“What, what kind of investigation are you conducting?”
The Duke's mouth fell open.
A house search.
What crime did he commit to deserve such humiliation?
'Am I dreaming now?'
However, the paper the Knight Commander handed over had the Emperor's seal clearly stamped on it along with a sentence granting permission to investigate the residence of the Duke of Veloce.
‘What the heck is this...’
The Duke, who had been smiling blankly, finally came to his senses and asked.
“What on earth is the charge? Shouldn’t we know why this unprecedented house search has taken place in this venerable family that has been around for over two thousand years?”
“13 years ago, you were accused of murdering the legitimate heir to the Veloce Dukedom and usurping his position.”
“What? Murder? Robbery?”
The Duke's mouth, which had been barely shut, opened wide again.
If you are the direct descendant of the Duke of Veloce, then that means me.
But he killed himself and even impersonated someone else...?
“What the hell are you talking about!”
The Duke, full of energy, shouted.
“Surely Shayne, did you believe that woman’s nonsense and start this mess?”
“Be careful what you say. She is a Saintess who was sent down to this earth by the goddess after 13 years.”
“Ha, what kind of Saintess is this! How can you call that unfilial son of a bitch who put such an absurd false accusation on his father who gave her flesh and blood, a Saintess!”
He growled with a sallow face and soon spread his arms wide to block the knight commander's path.
“A house search? I can’t afford to suffer such humiliation just because of a con woman.”
“Step aside. Can’t you see His Majesty’s seal stamped here?”
“Ha, what’s with that seal?”
The Duke snorted.
“Don’t you know where this mansion is? This is the Duke of Veloce, the Duke of Veloce! This is the history of the empire established with the founding of Catalonia!”
“...”
“Searching a place like that is out of the question! If you want to search my house like that, then ask His Majesty to come to me in person. Wouldn’t that be polite?”
The Duke was panting, his nostrils flaring, perhaps exhausted from shouting so loudly.
It looked like a pig on the verge of suffocating.
The knight commander, who had been staring blankly at him, asked with a blank face.
“Are you saying that you will not cooperate in the end?”
“What have you been listening to me for so far! If you want to search my house, at least the Emperor himself... Gasp!”
The Duke, who had been resisting fiercely, suddenly took a deep breath.
The captain pulled out the sword hanging from his waist and held it to his neck.
“Gyaaaah! What, what are you doing?”
“Can’t you take that sword away from my father right now?”
Madame Magadha and Melina screamed and tried to stop him.
But they couldn't help but hold their breath and shut their mouth at the words the Knight Commander spoke next.
“Anyone who refuses His Majesty’s orders will be condemned as a traitor.”
“No, what, what is that! How is refusing to accept injustice treason... Hey, hey!”
As the Duke's protests grew longer, the distance between him and the sword grew closer and closer.
A sharp blade aimed at the neck at a distance that could barely fit a single thread.
The Duke's eyes began to tremble helplessly.
“Will you follow His Majesty’s orders, or will you follow the path of rebellion? Choose.”
“Oh, I see. I see. Now put this sword away. Quickly!”
The cornered Duke hurriedly raised the white flag.
Only then did the knight commander put away his sword and gestured to his subordinates.
“Search. Search mainly the books the Saintess mentioned.”
"Yes!"
The knights who received the order quickly spread out to every corner of the Duke's residence.
“Ha, I’m going through all kinds of shame just because I raised one daughter wrong.”
The Duke, who had collapsed on the floor because his legs had lost their strength, laughed in vain.
“Yeah, what did that woman say? Did she say that if you searched through the books in my house, you would find some evidence?”
“She said she received that revelation.”
“What, revelation?”
He just made a sarcastic remark when Shayne told them to look through the books, but it turned out to be true.
“You are such a fearless woman. Not only are you impersonating a Saint, but now you are even fabricating the words of a goddess?”
“...”
“Yes, do whatever you want. But if no evidence comes out despite all this fuss, I will never turn a blind eye to this!”
The Duke laid down his oath firmly.
It was something that came from confidence.
If you are the direct descendant of the Veloce Dukes, how can they possibly get evidence by turning the house upside down?
'But what was that woman thinking when she told such a lie?'
“What can I say to ask for your forgiveness? I swore that I would never let a tear fall from those pretty eyes again, and yet I never kept that promise.”
The Duke, who had been chuckling the entire time the Knight Commander was reading the letter, paused for the first time.
