Episode 141. Witness to the Incident
The Grand Duke of Artaeum was the top suspect in the murder case. This was because Cedric's son, Eric, was adamantly insisting that the Grand Duke of Artaeum was the culprit.
Of course, the investigator didn't simply base Eric's words on the Grand Duke as the top suspect.
'His Highness the Grand Duke and Cedric clashed over everything.'
The Grand Duke of Artaeum was the top suspect in the murder case. This was because Cedric's son, Eric, was adamantly insisting that the Grand Duke of Artaeum was the culprit.
Of course, the investigator didn't simply base Eric's words on the Grand Duke as the top suspect.
'His Highness the Grand Duke and Cedric clashed over everything.'
The investigator placed his hands on the desk, clasping them together. His eyes squinted at the Grand Duke's face.
'He may have calmed down a bit recently, but... his vicious nature wouldn't change overnight, would it?'
While he had never directly harmed the Imperial nobles, rumors spread with ferocity.
Rumors were rampant that he trusted the Emperor, abused his power, and killed people indiscriminately.
However, the Grand Duke actually held no such power.
The Emperor, disguised as a kind uncle, was eager to kill the Grand Duke, while the politically isolated Grand Duke was little more than a Duke in name only.
In the current empire, rife with corruption, high rank didn't necessarily mean greater power.
Whoever was best aligned with the Emperor's line was the core of power.
People didn't avoid the Grand Duke out of fear of his power. They simply accommodated him out of fear of his rumored cruelty.
Behind his back, they mocked the Grand Duke of Artaeum.
"I've heard rumors that you're gathering nobles to support you again..."
The power structure was tilted toward the Emperor's faction.
However, the Grand Duke had recently been consolidating his position.
With his growing power, the Grand Duke's first priority would be to disperse the Imperial faction's power.
The investigator believed he had ample justification to kill Cedric.
The Grand Duke of Artaeum met the man's eyes, which were glaring at him with suspicion.
Then, with unwavering eyes, he answered.
“I left the estate for a while due to personal matters.”
“Where did you go after leaving the estate?”
“Southern.”
“Did you go with others?”
“No. Alone.”
"What time did you arrive in the South?”
“Around 5:00 AM.”
"When did you return? ”
"On the same day?”
“Did you return straight to the Arteum Manor?”
"Yes.”
'He may have calmed down a bit recently, but... his vicious nature wouldn't change overnight, would it?'
While he had never directly harmed the Imperial nobles, rumors spread with ferocity.
Rumors were rampant that he trusted the Emperor, abused his power, and killed people indiscriminately.
However, the Grand Duke actually held no such power.
The Emperor, disguised as a kind uncle, was eager to kill the Grand Duke, while the politically isolated Grand Duke was little more than a Duke in name only.
In the current empire, rife with corruption, high rank didn't necessarily mean greater power.
Whoever was best aligned with the Emperor's line was the core of power.
People didn't avoid the Grand Duke out of fear of his power. They simply accommodated him out of fear of his rumored cruelty.
Behind his back, they mocked the Grand Duke of Artaeum.
"I've heard rumors that you're gathering nobles to support you again..."
The power structure was tilted toward the Emperor's faction.
However, the Grand Duke had recently been consolidating his position.
With his growing power, the Grand Duke's first priority would be to disperse the Imperial faction's power.
The investigator believed he had ample justification to kill Cedric.
The Grand Duke of Artaeum met the man's eyes, which were glaring at him with suspicion.
Then, with unwavering eyes, he answered.
“I left the estate for a while due to personal matters.”
“Where did you go after leaving the estate?”
“Southern.”
“Did you go with others?”
“No. Alone.”
"What time did you arrive in the South?”
“Around 5:00 AM.”
"When did you return? ”
"On the same day?”
“Did you return straight to the Arteum Manor?”
"Yes.”
“Around 6:00 PM, approximately?”
