“Angie, are you serious? You said you’d wait for me...”
The tone of voice became a little more trembling with emotion. Kai's cold, firm, and beautiful appearance was slowly returning to the Kai Angie knew three years ago.
He stood up and took a step toward Angie. Time seemed to have stopped flowing slowly. It was when their wet gazes pierced the air and became one. A dull pain surged through Kyle’s excited heart. It was a familiar yet painful pain that was new every time.
“An...”
“Kyle!”
Angie jumped up in surprise. Her body was moving first. She sat down next to the Duke, who was clutching his chest as if he was having a heart attack.
It was neither a trick nor a pretense. Cold sweat broke out on his forehead, and faint convulsions occurred on his rock-hard body. He gritted his teeth and endured the pain, his lips turning blue.
“Kyle, what’s wrong? Are you...”
Angie thought of the seizures and madness that Michael had mentioned before, that Edward had suffered from while he was alive. But hadn't Kyle recovered completely while he was on the island? She didn't know anything about Remedy at the time, but she heard he had recovered to the point where he could live without Remedy's blood anymore. It actually seemed that way.
“Is this a recurrence of your previous symptoms?”
"No."
Kyle firmly denied, covering his mouth with one hand. His shoulders shook as if he was trying to stifle a cough. He removed his hand from his mouth and sat up.
“It’s nothing. I suddenly felt depressed, but I’m fine now.”
It was then that a thunderous noise was heard outside the window. The sound of people trying to force their way in and the screams of those trying to stop the uninvited guests all mixed together, and in an instant, a commotion broke out.
“What’s going on outside...”
Angie tried to get up from her seat, but Kyle motioned for her to stay and walked over to the window. He had let go of the chest he had been holding, but there was still pain in one corner of his face. Angie didn't listen to him and stood behind Kyle, looking out the window.
People were rushing into the mansion grounds as if they had forced their way through the gate. Men who appeared to be soldiers and police officers all got off their horses and cars and surrounded the mansion in an instant. Upon closer inspection, he saw that they were not only the guards of Trieste but also the royal soldiers and police of Vintergar.
“Your Highness! We’re in trouble!”
The door opened wide and Jerome stepped inside. He too must have been running after the police, as he stood before the owner, breathing heavily. The situation was so urgent that he didn’t even notice Angie standing next to him.
“His Majesty’s body was found at the Citadel a few hours ago.”
“The body...?”
Kyle couldn't continue. Beyond the open door, footsteps came thumping loudly, and someone entered the middle of the room without hesitation. The man was Murray Bolter, Duke of Kent, Privy Councilor and Imperial Counsellor, a member of the Imperial delegation from Trieste.
“Duke Kyle Rodan Blackwell.”
As expected from his experience as a former Supreme Court Justice and First Minister of the Imperial Seal, he continued to speak sternly. The sound of other military boots was also getting closer and closer to the door.
“You are hereby arrested on suspicion of having assassinated Lord Rainier Rutland Otto Karlstein Harzen VIII, Emperor of Trieste and King of Kotor, Montevia, Highland, and Ohridsen.”
“What? That can’t be! There’s no way the Duke would do that...”
Jerome stood up to defend his master, but he could not withstand the force of the cavalry of the Royal Guards rushing in from outside the door. Kyle simply raised both hands and refused to physically restrain the cavalry. His brows furrowed slightly, and a bitter smile appeared on his lips as if he had foreseen this situation.
Angie looked on in horror as Kyle was arrested. Their eyes met in the confusion. But they couldn't look at each other for long.
He was led gracefully by the cavalry, but he turned to Angie and whispered faintly. It was hard to hear because of the cavalry's footsteps and Jerome's protests, but the shape of his lips was enough.
"Angie. Wait. Just like you promised."
There was no time to answer or say anything. The cavalrymen surrounded him and left the room in a hurry. Angie stood there blankly for a few seconds before quickly following them. It had been three years since they had met, and he had been arrested suddenly, and he was being taken away as the culprit who had assassinated the Emperor. It didn't seem real at all.
The guards of both countries moved quickly. Just before Kyle was put into the car, he looked back at the Duke of Kent who had ordered him to be taken away.
“Please give me a moment. I’ll ask Jerome to take care of the rest for a moment.”
