I took a quick look around.
I could see the Duke of Bayon, Adela, and Aiden sitting in the front.
After making eye contact with Aiden, he turned his head slightly and met Adela’s eyes.
She was looking at me with sharp, cold eyes.
I deliberately made eye contact without avoiding her gaze.
If I avoided it, I felt like my family would lose, so I couldn’t avoid it any longer.
As I was continuing my possibly meaningless snowball fight with Adela, I heard the gatekeeper’s loud voice outside.
“Here is His Majesty, Emperor Christian Winston Baltheus, the brightest sun of Baltheus. Everyone, stand up and pay your respects to His Majesty.”
When all the nobles got up and bowed, the emperor came inside.
The prince also entered following the emperor.
“Sit down.”
When the emperor told them to sit down, all the nobles sat down. “Belita Heights, the Duchess of the Heights, please come forward.” And as soon as my name was called, the interrogation began.
As soon as my name was called, a strange feeling of tension ran through my body.
I couldn’t help it.
I said I was fully prepared, but it’s the first time I’ve ever been to a place like this.
For a moment I took one last look at my father next to me.
Then Aviji looked at me and nodded briefly.
My father’s actions spoke louder to me than any other words.
I smiled slightly at my father and stood up.
Conversely, when I turned my head, I met eyes with Aiden, who was looking at me.
He was smiling at me as I had just smiled at my father.
‘I have a father and Aiden.’
I was not alone in this fight.
My father and Aiden, they were my biggest supporters.
I clenched my fists tightly to assert my will.
At the same time, the tension disappeared and the body, which had shrunk a little, stood upright.
‘Okay, let’s try it.’
I will pour everything I can into it and leave no regrets behind.
Thinking so, I walked to the center of the conference hall and stood there.
I could feel the eyes of the nobles all looking at me.
The emperor, who was sitting in the seat of honor, looked down at me and opened his mouth.
“Princess Belita Heights.”
“Yes, Your Majesty the Emperor.”
“Do you know why the princess is here?”
“Yes, because a firebomb exploded in Princess Adela Bayon’s carriage a few months ago.”
“Then you must also know that the gongnyeo is the most likely culprit in that incident.”
“Yes that’s right.”
As soon as I finished my answer, the conference hall was buzzing.
I didn’t catch all the words, but I heard some words correctly.
‘I didn’t even admit that I was the culprit, so I don’t know why they’re making a fuss.’
It was just meaningless words.
I took a long deep breath to keep my composure and then said what I really wanted to say.
“But, Your Majesty the Emperor, I am not the culprit in that incident.”
The inside of the conference hall became even more noisy than before.
“Your Majesty, Princess Belita Heights is telling lies!”
But as soon as I started to speak, I heard the Duke of Bayern’s furious voice.
“Duke of Bayern! Shut up!”
And the one who didn’t lose and cursed at the Duke of Bayern was my father.
“What, what shut up? What kind of nonsense are you talking about a pierced mouth!”
“Then you thought I would stay quiet while accusing my daughter of being a liar and a criminal?”
“They say they are liars because they lie, and they call them criminals because there is plenty of evidence!”
“I-I…!”
As the father and the Duke of Bayern raised their voices to each other and said harsh words, everyone just stared at the two without stopping.
There was only one person who could stop the two of them here.
“Be quiet!
Fortunately, just in time, the emperor shouted at the two of them.
Then the father and the Duke of Bayern stopped pointing at each other and looked up at the emperor.
“The reason I called the gongs here today is to clarify the incident clearly, not to raise their voices toward each other.”
“I apologize, Your Majesty the Emperor.”
“I apologize, Your Majesty the Emperor.”
At the emperor’s words, the father and the Duke of Bayern made faces and bowed their heads. “The Duke of Bayern.”
“Yes, Your Majesty the Emperor.”
“Why does the Duke of Bayern conclude that Princess Heitz is the culprit? Please explain why.”
“Yes, I understand, Your Majesty.”
As the Duke of Bayern answered, our eyes met.
His eyes were very scary and cold.
It was as if you were telling me it was over.
But I was never intimidated by his eyes.
So, with a fairly generous heart, I decided to listen to him for a while.
“From now on, I will tell you why Princess Heitz has no choice but to be the culprit. On the day when the firebomb exploded and the carriage overturned, as you know, there was the final of the equestrian competition that day.”
“You’re right. I remember.”