The Grand Duke returned early to have dinner with Rose. The Grand Duke's expression, which he had returned to at 6:00 PM, remained unchanged. However, the face of the investigator sitting in front of him was growing increasingly suspicious.
“You left at 5:00 AM and arrived at 6:00 PM...”
His gaze, gazing at the Grand Duke, was piercing.
“It’s quite a distance from the Arteum Manor to the South. I guess you only stamped your feet and came, Your Highness.”
It took about two hours from the Arteum Manor to the capital. And it took three hours to get from the capital to the south. The Grand Duke used teleportation magic to leisurely attend to his business, but a round trip by horse or carriage would have taken over ten hours.
“Admit the truth, Your Highness, the Grand Duke of Artaeum. If you admit your guilt, your sentence will be reduced.”
He pressed the Grand Duke, as if certain of his guilt. He also offered a reduced sentence if he confessed.
“Even if you are a member of the royal family, killing a noble is a serious crime. His Majesty has ordered us to thoroughly investigate this matter.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the Grand Duke of Artaeum’s eyes grew cold. For a moment, the investigator flinched involuntarily, his previously impassive gaze now tinged with a fierce, murderous intent. The Grand Duke of Artaeum leaned forward slightly. The investigator instinctively moved back.
“I did not kill Cedric.”
The Grand Duke's voice echoed lowly.
"You're assuming I'm the culprit. You never even thought about listening to me from the beginning, did you?"
He swallowed hard, feeling the Grand Duke's momentum pressuring the investigator.
"No. I was simply asking questions to leave all possibilities open."
He tried to appear calm, but the investigator's voice trembled slightly. The Grand Duke had hit the nail on the head. In fact, he was more sincere than anyone else about this investigation. He believed that if he handled it well, this case would elevate his status. Especially, it was a chance to get on the Emperor's side.
The Emperor summoned the investigator and said,
“For the sake of the deceased Cedric, you must reveal the culprit. I tried to cover up the past because I felt sorry for my young nephew, who lost his parents at a young age, but now it has gone too far. ”
He ordered that the Grand Duke be set right, even if it was late, and that his crimes be revealed.
“They said Your Highness, the Grand Duke held a grudge against Cedric of the Wences family.”
“Don’t push it. Investigate properly.”
“Understanding the grudges of the murdered person is also part of the investigation.”
“Aren’t there many others who hold grudges against him besides me?”
It was true.
Cedric had committed countless atrocities while supporting the Emperor and Duke Flice.
The Grand Duke spoke harshly to the investigator.
“Stop wasting time here and catch the real culprit.”
The investigator met the Grand Duke's eyes for a moment, then slowly lowered them. Then he let out a soft sigh.
"Let's stop here for today."
Since the Grand Duke of Artaeum wasn't particularly cooperative, dragging his feet any further was pointless.
'We'll have to find more witnesses to the incident. Interview the employees of the Grand Duke of Artaeum.'
With no solid evidence, it was difficult to pressure the Grand Duke.
The investigator rose first. The Grand Duke also slowly stood up. The Grand Duke wanted nothing more than to return to the mansion.
'He must be worried.'
The investigators suddenly barged into the mansion. The expression on Rose's face that he seen back then lingered in his mind throughout the interrogation.
He forcibly shook off Rose's trembling hand as she grabbed his sleeve.
Without even being able to reassure her, her worried eyes trembled incessantly, and he left the mansion as if dragged.
The sight of Rose being trampled on vividly filled the Grand Duke with a complex feeling.
He hurriedly prepared to leave, determined to hug Rose with all his might as soon as he returned to the mansion.
That was it. A man slammed open the door and rushed inside.
The Grand Duke and the investigator simultaneously looked at him. The man, who had rushed in, approached the investigator and began whispering.
The investigator's expression hardened as he listened, wondering what on earth he was talking about. He listened quietly to the whispers, then raised his lowered eyes and looked at the Grand Duke.
