255: [Bonus chapter]Traitors beneath the crown (part 3)

[Bonus chapter]Traitors beneath the crown (part 3)

"I was not granted access to the glass you received, Lady Adelaide, but I would wager my grandmother's crown in Kolhis that it wasn't poisoned."1

Adela recollected Egon's gesture of inhaling the liquor's aroma and confirming the absence of poison back in her room that night, yet she refrained from divulging his unconventional approach in a room brimming with men whose integrity she questioned.

The dukes might have committed an unforgivable deed in their bid to shield her. From Adela's standpoint, she firmly believed that the ultimate outcome could never serve as justification for the methods employed.

Sasha's sizable brown eyes shifted from a disconcerted-looking Adela and fixed onto the Dukes once more.

"Do you even grasp the massive mess your plan could've stirred up? Seriously, have you not figured out what kind of person Kaiser de Lanark is at all?"

Adela's gaze lifted to her father's visage, observing the ominous stillness in his darkening blue eyes. Even in her current disoriented state, she felt a compulsion to ask the crucial questions, especially if her uncle's death could be attributed to her, even indirectly.

The Lady's olive green eyes turned steely. "Speak of your evidence first, Princess, and then you may continue if you wish."

Sasha cracked her knuckles and scowled, as if being confronted with a question she'd rather avoid.

"Alright, fine. I'll reveal my sources. I've got the servants' sworn testimonies, our latest citizens who now have diplomatic immunity and are currently sailing back to my homeland."

Beside the Archduke, Gustav seethed with anger, while Kaiser himself maintained a diplomatic facade, his eyes lingering on Sasha in silence. Adela, caught in the crossfire of the Empire's bold interference in her Kingdom's affairs, gestured for Sasha to carry on.

"What? I was backed into a corner, forced to act! Just like I had no choice but to lock up your son-in-law in the dungeons earlier... You see, Kaiser, your Dukes instructed the servants to poison the opened bottle. The plan was for the Monarch to die from the poison, and then they'd reveal the truth – that Emanuel de Lanark had brought those poisoned bottles from Destan, attempting to assassinate Lady Adelaide."

Sasha regarded Rauul with a condescending gaze as he continued to stare thoughtfully at her.

"You think you've got enough audacity to brush off all of this, Duke Rauul?"

Rauul smirked, a sly glint dancing in his eyes—one as vivid blue as a clear sky, the other as dark as the night.

"Your imagination seems to have taken a rather extravagant flight, Princess. While you assert your possession of evidence, the servants you mention were obviously bought by you since you took them under your wing and gave them citizenzship in Kolhis. As for your other assertion, that the departed Monarch harbored murderous intentions towards my Lady – I'm guessing you've examined the bottle she received and found it tainted?"

Sasha's smile took on a wicked edge.

"Thanks for steering the conversation that way, but I'm going to have to set you straight. I did indeed test the alcohol the Lady received, and I did document that analysis with a mana-powered recording device... But guess what? Contrary to your assumptions, the results came out squeaky clean!"

Amidst the prevailing shock that filled the room, there was a fleeting moment when Kaiser appeared relieved, as if his worries about his brother's sinister intentions towards his daughter had been disproven. However, that glimpse of relief quickly faded when Sasha shook her head, seemingly attuned to his thoughts.

"As much as I'm reluctant to admit it, Kaiser, your Dukes were not far off the mark. As I have said before, Emanuel de Lanark did indeed arrive with ill intentions, aiming to take the life of his own niece," 

She waited for Kaiser to nod in a begrudging acceptance before proceeding.

"Based on the sworn testimonies we've gathered, Emanuel specifically requested a certain type of alcohol to be brought along with him – a poisonous variety that our intelligence confirms he had been secretly cultivating in Destan."

Sasha paused, observing the realization slowly appearing on Kaiser's face, as he likely heard of his late brother's peculiar hobby for the first time.

"That fateful night saw three assassination attempts unfold simultaneously," she continued, raising her index finger. "The Dukes' attempt failed because Emanuel de Lanark did not consume a drop of the poisoned beverage." Her middle finger followed suit. "Emanuel's own scheme failed as well, since the bottles brought to him were untainted." Finally, she raised her third finger. "Tragically, the third assassination – of the Monarch himself – succeeded."

Directing her focus to the Dukes, Sasha's gaze bore into them disdainfully.

"Were I in your shoes, I'd shed my noble titles and offer myself as a humble servant at the beck and call of the Crown Prince. Claude, who was the lone individual capable of intercepting and sabotaging Emanuel's plot targeting Adela."

Her gaze then shifted to Kaiser, brimming with a sense of expectation. However, it was Adela who posed the next question, her voice strikingly devoid of emotion.

"I don't undertand...Why would His Majesty instruct the servants to pour a glass and then refrain from drinking it?"

Sasha's following smile reflected a triumphant air, for the Lady's question indicated that she believed the Princess.

"It's plausible that his well-known paranoia led him to doubt the contents of the glass poured by the servants, particularly under the circumstances. He likely feared a potential switch between the bottles."

Sasha stretched her neck, releasing a long sigh, and cast a condescending look at the Dukes, as if she was perched atop a high horse.

"Congratulations are in order – I will repeat it again, your attempt to assassinate a King to whom you pledged loyalty has failed miserably."

The Dukes of Galondy and Serta wore pallid countenances, their brows and foreheads glistening with beads of sweat. But what concerned Adela even more was Rauul; within the depths of his eyes, she found pride and conviction.

Sensing her gaze on him, Rauul's heterochromatic eyes briefly brushed over Adela before settling into a glare directed at the Princess.

"As I've asserted before, these are all circumstantial conclusions derived from the accounts of individuals who have betrayed Emoria," he retorted, his tone potent with defiance and authority. "Were I in your position, Princess, I would proceed to elaborate on the details of the Monarch's demise. Failure to do so might invite Latora's endorsement of the First Commander's stance, potentially resulting in a demand for a heavy-duty apology from the Kolhis Emperor himself, courtesy of your ill-timed and baseless finger-pointing."

"Please, continue, Sasha," Kaiser interjected wearily, placing a fatigued hand on Gustav's shoulder and leaning upon him slightly.

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