An aristocrat nodded intently at the words of the Duke of Bayon and answered.
It seemed like he intended to show off to the Duke of Bayern this time and catch his eye.
“I remember too.”
“You’re right.”
And you and I were wagging our tails at the Duke of Bayern in succession.
‘I’m trying to catch a rotten rope.’
I shook my head inwardly and examined each of their faces carefully.
“You will also know that my son, Aiden Byron, competed in the final of the equestrian event.”
Son?
I couldn’t help but laugh out loud as I listened to the word son come out of his mouth without hesitation even though he wasn’t his real son.
“That day, my daughter, Adela Byron, went out to cheer on her sister,
Aiden, at a game. But only the people in my family and Princess Belita Heights knew that we were going out.”
“Oh no!”
“I did.”
Several nobles continued to sympathize with the Duke of Bayon. “How can you conclude with just that that my daughter is the culprit! That is far-fetched!”
“Yes, it is.”
“You’re right. Can’t you prove that?”
On the other hand, other nobles were empowering his father.
But that was then.
“I have not told anyone except my family and Princess Belita Heights that I am going to the arena where the equestrian competition will be held that day.”
Suddenly, Adela rose from her seat and opened her mouth.
“I was knocked out by a firebomb on my way to the arena, and later woke up to hear that the investigation team had captured one of my family’s knights during their investigation.”
“You explain who it was.”
“Yes, Father. The man is Owen Estra. Unfortunately, I found out that he was a knight of the Heitz family before joining the Bayern family. And he died this time when the investigation team’s mansion burned down.”
“Dead?”
“So Owen Estra was also killed?”
“You mean the fire that day wasn’t an accident?”
“It is strange. Wagon accidents are also caused by fire bombs, and the mansion is also engulfed in fire.”
“It doesn’t.”
The nobles spat out one word at a time, curious about each other. “Kuhm!”
Amid those words, my father cleared his throat, expressing discomfort and displeasure.
“The Heitz family came up with this after knowing that the wagon incident would be re-examined after the demon subjugation team returned. Isn’t it?”
The Duke of Bayon asked the consent of several nobles.
“I have many doubts.”
“Yes, yes.”
“All circumstances are directed towards the Heitz family, and if this is not the case, the Heitz family will have to give a clear explanation.”
After the Duke of Bayern finished speaking, the emperor’s gaze shifted from him to me.
“Your Majesty, it is not right to accuse my family and my daughter of being criminals based solely on the circumstances!”
I heard my father shouting in an angry voice.
I turned my head to my father for a moment.
Then my father, who was about to say more to the emperor, shut his mouth for a moment and stared at me.
We exchanged glances with a slight nod of the head towards such a father.
I straightened my head again and looked up at the emperor.
“Princess Belita Heights.”
“Yes, Your Majesty the Emperor.”
When the emperor called me, the hall immediately fell silent.
Not only me, but everyone inside focused on what words would come out of the emperor’s mouth.
“The circumstances claimed by the Duke of Bayern are convincing enough. So, if the princess is not the culprit, please explain that it is not.”
“All right.”
It was time to end it all.
But I couldn’t be hasty and messed up the work.
I concentrated and calmed my mind.
And after organizing the things I was going to say in my head for a while, I opened my mouth.
“Before I prove my innocence, I have a question for everyone here.”
“Something?”
“Do you know the necklace imbued with iron power?”
“I know.”
Suddenly, I felt the Emperor look at me with a puzzled look as I talked about the necklace imbued with iron power.
“Why are you asking about that?”
“I heard that the necklace imbued with iron power can control the power of the four dukes. Is that correct?”
“Right.”
“By the way, did you know that the necklace has another power?”
My words made the conference hall more chaotic than before.
“Another power?”
“What is it?”
“What are you talking about?”
The words of nobles who knew nothing were heard here and there.
“Another power?”
And the emperor also asked me with a completely ignorant face.
“What is it?”
Unable to hold back his curiosity, the emperor pushed me forward.
“That….”
I turned my head slightly and met Aiden’s eyes first.
He gave me a look that said he was doing well and had a slight smile on his face.
Then I looked at the Duke of Bayern and Adela next to Aiden.
Contrary to the dignified and confident expressions from earlier, they were showing agitated faces.
However, as soon as our eyes met for a moment, the two returned to their polite, nonchalant expressions.
Deciding to distort that face, I opened my mouth.
“It is the power to control the mind and body of a person.”