Suddenly, the Grand Duke felt a sense of foreboding.
The investigator's gaze flickered strangely.
"...I see."
The investigator muttered something meaningful.
He nodded and fixed his gaze on the Grand Duke.
The investigator, who had been carrying a stack of documents in his arms, hurled them onto the desk with a bang. He then turned to the Grand Duke of Artaeum and quirked a smile.
"Your Highness, the Grand Duke of Artaeum. I'm sorry, but you cannot return to the mansion."
"What?"
The Grand Duke raised an eyebrow and asked, as the investigator snapped his fingers, signaling to his subordinates.
“A witness has appeared. They say His Highness the Grand Duke is the one who killed Cedric.”
Armed knights suddenly burst in.
They surrounded the Grand Duke of Artaeum and grabbed his arms to prevent him from resisting.
“I said I didn’t kill him.”
The Grand Duke violently shook off the knights who were grabbing his arms. He was dumbfounded and bewildered.
He clearly never killed Cedric, yet a witness has appeared...!
It was a clear case of false accusation.
In an instant, a white light enveloped the Grand Duke’s hands. His magical power, unable to contain his anger, condensed into his fingertips.
“What? A light?”
The investigator facing him rubbed his eyes, momentarily doubting his own. When he turned to face the Grand Duke again, the white light had vanished.
“...Did I see something wrong?”
He must have hallucinated because he was tired.
He had been conducting the investigation without a single sleep for days. He pressed his eyes tightly and sighed, as if exhausted.
The Grand Duke clenched his fists and fought back his anger.
"I can't destroy everything I've built here."
He could easily escape from here if he used magic.
However, the situation would be a mess.
If his ability to use magic were discovered in this situation, it would only strengthen the witness's testimony that he was the culprit behind Cedric's murder.
If he were framed as the culprit, his plan to overthrow the Emperor would be disrupted.
He couldn't allow the revenge he'd planned with Neruan to be ruined so pointlessly.
He decided to keep his plan a secret until the very end.
This place, where he could escape if he wanted, posed no threat to the Grand Duke.
The Grand Duke, who had seemed defiant, meekly lowered his arm. He spoke softly to the investigator.
“I wonder if any witness who claims to have seen me knows that perjury is punishable by death.”
Grand Duke Artaeum patted his shoulder and continued.
“Bring the witness to me.”
It had been two days since he was imprisoned.
While not yet a criminal, he was identified as a prime suspect and was destined for imprisonment.
It wasn’t a dilapidated, sunlight-drenched cell dripping with stagnant water.
His cell was a remarkably comfortable place for a criminal to be confined.
The spacious cell was bathed in bright sunlight from the south.
There were clean, well-made, luxurious bedding, a large table, and a large private bathroom.
As a member of the royal family, even the prison facilities were unusual.
The Grand Duke of Artaeum, imprisoned on the top floor, called a bird through the window.
He tied a letter addressed to the Artaeum mansion to his leg and sent the bird out again.
“...Your reply is late.”
He had been sending letters to his mansion since the day he was imprisoned. But, for some reason, no reply came.
Alone, the Grand Duke heard the sound of footsteps coming up.
He turned toward the direction of the sound.
He knew who was coming. He had heard that the witness who had accused him of murder was coming.
The Grand Duke of Artaeum, who had been staring blankly through the bars, sighed in despair at the sight of the face revealed.
It was a familiar face.
A man with neatly styled black hair and dark eyes.
It was Eric.
The Grand Duke of Artaeum slowly walked toward the bars where Eric stood. Then, with a loud clang, he gripped the cold iron bars.
“Was it you? The one who framed me for murder?”
Eric’s lips curled into a smirk at the Duke of Artaeum’s words.
“Framed me? I simply reported what I saw, Your Highness, the Duke of Artaeum.”
“To use your father’s death to destroy me is pathetic, Count Wence.”
Eric snickered at the Grand Duke of Artaeum’s words, then let out a laugh.