'But what sin did my father commit against my mother?'
They were a couple who were exceptionally close while alive.
In all the years they have been sharing a bed, he's never seen the couple fight.
But what is there that requires such desperate forgiveness?
Even as he was puzzled, the Knight Commander continued to read.
“I can’t even raise my head because I fell into the trap of the wicked and had a nail driven into your heart, and now we have lost our child to them.”
“Huh? You lost the child? Did you have a miscarriage or something?”
It was the first time he heard it.
But there was nothing particularly strange.
It was quite possible, considering that his mother was very weak
The Duke, who had been clicking his tongue, listened to the knight commander's words again.
He felt a strange interest as stories he had never heard before poured out.
However...?
“I’m sorry, Cassia. Please never forgive me for not being able to punish the bastard who killed our son and came to this place because of his bloodline.”
“What, what did you say?”
The Duke's face turned pale.
Now that he looks at it, doesn't this letter completely support Shayne's claims?
“What, what the hell is this... No, this is all a lie! Shayn e, that’s fake evidence made up!”
The Duke was jumping around wildly.
“I still miss you shamelessly.”
Regardless, the knight commander, who had finally read the last sentence, looked at the Duke with cold eyes.
The Duke, sensing a bad feeling in those eyes, tried to run away in a panic.
“Mushian Veloce, you are under arrest for the murder and impersonation of the legitimate heir of the Veloce Dukedom. Arrest him.”
It was already too late.
The Duke's mouth fell open.
A house search.
What crime did he commit to deserve such humiliation?
'Am I dreaming now?'
However, the paper the Knight Commander handed over had the Emperor's seal clearly stamped on it along with a sentence granting permission to investigate the residence of the Duke of Veloce.
‘What the heck is this...’
The Duke, who had been smiling blankly, finally came to his senses and asked.
“What on earth is the charge? Shouldn’t we know why this unprecedented house search has taken place in this venerable family that has been around for over two thousand years?”
“13 years ago, you were accused of murdering the legitimate heir to the Veloce Dukedom and usurping his position.”
“What? Murder? Robbery?”
The Duke's mouth, which had been barely shut, opened wide again.
If you are the direct descendant of the Duke of Veloce, then that means me.
But he killed himself and even impersonated someone else...?
“What the hell are you talking about!”
The Duke, full of energy, shouted.
“Surely Shayne, did you believe that woman’s nonsense and start this mess?”
“Be careful what you say. She is a Saintess who was sent down to this earth by the goddess after 13 years.”
“Ha, what kind of Saintess is this! How can you call that unfilial son of a bitch who put such an absurd false accusation on his father who gave her flesh and blood, a Saintess!”
He growled with a sallow face and soon spread his arms wide to block the knight commander's path.
“A house search? I can’t afford to suffer such humiliation just because of a con woman.”
“Step aside. Can’t you see His Majesty’s seal stamped here?”
“Ha, what’s with that seal?”
The Duke snorted.
“Don’t you know where this mansion is? This is the Duke of Veloce, the Duke of Veloce! This is the history of the empire established with the founding of Catalonia!”
“...”
“Searching a place like that is out of the question! If you want to search my house like that, then ask His Majesty to come to me in person. Wouldn’t that be polite?”
The Duke was panting, his nostrils flaring, perhaps exhausted from shouting so loudly.
It looked like a pig on the verge of suffocating.
The knight commander, who had been staring blankly at him, asked with a blank face.
“Are you saying that you will not cooperate in the end?”
“What have you been listening to me for so far! If you want to search my house, at least the Emperor himself... Gasp!”
The Duke, who had been resisting fiercely, suddenly took a deep breath.
The captain pulled out the sword hanging from his waist and held it to his neck.
“Gyaaaah! What, what are you doing?”
“Can’t you take that sword away from my father right now?”
Madame Magadha and Melina screamed and tried to stop him.
But they couldn't help but hold their breath and shut their mouth at the words the Knight Commander spoke next.
“Anyone who refuses His Majesty’s orders will be condemned as a traitor.”
“No, what, what is that! How is refusing to accept injustice treason... Hey, hey!”
As the Duke's protests grew longer, the distance between him and the sword grew closer and closer.
A sharp blade aimed at the neck at a distance that could barely fit a single thread.
The Duke's eyes began to tremble helplessly.
“Will you follow His Majesty’s orders, or will you follow the path of rebellion? Choose.”
