(188) Destruction (3)
As soon as Chloe finished speaking, Penny took the lead.
Penny explained that she had no choice but to follow orders and bring tea mixed with poisonous herbs into the Crown Prince's bedroom because her son had been taken hostage. She said she was threatened that if she did not, her son would be killed by the man who was always following him.
The Emperor, unable to even get angry at the dumbfounding situation, rubbed his temple with his index finger.
Silence followed for a while, even after Penny finished speaking.
The Emperor looked back at Harold, who was still being held captive by Averaster, Royal Consort Aelra, whose face had turned pale, and the members of the Bronte family, who had been wearing expressions as if they were about to die for some time.
He also checked the faces of Ariana and Geor, who were standing calmly, Chloe and Penny, who were kneeling and shedding tears, and the other witnesses, who were bound, one by one.
Soon, the question they had been waiting for flowed from the Emperor's lips.
“Who on earth threatened you like that?”
“Your Majesty, those men are now plotting to harm one person...”
“Shut up! I’m asking those women right now. Answer me at once. Who threatened you like that?”
As soon as Chloe finished speaking, Penny took the lead.
Penny explained that she had no choice but to follow orders and bring tea mixed with poisonous herbs into the Crown Prince's bedroom because her son had been taken hostage. She said she was threatened that if she did not, her son would be killed by the man who was always following him.
The Emperor, unable to even get angry at the dumbfounding situation, rubbed his temple with his index finger.
Silence followed for a while, even after Penny finished speaking.
The Emperor looked back at Harold, who was still being held captive by Averaster, Royal Consort Aelra, whose face had turned pale, and the members of the Bronte family, who had been wearing expressions as if they were about to die for some time.
He also checked the faces of Ariana and Geor, who were standing calmly, Chloe and Penny, who were kneeling and shedding tears, and the other witnesses, who were bound, one by one.
Soon, the question they had been waiting for flowed from the Emperor's lips.
“Who on earth threatened you like that?”
“Your Majesty, those men are now plotting to harm one person...”
“Shut up! I’m asking those women right now. Answer me at once. Who threatened you like that?”
The short time it took for Chloe and Penny to answer felt incredibly long to the audience. Tension, threatening to explode at any moment, overwhelmed the crowd.
With everyone listening intently, Chloe and Penny answered in unison.
"He is the Third Prince, Harold Blenwitt."
"Ah..."
Harold just moved his lips.
He couldn't understand what was going on.
Up until this morning, everything was going perfectly. Even the few issues that had been weighing on his mind were no longer considered major problems, now that Ariana and Geor had been taken to prison.
However, those few problems were coming back as a huge boulder.
The blow was so great that he couldn't even think of protesting, and he just gasped for breath under the crushing weight.
Ariana didn't stop there. Riding the momentum, she pressed on decisively.
“This is not all, Your Majesty. Victoria Bronte came into contact with Paganus a few years ago and performed a blood ritual. Victoria is Paganus, and I am convinced that if you send someone to Bronte Manor immediately to investigate, you will be able to find the beast hearts hidden in her room.”
Before the audience could even process those words, a scream that seemed to tear through the air rang out. It was Rachel.
Rachel turned to Victoria with a pale face and shouted.
“V-Victoria! What on earth have you done? Did you really perform the ritual? Did you really become Paganus?”
Slam-!
Victoria slapped Rachel's cheek.
Rachel stared blankly at her daughter with her mouth open.
"Didn't I tell you not to talk nonsense?"
“V-Victoria...”
Leaving the dazed Rachel behind, Victoria ran forward and knelt. Sobbing profusely, Victoria cried out.
“Your Majesty, I am being accused. To think I am Paganus. Ariana is telling preposterous lies to destroy my family, unable to forget a grudge from her childhood. Your Majesty, please do not be swayed by those lies. I am not a Paganus. On the contrary, I suspect Ariana. That man known as Paganus might actually be one of Ariana's people. Ariana is trying to cloud everyone's judgment by bringing in a crowd of people without any evidence.”
Victoria, trembling and sobbing, looked so frail that she evoked pity. Unable to even wipe away the tears streaming down her face as she defended herself, Victoria appeared to be in agony, as if she had been subjected to terrible torment by Ariana.
The Emperor closed his eyes tightly.
It was a complete mess. It was such a total disaster that he didn't know where to begin unraveling the ball of yarn. He couldn't tell whose words were true either.
"Your Majesty, may I dare to say a word?"
At the sound of a faint voice, the Emperor opened his eyes. Royal Consort Aelra, who had not said a word until now, was walking out softly with a pitiful smile.
“Go ahead. Everyone is clamoring that they’re right, so it shouldn’t matter if one more person joins in.”
“Your Majesty, just as the Princess said, there is not a single piece of evidence against Princess the East. It is all talk; even those brought in as witnesses merely chatter away without presenting a single piece of evidence. Furthermore, those who allegedly attempted to assassinate them have been gagged and have not been able to say a single word to this day.”
"Yeah, that's right."
“I do not want to believe it, but I suspect that the East is plotting to separate the West and the Third Prince from His Majesty's side in this way and strike the Empire. Although the Third Prince still has many shortcomings, he is trusted by many and serves Your Majesty the Emperor with all his heart, and the Western Lord has also always been Your Majesty's most loyal pillar of support... I am worried that you might fall into the East's scheme and lose these two pillars.”
A soft voice tickled the Emperor's heart. The Emperor thought that the Royal Consort Aelra was right.