Was it an illusion that Eric’s face, so utterly sullen, now looked strangely happy?
It wasn’t the face of someone mourning his father’s death. Eric’s eyes, once bright, were filled with madness.
“Do you know? Rumors that Your Highness, the Grand Duke, killed my father have already spread throughout the Empire. But do you know what the people’s reaction is?”
He knew that the Grand Duke of Artaeum could do nothing to me from behind the iron bars, so he spoke even more sarcastically.
“I knew it. They were whispering that your violent temper never went away.”
Eric’s words stabbed the Grand Duke in the heart.
The gossip directed at him was a familiar experience. However, the fact that nothing had changed despite his efforts to change weighed heavily on his heart.
"No one defends you. No one believes you, Your Highness, the Grand Duke of Artaeum."
With those words, Eric fumbled with something in his pocket and dropped it at the Grand Duke's feet with a thud.
The Emperor summoned the investigator and said,
“For the sake of the deceased Cedric, you must reveal the culprit. I tried to cover up the past because I felt sorry for my young nephew, who lost his parents at a young age, but now it has gone too far. ”
He ordered that the Grand Duke be set right, even if it was late, and that his crimes be revealed.
“They said Your Highness, the Grand Duke held a grudge against Cedric of the Wences family.”
“Don’t push it. Investigate properly.”
“Understanding the grudges of the murdered person is also part of the investigation.”
“Aren’t there many others who hold grudges against him besides me?”
It was true.
Cedric had committed countless atrocities while supporting the Emperor and Duke Flice.
The Grand Duke spoke harshly to the investigator.
“Stop wasting time here and catch the real culprit.”
The investigator met the Grand Duke's eyes for a moment, then slowly lowered them. Then he let out a soft sigh.
"Let's stop here for today."
Since the Grand Duke of Artaeum wasn't particularly cooperative, dragging his feet any further was pointless.
'We'll have to find more witnesses to the incident. Interview the employees of the Grand Duke of Artaeum.'
With no solid evidence, it was difficult to pressure the Grand Duke.
The investigator rose first. The Grand Duke also slowly stood up. The Grand Duke wanted nothing more than to return to the mansion.
'He must be worried.'
The investigators suddenly barged into the mansion. The expression on Rose's face that he seen back then lingered in his mind throughout the interrogation.
He forcibly shook off Rose's trembling hand as she grabbed his sleeve.
Without even being able to reassure her, her worried eyes trembled incessantly, and he left the mansion as if dragged.
The sight of Rose being trampled on vividly filled the Grand Duke with a complex feeling.
He hurriedly prepared to leave, determined to hug Rose with all his might as soon as he returned to the mansion.
That was it. A man slammed open the door and rushed inside.
The Grand Duke and the investigator simultaneously looked at him. The man, who had rushed in, approached the investigator and began whispering.
The investigator's expression hardened as he listened, wondering what on earth he was talking about. He listened quietly to the whispers, then raised his lowered eyes and looked at the Grand Duke.
Suddenly, the Grand Duke felt a sense of foreboding.
The investigator's gaze flickered strangely.
"...I see."
The investigator muttered something meaningful.
He nodded and fixed his gaze on the Grand Duke.
The investigator, who had been carrying a stack of documents in his arms, hurled them onto the desk with a bang. He then turned to the Grand Duke of Artaeum and quirked a smile.
"Your Highness, the Grand Duke of Artaeum. I'm sorry, but you cannot return to the mansion."
"What?"
The Grand Duke raised an eyebrow and asked, as the investigator snapped his fingers, signaling to his subordinates.
“A witness has appeared. They say His Highness the Grand Duke is the one who killed Cedric.”
Armed knights suddenly burst in.
They surrounded the Grand Duke of Artaeum and grabbed his arms to prevent him from resisting.
“I said I didn’t kill him.”
The Grand Duke violently shook off the knights who were grabbing his arms. He was dumbfounded and bewildered.
