“Yes that’s right.”
“Are you seriously hurt? Are you okay now?”
The emperor inquired about Adela’s condition in a worried tone.
“I’m still not awake, perhaps because of the shock.”
“Well, what should I do? If you need a doctor, I will send you a courtesy.”
“Thank you for your words, Your Majesty. However, what I am going to tell you is not about treatment.”
The Duke of Bayern looked around at the emperor and the surrounding nobles.
In particular, his gaze lingered on the Duke of Heights for quite some time.
“Your Majesty, this accident is not just an accident.”
The Duke of Bayern said what he really wanted to say.
“What do you mean it’s not just an accident?”
“The carriage accident my daughter was riding in was caused by a fire bomb.”
The Duke of Bayern said, emphasizing the word firebomb.
Most of those in the conference room glanced at the Duke of Heights pretending not to be him.
“Kuhm!”
Duke Heitz cleared his throat, not hiding a displeased, displeased look on his face.
The emperor looked at the Duke of Heitz once more and then turned his head back to the Duke of Bayern.
“A fire bomb, please tell me in detail.”
“A firebomb planted in the wagon in which my girl was riding exploded and she was tossed out of the wagon. Someone must have planted a firebomb targeting my daughter-in-law.”
The Duke of Bayern tried to calm himself down and continued speaking while remaining calm.
“Who the hell is targeting Princess Bayon?”
“Your Majesty the Emperor.”
Suddenly, the Duke of Bayern stepped forward and knelt down.
Then, in a desperate voice, he began to plead with the emperor.
our Majesty, I want to capture the culprit in this incident with my
own hands. Please allow me to take on this case in the Bayern family.”
“But it is the law that cases in the capital are handled by the Metropolitan Police Department.”
“My daughter almost died. But as a father, how can you just watch? Your Majesty, please leave the case to the Bayern family. We will definitely catch the culprit.”
The emperor looked at the nobles with a puzzled expression.
“What do you think of the balls? Please speak frankly.”
The emperor said not to notice, but who among the nobles here dared to speak without hesitation?
In the empire, those who were more revered than the emperor were the three ducal families, so everyone kept their mouths shut.
“Your Majesty, may I say something?”
“Duke of Heights, tell me.”
“In this carriage incident, the Princess of Bayon was put in danger, but it’s clear that the intention is to frame the Heitz family by using fire bombs. That’s why I can’t just leave my hands like this. So in this case, I would like to join Heitz in pursuing the culprit as well.”
“Duke Heitz, what are you talking about? This case will be handled by our bayon family.”
The Duke of Bayern, who usually doesn’t get excited, raised his voice.
“If the two families join forces, wouldn’t it be possible to find the culprit sooner?”
“Absolutely not.”
“Then I also cannot agree to the exclusive investigation by the Bayern family.”
The Duke of Heights and the Duke of Byron engaged in a war of nerves as if growling, glaring at each other.
“I also want to say something.”
Then Kane asked to speak.
The two dukes, who were staring at each other fiercely, simultaneously looked at Kane with all sorts of swear words.
Kane was a public enemy who broke the hearts of their daughters.
“Duke Maxius, tell me.”
“I wonder what it would be like if the three ducal families jointly supervised the investigation in this case.”
“You mean the Duke of Maxius?”
“Yes, because I also want to catch the culprit more than anyone else.”
Kane expressed his opinion in a calm voice.
“Three families….”
“Your Majesty, that is so unfair. What is clear in this case is that my daughter was injured. Other than that, it’s just speculation. And why did the Duke of Maxius, who had nothing to do with this case, intervene? Please reconsider.”
The Duke of Bayern was already convinced that Belita was the culprit.
So, if the Heitsuga intervened in the investigation, it was clear that they would do anything to get Belita out of the way.
That’s why I could never leave the current action.
our Majesty, the Heitz family is innocent. However, the Duke of Bayern is blindly assuming that the Heitz family is the culprit in the absence of any proper evidence or circumstances.”