According to the rules, it couldn't be. Murray Kent hesitated for a moment and nodded. He didn't look good either. He couldn't help but feel upset when his man, the Duke of Blackwell, was suddenly arrested as the Emperor's assassin with irrefutable evidence.
Angie watched from a distance as Kyle told Jerome something and got into the car. Their eyes met briefly through the window. Angie stood there like a statue, clenching her fists tightly. She didn’t move even once the car started moving.
“Thank goodness. The chalk dust made it a lot easier to find the location.”
Then one of the policemen riding on the horse spoke absentmindedly. The man was wearing a hat and uniform with the emblem of the Vintergar Police Department.
“It seems like they forcibly dragged the old government out of the village of Revan... That woman scattered some on the road, so we were able to track them down right away. By the way, Duke Blackwell was an incredible person. He assassinated his own lord, who he had brought as an attendant, in a foreign country, and then went looking for his old woman before he married her.”
Hee-hee, along with the neighing of horses, the cavalrymen left the grounds one by one. The guards and police left just as quickly as they had arrived, like the ebb tide. Jerome, his men, and the mansion's servants came running late, but Angie paid no attention and clenched her fists.
You were able to track it down because of the chalk dust I spilled. Because of me... And the blood.
Before Kyle got into the car himself, Jerome had a glimpse of his palm when he spoke to him closely. There was blood on it. It was the left hand that he had used to hold his chest and cover his mouth like a seizure before he left the room. He had hidden the fact that he had vomited blood in front of her and pretended that nothing had happened.
Did it happen again? Why are you pretending like nothing happened...?
Angie collapsed on the cold stone floor, her legs giving out and unable to hold on any longer. She sat there until someone came and helped her up.
Duke Kyle Roden Blackwell was taken to the interrogation room of the Imperial Palace in Trieste, charged with the murder of the Emperor, as well as the additional charges of treason and conspiracy to commit a coup d'état.
Assassination and treason against the direct line of the imperial family were punished most severely and harshly under the imperial law of Trieste. The assassination of the Emperor was considered an absolute crime and was to be immediately executed after a certain period of investigation. There was no opportunity for a trial, which was largely determined by imperial law as punishment of exile, imprisonment, or death.
The privy councilors who sided with the Duke of Blackwell insisted on the Duke's alibi. They argued strenuously that the autopsy results showed that Rainier VIII's body had been dead for less than two days and that the Duke had already been in Graz at that time. But they were not very convincing in the court of justice.
“He would have sent an assassin anyway. He wouldn’t have gotten his hands dirty. Of course, it’s also quite possible that the Duke himself killed him. He suddenly disappeared during the royal parade and disappeared. During that time, His Majesty’s body was found in a nearby warehouse. The timing was perfect, wasn’t it?”
“We also have doubts about that, but that doesn’t mean we can confirm the Duke as the culprit...”
“Besides, there is crucial evidence. As you have already heard, I will show you the evidence directly.”
The Duke of Butland, the current chief justice, pointed coldly to the table next to him. On the table where the evidence was laid out, there was a piece of wood covered in blood in a glass case. The entire wooden floor of that part had been removed and sawed off at the scene. Four letters were faintly written in blood: Kyle.
“The first four letters of the Duke of Blackwell’s name, Kyle. His Majesty did his best to leave clues before he died.”
“But it’s impossible to determine the culprit based on that alone. If an assassin was used, how could the deceased know that the mastermind was a conspirator? The very possibility that there were any clues in the first place is extremely low.”
“A poisoned Duke's pen was found in His Majesty’s inner pocket. If he had used the pen at any time before his abduction, he would have been poisoned through his fingers.”
“That also makes no sense. What kind of idiot would let someone they want to kill have something with their name on it? It’s so obvious it’s laughable!”
The other Marquis on Blackwell's side laughed. He was even more shocked by the conspiracy of Grand Duke Winston and his group, given that it was not a well-constructed operation. There must have been another reason why they did not produce any solid evidence. It must have been because the Archduke wanted something from the Duke of Blackwell, using the murder as an excuse.
“Of course, if that were all, it would be difficult to point to the Duke as the culprit, as you said. However, there was also evidence of treason. Testimonies are coming out one after another that His Majesty felt threatened to the point of his life due to the Duke’s insistence on choosing between the abolition of the monarchy and the introduction of a cabinet system right before His Majesty went to Vintergar.”
“What? Who on earth would give such ridiculous testimony...”
