unfair! I couldn’t let a mere hour-older brat take the throne!”
Having confessed, he seemed surprisingly relieved.
He raised the corners of his mouth and said, “If I also bring down the Fourth Prince, the Emperor will have no choice but to pass the Crown Prince’s position to me. The Third Prince is already slowly dying from the poison his nanny gave him. Hahahaha…”
Gallota’s eerie laughter filled the room.
He grinned like a murderer and reached out to me.
“Now, hand over the evidence and tell me how to use it.”
I adjusted the settings on the relic and handed it to Gallota.
“Just open the pendant, and the recording you just heard will play.”
“Good. I’ll present this evidence to the Emperor as soon as I return to the Eastern Continent.”
“Unfortunately, the recording will be deleted over time.”
“What?”
Gallota glared at me with suspicion.
“And the recording you just heard was made a long time ago. By the time you return to the Eastern Continent, it will already be deleted.”
“Why should I believe that? What kind of trick are you pulling now?”
“If you don’t believe me, feel free to take the relic back to the Eastern Continent. If you want to foolishly open the pendant in front of the Emperor and hear nothing, be my guest.”
Gallota looked at me with murderous intent.
From ecstasy to despair once again, I spoke to him in a soothing tone.
“Play it in front of Mahach.”