“What are you talking about, Duke Heitz?”
“I have already heard what the duke said to my daughter.”
“Ha ha! I do it because I am suspicious. Do you think I do this without proof!”
“What is the proof! Is the use of fire bombs proof!”
“There is more than that!”
“If so, it would be completely useless evidence. Big!”
“Stop it.”
The emperor, who usually does not intervene, could not stand it any longer and cut off the conversation between the two.
The meeting hall suddenly became quiet.
The emperor looked at the three dukes in turn with a worried expression on his face, then opened his mouth.
“What do the other balls think?”
Again, the nobles began to notice the three dukes.
Then, I realized that Maxius and Heitz had similar opinions, and Bayern had a different opinion, so it was a 2-1 match.
No matter how long the Duke of Bayon flew, it was hard to avoid being outnumbered.
“I think that if we go beyond the empire and come from the three best families on the continent, we will catch the culprit as soon as possible.”
“So is my opinion.”
“I am of the same opinion.”
So, except for the three dukes, other nobles scrambled to voice their approval of Kane’s opinion.
“Your majesty!”
The Duke of Bayern held back his anger with an expression that he would never admit, and called out to the emperor.
However, the emperor, who had already made his decision, raised his hand and stopped the Duke of Bayern from speaking further.
“The final agenda will be decided by the three dukes to establish a carriage bomb investigation team together.”
When the emperor ignored his opinion, the Duke of Bayern’s face contorted terribly.
“Thank you, Your Majesty.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty.”
“Then there must be a leader for the investigation team, so who would you like to recommend?”
“Your Majesty, how about selecting one from each of the three ducal families?”
The Marquis of Estira, who was next in power after the three dukes, gave his opinion.
“Oh, Marquis of Estira, that’s a good idea. What do you think of the Marquis’ opinion?”
“I think that is a good opinion.”
“I think so too.”
While the three dukes were silent, the other nobles agreed.
Then the emperor looked at the three dukes and asked them.
“What do you think of the balls?”
“Your Majesty, I also think that is a good opinion. It would also be unfair for one of the three families to lead the investigation team.”
By joining the investigation team in this case, the Duke of Heights achieved his goal.
So he replied with a very satisfied smile.
“How about Duke Maxius?”
“I am of the same opinion as Duke Heitz.”
“Okay. Then, how about the Duke of Bayern?”
“…I will follow your decision.”
The Duke of Bayern barely swallowed his anger and answered with gritted teeth.
The Duke of Heights secretly spilled arsenic while watching him.
“Good. If that’s the case, the leader of the investigation team will decide to hire one person each from the Duke’s family. Then today’s meeting will end here.”
At the end of the meeting, the nobles all bowed their heads toward the emperor.
After skimming through the nobles, the emperor rose from the seat of honor.
Then, I went back the way I had come and left the meeting room.
When the door to the meeting room closed, the atmosphere instantly froze.
The Duke of Haight and the Duke of Byron were staring at each other with their heads stiff and exuding a bloody energy.
“Duke of Heitz, you will definitely regret it.”
“Regret, what do you mean? I just want to find the culprit with everyone.”
“It’s not even funny that the culprit is looking for the culprit.”
After snorting at the words of the Duke of Heights, the Duke of Bayern quickly left the conference room.
“I, I, the author! What the hell are you talking about!”
The Duke of Heights spat out his anger as he pointed at the door the Duke of Byron had left.
“Duke of Heights.”
Behind him, Kane called out to Duke Heitz in a calm voice.
The Duke of Heights turned around and looked at Kane disapprovingly.
“What is Duke Maxius doing to intervene?”
“Because I also believe that the culprit of this incident must be caught.”
Duke Heitz’s eyes, which had been straining his eyes, opened slightly.
“I expected that the Duke of Bayern would accuse Princess Heitz of being the culprit. That’s why I can’t stand by and watch Princess Heitz be treated like that.”
