The Tyrant Wants To Live Honestly

“So, didn’t you plan it with the maid?”

 

“There is no evidence that she did it, nor any reason to do so. Furthermore, no evidence has been found that the maid used the poison flower.”

 

Ethan responded calmly.

 

“Then please allow us to search the palace of the Duke of Bronte to find evidence! Of course, there is a risk of evidence being destroyed, so we at Mulkybell would like to conduct the investigation ourselves.”

 

Lahas said firmly.

 

It is impossible for foreign envoys to search the palace of Ethan, the father of the empire. This is a blow to the pride of the empire.

 

But Lahas didn’t care. This was the only way to prove that Ethan, who stubbornly claimed his innocence, was the culprit.

 

‘Of course, he would reject this.’

 

“Okay.”

 

When Ethan easily gave permission to investigate, Lahas blinked in embarrassment.

 

“Okay?”

 

“Yes. However, if we leave it to Mulkybell alone, wouldn’t we be anxious?”

 

Ethan said, slowly running his white fingers along the tip of his chin.

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“Sir Lahas is concerned about the possibility of evidence being destroyed on our side, but I am concerned that Mulkybell’s side may tamper with the evidence.”

 

Lahas’s brow furrowed as Ethan tapped the table with his fingertips.

 

“Are you now suspecting that we have harmed the prince?”

 

“Doesn’t Mulkybell suspect me even with no evidence found?”

 

Ethan’s cold golden eyes shone beneath his long eyelashes.

 

The look in his eyes was not at all that of a person being investigated. 

 

Rather, it seemed as if Ethan was investigating Mulkybell.

 

“While Mulkybell’s people investigate, I’ll assign you a knight from the Empire to work with you, so we can monitor and confirm each other’s situation.”

 

Ethan lifted the corners of his mouth and smiled, his cold gaze fading away.

 

The joint investigation by both sides. It was a reasonable suggestion, as there would be no need for them to suspect each other. There would also be no concerns about tampering with or destroying evidence.

 

“But if we are under surveillance like that, we can’t conduct a proper investigation.…”

 

“This is the last tolerance of the empire.”

 

Ethan was smiling faintly, but the envoys of Mulkybell found the smile to be eerie.

 

As the mood in the meeting became increasingly tense, Ethan picked up the pen in front of him.

 

“So after searching my palace, we can also search the palace where the Mulkybell delegation is staying.”

 

“Our palace?”

 

“The investigation must be thorough.”

 

He wrote something with a pen as if suggesting a direction for the joint investigation.

 

Lahas slammed the desk at Ethan’s attitude of deciding the direction of the investigation on his own.

 

“What?! Prince Luheit is a royal descendant of our Mulkybell, so why would we want to kill him?”

 

“If you’re innocent, what are you worried about?”

 

Ethan looked up and looked at Lahas.

 

“It’s not a matter of innocence, it’s a matter of our pride.”

 

“Then you can trample on my pride?”

 

“That’s not it…!”

 

At that time, Lahas was making excuses.

 

“Her Majesty the Emperor is coming.”

 

The door opened and Dorothea came in, along with Ubera’s attendant.

 

Those who had been lying in tired positions hurriedly stood up and greeted Dorothea.

 

Dorothea strode gracefully into the room and glanced at the envoys of Mulkybell.

 

“So… have you done enough interrogations on the Bronte Duke?”

 

“That’s—”

 

“I was proposing a joint investigation because there was no significant progress.”

 

Before Lahas could open his mouth, Ethan spoke first.

 

“Joint investigation?”

 

Dorothea smiled.

 

The conclusion reached after more than ten long hours of investigation was nothing more than a joint investigation.

 

Dorothea nodded with a serious expression, almost suppressing her laughter.

 

“Good idea. I just happened to have some additional information about the poison, so I came to share it with you.”

 

“Additional information?”

 

“It is said that the poison of the flower is completely removed four to five hours after the sap of the stem is collected.”

 

Because of these characteristics, when using it as a dye, it is said that the flowers are harvested and then left to dry naturally for several hours before being used.

 

“By the way, the poison flowers do not grow within the walls of Lampas.”

 

“So you’re saying that someone maintained the fresh flowers and brought them into this palace?”

 

“That’s impossible.”

 

The imperial palace was not an easy place to be in, where one could freely carry poisonous flowers.