“The power to control people’s bodies and minds?”
“You mean there really is such a thing?”
“I can’t believe it.”
In the middle of the buzz here and there, the emperor spoke to me.
“The power to control people’s bodies and minds is unheard of.”
“I didn’t believe it either until I saw it in person.”
“You mean you actually saw the necklace?”
“Yes, yes, Your Majesty.”
“I am framed!”
At that time, the Duke of Bayern’s furious voice was heard.
“Your Majesty, Princess Heitz is tarnishing the honor of our family with strange nonsense.”
“It’s not bullshit.”
I immediately refuted the Duke of Bayern’s words and spoke with a lot of strength in my voice.
“I have a witness.”
“Witness?”
“Yes, I am the witness who will testify that it was not me who endangered Princess Adela Bayon by placing fire bombs in the carriage.”
“Witness?”
“Yes, along with him, it is evidence and a witness to expose the lowly conduct of the Bayern family, who have been manipulating people with iron-powered necklaces since long ago.”
As soon as I finished my words, the Duke of Bayon approached me.
“Your majesty! Everything Princess Heitz said is a lie. No such necklace exists. So there will be no witnesses.”
Instead, he made me a liar.
“Duke of Bayern! My daughter never lies. If it’s a lie, the duke is doing it right now. And what are you so afraid of denying without seeing a witness? Your Majesty, you said you would give my daughter a chance to explain, so please bring a witness here.”
I exchanged glances with my father in a very short time.
My father’s eyes were full of trust in me.
“Your Majesty, as your father said, please allow the witness to enter here.”
“Your Majesty, no. There is no need to waste time when it is clear that it is a false witness.”
The emperor seemed to be struggling with each other’s argument for a while.
However, the emperor would also have doubts about whether the necklace really existed.
Therefore, it was obvious what choice the emperor would make.
“Call for a witness.”
As expected, words of permission fell from the emperor.
“I’m sorry, Your Majesty the Emperor.”
I bowed my head and thanked the emperor.
After a while, the hall door opened and William came inside.
And beside him was Owen Est.
The moment Owen Est entered, the expression of the Duke of
Bayon and Adela could be seen to be stained with astonishment.
Adela, in particular, had lost her blood and her face was white.
Owen Est knelt beside me, bound.
“Who is this?”
“This is the man who put Owen Estre in prison to investigate the wagon case.”
“Are you the one who was imprisoned? Didn’t he say he died in a fire?”
“You’re right. But he didn’t die, he was alive like this.”
“How did that happen…. Do you mean the dead have come back to life?”
“It is not. I will explain what happened from the beginning, Your Majesty.”
The emperor nodded.
“First of all, you should know that the power of your duchy is relative. That is why fire can melt iron and neutralize the power of iron.”
I explained what I had researched in addition to what my father had told me.
“When the investigative team investigated the wagon case, they learned about Owen Est and arrested and interrogated him. At first, Owen Est just kept repeating that he knew nothing about the case.” I calmly put the memories that came into my head into words.
“At the moment of pressing and interrogating him for a long time, Owen Est tried to say something, but he suddenly choked and collapsed, clutching his neck. Then I went up to him and when I put my hand on his neck, like a lie, his pain disappeared.”
“You mean he fell down while holding on to his neck?”
“Yes, yes, Your Majesty the Emperor. And I noticed that he was wearing a necklace made of iron. Just like now.”
I pointed to the neck of Owen Est, who was kneeling on the floor, pretending to raise his head.
“You mean this is a necklace with the power of iron?”
“Yes, but at the time I wasn’t sure if this necklace had that kind of power. And when I was about to investigate further, I joined the monster subjugation team and stopped the investigation.”
“Then how did the princess get Owen Est out of prison? I’m sure the mansion was burned down the day before the subjugation party arrived.”
“You’re right. Before I arrived in the capital, the mansion was already engulfed in fire and many people died.”
As I said this, I glanced at the Duke of Bayern and Adela.
It was so disgusting for them to belittle the lives of countless people for their own ends.
“Even in the north, I kept an eye on Owen Est. I attached some family knights and thanks to that, they were able to rescue Owen Est when the mansion caught fire.”
This was a lie.
It was Aiden who saved Owen Est, not me.
I put a watch on the knights too, but as soon as they were put on, they completely forgot about Owen Est and got out of there.
Instead, Aiden ordered his men to infiltrate there and rescue Owen Est.