The tone of voice became a little more trembling with emotion. Kai's cold, firm, and beautiful appearance was slowly returning to the Kai Angie knew three years ago.
He stood up and took a step toward Angie. Time seemed to have stopped flowing slowly. It was when their wet gazes pierced the air and became one. A dull pain surged through Kyle’s excited heart. It was a familiar yet painful pain that was new every time.
“An...”
“Kyle!”
Angie jumped up in surprise. Her body was moving first. She sat down next to the Duke, who was clutching his chest as if he was having a heart attack.
It was neither a trick nor a pretense. Cold sweat broke out on his forehead, and faint convulsions occurred on his rock-hard body. He gritted his teeth and endured the pain, his lips turning blue.
“Kyle, what’s wrong? Are you...”
Angie thought of the seizures and madness that Michael had mentioned before, that Edward had suffered from while he was alive. But hadn't Kyle recovered completely while he was on the island? She didn't know anything about Remedy at the time, but she heard he had recovered to the point where he could live without Remedy's blood anymore. It actually seemed that way.
“Is this a recurrence of your previous symptoms?”
"No."
Kyle firmly denied, covering his mouth with one hand. His shoulders shook as if he was trying to stifle a cough. He removed his hand from his mouth and sat up.
“It’s nothing. I suddenly felt depressed, but I’m fine now.”
It was then that a thunderous noise was heard outside the window. The sound of people trying to force their way in and the screams of those trying to stop the uninvited guests all mixed together, and in an instant, a commotion broke out.
“What’s going on outside...”
Angie tried to get up from her seat, but Kyle motioned for her to stay and walked over to the window. He had let go of the chest he had been holding, but there was still pain in one corner of his face. Angie didn't listen to him and stood behind Kyle, looking out the window.
People were rushing into the mansion grounds as if they had forced their way through the gate. Men who appeared to be soldiers and police officers all got off their horses and cars and surrounded the mansion in an instant. Upon closer inspection, he saw that they were not only the guards of Trieste but also the royal soldiers and police of Vintergar.
“Your Highness! We’re in trouble!”
The door opened wide and Jerome stepped inside. He too must have been running after the police, as he stood before the owner, breathing heavily. The situation was so urgent that he didn’t even notice Angie standing next to him.
“His Majesty’s body was found at the Citadel a few hours ago.”
“The body...?”
Kyle couldn't continue. Beyond the open door, footsteps came thumping loudly, and someone entered the middle of the room without hesitation. The man was Murray Bolter, Duke of Kent, Privy Councilor and Imperial Counsellor, a member of the Imperial delegation from Trieste.
“Duke Kyle Rodan Blackwell.”
As expected from his experience as a former Supreme Court Justice and First Minister of the Imperial Seal, he continued to speak sternly. The sound of other military boots was also getting closer and closer to the door.
“You are hereby arrested on suspicion of having assassinated Lord Rainier Rutland Otto Karlstein Harzen VIII, Emperor of Trieste and King of Kotor, Montevia, Highland, and Ohridsen.”
“What? That can’t be! There’s no way the Duke would do that...”
Jerome stood up to defend his master, but he could not withstand the force of the cavalry of the Royal Guards rushing in from outside the door. Kyle simply raised both hands and refused to physically restrain the cavalry. His brows furrowed slightly, and a bitter smile appeared on his lips as if he had foreseen this situation.
Angie looked on in horror as Kyle was arrested. Their eyes met in the confusion. But they couldn't look at each other for long.
He was led gracefully by the cavalry, but he turned to Angie and whispered faintly. It was hard to hear because of the cavalry's footsteps and Jerome's protests, but the shape of his lips was enough.
"Angie. Wait. Just like you promised."
There was no time to answer or say anything. The cavalrymen surrounded him and left the room in a hurry. Angie stood there blankly for a few seconds before quickly following them. It had been three years since they had met, and he had been arrested suddenly, and he was being taken away as the culprit who had assassinated the Emperor. It didn't seem real at all.
The guards of both countries moved quickly. Just before Kyle was put into the car, he looked back at the Duke of Kent who had ordered him to be taken away.
“Please give me a moment. I’ll ask Jerome to take care of the rest for a moment.”