 

“There is just one way. There is a way to preserve the poison of the flower for a long time.”

 

Dorothea said quietly, scanning the crowd.

 

“It is said that if the flower essence is stored in gold, its poison is maintained for a long time.”

 

“Gold?”

 

“Yes. I heard that in Mulkybell, it was nicknamed ‘royal poison’ because of its very strict storage method.”

 

The room fell silent as Dorothea met Lahas’ eyes with a natural expression.

 

With its tricky handling and many poisons, the lack of research on the poison flower in Ubera made information difficult to come by. 

 

But luckily, Ubera had a great naturalist. Raymond Millanaire. He was so persistent that he consulted all kinds of agricultural and botanical books, studied them, and kept records.

 

All the notes and writings he left in the books of the imperial library were of great use in this case.

 

Thanks to that, Dorothea was able to easily obtain information from Mulkybell’s botany book.

 

The poison flower would not be used by ordinary people because it had to be stored in gold.

 

“If the poison was brought into this palace in gold, it would be difficult to detect even in the imperial palace.”

 

Dorothea’s gaze turned to Prince Luheit’s servant.

 

Then the servant abruptly averted her eyes and lowered her head.

 

“Let me tell you, Ubera’s maids are not allowed to wear gold accessories. Of course, I also noticed that the maid was not wearing any gold jewelry that day.”

 

According to the old imperial rules, servants were not allowed to carry expensive accessories or items made of precious metals.

 

“Wasn’t there a limit to the number of people who touched the table that day? Rather than wasting time by holding on to Duke Bronte like this, it would be more appropriate to investigate from the bottom up.”

 

Dorothea said shamelessly, even though she was the one who suggested Ethan be investigated first.

 

And then she raised her hand and snapped her fingers gracefully.

 

Then the conference room door behind her slowly closed.

 

“Since we’re talking about a joint investigation, I think it would be best to look into it together first.”

 

In front of the closed door stood knights with swords, guarding the place to prevent anyone from leaving.

 

For a moment, a look of confusion appeared on Mulkybell’s face.

 

“Can I look at the gold for a moment?”

 

“You want to investigate us? It’s pointless if you suspect us!”

 

“You suspected me too, so there is no reason why I should not suspect you.”

 

Ethan, who had been listening quietly, added a word.

 

“We are innocent! Besides, even if there was a criminal among us, would they have the weapon of the crime right now?”

 

“That’s why I’m trying to confirm your innocence. I think it’s better to look into it so that there won’t be any complaints later.”

 

Dorothea walked leisurely towards the table, leaving the closed door behind her.

 

Meanwhile, Ethan quietly observed people’s actions.

 

Everyone looks confused, but they don’t object. No, they can’t object.

 

Because what Dorothea said wasn’t wrong.

 

‘Besides, if you object here, you’ll only get stabbed.’

 

“But I know everyone is uncomfortable with this situation, so let’s start with Duke Bronte.”

 

As Dorothea turned to look at Ethan, Stefan and Paul approached him.

 

“Then excuse me for a moment, Duke of Bronte.”

 

The knights began to search Bronte’s body thoroughly.

 

Ethan willingly opened his arms and let them search his body.

 

Now that Ethan has laid aside his authority and allowed the knights to grope him, Mulkybell will have no choice but to follow suit.

 

* * * 

 

A moment later, a large number of gold coins were placed on the table in the conference room.

 

It belonged to all those who were there.

 

“Look, they’re just trinkets. Who would carry around something like a bottle made of gold in the first place?”

 

The items on the table were not items suitable for containing poison.

 

“I see. That’s true.”

 

Dorothea nodded with relief.

 

“Then can I take it back now?”

 

Dorothea smiled brightly when Lahas asked.

 

“Before that, there’s one more thing I heard about the poison flower.”

 

Dorothea walked past the envoys of Mulkybell.

 

And the place where she stopped was where Luheit’s servant was standing.

 

“Because the poison flower is used as a dye, it is said that if kept for a long time it will turn blue.”

 

Dorothea quietly picked up the ring that was lying on the table.

 

“Your Majesty, why is my ring….!”

 

The servant flinched and reached for it, but Stefan stopped her.

 

Dorothea glanced at the large gold ring and smiled.

 

“This is exactly the kind of mark I’m talking about.”

 

* * *