This is a conspiracy and slander against someone. It was hard to accept that the image before me was the real object that exists.
Staring intently at the paper, Alfonso began to alternate glances between the knight’s face and the drawing. Repeating this made it seem as if the drawing were changing into the knight’s face.
“Do you understand now? Then let’s continue walking.”
“No, no! I’m so aggrieved. I first met the Madam, or rather the Count, when you requested me to find the child’s parents! It was also the first time I saw the child. How could I have taken that child to a cabin?”
“That’s something you’ll discover when you confess.”
“No, it’s not true! I’m innocent, I’m innocent!”
His last cry blended with sobs. In front of an unbelievable reality, tears of despair welled up in Alfonso’s eyes.
He thought he had spent far more time in prison than the sins he had to pay for.
He even considered that he should file a lawsuit against the imperial investigation team for their excessive response.
As the release he anticipated kept getting delayed, he heard the news of the young emperor’s death. He calmed himself, thinking perhaps that all administrative actions in the capital had been thrown into chaos because of it.
After all, it’s customary for everything to be in disorder when systems change.
By the time the emperor’s funeral was appropriately conducted and everything started to settle down, he believed his case would soon be resolved, and an order for his release would be issued.
But bearing such an unjust charge! No matter how hard he tried to empower his legs, it didn’t affect the knights’ brute strength.
Realizing that resisting was futile, Alfonso bent his knees and lifted his legs to dangle between the knights, but that proved useless as well. The more he hung, the quicker the knights moved.
“And where are you taking me now…?”
Regardless of the misunderstanding or the reason, it seemed there was no way to escape from these knights and the investigation team at that moment.
With a face completely defeated, Alfonso asked pitifully, trying to evoke compassion from the knights.
But it was no use. Whatever question he posed, the knights remained silent, as if they had nothing more to say.
“My parents passed away before I fully grew up. I had younger sisters trailing behind me. I was lost and overwhelmed.”
Turning his direction to lament about his circumstances unbidden, he thought that if they lacked empathy after hearing such a pitiful tale, they must not be human.
Even though his limbs were bound, they hadn’t thought to silence his muttering mouth. As Alfonso continued to ramble, the knights’ expressions grew increasingly rigid.
But Alfonso ignored them, continuing to bemoan his fate.
“Who will take care of those little ones? As the eldest son, I must take responsibility for them. Do you know how many younger sisters I have? Four! Can you imagine how daunting it was to look after four younger sisters when I wasn’t even an adult yet?”
A long saga began. He rambled on about how difficult his adolescence was, without anyone asking.
“I’ve done it all. Have you ever been to Urentum?”
“…….”
“Urentum is called the southernmost village of our empire. It’s the farthest from the capital. Being far from the capital means being far from development, so it’s really a backward rural village.”
“…….”
“What could a minor boy who lost his parents do in that village? If I had been alone, I might have done odd jobs to earn money for myself, but with younger siblings to care for, I could hardly manage with that. I had to think harder.”
“…….”
“I ended up working for the village head, carrying spring water down from a high mountain. While any household has water, in a rural village, you naturally expect the mountains to be rugged but with good air and water. The spring at the top of such mountains fetches a price far beyond ordinary drinking water. In other words, the price reflected my struggles. I’d climb the mountain before dawn, hauling that water, and by the time I got back, the sun was already high in the sky. I’d take care of my siblings’ meals before starting on another job.”
How he could talk so much! Alfonso’s past flowed without pause, as if he had no sense of the knights walking silently without paying attention to his words.
Eventually, Alfonso lamented about how he inherited his parents’ detective agency. This seemed like the real crux of what he wanted to tell the knights.
“My grandfather started it, and now it’s a reputable agency passed down for three generations. It means I’ve inherited the family business. However, it wasn’t easy at all. The detective work requires incoming requests, right? But days passed after I opened the office without a single visitor. Perhaps due to my young age, there were no requests at all. I thought I’d be left with nothing, so I started promoting it myself.”
“What are you trying to say? I’ve heard countless self-pitying excuses from those who committed crimes and ended up in jail. Do you think we will listen to you differently? If you stay quiet, I might have to stay quiet too.”
“Ugh….”
Such a terrifying threat! Alfonso’s mouth, which seemed like it would never close, finally began to shut.
But upon reaching the interrogation room and facing a new interrogator, it burst open as if the gates of a drought-stricken dam had been released.
***
It had been a few days since Franz declared his intention to take revenge on Duke Albrecht. Despite his rage, which burned like fire, Franz had surprisingly shown no significant movement afterward.
What he had been busy with for those days was simply sneaking out for secret meetings. Stilikov did not immediately understand Franz’s intention as he sought companionship in the slums of Keleber Plaza.
It was hard to fathom that his penchant for women had suddenly re-emerged in this situation.
Although Franz was known for being instinctual and emotionally honest compared to other royals raised with strict education, it seemed unlikely that he would prioritize meetings with women above all else in such a dire situation.
The Duke of Toskur that Stilikov had observed for so long was someone who appeared debauched but could cruelly differentiate between necessity and excess when it mattered.
Now was a time when his indulgent personal life should fall into the latter category. Surely, he was aware of that. As his doubts piled up about Franz’s actions, Stilikov began to grasp the prince’s true intent.
“Who knows Karl’s private affairs better than anyone else?”
Despite noticing the curious looks from his subordinates, Franz, who had spent days quietly enjoying secret meetings with Lady Tooper, opened the discussion with a significant statement.
“Surely it must be Lord Clovis, his advisor and closest bodyguard.”
“Clovis. It makes sense since he is the one who first discusses everything with Karl. But I can’t just capture him and interrogate him about Karl’s matters.”
“Then…”
“Aside from him, he might share something with his most trusted blood relative.”
“…You mean Lady Pulcheria, Your Highness.”
Stilikov’s mind raced. Franz’s rendezvous with Lady Tooper was not merely driven by personal feelings.
The person closest to Duke Albrecht, apart from his subordinates and advisors, was his aunt, Lady Pulcheria.
It was said that Lady Pulcheria confided in her niece and lady-in-waiting, Lady Tooper, about everything.
If so, they might gather insights into Duke Albrecht’s actions and future plans through Lady Tooper.
“Do you wish to learn of Duke Albrecht’s movements through Lady Tooper?”
“Well…”
“But even if they become closer, I doubt Lady Tooper will readily share Duke Albrecht’s affairs, Your Highness.”
“She wouldn’t do so with intent.”
“Then why…”
“But without intent?”
“Excuse me?”
“Words can be oh-so-light yet heavy, sometimes popping out before one thinks and other times only emerging after thought.”
Words spoken without intent. It dawned on Stilikov what Franz’s intentions were behind frequent meetings with Lady Tooper. He seemed to be creating situations that would naturally prompt Lady Tooper to inadvertently disclose information.
“Breaking down the barriers of a woman is essentially Franz’s area of expertise.”
Stilikov lowered his head with a face that said, “Ah.”