“Thank you for saying that. I believe that Duke Maxius also knows that Belita is not such a child.”
“You’re right. Princess Heitz would never be like that.”
“Then let’s do well together this time.”
The Duke of Heights held out his hand to Kane.
“Yes, I would like to thank you too.”
Kane, who doesn’t usually smile, even smiled and held the Duke of Heights’ hand, wondering what made him feel so good.
* * *
After my father went to a meeting, he gave me unexpected news.
It was news that an investigation team had been launched to catch the culprit of the wagon incident.
And that, at my father’s recommendation, I became one of the leaders of the investigation team as the representative of the Heitz family.
I tried to set aside some time to investigate the case, but somehow I ended up in an official organization.
Come to think of it, it wasn’t bad.
I thought it was a pretty good start and made sure to find the culprit.
Two days later, the first meeting of the investigation team was scheduled.
The investigation team consisted of 15 people, including the three leaders of each duchy.
I had just arrived at the venue for the first meeting, thinking a lot about what to do next.
The meeting place was a small mansion owned by the imperial family near the imperial palace.
It was a neutral zone set up so that members of the investigation team could come and go freely.
The carriage stopped in front of the mansion.
Preparing to get off, I was waiting for Lian to open the door.
Smart-.
A knock was heard and the door opened.
Thinking it was Lian, I smiled and looked at the other person, but there was an unexpected person standing there who wasn’t Lian.
“Aiden?”
He closed his eyes and held out his hand politely to me.
I grabbed his hand.
As always, his hands were very large and hard.
“Did Aiden be chosen as the representative of the Bayern family?”
“That’s right.”
“Aha.”
As soon as I saw him, it was immediately clear that Aiden had come here.
A few days ago he had come alone late at night to inspect the wagon.
I could see his strong will to catch the criminal who hurt his dear sister with his own hands.
Before he could get off the carriage and let go of his hand, another carriage arrived behind him.
I frowned when I saw the family mark on the carriage.
‘A blue colored dragon.’
It was a sign representing the Maxius family.
Then, a man who did not deviate from my expectations got off the carriage.
“…Princess Heitz.”
He was calling me, but Kane’s gaze was not on my face, but a little lower.
I followed his gaze and lowered my head a little, realizing that I was still holding hands with Aiden.
“Duke Mexias.”
I greeted Kane with a shy expression on my face, deliberately not letting go of Aiden’s hand.
However, I don’t know if he understood my intentions, but Aiden also didn’t let go of my hand as he greeted Kane.
“Duke Maxius, congratulations on winning the equestrian competition.”
The equestrian competition eventually went back to Kane’s victory.
It was too bad.
It was close, but Aiden was a little ahead anyway.
Even if Aiden didn’t collapse with the finals just around the corner, he would have won!
“Thank you, Prince Baian. But it was a very disappointing game. Is your body okay now? Shouldn’t we get some more rest?”
Kane’s words sounded as if he meant that you should get out of here for a bit.
“It’s okay. My health hasn’t fully recovered yet, but it’s not to the point where I can’t move.”
Come to think of it, Aiden’s complexion was still not good.
“Are you okay? Wouldn’t it be better to take a break?” I questioned his condition with a worried face.
“It’s okay, Belita. You seem to be worrying for nothing.”
“It’s nothing to worry about.”
I tried to wave my hand, saying don’t think so, but Aiden’s hand came up.
We were still holding hands.
And Kane looked at it with his characteristic cold expression.
“Looks like you two have gotten pretty close.”
Kane’s voice was low.
“If you saw the meeting yesterday, I wonder if the two of you can really get along like that.”
I know.
That the relationship between his father and the Duke of Bayern was not good.
It was obvious how much the two of them growled at yesterday’s meeting.
But I didn’t want to see Kane wielding it as a weapon to ensnare me.
So I laughed and told him.