“Oh, I see. I see. Now put this sword away. Quickly!”
The cornered Duke hurriedly raised the white flag.
Only then did the knight commander put away his sword and gestured to his subordinates.
“Search. Search mainly the books the Saintess mentioned.”
"Yes!"
The knights who received the order quickly spread out to every corner of the Duke's residence.
“Ha, I’m going through all kinds of shame just because I raised one daughter wrong.”
The Duke, who had collapsed on the floor because his legs had lost their strength, laughed in vain.
“Yeah, what did that woman say? Did she say that if you searched through the books in my house, you would find some evidence?”
“She said she received that revelation.”
“What, revelation?”
He just made a sarcastic remark when Shayne told them to look through the books, but it turned out to be true.
“You are such a fearless woman. Not only are you impersonating a Saint, but now you are even fabricating the words of a goddess?”
“...”
“Yes, do whatever you want. But if no evidence comes out despite all this fuss, I will never turn a blind eye to this!”
The Duke laid down his oath firmly.
It was something that came from confidence.
If you are the direct descendant of the Veloce Dukes, how can they possibly get evidence by turning the house upside down?
'But what was that woman thinking when she told such a lie?'
He wondered if Shayne had harbored a grudge against him before and had hidden the fabricated evidence in advance.
The Duke, who had been thinking carefully, soon shook his head.
'No, that can't be true.'
He clearly remembered the moment when Shayne, who had entered the cave, returned with the lion and was revered as a Saintess.
At that time, Shayne looked very embarrassed.
The foolish ones who were blinded by the second coming of the Saintess after 13 years may not have seen it, but he saw it clearly.
It is certain that Shayne was not a Saintess, and that the accusations against him were not prepared in advance, but were made up on the spot.
'That was probably the moment when I insisted that that woman pay for her sins.'
At that moment, Shayne's eyes suddenly turned around.
After he calmly sorted out the situation, hia briefly anxious mind calmed down again.
'Yes, I guess she was just trying to trick me with her status as a Saintess.'
But that was Shaen's mistake.
She was pressuring him, the Duke, to bring up the revelations of the goddess, but if no evidence comes out, everyone will suspect her.
'You pretend to be so smart, but you are blinded by revenge and are digging your own grave.'
The Duke, whose lips had been pulled up in a wicked manner, suddenly had his eyes sparkling.
'Come to think of it, I should receive a generous reward from the Emperor.'
Even though he was the Emperor, it was something that could not be overlooked for him to have committed such an act of rudeness by falling for the tricks of a con artist woman.
'If I do this well, I can get back all the assets I've accumulated over the years, and maybe even get some extra things on top of that?'
When he looked closely, he realized that this wasn't a case of being shamed, but rather being hit with a stick.
It was at that moment that the Duke, feeling happy, was laughing with the corners of his lips stretched out.
“Chief, I found it!”
"Yes?"
A joyful voice rang out from somewhere.
The Duke turned his head in surprise and saw a swarm of knights rushing towards him.
“What, what did you find? Evidence?”
What the heck is that...?
The Duke, who had been muttering with a bewildered expression, soon hurriedly followed the knights.
The place where the voice was heard was a study full of old books.
It was used by the previous Duke but has been empty since his death.
'What evidence is there here...'
As the Duke frowned, the knight who was presumed to be the owner of the voice handed the captain a piece of paper.
Looking at the neatly folded thirds, it seemed to be a letter.
The commander of the knights carefully unfolded the paper and began to read it in a calm voice.
“To my one and only companion, Cassia.”
Cassia was the name of the Duke's mother, the previous Duchess.
'Is this a letter that father sent to mother? But what kind of evidence is that...?'
The Duke, who had been tilting his head, listened to the knight commander's voice again.
“Today marks exactly ten years since you returned to the embrace of the goddess Hethel.”
Hehe, despite the Duke's frivolous laughter, the knight commander continued reading the letter in silence.
“I was leaving a bouquet of flowers at your tomb when I returned, and the previously clear sky became covered with dark clouds and a heavy rain began to pour down. The rain felt just like your tears, so I couldn’t avoid it.”
“ Hey, you've got to learn to recognize a logo, man.”
The Duke, who had been thinking carefully, soon shook his head.
'No, that can't be true.'
He clearly remembered the moment when Shayne, who had entered the cave, returned with the lion and was revered as a Saintess.