The day I returned to the capital, I carefully recalled the memories of the day I went to the investigation team’s mansion.
While I was disappointed that I couldn’t find any trace of Owen Est in the prison, I heard someone from behind.
Just in case, I was on high alert and turned around to see Aiden standing in front of me unexpectedly.
“Aiden?”
I called him with a surprised expression.
“How is this….”
“I was waiting because I thought Belita would come when I heard that Owen Est was dead.”
“Ah…. Did you hear Aiden? They say Owen Est is dead. The mansion caught on fire and he died because he couldn’t get out. Why do I feel like all of this was not an accident, but something someone did to cover up the truth?”
“I think so too.”
Aiden also had the same thoughts as me.
“Under…Many people who guarded this place died. How can you be so cruel….”
I shook my head at their cruelty.
“I should have paid more attention, but that was my mistake.”
“I have a place to go with you.”
“Yes? Where?”
“Let’s go. I will explain after we arrive.”
“Ah yes. Is it so.”
I had no worries that Aiden would take me to strange places.
So I immediately followed him.
After riding a horse for about an hour, we arrived at a mansion in the eastern part of the capital.
“Where is this?”
I asked Aiden as I got off my horse.
“This way.”
Aiden was always good at answering my questions, but today I followed him, thinking it was strange.
As I rode past it, I felt it, but this mansion was nestled deep in the outskirts of the capital.
It was in such a remote place that it would be hard to come by unless you made up your mind to come.
We quietly entered the mansion, went through the hall to the second floor, and stood in front of a door.
When I was about to ask him something, for some reason I didn’t think he would give me an answer like before, so I just kept my mouth shut.
I waited a little patiently, because if I opened this door anyway, I would soon know what was there.
Aiden knocked on the door.
“Come on in.”
Then a man’s voice came from inside the room.
When I turned the doorknob and went inside, a man was standing in the room.
The room was very dark.
Only the moonlight shone through, so that only the silhouette could be seen.
Then, suddenly, at some point, the moonlight filled the room, and the man’s face was clearly revealed.
The man was Owen Est, who he thought was dead.
I stared at Owen Est for a while with my mouth open, speechless when I saw an unexpected person in front of me.
Then, after barely coming to his senses, he looked at Aiden and opened his mouth. “The author….”
“Yes, this is Owen Est.”
“How is the author here?”
I asked Aiden for an explanation.
“I’ll explain, so sit here.”
Aiden led me to the sofa and we sat side by side on the sofa.
“Kyungdo, come over here and sit down.”
“All right.”
At Aiden’s command, Owen Est sat across from us.
I took a close look at Owen Est.
But no matter how many times I look at it, the man was Owen Est.
“I’m sorry for bringing you here without a word.”
“No. Are you okay. Rather, I wonder how Lee got here.”
“Confucius saved me.”
To my words, Owen Est answered.
“I also kept a close eye on the mansion of the investigation team. In the meantime, when the mansion caught fire, my men went inside the prison and escaped with the barely conscious Sir.” “But they said there were burnt bodies in the prison.”
“You’re right. But that corpse is not Sir Owen Est.”
“Then who is it?”
“When my subordinate arrived at the mansion, he was one of the knights who were already dead. It was disguised so that everyone would think that Sir Owen Est was dead.”
“Ah, now I understand.”
I nodded and admired Aiden’s wisdom.
“Thank you, Aiden.”
Aiden gave me a warm smile.
If it hadn’t been for him, Owen Est would have surely perished in the flames.
It was highly likely that the witnesses who would prove my innocence would disappear and the task would be very difficult.
But thanks to Aiden, Owen Est was alive and breathing in front of me like this.
I looked away from Aiden and looked at Owen Est without a word.
I looked at him and saw that he flinched slightly.
“I-I….”
Perhaps feeling a sense of crisis, Owen Est spoke first.
“I once asked you this question.”
But I cut him off and started talking to myself.
“To explain in detail the circumstances of the day of the carriage accident.”
“…Yes, I remember.”
“Then I will ask you again. What happened on the day of the accident? Remember, now you only have one chance.”
“That, that….”
Even after I said this, Owen Est was hesitant about something.
He wanted to reveal everything, but he couldn’t, so he had a distressed look on his face.
‘I’ll have to start talking about the necklace.’
Owen Est seemed unaware that the power of the necklace he was wearing had been neutralized.
So I decided to talk about the necklace first and then opened my mouth again.
“That necklace you are wearing….”
