Chapter 156
“You’re going to investigate this yourself?”
Killian’s hand trembled slightly as he set down his teacup.
“Yes. We can’t continue to stand by and do nothing about the Black Moon incident.”
Mikhail’s response made Killian furrow his brows.
If it were Beatrice, she would surely not allow Mikhail to get involved in this matter.
“…Did Her Majesty give you permission?”
“Permission… It was more of a unilateral decision.”
Mikhail brushed back his golden hair with a troubled smile on his lips.
“But I couldn’t just stand by and do nothing.”
“It’s unusual for you to be rebellious.”
Killian detected the bitterness in Mikhail’s expression.
Mikhail was the righteous and upright Crown Prince, a dutiful son who had never rebelled, even during his adolescent years.
For the first time, he had taken action without royal approval.
‘…Her Majesty the Empress must be quite troubled.’
Beatrice feared most that Mikhail would discover the truth.
Of course, Killian was equally troubled.
Even if he wasn’t the one who committed the murders, the one known as the Black Moon was indeed Killian.
Furthermore, recently, Sophia had disguised herself as the Black Moon.
If the investigation led to conclusions slightly deviating from the truth, the killer of Fideut, Percel, and Garfield might be identified as Killian or Sophia.
‘Even if it’s not me, it would be problematic if they found out Sophia posed as the Black Moon.’
As Killian fell into deep thought, Mikhail spoke up.
“I came here today because I wanted to ask you about the Black Moon.”
“Me?”
“You were the one who first pursued the Black Moon.”
“But this case is out of my hands now. Ian Fraus or Orhelin would know better than I do.”
Killian took another sip of tea. The taste was slightly bitter on his tongue.
“I will seek their help too. But I came to you first.”
Mikhail felt more comfortable with Killian and trusted his words more than others. He had come to the grand duchy to inform Killian of his decision and to seek his help.
“…What do you plan to do once you catch the Black Moon?”
“Of course, I will administer justice. People have died and been injured. It’s not something we can overlook.”
Mikhail answered without hesitation. The one who mocked the Empire, manipulated the royal family, roamed freely through the palace, killed, and endangered lives could not be left unpunished.
Most likely, the end for the Black Moon would be execution.
“But what if the Black Moon is someone close to you, brother?”
“Huh?”
“I mean, what if the Black Moon is someone you trust and believe in?”
Mikhail’s expression hardened at Killian’s question.
“Why are you asking something like that, Killian?”
When Mikhail met Killian’s eyes, Killian looked away and added,
“Because… it seems the Black Moon has connections within the royal family. The Black Moon appeared at royal balls and parties and disappeared without a trace. It must be someone familiar with the palace’s layout.”
“…That makes sense. But that’s why we must uncover the truth.”
Mikhail’s fingers clenched tightly around his clothes. He wanted to end the misfortunes brought by the Black Moon, for the Empire, for Killian, and for himself.
“This situation persisted because everything wasn’t properly resolved.”
“…”
Despite Mikhail’s persuasion, Killian remained silent, merely listening.
Mikhail had thought Killian would readily agree to help, but Killian’s reaction was unexpected. It seemed Killian was not welcoming the investigation into the Black Moon.
“Is it uncomfortable for you to talk about the Black Moon, Killian?”
Given that Killian had suffered much because of the Black Moon, he might not want to discuss it. But Killian shook his head.
“No, you’re right, brother.”
As Mikhail said, prolonging the case would only increase the number of victims.
And Mikhail might be the most suitable person to handle this matter. At least Beatrice wouldn’t endanger him.
Killian nodded.
“I have some material, so I’ll tell Garfield… Ah.”
Killian stopped mid-sentence as he unconsciously called for Garfield. It had been a month since Garfield left, but old habits were hard to break.
Killian smiled bitterly and stood up.
“Wait a moment. I’ll go get the materials.”
He wasn’t yet used to ordering other servants. Killian left the reception room to fetch the materials himself.
