Chapter 94:
“Your Majesty, there seems to be a growing belief within the Military Police that Rosarphi is connected to the Black Moon. I’m concerned that this might cause some issues for us,” a concerned voice spoke.
“Don’t worry. There will be no suspicion,” replied Empress Beatrice.
“But they’ve been unable to catch the Black Moon for a month now, and the Military Police is getting anxious. If they continue to be unsuccessful, they might start questioning the connection,” the speaker continued.
Beatrice, who had been smiling until now, let out a sigh of disappointment.
“It seems that the nobles are starting to doubt the Military Police’s ability to capture the Black Moon. They’ve been raising questions about whether it’s right to entrust such a crucial matter to them.”
In truth, these concerns were not solely due to the current incident. Nobles had long been wary of the Military Police, a privileged institution under direct imperial control, and their considerable power within the empire. Moreover, the issue of the military police’s strength had also raised eyebrows.
Even though they have similar forces, the Ruchtainer was tasked with dealing with external threats, while the Military Police faced internal ones. But what exactly constitutes an “internal threat”?
The definition of an “internal threat” was rather flexible, and it was uncertain when and whom the Military Police might target.
Beatrice listened quietly to the count’s concerns and elegantly touched her lips with the teacup in her hand.
The worries of the nobles were not unfounded. When the Military Police was first established, it was meant to strengthen imperial authority.
“When I first founded the Military Police, I placed some of my own people in it. It was for the purpose of easily controlling the military police when the need arose,” Beatrice thought.
Moreover, in order to avoid sending Killian to the archduchy, we had to give him a suitable position.
“But now, the position of the Military Police seems rather ambiguous.”
While the military police had been useful in various situations, now it was different. They were chasing the Black Moon case, which implied that Kilian was pursuing it as well.
In her heart, Beatrice couldn’t help but think that Kilian might be the Black Moon. But if that wasn’t the case, the situation would become very complicated.
If Kilian, while pursuing the Black Moon, were to discover the truth related to the secret child, it could lead to disastrous consequences.
So, if Killian wasn’t the Black Moon, Beatrice needed to keep him as far away from this case as possible.
“Especially during this investigation, the Military Police has been displaying an oppressive attitude towards the nobles, and it seems to make everyone quite uncomfortable,” Count Fraus mentioned.
Lately, the military police have started to cross the line they have carefully observed until now.
Given that the incident had occurred within the palace, they had to be more vigilant than usual. However, they had gone too far.
With Commander Nicolas injured and Liam killed, they were all determined to catch the Black Moon.
On the other hand, the nobles found it uncomfortable enough to be under suspicion of being murderers.
However, rather than showing courtesy to those who cooperated, the military and police searched their personal spaces in the name of the imperial family, asked them to take off their clothes to see their waists, and even touched their thighs.
In the process, there were physical confrontations, and some nobles got injured.
The nobles had long prepared for the founding festival, and it was significantly reduced. With the killer on the loose and the Empire under lockdown, they were already quite sensitive, and friction was inevitable.
“Some even worry that the Military Police might be overstepping their bounds and challenging the authority of the Empire,” Count Fraus said. He suggested that it might be necessary to somewhat diminish the power of the military police.
The commander of the Military Police, Killian, might be Fraus’s prospective son-in-law, but Killian could live well without the Military Police. He was not just any noble; he owned the title of Grand Duke and was also an adopted son of the imperial family.
Therefore, Count Fraus’s concern was not about Killian but rather that the Military Police might become entangled in this case and drag Rosarphi into it.
“Don’t worry. Isn’t the commander of the Military Police Killian himself? You know how loyal he is to the Empire,” Beatrix said in defense of the Military Police, causing Count Fraus’s expression to become somewhat ambiguous.
‘If Her Majesty speaks so favorably, there must be a plan.’
After all, if the truth about Rosarphi came to light, Beatrix would also be in danger.
“But what you say is not entirely wrong,” the Empress remarked.
“When the Founding Festival is over, if the Military Police haven’t caught the Black Moon during the Empire’s lockdown, they will have to bear responsibility as well.”
Beatrix added that His Majesty the Emperor would also think so.
“By the way, speaking of Killian, Sophia, that girl is really smart and pretty compared to what I’ve heard from you.”
It seemed like Beatrix was trying to lighten the heavy atmosphere with compliments.
“Sophia used to be so passive and full of shortcomings, but now she’s overly humble.”
“Yes? Well, that’s…”
Count Fraus wiped his sweaty palm under the table on his thigh. It wasn’t just humility; Sophia was genuinely like that.
