“Who was behind the trafficking?” Grandfather shouted at Patrick, who hesitated to answer.
But Patrick remained silent. Grandfather asked again in frustration, “Why are you hesitating to answer?”
“The culprit behind this crime was someone unexpected,” Patrick replied.
“I believe the person involved still doesn’t fully understand the gravity of the situation. Or had been misled,” Patrick said with a pained expression.
I felt a chilling foreboding.
“Who is behind these kidnappings?” Grandfather was bursting with anger. The entire hall was shrouded in silence.
“It was Hanelope. She was using her foundation as a guise during her days at Barbetz”
Everyone was staring at me in horror. But I remained calm.
Grandfather turned to Prince Patrick and asked coldly, “You have proof, I suppose?”
“Yes. There is a witness present here,” Patrick said as if he had been waiting for this moment.
“Come forward and reveal everything you know to His Majesty.”
The crowd began to murmur.
I nearly scoffed at Patrick calling for Thomas Purple. Brantley seemed to have the same reaction.
‘Thomas Purple, of all people?’
I had expected a well-crafted witness. Was Patrick in a rush to organize this?
Thomas Purple strutted forward in confidence. As he approached, he shot me a smirk. Possibly imagining his revenge arc.
“Your Majesty, I am from the Purple family…”
“Speak what you know,” Grandfather interrupted Thomas, cutting short his formal introduction.
Thomas, who came forward in style, was now in a somewhat embarrassed state.
“I was friends with the Princess at Barbetz,” he began.
“As far as I know, the Princess never had a friend like you,” Grandfather responded coldly.
“N- No, Your Majesty! We were very close. The Princess liked me very much.”
‘He started spinning his lies.’
Unaware of how furious Dad and Brantley looked, Thomas continued to babble on.
“I even discovered one of the Princess’s secrets. Every night, she would secretly leave the dormitory and meet with the demonic cult responsible for kidnapping people.”
“Is this the absolute truth?” Grandfather asked, his face devoid of emotion.
“Yes, it is. I reported it to Viscount McTaren, the lord of the Cran region, where the demonic cult operated. But instead of listening to the truth, Viscount McTaren chose to side with the Princess.”
Thomas continued-
“Viscount McTaren labeled me a liar, and because of that, I was expelled from Barbetz! Once the Princess realized I knew her secret, she fled to the capital with the demonic cult.”
Thomas glared at me.
“Then I heard about more kidnappings happening in the capital. It’s clear that the Princess and the demonic cult are behind it!” he shouted, pointing his finger accusingly at me.
The atmosphere grew suffocatingly heavy.
Grandfather closed his eyes, exhaled deeply, and then opened them again.
At that moment, Patrick stepped forward, “It is true that in the Cran region, everyone was aware of the demonic cult. And it’s also true that they disappeared right after Princess Hanelope graduated.”
“What does Viscount McTaren say about this?” Grandfather asked.
“He denies it. But if we interrogate him formally, he’ll confess. There is also a record of Thomas Purple reporting the cult’s activities to the viscount,” Patrick explained.
Grandfather’s head started to throb.
“So, you’re telling me that the Princess’s foundation has been kidnapping my people and selling them to the Eastern Continent?”
“Yes. Why else would the emperor of the Eastern Continent send gifts exclusively to Princess Hanelope? It’s because she’s involved in this crime,” Patrick said hastily, unaware of the true nature of my relationship with Mahach.
Their web of lies was flimsy and poorly constructed.
‘Even if they fail to frame me, Patrick and the Imperial Court will still benefit.’
The rumors about the missing people being linked to the Imperial Court would be overshadowed by these false accusations.
Everything was playing out just as I had anticipated.
“Barbetz’s is the school that has produced the most emperors. It’s a strict school, but at the same time, expulsion is a rare occurrence there unless the authorities have no choice left.”
I looked at Prince Patrick with a pained expression.
“I feel sorry for His Highness for having been deceived by Thomas Purple.”
Patrick’s face hardened as I returned his words verbatim.
Grandfather asked me solemnly, “So what the Princess is saying is that Thomas Purple’s claims are false?”
“Yes.”
“It’s unfortunate that Your Highness brought Thomas Purple as a witness. You must have been deceived, surely,” I added, throwing his own words back at him. Patrick’s face stiffened.