"Well, I have a different opinion."
However, the Empress's icy voice shattered the Emperor's thoughts.
“I am not sure just how much of a pillar the Western Lord and the Third Prince are for the Empire. Didn't the Western Lord and the Third Prince fail miserably a few years ago after investing in a business for personal gain?”
When the Empress sprinkled ashes on the finished meal, Royal Consort Aelra's face flushed red.
“I am curious. I understand that the Imperial Family provides the Third Prince with a substantial allowance for maintaining his dignity, so for what purpose did the Third Prince need additional funds?”
"Of course, that is to be of help to the Imperial Family."
“The Imperial Family doesn’t need such petty cash. On the contrary, I suspect the Third Prince might have ulterior motives to increase his personal wealth.”
“Your Majesty, the Empress. It hurts my feelings to hear you say that. The Third Prince has always respected you and regarded you as his mother even more than I did.”
“Well, we’ll see a little longer. Princess Ariana White.”
The Empress took her eyes off the Royal Consort Aelra and turned to look at Ariana.
“You must realize that the witnesses alone cannot provide any certainty right now. Do you have anything else prepared?”
“Yes, Your Majesty, the Empress. I will request that they use Aphen’s holy water to prove the truth of those words.”
At Ariana's words, the people stirred again.
Arphen's Holy Water.
It was water created by many priests gathered in the temple and praying for several days, receiving the blessing of the great Arphen, and it had the power to prevent anyone who consumed it from speaking falsehoods.
However, the manufacturing process was complex and time-consuming, and the risk was so significant that even the Emperor could not use it at will without the permission of His Holiness the Pope.
Even if they were to make a request to the Great Temple right now, it would take at least a month just to obtain the Pope's permission and make holy water.
Harold and Victoria, who had been in a state of confusion and shock, let out a sigh of relief.
One month is enough time to find a way to escape.
Harold quickly stepped forward and spoke.
“Your Majesty, Princess of the East, is currently plotting to buy time and escape. It will take over a month to create Arphen’s holy water and bring it here, and in the meantime, the East will complete her preparations to attack the Empire.”
Ariana watched Harold with amusement and said.
“No, Third Prince. It won’t take that long.”
“It takes a long time, Princess. No matter how much you rush, it will take a month. Isn’t that enough time for you to consult with the East faction and put a sword to Your Majesty the Emperor’s throat?”
“I do not go around concealing a sword, Third Prince. Wasn’t it you who entered the audience chamber, hiding a dagger?”
"That...!"
“Your Majesty, the Emperor.”
Ariana ignored Harold, looked up at the Emperor, and spoke.
"His Holiness the Pope has already granted Arphen's holy water."
“The Pope has already authorized holy water? Did the Pope even anticipate a situation like this?”
“It is not so... I do not know if you remember, but there was a time in the past when I briefly held an excessive title, and because of that connection, His Holiness the Pope granted me the holy water of Arphen.”
Only then did people recall that Ariana had once been called a 'Saint' for helping commoners who had suffered greatly because of perfume.
The Saint was currently imprisoned in an underground dungeon for a crime without evidence, and was being treated like a criminal with her wrists bound.
Some people who guessed the situation turned out to be embarrassed and blushed.
The Emperor felt the same way, so he softened his gaze and spoke.
“Princess, even if the Pope has granted permission for holy water, it will take a considerable amount of time to make it and bring it here.”
Another unexpected event occurred. Someone other than Ariana answered the Emperor's words.
“I have brought Arphen’s holy water, Your Majesty.”
It was Cardinal Eodes Cediora.
“Cardinal, you brought holy water?”
“Yes, Your Majesty. His Holiness the Pope has entrusted me with the holy water of Arphen, instructing that I use it when Princess of the East is in trouble.”
The Cardinal lifted the large glass bottle hanging from his waist. It had been hidden by his long robes, so no one had noticed the bottle until now.
Victoria, the Third Prince, and Rachel looked up in bewilderment at the clear water inside the glass bottle.
Arphen's holy water was known to be so powerful that even those with strong willpower could not speak falsehoods.
'No.'
Rachel glared at the glass bottle the Cardinal was holding with wide eyes.
'If I drink that, it's all over.'
The trembling wouldn't stop. But she couldn't just sit there and take it.
Rachel glanced back at her daughter.
Victoria was biting her lower lip hard, her face pale. No matter how harshly she had treated her, Rachel's heart ached when she saw blood seeping from her bitten lip.
Rachel turned her head and also saw her husband Jacob, who was mingling among the nobles.
Jacob, who was out and about and completely unaware of the family's situation, turned pale from the moment Ariana's counterattack began and kept a low profile, acting as if he had nothing to do with it.
Rachel squeezed her eyes shut and then opened them.
The Cardinal was walking toward the witnesses, holding the glass vial himself. Everyone's gaze followed the Cardinal's movements. Even the knights could not take their eyes off Arphen's holy water, which they were seeing for the first time.
Then, Rachel moved.
Rachel did not hesitate. She ran with all her might, bumped into the Cardinal, and slapped his hand hard.
The sight of the glass bottle falling after slipping from the Cardinal's hand lingered for a long time. Soon, a dull thud echoed from the bottle as it struck the floor.
Crang!
Everyone watched in bewilderment as precious holy water flowed from the shattered glass bottle. Even the Emperor and Empress, and the bound assassins, stared blankly at the holy water soaking the floor.
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