(187) Destruction (2)
Ariana had set the order.
She had no intention of making Harold take the blame. Victoria and Harold had to share the responsibility equally.
To do so, the order was important.
As Ariana signaled, Lanster went out and brought in another group of witnesses. There were seven of them, and they looked similar to Harold's bodyguard, Penter.
"What else are those people?"
"These men are assassins, hired to kill Young Duke Averaster White and Little Lord while we are staying in the Imperial Capital."
Victoria held her breath.
The Emperor asked in a puzzled manner.
“It seems you are trying to frame the Third Prince, but according to your logic, what would he gain by killing Eastern Little Lord and Duke White?”
Ariana briefly turned her gaze to the side.
Ariana and Victoria's eyes met. As a faint smile appeared on Ariana's lips, the color drained from Victoria's face.
Ariana looked at the Emperor again and spoke.
“The Third Prince did not hire these men. They were instigated by Princess Victoria Bronte.”
"No!"
Victoria shouted angrily. Rachel hurriedly grabbed Victoria's wrist and pulled. Victoria snapped back to reality, suppressed her excitement, and spoke calmly.
“Sister, why do you say things like that again? It really hurts my heart that you are always so eager to tear me apart.”
Ariana ignored Victoria's fabricated words and continued speaking.
"Those instigated by Princess Victoria Bronte attacked the Eastern Little Lord and the Duke of White several times, capturing some and killing others. Also."
Lanster, who had gone outside before anyone realized it, came back in with another witness. Rachel staggered when she saw the man's face.
“I tracked down the butler who offered me the poisoned wine at the Marquis of Materin’s party. He told me that he had been promised a large sum of money by the Duchess Rachel Bronte.”
The audience chamber became noisy.
They did not realize that the issue had suddenly shifted from the attempted poisoning of the Crown Prince and Crown Princess to the assassination of the White family.
Witnesses who kept appearing before they could even think deeply. The pale faces of the Bronte mother and daughter. The terrible truth that the mother hired someone to kill her daughter, and the younger sister hired someone to kill her older sister.
They were busy interpreting and processing the information flooding in like a tidal wave.
The most frantic ones were Victoria and Rachel.
They expected to see Ariana fall into despair after being treated terribly today, but they never imagined something like this would happen.
Ariana, having incurred the Emperor's wrath, should have been flustered and unable to utter a single word in the face of his anger, eventually bursting into tears. However, she not only refuted everything the Emperor said but also had thoroughly prepared witnesses.
Rachel felt like she was about to faint, but she held on with all her might. Fainting now would have been tantamount to admitting guilt.
“Victoria, don’t get worked up. Got it? Nothing has been revealed yet, so you shouldn’t get worked up.”
Rachel whispered in a low voice, worried that Victoria would cause trouble.
“There isn’t a single piece of evidence anyway. No matter what they babble about, we just have to say we know nothing. Understand? So don’t get worked up.”
Victoria replied coldly.
“I know, so mind your own business. Stop doing useless things.”
Rachel could not understand on earth why Victoria had come to ignore and hate her like this. She was more heartbroken by Victoria's attitude than by the incoming witnesses.
Meanwhile, Ariana continued to talk.
“The same poisonous herb that harmed His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was also discovered at our mansion. I observed a servant acting suspiciously, and...”
Lanster took a small pouch out of his pocket.
“We confirmed that the poisonous herbs contained within this were hidden deep in our storehouse. The servant slipped out of the mansion at an opportune moment after finishing his task, but we captured him as well and interrogated him.”
Lanster went out and dragged a man in. He was a man with brown hair and dark skin.
“Your Majesty. During the interrogation of this man, we uncovered a terrible truth. We intended to report this to Your Majesty, but we were unable to enter the palace as the gates were closed.”
“A terrible truth?”
“Yes, Your Majesty. This man.”
Ariana raised her head and met the Emperor's eyes.
"It is Paganus."
The commotion spread.