“Looking at it now, the Duke is a pretty old-fashioned person.”
“What does it mean?”
Kane’s expression crumpled mercilessly.
“No matter how duke you are, I thought you were a bit open-minded since you’re the same age as us, but I guess I was wrong.”
“….”
Kane looked straight at me without answering.
I continued to speak while straightening my shoulders more confidently in his gaze.
“Even if the parents don’t get along well, it has to end with the parents’ generation. If our generation continues to hold that grudge, how can we lead and prosper this empire together?”
After I finished my words, Aiden lightly tightened the hand he was holding.
That action made me feel that he felt the same way as me.
“When I become the head of the Heitz family, I will let go of all the old feelings that have entangled me up to this point. And we will open a new era with the heads of the two families. However, it’s just very unfortunate that Duke Maxius seems to have a different opinion from me.”
The two men didn’t say anything until I finished.
“Come in. I will be late for the meeting.”
I left behind Kane, who was standing still, and pulled Aiden by the hand and entered the mansion.
Then, I finally let go of the hand I had held in front of the conference hall and told him.
“Aiden knows everything but always watches me quietly. I didn’t want to involve Aiden in this way every time I worked with the Duke, and I’m sorry.”
I smiled bitterly and sincerely apologized to him.
“I am okay. If I am useful to Belita in any way, I will always be happy to help.”
“Then I guess I’m too selfish.”
“It is not selfish at all. I’m doing it because I like it, so don’t worry about it.”
“Do you like it?”
“Yes, it is.”
It’s not that he likes me, but the words stuck in his heart.
“Still-.”
I was about to say more to him, but Kane was moving closer.
I stopped talking, motioned for Aiden to enter, and entered the meeting room.
Inside were 12 knights from the Metropolitan Police Department.
As we entered, they quickly rose from their seats and bowed to us.
“Everyone, raise your head and take your seat.”
At my words, the knights took their seats again.
Me, Aiden, and Kane sat side by side at the top of the table.
Duke Kane sat in the middle, and Aiden and I were on either side.
And we started to have a meeting about what kind of investigation to do and how to find the culprit.
* * *
The next day, as agreed at the meeting, we decided to first investigate the carriage that had been in an accident.
Then he interrogated the coachman who pulled the carriage.
I had to ask the victim, Adela, about the situation at that time, but Adela was still not waking up.
Aiden said that he did not suffer any major trauma, but his original body was weak, so it seemed that his recovery was slow.
Anyway, we decided to do what we had to do to find the culprit of the carriage incident, step by step.
So now the investigation team, including Aiden and Kane, was at the place where the carriage accident had occurred.
“The power of the fire bomb doesn’t seem to be that great considering that the rear wheel of the wagon is only half blown off.” “I guess so.”
Aiden nodded at my words.
“Yes, it must be a bomb the size of a fist at most.”
I took a closer look at the carriage while telling the two what I knew.
When I came that night, I was worried that there might be traces that could accuse me of being a criminal, so I only looked carefully.
Most of all, I was able to take a closer look at the carriage for the first time today because I only relied on a small light on a dark night without any moonlight.
“Certainly, it’s not a threat to Princess Bayon’s life.”
I agreed with Kane’s words.
After that, we thoroughly explored the wagon and the area where the accident occurred for quite some time.
But it didn’t do much.
I suddenly realized that it was not so easy to find conclusive evidence at the scene of a crime, as seen in novels.
“I’ll look around a bit more and go back.”
“I will.”
“All right.”
The two men responded quickly, like obedient children.
In the end, we returned to the meeting room of the small mansion used by the investigative team without finding any evidence to catch the culprit.
“Where is the coachman?”
Upon returning, Kane immediately asked the driver who was supposed to bring the coachman.
“The Bayern family’s coachman took them to the interrogation room.”
“I get it.”
“What should I do? Who goes to the interrogation room?”