“This, this necklace…!”
“Then you did that to me. It’s just a necklace you wear. But I know what that necklace is.”
“Yes? You mean you know?”
“Yes. I also know that the necklace controls your body and mind.”
“Uh, how….”
Owen Este looked at Aiden, startled.
“Go, did Confucius say that?”
“You don’t need to know about that.”
I blocked Owen Est’s curiosity and returned his gaze to mine.
“Have you ever felt a sore throat after collapsing during an interrogation?”
At my words, Owen Est thought for a moment, then his eyes widened as if he had suddenly realized something.
“I-I see….”
“Because I disabled the necklace.”
“Did the princess really neutralize the power of this necklace?”
“Yes. Take off that necklace right now.”
Owen Est put his hand on the necklace with a half-doubt at my words.
He slowly unlinked the necklace and saw the surprise spread across his face.
“Really…It really worked.”
Owen Est put the necklace on the table.
“This is really…how….”
Tears welled up in Owen Est’s eyes, perhaps as if he had been released from the shackles that imprisoned him.
Aiden and I watched the process silently.
“I mean…Am I really free now? Will I not die no matter what I say?”
His words were rapid-fire, perhaps because he was excited by the joy of finding freedom.
I silently nodded my head without saying anything.
“Thank you. Thank you How should I repay this favor…. No I will tell you everything. I will tell you and the princess everything I know.”
After saying that, Owen Est started talking about what had happened on the day of the carriage accident.
“I was training one day when Lady Adela called me. I had escorted
her a few times, but this was the first time I had a private conversation with her.”
Aiden and I just listened to him without saying anything.
“So I went to visit the lady, and she put this necklace on me without any hesitation. Then he threatened me with death if I didn’t listen to you.”
As Owen Est told the story of how Adela had given him the necklace, he frowned for a moment before catching his breath.
“Then he ordered me to plant a bomb on the carriage on the day of the equestrian final.”
“You said to plant a bomb?”
“Yes, I will give a signal on the bridge, so I told them to install it then.”
I remembered what the coachman had said when I interrogated him.
Adela suddenly screamed that she had seen something, and three of the knights guarding her side left Adela to find out what it was.
And only Owen Estman remained by Adela’s side.
“That’s why the lady screamed that she saw something ugly, and when the rest of the knights were away, I planted a bomb near the wheel of the wagon.”
“And the bomb exploded shortly thereafter?”
“Yes, that’s right. And after the bomb exploded, the young lady passed out, and I left the duchy for a while as promised.”
“You left for a while?”
“Yes, Lady Adela told me to hide for a while, as she will call soon.” Perhaps Adela, like me, was thinking of taking Owen Est as a witness.
“Did you get caught by the investigation team unexpectedly?”
“Yes, it is. And what happened after that is just as you know.”
After exchanging glances with Aiden for a moment, I looked at Owen Est and opened my mouth again.
“Can you testify to all these later?”
“You mean the testimony?”
“Yes, as you know, the Princess and the Duke of Bayern are accusing me of being the criminal. That is why I must prove that I am not the culprit.”
“But if so, tell me about this necklace….”
“Of course you should.”
Then Owen Est turned his eyes to Aiden.
“But why did Confucius….”
Owen Est’s eyes were full of wonder.
“It’s not something you need to know. You only have to answer whether you will help me.”
“That’s right, he’s the one who saved me, so I think I should act like a human being.”
“Okay? Then, first of all, everyone but us knows you’re dead, so hide here.”
“All right. However….”
Owen Est looked at me hesitantly.
“Why?”
“…Was it Lady Adela who started the fire in the prison where I was imprisoned? To kill me?”
“I’m not sure. But the culprit is probably someone who wants you gone right now.”
“…okay.”
A look of despair showed on his face.
“I just did as the lady told me….”
And then, quite shocked, he kept muttering the same thing.
Now I’ve heard everything I want to hear from Owen Est.
I left the room with Aiden and Owen Est.
“I was really surprised. Knowing that he really died, I thought what to do…. But is it okay for Owen Est to be here? If the Duke of Bayern finds out….”
“It’s okay. This place belongs to someone I helped in the past, so the Duke of Bayern won’t be able to find it.”
“Then I’m glad. Thanks again, Aiden.”
“No. I just did what I had to do.”
We stopped for a moment and looked at each other and smiled.
Ya quiero ver el castigo para los Bayern ☺️!!!!