Paganus?
No one expected 'Paganus' to be mentioned at this very moment. The Emperor was no exception.
“That... what do you mean by that?”
“Your Majesty. Someone attempted to use Paganus to trap the East. And during the interrogation, this man revealed that the person who gave him orders was.”
Ariana raised her bound hands. Then she extended her index finger and pointed at Victoria.
"He confessed that she was Princess Victoria Bronte."
“It is a lie, Your Majesty!”
Victoria shouted sharply.
“Ariana, no, the Princess of the Eastern Realm is trying to frame me with lies to escape this crisis. Your Majesty, my grandfather devoted his entire life to the loyalty of the Empire. Furthermore, Your Majesty has always been kind to our Western Realm. Why, then, would we ever join hands with the likes of Paganus? Absolutely not, absolutely not, Your Majesty.”
Victoria's voice was beyond mournful. The tears welling up in her wide-open eyes were pitiful.
“The Princess is trying to deceive everyone by preparing fake witnesses to escape the crisis. It’s so strange. Isn’t it suspicious that she prepared witnesses as if she knew this would happen?”
Upon hearing it, Victoria was right. The Emperor glared fiercely at Ariana and asked.
“I see, Princess. How did you know all of this and prepare a witness?”
“Your Majesty. We did not prepare this in advance; we merely imprisoned the enemies attacking us to interrogate them. I, too, had no idea they would be used in this way. During the interrogation process, I discovered not only their intent to harm us but also another fact...”
Ariana stopped speaking there. The Emperor, frustrated by the sight of Ariana lowering her head in embarrassment, urged her on.
“Why do you stop speaking?”
"It is so preposterous and cruel that I fear Your Imperial Majesty will rebuke it."
It was a subtle criticism of the Emperor, pointing out Ariana, swayed by Victoria's words.
Even though the Emperor knew that, he could not stand not being curious about what Ariana was about to say.
"I won't scold you, so speak."
“In that case, I will call another witness.”
This time, Lanster did not go out to pick him up.
The two women walked into the audience chamber on their own two feet, as if they had been waiting for this moment. Although their nervousness was evident, their eyes shone with determination.
Harold and Royal Consort Aelra turned pale upon seeing them.
Chloe Spencer, who disappeared from the dungeon. Penny Hoodis, who left the palace after receiving leave from the Crown Prince.
Harold's vision went dark.
'Why? How are they here right now? How?'
His hands and feet were trembling.
Chloe and Penny knew too much about Harold. If they opened their mouths, Harold was finished.
Even in his daze, the Crown Prince recognized Chloe and parted his lips.
“Chloe...”
At that moment, Harold lunged toward the two women.
“These sinners!”
A dagger gleamed in Harold's hand. It was the dagger he had secretly brought with him when entering the audience chamber.
He knew that drawing a weapon in front of the Emperor was a grave sin, but this was the only way to keep Chloe and Penny quiet. He can come up with any excuse.
However, Harold's dagger was blocked by Averaster's hand. Averaster grabbed the blade with his bare hands and glared at Harold.
"For some reason, you look very nervous."
“Those women tried to harm our Crown Prince, but seeing them alive and well, wouldn’t you naturally be anxious? Get out of the way, Young Duke!”
"Wouldn't it be alright to kill them after hearing their story?"
Harold tried to push Averaster away, but he was no match for him. Averaster stood blocking Harold's path as solidly as a mountain.
The Emperor, watching the scene, spoke up in displeasure.
“Harold. Did you sneak a dagger into the audience chamber? Lower your sword immediately! It will not be too late to punish you after hearing their story.”
“But Your Majesty, those women might have entered concealing hidden weapons. If they harm His Royal Highness the Crown Prince while you let your guard down, it will be too late.”
Just then, Chloe slumped to her knees.
“Your Majesty! I am fully aware of my sin and will gladly accept the punishment. However, I wish to inform Your Majesty of the circumstances under which I committed this crime. Please listen to the voice of this lowly one!”