“It would be nice to go together. I can’t believe it because if only one of the three of us goes, that person could falsify the testimony.” What Kane said was half right and half wrong.
To me now, Aiden was someone I could trust, but Kane wasn’t.
So, if Aiden went, I would have gladly told him to go alone, but if Kane went, I could never have him interrogate alone.
“Great. Let’s go together.”
That’s how we went down to the interrogation room together, just as we went to inspect the carriage.
When I went down to the interrogation room, the coachman was hunched over in the corner, shaking all over.
“Bring the coachman over here.”
“Yes, I understand.”
The two knights who were watching the coachman made him kneel on the ground.
At first glance, I saw the driver’s face, and his expression was full of fear and fear.
“Raise your head.”
Kane ordered the coachman.
The coachman forcibly raised his inaudible head, trembling like an aspen tree.
The driver’s pupils were shaking violently, and it was clear how anxious he was now.
“Are you the driver of the Bayern family who pulled the carriage on the day of the incident?”
“…yes yes. No, that’s right….”
The coachman’s gaze turned to Aiden.
“Do, Bocchan. Me, I didn’t do anything wrong. I-I just drove the wagon under the order of Deacon Ji.”
The driver insisted on his innocence in a trembling voice.
“Were there any other unusual things about the carriage before leaving the mansion with Princess Byun?”
Ignoring the coachman’s words, Kane asked.
“Oh, no. Oh, it was the same as any other day.”
“So you’re saying you didn’t even see a bomb planted in the wagon?”
“Me, our coachmen, check the wagon before pulling it. Ma, make sure that the wagon is clean, where it is, and that there are no broken places.”
“Hmm.”
“It is to serve people of high rank, but that is how it should be. Do, Bitch. I-I really didn’t do anything. There really was nothing in the wagon.”
With an unfair face, the coachman continued to appeal to Aiden.
After hearing the coachman’s words, my head tilted.
“It’s kind of strange.”
I looked at the two men and opened my mouth.
“What do you mean, princess?”
“Obviously the bomb should have been planted before leaving the mansion. If this driver’s words were true, then when he checked the wagon, he should have found a bomb planted there. But I don’t understand why you couldn’t find anything.”
“I thought so too.”
Kane nodded in agreement with me.
“Then the bomb was not planted at the mansion, but after that….”
There was no way that the knights following right next to him couldn’t see it.
“Aiden, how many knights usually follow Adela when she leaves the mansion?”
“At least four people go together.”
“I must have moved with the knights that day, but where the hell did the bomb come from? Is this coachman lying?”
At my questioning the coachman, he started banging his head on the floor.
“I-I never lied. Please trust me Please, I didn’t see the bomb, really!”
Judging from the coachman’s expression, tone of voice, and behavior, he did not seem to be lying.
He really didn’t know about bombs.
But then the coachman hurriedly opened his mouth to us with a face as if he had remembered something.
“Ah- that day, while I was on my way, Lady Adela screamed that she had seen something through the window. So, three of the knights left their seats for a while.”
“What? What does that mean? Please tell me more.”
As new information suddenly popped up, I focused on the coachman’s words.
“That, that’s why…Joe was crossing a bridge a short distance from where the bomb exploded. As we were pulling the carriage, did not Lady Adela suddenly scream, go? Then he told me to stop the carriage and said that there was something terrible looking at the lady through the window. So the lady asked me to come and see what it was.”
Maybe because we started to pay attention to his story, the coachman stopped stuttering at some point.
It seemed that he had made his own judgment that he had escaped the line of suspicion.
Then he continued talking as if he were telling a very interesting story.
“So, only one of the knights remained, and the others ran in the direction indicated by the lady. And after a while, I heard that the knights came back and reported to the lady that there was nothing.”
“Did you find anything?”
I asked as I looked at the coachman with suspicion.
“Yes yes. Boo, you must have said so.”
Then the coachman must have been nervous, so he stuttered again.