He clearly never killed Cedric, yet a witness has appeared...!
It was a clear case of false accusation.
In an instant, a white light enveloped the Grand Duke’s hands. His magical power, unable to contain his anger, condensed into his fingertips.
“What? A light?”
The investigator facing him rubbed his eyes, momentarily doubting his own. When he turned to face the Grand Duke again, the white light had vanished.
“...Did I see something wrong?”
He must have hallucinated because he was tired.
He had been conducting the investigation without a single sleep for days. He pressed his eyes tightly and sighed, as if exhausted.
The Grand Duke clenched his fists and fought back his anger.
"I can't destroy everything I've built here."
He could easily escape from here if he used magic.
However, the situation would be a mess.
If his ability to use magic were discovered in this situation, it would only strengthen the witness's testimony that he was the culprit behind Cedric's murder.
If he were framed as the culprit, his plan to overthrow the Emperor would be disrupted.
He couldn't allow the revenge he'd planned with Neruan to be ruined so pointlessly.
He decided to keep his plan a secret until the very end.
This place, where he could escape if he wanted, posed no threat to the Grand Duke.
The Grand Duke, who had seemed defiant, meekly lowered his arm. He spoke softly to the investigator.
“I wonder if any witness who claims to have seen me knows that perjury is punishable by death.”
Grand Duke Artaeum patted his shoulder and continued.
“Bring the witness to me.”
***
It had been two days since he was imprisoned.
While not yet a criminal, he was identified as a prime suspect and was destined for imprisonment.
It wasn’t a dilapidated, sunlight-drenched cell dripping with stagnant water.
His cell was a remarkably comfortable place for a criminal to be confined.
The spacious cell was bathed in bright sunlight from the south.
There were clean, well-made, luxurious bedding, a large table, and a large private bathroom.
As a member of the royal family, even the prison facilities were unusual.
The Grand Duke of Artaeum, imprisoned on the top floor, called a bird through the window.
He tied a letter addressed to the Artaeum mansion to his leg and sent the bird out again.
“...Your reply is late.”
He had been sending letters to his mansion since the day he was imprisoned. But, for some reason, no reply came.
Alone, the Grand Duke heard the sound of footsteps coming up.
He turned toward the direction of the sound.
He knew who was coming. He had heard that the witness who had accused him of murder was coming.
The Grand Duke of Artaeum, who had been staring blankly through the bars, sighed in despair at the sight of the face revealed.
It was a familiar face.
A man with neatly styled black hair and dark eyes.
It was Eric.
The Grand Duke of Artaeum slowly walked toward the bars where Eric stood. Then, with a loud clang, he gripped the cold iron bars.
“Was it you? The one who framed me for murder?”
Eric’s lips curled into a smirk at the Duke of Artaeum’s words.
“Framed me? I simply reported what I saw, Your Highness, the Duke of Artaeum.”
“To use your father’s death to destroy me is pathetic, Count Wence.”
Eric snickered at the Grand Duke of Artaeum’s words, then let out a laugh.
Was it an illusion that Eric’s face, so utterly sullen, now looked strangely happy?
It wasn’t the face of someone mourning his father’s death. Eric’s eyes, once bright, were filled with madness.
“Do you know? Rumors that Your Highness, the Grand Duke, killed my father have already spread throughout the Empire. But do you know what the people’s reaction is?”
He knew that the Grand Duke of Artaeum could do nothing to me from behind the iron bars, so he spoke even more sarcastically.
“I knew it. They were whispering that your violent temper never went away.”
Eric’s words stabbed the Grand Duke in the heart.
The gossip directed at him was a familiar experience. However, the fact that nothing had changed despite his efforts to change weighed heavily on his heart.
"No one defends you. No one believes you, Your Highness, the Grand Duke of Artaeum."
With those words, Eric fumbled with something in his pocket and dropped it at the Grand Duke's feet with a thud.
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