Penny also knelt down.
"Your Majesty, please understand the feelings of a mother who had no choice but to do what she did not want to do because her son was taken hostage."
The Emperor had no idea what on earth was happening.
All he wanted to do was hear an explanation from the East side regarding their attempt to poison the Crown Prince and Crown Princess, but why is the Third Prince so agitated, why is Paganus butting in, what does the Bronte family have to do with this, and why do those women look so wronged?
As he frowned with a throbbing headache, the Empress standing beside him spoke coldly.
“Go ahead and make an excuse.”
“I am from the country noble family of Count Spencer, and one day I received an order from a visitor to enter the palace and win the heart of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. I was threatened that if I failed, my family... my entire family would be killed without exception... Although I knew it was wrong, when I thought of the assassins lurking behind my family, I felt I had no choice.”
Chloe listed the things she had to do on his orders: seducing the Crown Prince, whispering to him to run away, and pushing the Crown Princess down the stairs.
“Chloe, how could you...!”
The Princess grabbed the arm of the agitated Crown Prince tightly.
“Brother, we still need to listen to more.”
“Charlotte....”
"You must not disturb her."
Charlotte was watching everything from a distance.
The people here might not know, but Charlotte could tell.
This place was a theatrical stage that Ariana had painstakingly prepared for a long time. The actors were acting exactly as she wanted, unaware that they were being played by her.
Even though she had been dragged here after the Emperor declared her a 'sinner,' she was in control of the entire situation.
Solely to bring down the iron hammer on those who inflicted hardship upon her.
Even though a single wrong move could incur the Emperor's wrath and result in death on the spot, Ariana was unhesitatingly and boldly making her decisive moves. Her actions were like a storm, leaving both the victim and the onlookers unable to regain their composure.
It was a sight that even felt truly delightful.
Charlotte doesn't know what kind of results these events will bring in the future, but for now, she doesn't want to disrupt the stage Ariana had created.
Ariana had set the order.
She had no intention of making Harold take the blame. Victoria and Harold had to share the responsibility equally.
To do so, the order was important.
As Ariana signaled, Lanster went out and brought in another group of witnesses. There were seven of them, and they looked similar to Harold's bodyguard, Penter.
"What else are those people?"
"These men are assassins, hired to kill Young Duke Averaster White and Little Lord while we are staying in the Imperial Capital."
Victoria held her breath.
The Emperor asked in a puzzled manner.
“It seems you are trying to frame the Third Prince, but according to your logic, what would he gain by killing Eastern Little Lord and Duke White?”
Ariana briefly turned her gaze to the side.
Ariana and Victoria's eyes met. As a faint smile appeared on Ariana's lips, the color drained from Victoria's face.
Ariana looked at the Emperor again and spoke.
“The Third Prince did not hire these men. They were instigated by Princess Victoria Bronte.”
"No!"
Victoria shouted angrily. Rachel hurriedly grabbed Victoria's wrist and pulled. Victoria snapped back to reality, suppressed her excitement, and spoke calmly.
“Sister, why do you say things like that again? It really hurts my heart that you are always so eager to tear me apart.”
Ariana ignored Victoria's fabricated words and continued speaking.
"Those instigated by Princess Victoria Bronte attacked the Eastern Little Lord and the Duke of White several times, capturing some and killing others. Also."
Lanster, who had gone outside before anyone realized it, came back in with another witness. Rachel staggered when she saw the man's face.
“I tracked down the butler who offered me the poisoned wine at the Marquis of Materin’s party. He told me that he had been promised a large sum of money by the Duchess Rachel Bronte.”
The audience chamber became noisy.
They did not realize that the issue had suddenly shifted from the attempted poisoning of the Crown Prince and Crown Princess to the assassination of the White family.
Witnesses who kept appearing before they could even think deeply. The pale faces of the Bronte mother and daughter. The terrible truth that the mother hired someone to kill her daughter, and the younger sister hired someone to kill her older sister.