The coachman was, at first glance, a very timid man who could not bear the pressure at all.
‘Does such a person commit a crime?’
I couldn’t imagine it at all.
Of course, this appearance could have been a high level of acting.
However, the possibility that he was acting seemed remarkably low.
Still, it was still too early to completely exclude him from the list of suspects, as he was the prime suspect who could plant the bomb.
So I immediately asked a question to find out more.
“What happened next? What did Princess Bayen say when she said she couldn’t find it?”
“Ah, Lady Adela said in a trembling voice that she really couldn’t find it, and that it was so ugly that it still stuck in her head. Ha, but since it was late, he said let’s go and started again.”
“And the bomb exploded shortly thereafter?”
“Yes, yes. You’re right.”
The coachman gave a big nod and replied.
I heard everything the coachman said.
After ordering the driver to take the driver, we started a conversation based on the information the driver had given.
“What do you two think?”
I was curious about the opinions of the two men, so I opened my mouth first.
“First of all, we need to find the knight who stayed by the side of Princess Bayon.”
“I am of the same opinion.”
I agreed with Kane and looked at Aiden next to me.
“Aiden, can I entrust that article to Aiden?”
“Yes, I will find it.”
“Is Adela still there?”
“…yes.”
“Ha, you should wake up soon.”
I sighed in pity and worry when Adela woke up and had to listen to her words, but there was no sign of waking up at all.
“It’s late today, so let’s finish this and meet again tomorrow.”
“So be it.”
“All right.”
That’s how we safely finished our first day in the investigation team.
When the three of us got together, it seemed that there would only be things that would go against dissonance, but it seemed like we could get along well in the future.
Of course, it might be a hasty judgment since it was the first day.
When I got up and went out of the mansion, there was a carriage standing there.
After saying hello to the two men, I was about to get into the carriage when Aiden came up to me.
“I will take you.”
“Uh, um…Yes, I like it.”
I was about to say no, but when I saw Kane staring at us, I smiled and nodded my head okay.
Kane’s face hardened.
Looking at that expression, it was clear that he hadn’t given up on me yet.
‘Boring.’
I was frustrated as to how long I would have to do this.
Even if Kane didn’t talk crap about liking me or starting over, I wouldn’t treat him this coldly.
I couldn’t get used to the act of forcibly hurting others no matter how many times I did it.
‘No, how nice it would be if I lived a little more rationally.’
Thinking about what happened today, there were times when I agreed with what Kane said, and it was pretty good.
Frustrating, frustrating
But I never intended to give him any space.
And I won’t give up first before he gives up first.
“Belita.”
“Ah yes.”
Aiden reached out to me and called out to me.
I naturally grabbed his now-used hand and got on the carriage.
Aiden climbed behind me and the carriage started.
Mary didn’t come with me today either.
Thinking that the work would not be over soon, I told him not to follow me and to rest.
So it was just me and Aiden in the carriage.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen Aiden riding in a carriage.”
“I’m more comfortable with horses than carriages.”
“Then you ride a horse when you go back and forth outside the capital?”
“You’re right.”
“By the way, what are you doing in the countryside? The Bayern family does a lot of business outside the capital.”
“I do several things. Manage the family estate and….”
“Are you looking for a circus troupe?”
I consciously made eye contact with him as we brought up our secrets.
“Yes, it is.”
“For those who are still looking…Didn’t you find it?”
I asked him with a cautious expression.
“Yes, I couldn’t find it.”
“If I was wondering who you are looking for, would you teach me?”
“…sorry.”
“Is it still a secret?”
“….”
It wasn’t disappointing.
But I couldn’t help but worry.
So, if there was anything I could do, I wanted to help him, so I asked.
But he still kept his secret.
“Are you okay. Everyone has a secret. But if you find him later, can you tell him you found him?”
“…I will.”
“Great. Then you can.”
“But….”
“Yes?”
Ahora las sospechosa es Adela🤔