The maid's words that he was dead were true.
Her father's body was swollen and covered in bruises and blood. It was a truly gruesome sight.
The agony he felt before his death seemed keenly felt in her father's horribly frozen expression.
"Raju! How dare he kill my father! That lowly nouveau riche killed Valdina's blood!"
No matter how much Raju loved her like a daughter, and no matter how much Birna enjoyed the wealth and convenience that came with his affection, how could she compare him to the father who gave birth to her and raised her?
Moreover, although Joaquin Claudio was not a very affectionate father, he was a source of pride for Birna, as she was the heir to the royal lineage.
The only person who can compare to Medea is Birna, who has neither wealth nor fame.
This is the person who passed down this precious bloodline, which can be proudly said to be much purer than that of a lowly dancer's daughter.
So it was understandable why Birna was so angry.
"Oh, no. Birna, I'm sorry. There was a misunderstanding..."
Catherine ran and grabbed Birna.
"What's the mistake? I saw that guy being taken away. He's the culprit! He beat my father to death until he ended up like this!"
Birna screamed.
A voice splitting the air, a mixture of anger and sadness.
"Then why on earth did he kill Dad? What on earth did Dad do to deserve such a brutal beating to death!"
"Oh, it was an accidental murder. He never intended to kill your father, it was just a mistake. Your father hit me, and he tried to stop him..."
Catherine made excuses.
"He wasn't like that originally. You know that he's not a bad person to the point of killing people, right? Right? You know that."
"Mom, are you crazy? Is that what you have to say? Dad is dead now! How dare he, how dare he! Why on earth didn't you stop that lunatic!"
Birna could not understand her mother at all.
Don't the mother's words sound like she is protecting the godfather?
"Does that lowly bastard think he can get away with killing my father? I will never let him be. Just like what happened to my father, he will suffer until he dies..."
"Ahhhh! I said no!"
Instead of being a source of strength, her daughter drove herself forward with a burning hatred for her biological father, which eventually broke Catherine's fragile sanity.
"Birna, please, leave Mom alone! It's hard enough without you... ugh!"
"Madam! Madam, come to your senses!"
The typhoon blowing through the mansion didn't seem to have any way to go away yet.
***
"He's dead! That guy Joaquin Claudio is dead!"
The next day, the strait was boiling hot.
As Raju was dragged away by the security forces, Joaquin's death quickly became known to the public.
"The goddess has finally served justice!"
"Alas, that man will never be able to target our Valdina again!"
Joaquin Claudio.
Three years ago, the traitor who tried to take the throne by bringing Valdina to the brink of destruction, died.
If Joaquin had known that his own death had brought such joy and excitement to the Valdinians, he would have vomited blood.
"But, you know. I heard from someone who was listening that he was actually beaten to death. And there was a rumor that the culprit was Count Raju."
As the unseasonable festive atmosphere died down, various rumors about his death began to circulate.
"Count Raju? Weren't they two close? He was even godfather to his daughter. What on earth happened...?"
"Why? How ambitious was that bastard during his time as regent? Did you know that his son lost his leg in the recent temple explosion?"
"I know!"
Outside the tightly closed gates of Claudio's mansion, people crowded and chatted.
The onlookers urged him to speak quickly.
"It seems he couldn't stand seeing his only son like that. He invited women over for three days and got caught in the bedroom by his wife. What the heck? The Count got angry when he saw that and stepped in."
"What on earth is it like to be so old and not even aware of shame?"
A passerby who had been clicking his tongue stopped.
"Wait a minute, but why the Count? Even if he were to die, wouldn't it be right for him to be beaten to death by his wife?"
"Huh? Now that you mention it, that's true. Well, since the Count is his daughter's godfather, I guess they were pretty close?"
Even if people did not know the details of the incident, they found strangely inconsistent parts in the apparent truth.
"But you beat people until they die? That's a bit weird..."
This was followed by a discussion about Count Raju, the man who killed Joaquin.
The situation was quite ambiguous.
The dead victim was a member of the Baldina royal family but was also a rebel who had turned the country upside down.
The perpetrator was a Count who had once been a Valdinian but had returned to Katzen and received a title in name and reality.
If they were to punish him, they wouId inevitably come into conflict with Katzen.
In addition, he is currently in a power struggle with Katzen due to the recent attempted assassination of the Emperor.
It was really difficult to cause another conflict with Katzen for the sake of the main character of the rebel that had put Valdina in danger.
At the same time, Joaquin had the symbolic significance of being a descendant of the royal family of Valdina. For diplomatic reasons, he could not just let the murderer go.
In an ambiguous situation, Raju was detained by the police.
"Robby."
Raju raised his head through the bars.
Catherine stood tall. She had to hand the gatekeeper a fat bag of gold coins to get in.
"Oh my God, how..."
Looking at Raju's face again with such difficulty, she felt a mixture of emotions. She barely held back the tears that were about to burst out.
Three years ago. Raju came to see her when she was in prison as a traitor in Valdina, but now the situation has changed and Raju is in prison.
But the fact that hasn't changed then or now is that that man has always been her salvation.
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry you got into so much trouble because of me."
"Don't say that, darling. Even though things have come to this, I have absolutely no regrets about killing that bastard. How dare he lay a hand on you."
The spark in Raju's eyes flared again as he reached out through the bars and cupped Catherine's cheek.
"What should I do? If you are executed because of me, I won't be able to bear it."
Catherine burst into tears.
"Don't worry. They can never kill me. They know that if they kill me now, it will be the fuse for war."
"But will the Emperor try to save you?"
With Jason, whom he served, also summoned to the Empire with the First Prince, Catherine was worried that the Emperor of Katzen would confront Valdina to save Raju.
"That also strikes me."
Raju also did not think that Perdiccas II, who had abandoned his own son, would save him.
But he already knew how to move the Emperor.
'I just need to send word that I found the late Emperor's secret ledger. Perdiccas II will have to save me If only to find out the late Emperor's report.'
Of course, the fact that he had already embezzled part of that inheritance had to be kept a complete secret.
'There will be no more reliable money source in the future, but there will still be smuggling business."
It was painful to have to give all of the remaining Inheritance to Perdiccas II, but it was important to somehow overcome this situation.
In Valdina, he would not be able to avoid execution.
"My love. I'm just sorry for showing you such a cruel side. I didn't realize it, but my eyes turned away..."
"No, he'll fight even if he dies. It's better. Robbie. You got my revenge."
Their arms became entangled between the bars. Catherine wrapped her arms around Raju's roughly torn wrists.
She thought for a long time.
Even though Raju was the murderer who killed her husband, she didn't feel any reluctance towards him. In fact, she felt even more affectionate towards him than before.
What was more disgusting was her dead husband.
Not only did he abandon his child and commit adultery, but when he was caught doing it, he slapped her and came out as a traitor.
Even though it was a marriage that started without love from the beginning, her husband stabbed her in the back, unlike her who had done her best.
"I don't need him anymore. If you are summoned to the Empire, I will go to Katzen too."
Catherine said in a firm voice.
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