They were busy interpreting and processing the information flooding in like a tidal wave.
The most frantic ones were Victoria and Rachel.
They expected to see Ariana fall into despair after being treated terribly today, but they never imagined something like this would happen.
Ariana, having incurred the Emperor's wrath, should have been flustered and unable to utter a single word in the face of his anger, eventually bursting into tears. However, she not only refuted everything the Emperor said but also had thoroughly prepared witnesses.
Rachel felt like she was about to faint, but she held on with all her might. Fainting now would have been tantamount to admitting guilt.
“Victoria, don’t get worked up. Got it? Nothing has been revealed yet, so you shouldn’t get worked up.”
Rachel whispered in a low voice, worried that Victoria would cause trouble.
“There isn’t a single piece of evidence anyway. No matter what they babble about, we just have to say we know nothing. Understand? So don’t get worked up.”
Victoria replied coldly.
“I know, so mind your own business. Stop doing useless things.”
Rachel could not understand on earth why Victoria had come to ignore and hate her like this. She was more heartbroken by Victoria's attitude than by the incoming witnesses.
Meanwhile, Ariana continued to talk.
“The same poisonous herb that harmed His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was also discovered at our mansion. I observed a servant acting suspiciously, and...”
Lanster took a small pouch out of his pocket.
“We confirmed that the poisonous herbs contained within this were hidden deep in our storehouse. The servant slipped out of the mansion at an opportune moment after finishing his task, but we captured him as well and interrogated him.”
Lanster went out and dragged a man in. He was a man with brown hair and dark skin.
“Your Majesty. During the interrogation of this man, we uncovered a terrible truth. We intended to report this to Your Majesty, but we were unable to enter the palace as the gates were closed.”
“A terrible truth?”
“Yes, Your Majesty. This man.”
Ariana raised her head and met the Emperor's eyes.
"It is Paganus."
The commotion spread.
Paganus?
No one expected 'Paganus' to be mentioned at this very moment. The Emperor was no exception.
“That... what do you mean by that?”
“Your Majesty. Someone attempted to use Paganus to trap the East. And during the interrogation, this man revealed that the person who gave him orders was.”
Ariana raised her bound hands. Then she extended her index finger and pointed at Victoria.
"He confessed that she was Princess Victoria Bronte."
“It is a lie, Your Majesty!”
Victoria shouted sharply.
“Ariana, no, the Princess of the Eastern Realm is trying to frame me with lies to escape this crisis. Your Majesty, my grandfather devoted his entire life to the loyalty of the Empire. Furthermore, Your Majesty has always been kind to our Western Realm. Why, then, would we ever join hands with the likes of Paganus? Absolutely not, absolutely not, Your Majesty.”
Victoria's voice was beyond mournful. The tears welling up in her wide-open eyes were pitiful.
“The Princess is trying to deceive everyone by preparing fake witnesses to escape the crisis. It’s so strange. Isn’t it suspicious that she prepared witnesses as if she knew this would happen?”
Upon hearing it, Victoria was right. The Emperor glared fiercely at Ariana and asked.
“I see, Princess. How did you know all of this and prepare a witness?”
“Your Majesty. We did not prepare this in advance; we merely imprisoned the enemies attacking us to interrogate them. I, too, had no idea they would be used in this way. During the interrogation process, I discovered not only their intent to harm us but also another fact...”
Ariana stopped speaking there. The Emperor, frustrated by the sight of Ariana lowering her head in embarrassment, urged her on.
“Why do you stop speaking?”
"It is so preposterous and cruel that I fear Your Imperial Majesty will rebuke it."
It was a subtle criticism of the Emperor, pointing out Ariana, swayed by Victoria's words.
Even though the Emperor knew that, he could not stand not being curious about what Ariana was about to say.
"I won't scold you, so speak."
“In that case, I will call another witness.”