Grandfather then asked me seriously, “So, you’re saying that Thomas Purple’s claims are false?”
“Yes,” I replied.
“Can you provide evidence? I will give you time. Within that period, you must refute Thomas Purple’s claims.”
“I don’t need time. The witnesses are already here,” I said with a smile as I turned around.
Todd, Natu, and Aite stepped out from the crowd. Their presence was naturally attracting people’s attention.
“Aren’t they from the Princess’s foundation?”
“Were they also a part of the cult?”
The attendees were horrified and gave way to the three gods. But the three of them were musing themselves seeing the public reaction.
Aite addressed the public with unrivaled grace, “We are the misunderstood cultists from Cran.”
“Misunderstood?”
“Yes. We used to bring in people who couldn’t marry for some reason and marry them off, and because of that, we were labeled as kidnappers.”
Aite pulled a thin book from her pockets and held it out to the Emperor.
“This is a list of the people we’ve helped over the years. As you’ll see, they’re all doing well. Viscount McTaren’s son is one of them.”
Grandfather took the ledger-like book with caution, “It seems you’ve been waiting to present this to me.”
“Better safe than sorry”
Suddenly, Grandpa frowned upon seeing a page.
“Why do you have their names on it?”
Aite understood whom grandfather was referring to.
“I saw them at the part and thought they were meant to be.”
“No. These two were busy bickering all the time,” Grandfather snapped.
‘Was Aite acting delusional again?’.
Aite was stubborn.
“You don’t understand, Your Majesty. They fight because they love each other. It’s their language.”
“They don’t. Dare to make a bet with me?”
“Anytime, Your Majesty. My intuition is never wrong,” Aite boldly declared.
Despite Aite’s impudent behavior, Grandfather couldn’t help but chuckle.
‘Is he enjoying Aite’s antics…?’ I wondered.
However, the next words were anything but lighthearted.
“If I win this bet, and if Prince Patrick’s words are true, none of you will survive,” Grandfather said.
He passed the book to Visount Munich, and said with a cold expression, “Investigate this.”
“Yes, Your Majesty,” replied Viscount Munich.
“We will reassess this matter after the investigation. For now, let’s resume the auction.”
Prince Patrick’s expression soured; it was clear he wasn’t satisfied with how things were ending.
“But Your Majesty…!” he began.
Before he could continue, I cut him off. “Grandfather, why don’t you open my gift first?”
Grandfather, who had been reluctant about personal gifts, paused. His face, once stern, softened into a broad smile, a complete contrast to his earlier demeanor.
“Ah, yes. You also mentioned you had a gift for me. I’m eager to see it. What have you prepared?”
I nodded confidently. “It’s something you must see to resolve the concerns of both you and the people.”
The crowd buzzed at my words, especially since I mirrored what Prince Patrick had said earlier when he tried to attack me. Patrick’s face twisted.
Grandfather, seeming to understand, gave a nod. “Bring it forward.”
At that moment, Brantley stepped out from the crowd, accompanied by a man who kept his head bowed.
“And who is this?” Grandfather asked.
The man lifted his head, and a gasp of shock escaped from the crowd.
“Train! You’re alive?” someone exclaimed.
The mention of the name ‘Train’ caused murmurs to spread rapidly among the attendees.
“Train? Could it be Baron Train, the man who went missing?”
“It really is Baron Train!”
Grandfather stared at the disheveled man with disbelief.
“Why is…?”
I stepped forward and answered. “These people were among those who recently went missing from the capital.”
“Among the people…?” Grandfather asked sharply, sensing there was more to my statement.
“Yes,” I confirmed.
At my signal, four staff members of the foundation, who had been serving food with masks on, stepped forward and removed their masks.
Another wave of astonishment swept through the crowd.
“Brother!” someone cried.
“That’s young master Brady, who went missing recently!”
They, too, were among the missing individuals.
“How is this possible, Hanelope?” Grandfather asked, forgetting formalities in his surprise.
“These people were being protected by Duke Eisen,” I explained.
“Protected? From whom?” Grandfather asked, his gaze shifting to Brantley.
Brantley replied coldly, “From the Grand Temple.”