According to the rules, it couldn't be. Murray Kent hesitated for a moment and nodded. He didn't look good either. He couldn't help but feel upset when his man, the Duke of Blackwell, was suddenly arrested as the Emperor's assassin with irrefutable evidence.
Angie watched from a distance as Kyle told Jerome something and got into the car. Their eyes met briefly through the window. Angie stood there like a statue, clenching her fists tightly. She didn’t move even once the car started moving.
“Thank goodness. The chalk dust made it a lot easier to find the location.”
Then one of the policemen riding on the horse spoke absentmindedly. The man was wearing a hat and uniform with the emblem of the Vintergar Police Department.
“It seems like they forcibly dragged the old government out of the village of Revan... That woman scattered some on the road, so we were able to track them down right away. By the way, Duke Blackwell was an incredible person. He assassinated his own lord, who he had brought as an attendant, in a foreign country, and then went looking for his old woman before he married her.”
Hee-hee, along with the neighing of horses, the cavalrymen left the grounds one by one. The guards and police left just as quickly as they had arrived, like the ebb tide. Jerome, his men, and the mansion's servants came running late, but Angie paid no attention and clenched her fists.
You were able to track it down because of the chalk dust I spilled. Because of me... And the blood.
Before Kyle got into the car himself, Jerome had a glimpse of his palm when he spoke to him closely. There was blood on it. It was the left hand that he had used to hold his chest and cover his mouth like a seizure before he left the room. He had hidden the fact that he had vomited blood in front of her and pretended that nothing had happened.
Did it happen again? Why are you pretending like nothing happened...?
Angie collapsed on the cold stone floor, her legs giving out and unable to hold on any longer. She sat there until someone came and helped her up.
***
Duke Kyle Roden Blackwell was taken to the interrogation room of the Imperial Palace in Trieste, charged with the murder of the Emperor, as well as the additional charges of treason and conspiracy to commit a coup d'état.
Assassination and treason against the direct line of the imperial family were punished most severely and harshly under the imperial law of Trieste. The assassination of the Emperor was considered an absolute crime and was to be immediately executed after a certain period of investigation. There was no opportunity for a trial, which was largely determined by imperial law as punishment of exile, imprisonment, or death.
The privy councilors who sided with the Duke of Blackwell insisted on the Duke's alibi. They argued strenuously that the autopsy results showed that Rainier VIII's body had been dead for less than two days and that the Duke had already been in Graz at that time. But they were not very convincing in the court of justice.
“He would have sent an assassin anyway. He wouldn’t have gotten his hands dirty. Of course, it’s also quite possible that the Duke himself killed him. He suddenly disappeared during the royal parade and disappeared. During that time, His Majesty’s body was found in a nearby warehouse. The timing was perfect, wasn’t it?”
“We also have doubts about that, but that doesn’t mean we can confirm the Duke as the culprit...”
“Besides, there is crucial evidence. As you have already heard, I will show you the evidence directly.”
The Duke of Butland, the current chief justice, pointed coldly to the table next to him. On the table where the evidence was laid out, there was a piece of wood covered in blood in a glass case. The entire wooden floor of that part had been removed and sawed off at the scene. Four letters were faintly written in blood: Kyle.
“The first four letters of the Duke of Blackwell’s name, Kyle. His Majesty did his best to leave clues before he died.”
“But it’s impossible to determine the culprit based on that alone. If an assassin was used, how could the deceased know that the mastermind was a conspirator? The very possibility that there were any clues in the first place is extremely low.”
“A poisoned Duke's pen was found in His Majesty’s inner pocket. If he had used the pen at any time before his abduction, he would have been poisoned through his fingers.”
“That also makes no sense. What kind of idiot would let someone they want to kill have something with their name on it? It’s so obvious it’s laughable!”
The other Marquis on Blackwell's side laughed. He was even more shocked by the conspiracy of Grand Duke Winston and his group, given that it was not a well-constructed operation. There must have been another reason why they did not produce any solid evidence. It must have been because the Archduke wanted something from the Duke of Blackwell, using the murder as an excuse.
“Of course, if that were all, it would be difficult to point to the Duke as the culprit, as you said. However, there was also evidence of treason. Testimonies are coming out one after another that His Majesty felt threatened to the point of his life due to the Duke’s insistence on choosing between the abolition of the monarchy and the introduction of a cabinet system right before His Majesty went to Vintergar.”
“What? Who on earth would give such ridiculous testimony...”
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