This time, Lanster did not go out to pick him up.
The two women walked into the audience chamber on their own two feet, as if they had been waiting for this moment. Although their nervousness was evident, their eyes shone with determination.
Harold and Royal Consort Aelra turned pale upon seeing them.
Chloe Spencer, who disappeared from the dungeon. Penny Hoodis, who left the palace after receiving leave from the Crown Prince.
Harold's vision went dark.
'Why? How are they here right now? How?'
His hands and feet were trembling.
Chloe and Penny knew too much about Harold. If they opened their mouths, Harold was finished.
Even in his daze, the Crown Prince recognized Chloe and parted his lips.
“Chloe...”
At that moment, Harold lunged toward the two women.
“These sinners!”
A dagger gleamed in Harold's hand. It was the dagger he had secretly brought with him when entering the audience chamber.
He knew that drawing a weapon in front of the Emperor was a grave sin, but this was the only way to keep Chloe and Penny quiet. He can come up with any excuse.
However, Harold's dagger was blocked by Averaster's hand. Averaster grabbed the blade with his bare hands and glared at Harold.
"For some reason, you look very nervous."
“Those women tried to harm our Crown Prince, but seeing them alive and well, wouldn’t you naturally be anxious? Get out of the way, Young Duke!”
"Wouldn't it be alright to kill them after hearing their story?"
Harold tried to push Averaster away, but he was no match for him. Averaster stood blocking Harold's path as solidly as a mountain.
The Emperor, watching the scene, spoke up in displeasure.
“Harold. Did you sneak a dagger into the audience chamber? Lower your sword immediately! It will not be too late to punish you after hearing their story.”
“But Your Majesty, those women might have entered concealing hidden weapons. If they harm His Royal Highness the Crown Prince while you let your guard down, it will be too late.”
Just then, Chloe slumped to her knees.
“Your Majesty! I am fully aware of my sin and will gladly accept the punishment. However, I wish to inform Your Majesty of the circumstances under which I committed this crime. Please listen to the voice of this lowly one!”
Penny also knelt down.
"Your Majesty, please understand the feelings of a mother who had no choice but to do what she did not want to do because her son was taken hostage."
The Emperor had no idea what on earth was happening.
All he wanted to do was hear an explanation from the East side regarding their attempt to poison the Crown Prince and Crown Princess, but why is the Third Prince so agitated, why is Paganus butting in, what does the Bronte family have to do with this, and why do those women look so wronged?
As he frowned with a throbbing headache, the Empress standing beside him spoke coldly.
“Go ahead and make an excuse.”
“I am from the country noble family of Count Spencer, and one day I received an order from a visitor to enter the palace and win the heart of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. I was threatened that if I failed, my family... my entire family would be killed without exception... Although I knew it was wrong, when I thought of the assassins lurking behind my family, I felt I had no choice.”
Chloe listed the things she had to do on his orders: seducing the Crown Prince, whispering to him to run away, and pushing the Crown Princess down the stairs.
“Chloe, how could you...!”
The Princess grabbed the arm of the agitated Crown Prince tightly.
“Brother, we still need to listen to more.”
“Charlotte....”
"You must not disturb her."
Charlotte was watching everything from a distance.
The people here might not know, but Charlotte could tell.
This place was a theatrical stage that Ariana had painstakingly prepared for a long time. The actors were acting exactly as she wanted, unaware that they were being played by her.
Even though she had been dragged here after the Emperor declared her a 'sinner,' she was in control of the entire situation.
Solely to bring down the iron hammer on those who inflicted hardship upon her.
Even though a single wrong move could incur the Emperor's wrath and result in death on the spot, Ariana was unhesitatingly and boldly making her decisive moves. Her actions were like a storm, leaving both the victim and the onlookers unable to regain their composure.
It was a sight that even felt truly delightful.
Charlotte doesn't know what kind of results these events will bring in the future, but for now, she doesn't want to disrupt the stage Ariana had created.
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