Mikhail watched Killian’s retreating figure with a thoughtful gaze. He felt the urge to follow and stay by his side, yet hesitated.
Mikhail anxiously awaited Killian’s return.
Just when Mikhail’s patience was nearly exhausted, the reception room door opened again.
Killian returned, carrying a thick stack of documents that looked heavy.
As he sat back down, he handed the documents to Mikhail.
“These are the original materials I shared with Sir Ian. They aren’t organised, so they might be hard to read.”
Mikhail examined the materials Killian handed him. They were raw, unorganised documents, with various handwritten notes and annotations. It seemed to be a compilation from the military police unit.
“…I brought these before I resigned from the military police chief position.”
Killian explained why he personally held onto the materials, feeling somewhat guilty. He had planned to return them, but constant events had delayed it. After he resigned, the military police had downsized significantly, and no one seemed to be in charge of the documents.
“I would have preferred to organise them before giving them to you, but… I don’t think I have the time.”
“No, this is better. Thank you.”
Raw documents were more valuable as they were unedited.
Mikhail scrutinised the materials he had been given.
Killian was unsure if handing over the documents to Mikhail had been the right move.
However, as Mikhail had said, this case needed to be resolved eventually.
‘I don’t have high hopes.’
Killian doubted that Mikhail would uncover the truth about the Black Moon incident.
Mikhail was intelligent and capable, but he was also someone who couldn’t suspect the Empress.
‘Even if evidence pointed to Beatrice as the culprit, he would turn a blind eye.’
It wouldn’t be intentional ignorance; he simply couldn’t imagine that the person who had cherished and loved him all his life could be behind all these events.
Realising that the person who had shown him such affection was the mastermind behind everything would be too difficult.
Therefore, Killian’s only hope in involving Mikhail was one thing:
‘Beatrice will get anxious and make a mistake.’
Though he felt sorry for Mikhail, he would be the bait in Killian’s trap. The Empress, not wanting her son to uncover the truth, would be compelled to act.
Killian, watching Mikhail examine the documents, hesitated before speaking again.
“There’s one more thing… something that’s been bothering me.”
“Something bothering you?”
“It’s about the Rosarphi.”
Killian pointed to the part of the documents that mentioned the Rosarphi.
Mikhail was already aware that the Black Moon was somehow connected to the Rosarphi.
“I want you to find out its source.”
“The source? So far, there’s no known import or smuggling record for the Rosarphi.”
“I have a hunch.”
Killian spoke more slowly than usual, a hint of hesitation in his voice, which made Mikhail nod in understanding.
Killian handed him another document he had set aside.
“These are records of transactions involving a man named ‘Logan’ suspected of dealing in Rosarphi.”
“This… is from the Fraus family’s ledgers, isn’t it?”
Killian nodded.
‘Killian, I think… I’ve found something about the Rosarphi.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘You told me not to get involved, but… I discovered this by chance…’
Not long after Killian had somewhat recovered, Sophia handed him a copy of the Fraus family ledgers.
Sophia explained how she had stumbled upon a bracelet she suspected to be linked to the Rosarphi.
She found it in the first library of the Fraus family, where her access was usually restricted.
‘Do you realise what this means? Your family…!’
‘I know. But in the current situation, this is crucial information. The same person has been buying those bracelets repeatedly.’
The ledger, translated into Imperial language, only mentioned ‘bracelet,’ but whenever ‘dangerous bracelet’ appeared in the original Olvedian language, the same person had purchased them each time.
‘Logan may be a false name, but we might be able to track him down.’
To save Killian, Sophia had stolen one Rosarphi.
Thus, Logan would realise that one of the promised Rosarphi was missing.
Since Logan didn’t bring the Rosarphi he promised, there must have been a reaction from the Empress’ side.
Especially in sensitive times like these, it would be very nerve-wracking if the whereabouts of even one Rosarphi were to become unknown.