Sophia was truly an inadequate daughter.
Count Fraus couldn’t believe it when he first received an offer from the Empress to get Killian’s engagement. Of course, he had a merchant’s instinct, and he realized this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that couldn’t be missed.
However, he couldn’t cheat the Empire when it came to this deal. If they agreed to the engagement and Sophia’s shortcomings were exposed at the Imperial Palace, it would be he who felt unjustly treated.
So he confessed to the Empress about Sophie’s shortcomings— of course, he tried to seize the opportunity with compliments that he did not mean.
But shortly after the engagement to the Grand Duke, Sophia changed.
Although he did not see Sophia much, he had heard stories about what happened inside the house from his wife, Rubisella.
“She said that there’s nothing to look forward to, but I’m genuinely pleased that she’s so beautiful and likable.” (T/L: They are talking about how Sophia previously lived and how she behaved in front of the empress.)
“Haha… Fortunately, Your Majesty, it’s an honor that you cherish my inadequate daughter.”
“If I had known she’d turn out like this, I would have considered Mikhail as a companion, not Killian.”
The Empress’s words were filled with a sense of humor, but Count Fraus felt a shiver down his spine.
“Wh-What? the Crown Prince’s companion?!”
The Count was taken aback when Beatrice expressed a deeper fondness for Sophia than he had expected. It was a remarkable statement, even if it was just words—something impossible to become a reality.
“I believe in one thing: anyone loved by Elizabeth can’t be a bad person.”
Beatrix praised Elizabeth, saying that she follows Sophia very well.
The Count chuckled at the Empress’s irrational words, not befitting her status.
What kind of person is chosen based on a cat’s preferences? It was a judgment criterion that didn’t suit the realistic and rational Beatrice.
“So, Killian must like Lady Sophia that much too, right?”
“I guess so. I also had no idea that His Excellency the Grand Duke cared for Sophia so much.”
The Count hesitated and mumbled, making Beatrice’s blue eyes light up.
“It seems you also think that way.”
“Well, Your Excellency has never shown such interest in a woman before.”
“Haha, but Killian seems to be quite insistent that there’s nothing special between Sophie and him.”
“He’s probably embarrassed. Especially someone as gruff as His Grace might feel even more awkward expressing such feelings openly.”
“Is that so?”
Beatrice chuckled softly and sipped her red tea.
* * *
Sophia tied her bonnet ribbon firmly under her chin.
She was standing in front of the Niore family’s villa, where Estelle was currently staying on the island.
Unlike the nobles who stayed in the capital, many provincial nobles had small houses in the capital, which they used as vacation homes whenever they had work to do.
However, due to the limited space in the capital, these villas were generally small, resembling modern European villas with small gardens or no gardens at all.
The Niore family’s villa was one of these small villas. It was a solid brick building with a deep red hue and a black roof.
Next to the entrance, a large double-headed axe was embedded, making it look quite formidable.
Sophia took a deep breath as she stood in front of the imposing walnut-colored main door. She couldn’t help but feel a sense of tension.
‘I cannot stand by and allow the person my father gave his life to protect to be in danger.’
Kilian had been concerned about Estelle’s safety, and Sophia shared that concern.
‘It’s said that suffering is necessary to complete the heroine’s story… but how can I pretend not to know when someone’s life is in danger?’
That’s why Sophia had come to find Estelle on Killian’s behalf.
‘Are you sure this is okay?’ (Killian)
‘Don’t worry. We’re just going to play and chat together.’
‘If anything dangerous happens, please don’t take any risks. Your safety should be your top priority.’ (Killian)
‘Of course. I want to stay safe too.’ (Sophia)
The Empress never creates witnesses. This is because things get complicated when there are witnesses.
Therefore, both Fideut and Percel, who were investigating the death of the Grand Duke, were murdered without anyone watching.
“In the original work, the Empress tried to kill Estelle, but she kept failing. Eventually, the attempts to kill her decreased significantly.”
Perhaps they couldn’t keep creating threats indefinitely in the storyline?
Sophia searched her hazy memories.
In the original work, we are now at the beginning of the novel. When recalling the plot, there wasn’t an immediate threat of murder from the start.
In the novel, crises typically occur after the relationships between characters have developed. Estelle hadn’t had substantial interaction with Mikhail yet. She couldn’t remember exactly, but at least during the Foundation Festival, Estelle was safe.
‘Maybe the Empress still doesn’t know Estelle’s true identity!’
Since Sophia is possessed, there is no guarantee that the future will proceed as in the original work.
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TRANSLATOR:
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