At that time, Shayne looked very embarrassed.
The foolish ones who were blinded by the second coming of the Saintess after 13 years may not have seen it, but he saw it clearly.
It is certain that Shayne was not a Saintess, and that the accusations against him were not prepared in advance, but were made up on the spot.
'That was probably the moment when I insisted that that woman pay for her sins.'
At that moment, Shayne's eyes suddenly turned around.
After he calmly sorted out the situation, hia briefly anxious mind calmed down again.
'Yes, I guess she was just trying to trick me with her status as a Saintess.'
But that was Shaen's mistake.
She was pressuring him, the Duke, to bring up the revelations of the goddess, but if no evidence comes out, everyone will suspect her.
'You pretend to be so smart, but you are blinded by revenge and are digging your own grave.'
The Duke, whose lips had been pulled up in a wicked manner, suddenly had his eyes sparkling.
'Come to think of it, I should receive a generous reward from the Emperor.'
Even though he was the Emperor, it was something that could not be overlooked for him to have committed such an act of rudeness by falling for the tricks of a con artist woman.
'If I do this well, I can get back all the assets I've accumulated over the years, and maybe even get some extra things on top of that?'
When he looked closely, he realized that this wasn't a case of being shamed, but rather being hit with a stick.
It was at that moment that the Duke, feeling happy, was laughing with the corners of his lips stretched out.
“Chief, I found it!”
"Yes?"
A joyful voice rang out from somewhere.
The Duke turned his head in surprise and saw a swarm of knights rushing towards him.
“What, what did you find? Evidence?”
What the heck is that...?
The Duke, who had been muttering with a bewildered expression, soon hurriedly followed the knights.
The place where the voice was heard was a study full of old books.
It was used by the previous Duke but has been empty since his death.
'What evidence is there here...'
As the Duke frowned, the knight who was presumed to be the owner of the voice handed the captain a piece of paper.
Looking at the neatly folded thirds, it seemed to be a letter.
The commander of the knights carefully unfolded the paper and began to read it in a calm voice.
“To my one and only companion, Cassia.”
Cassia was the name of the Duke's mother, the previous Duchess.
'Is this a letter that father sent to mother? But what kind of evidence is that...?'
The Duke, who had been tilting his head, listened to the knight commander's voice again.
“Today marks exactly ten years since you returned to the embrace of the goddess Hethel.”
“Old man, you've been writing letters to my mother again, and you're not what you seem.”
“I was leaving a bouquet of flowers at your tomb when I returned, and the previously clear sky became covered with dark clouds and a heavy rain began to pour down. The rain felt just like your tears, so I couldn’t avoid it.”
“ Hey, you've got to learn to recognize a logo, man.”
“What can I say to ask for your forgiveness? I swore that I would never let a tear fall from those pretty eyes again, and yet I never kept that promise.”
The Duke, who had been chuckling the entire time the Knight Commander was reading the letter, paused for the first time.
'But what sin did my father commit against my mother?'
They were a couple who were exceptionally close while alive.
In all the years they have been sharing a bed, he's never seen the couple fight.
But what is there that requires such desperate forgiveness?
Even as he was puzzled, the Knight Commander continued to read.
“I can’t even raise my head because I fell into the trap of the wicked and had a nail driven into your heart, and now we have lost our child to them.”
“Huh? You lost the child? Did you have a miscarriage or something?”
It was the first time he heard it.
But there was nothing particularly strange.
It was quite possible, considering that his mother was very weak
The Duke, who had been clicking his tongue, listened to the knight commander's words again.
He felt a strange interest as stories he had never heard before poured out.
However...?
“I’m sorry, Cassia. Please never forgive me for not being able to punish the bastard who killed our son and came to this place because of his bloodline.”
“What, what did you say?”
The Duke's face turned pale.
Now that he looks at it, doesn't this letter completely support Shayne's claims?
“What, what the hell is this... No, this is all a lie! Shayn e, that’s fake evidence made up!”
The Duke was jumping around wildly.
“I still miss you shamelessly.”
Regardless, the knight commander, who had finally read the last sentence, looked at the Duke with cold eyes.
The Duke, sensing a bad feeling in those eyes, tried to run away in a panic.
“Mushian Veloce, you are under arrest for the murder and impersonation of the legitimate heir of the Veloce Dukedom. Arrest him.”
It was already too late.
Support Novellate!
Comments
Post a Comment