Chapter 90

Chapter 90: Chapter 90

Cordelli’s face turned white at Beatrice’s reminder. If she were a maid, Cordelli might block her mouth right now, but unfortunately, Beatrice was a lady of the noble family, who was much higher in rank than she.

While she was nervous, Marianne deliberately stared at her with a terrible look.

“Cordelli, how come…!”

“No, Lady. Listen to me, please. I’m really alright. I’m not dizzy now. It doesn’t hurt… I’m really alright!”

“What? That means you were dizzy and painful until you got here, right?”

“Pardon? Oh no! I wasn’t…”

“Don’t lie. You told me a while ago you were alright, and you said you were not injured at all.”

“Lady, please don’t be angry. I’m really alright now.”

Beatrice looked at Marianne and Cordelli quarrelling with a pleasant expression.

Meanwhile, the group arrived in front of the emperor’s room in the annex.

A priest, who was waiting for them, opened the door. Dressed in various kinds of clothes, they entered the room. The sound of their shoes periodically ringing in the corridor faded away on the carpet.

“May the glory of the great god Airius be bestowed upon you! The chief of the Eluang Knights, the sword of light and Lucio’s shield, Christoper of the Frey family is honored to see Your Majesty!”

Grand Duke Christopher, the leader of the group, knelt first and offered his greetings. It was not just polite, but extremely polite. It showed how long he had been waiting for this moment when he could show his most sincere manners to the emperor.

“We’re honored to see Your Majesty.”

Soon afterwards, people behind him followed suit.

Marianne knelt and lifted her dress slightly. With her right hand on her left chest where the heart was pounding, she dared to look up at the man sitting on the couch.

At that moment, everyone lowered themselves and bowed to him.

His blue eyes in front of her overwhelmed her eyes.

“… May all of you be under the protection of Roshan!”

Eckart’s low voice quickly overtook the atmosphere of the room.

Although Marianne left the room a little while ago, he had already changed his clothes.

His dark blue coat with the golden tassels was hung over his shoulders because of his injured arm. Despite his slightly pale face and few scars, his eyes were clear.

“I’m a little relaxed to see you are safe.”

Duchess Lamont broke the ice by initiating some nice words with a touching voice.

People around her seemed to agree with her words and feelings.

Marianne thought to herself, ‘He must still feel lots of pain. I just don’t know why he is sitting up straight without leaning at all? It looks like he didn’t have opium as I don’t smell of anything toxic…’ She frowned while checking his condition.

Eckart looked at their reaction and at the same time checked her face. He obviously noticed her frowning briefly.

“Not only the cardinal, but also the Grand Duke say I’m alright when they see my miserable condition like this. You guys might have expected something terrible had happened to me, but I came back alive without any major injuries. That’s why you are not moved at all even when my arm was broken like this, right?”

Although he asked them in an interrogating style, his tone was not very sharp. In addition, the figures he mentioned were the cardinal and Duchess Lamont. Obviously he wanted to make them at ease, and those who guessed so had a little smile on their face.

In fact, that was Eckart’s intention, so he didn’t show any discomfort, looking at their facial expressions.

“They say no one who falls down Benoit Falls survives. So, it is a miracle bestowed by God that you have come back alive.” Mrs. Chester said.

“Miracle…”

The emperor repeated her words.

As Mrs. Chester mentioned, he had to take it with a grain of salt.

Eckart asked, “Don’t you think it very strange that these good normal horses ran wild at the same time as if they promised to do so?”

Eckart twisted his mouth gently with a gratifying smile.

“I just don’t know which one is a miracle compared to those who should have died but didn’t and came back alive..”

What he just said was a stern warning to her. Though he didn’t reveal his anger, he was extremely displeased with her.

As if she didn’t want to be outdone, she responded, “Of course, it is a more impressive miracle that you have come back alive.”

She was a seasoned politician. In the blink of an eye, she already had the upper hand in a war of words with him.

She continued, “As for the accident, I think you can investigate further and punish those involved in the accident and those responsible for it. I think it had been plotted by someone, but it’s too early to judge.”

Of course, it was not difficult for her to turn the topic in her favor.

Marianne was impressed with her way of speaking. Knowing that she was the most suspicious person in this room, she claimed that someone else was behind the accident.

‘Those involved and those responsible?’

Pondering over Chester’s expression, Marianne was shocked by the way she included those close to the emperor in the list of the “responsible,” let alone those suspects involved.

That showed the best of her cunning tactics as the queen of the social circles in the capital.

“What you just said sounds very suggestive. It looks like you are convinced that those involved and those responsible are not the same people,” Eckart said.

Eckart was a royal family member who had suffered in the chaotic central political arena against him for over twenty years. Thanks to his exposure to the tumultuous political world, he could penetrate into and tear apart any political scheme or conspiracy.

Mrs. Chester opened the fan she was holding.

When she moved her wrist to fan, it created a small vortex around her.

Some rich jasmine scent from her body spread everywhere.

“Don’t you think it’s too obvious? If it wasn’t an accident, but a wicked plot, the people involved in it and the people responsible for it would be different. The knight-in-chief who is in charge of your safety is Grand Duke Christopher. Was it possible for him to have his horses run wild to harm you? No way.”

“Of course not. I trust him. Then, who do you think is involved in this accident? Any clue?”

“Well, as I said a little while ago, I don’t think you should reach a hasty conclusion.”

“… Really? As you said so confidently, I thought you knew something. That’s too bad.”

Eckart twisted only one side of his mouth. His blue eyes shone sharply as if the sapphire was carved out from there.

“Your Majesty. Whether this was a wicked plot or an accident, I’m responsible for having failed to ensure your safety. Please allow me to set up an investigation team within the Knights. I want to find out the cause of the accident as soon as possible and wait for the appropriate punishment.”

Christopher asked for his approval, grabbing the sword around his waist.

Eckart sighed briefly.

“Grand Duke Christopher!”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“This accident is… Although I hope it is not, this is tantamount to treason in the worst case.

“I know.”

“And I don’t have any intention to forgive you unreasonably if you make any mistakes under any circumstances.”

“Your Majesty, the Grand Duke tried his best to find you everywhere more than anyone else,” Duchess Lamont stepped in when she heard his harsh words.

Apart from the fact that what Eckart said was right, the Grand Duke was the prince of the previous emperor, namely his uncle. Like she said, the Grand Duke went out of his way to search for him, and all the royal family members were exempt from most crimes.

The only exception was treason.

Christopher gently stopped his sister who was trying to defend him. He bowed gently and replied, “Your judgement is wise.”

“But I don’t believe that you were involved in this stupid and obvious scheme to harm me.”

“I am just overwhelmed by your trust in me.”

“I will postpone your punishment until after the investigation because the punishment of those involved in treason and those responsible for the accident are totally different. This is not a matter that I should decide hastily.”

Duchess Lamont stepped back with a confused look when the emperor made a temporary ruling on the Grand Duke’s punishment.

When she was the unmarried daughter of the previous emperor, she was well known for acting recklessly when she was not satisfied. So, her passive behavior at the moment was evidence that she took the matter very seriously.

It was true that she wished for the emperor’s mercy because he was from the same royal family. But she also knew the specialness of the royal family as much as she hoped for his mercy. In other words, she knew how great a crime it was for anybody to dare to destroy the blessed lineage of the royal family.