Chapter 115
Chapter 115
Translation: godsn
Chapter 7.
Asipalo Castle, southeast of Valdina's Royal Castle.
It was a city located about half a month's ride from the Royal Castle.
Anyone heading to the Royal Castle had no choice but to pass through this city.
"Form a straight line."
"Hey, you there! No cutting in line!"
A long queue stretched before the city gates.
This time in particular, there were unusually many merchants packing their wagons full of goods to set out on their journeys.
"Where's your pass?"
At the gatekeeper's words, a robed merchant pulled out a piece of paper from his robe.
The gatekeeper who took the pass immediately tilted his head in confusion.
"Eh? This seal is fake?"
At the commotion, other gatekeepers began to gather.
"Look at this. Do we look like fools to you? A lord's seal stamped two months ago couldn't possibly be this clea—gack!"
Before he could finish speaking, a gleaming blade flashed through the air.
Simultaneously, the merchants shed their disguises, revealing their true identities.
"Wipe them all out!"
They drew their swords and charged at the guards rushing toward them.
"Rebellion! A rebellion has broken out! Inform the superiors immediately!"
A gatekeeper beat the drum as he shouted.
Valdina Royal Palace.
A sharp, solemn atmosphere filled the silent hall.
"W-what nonsense is this? These are baseless accusations!"
Present were the Queen Dowager, Medeia, the high-ranking officials, and even the diplomatic mission from Kazen.
At the center of the encircling crowd stood Iason.
All traces of his famed composure were gone—he stood there flustered and aghast.
"Me, releasing a pack of wolves? What kind of investigation did you conduct to pin this on an innocent man?!"
Not long ago, the knights who had finished investigating the Royal Hunting Grounds returned and named their suspect—unbelievably, it was Kazen's Grand Duke, Iason Castulo.
Siseo stared coldly at the space behind Iason.
At his signal, a royal knight dragged in a middle-aged man dressed in imperial attire, who immediately dropped to his knees and pressed his forehead to the floor.
"P-please, spare my life. I only committed the crime of following His Grace the Grand Duke's orders."
"What nonsense! I don't even know you!"
The graying man lifted his head to stare at Iason, his face etched with the same disbelief and shock.
"What are you saying? You clearly gave me the orders. How much I suffered smuggling those vicious men all the way from the Axel Peninsula to Valdina under His Grace's command, and now you pretend not to know me?"
"What utterly ridiculous—that wasn't me—!"
Iason turned to look at the Fourth Imperial Princess with a horrified expression.
"Iason, how could you commit such atrocities? What were you thinking?"
Angelique, on the contrary, interrogated him with an innocent expression.
"Did you want the Princess of Valdina dead? For our nations to become sworn enemies? Or were you just trying to make trouble for me, as the head of this diplomatic mission?"
Iason's face turned ashen. He glared at the witness as if he wanted to kill him, his voice dripping with sinister threat.
"You wretch! Knowing full well I'm not the real culprit, have you no fear of divine punishment?"
At this, Siseo spoke up.
"Your Grace seems to know who the real culprit is. Then why not tell us right here? The knights are preparing as we speak."
"...That..."
Just then, the Fourth Imperial Princess stepped forward and cut him off.
"With evidence this clear, what possible reversal could there be? The more you deny it, the more you only tarnish Kazen's honor."
She had long since marked Iason as her enemy.
"Look, dear brother, at what crimes you've committed against the Princess of Valdina."
The stack of dozens of papers she produced was filled with fabricated evidence.
'Iason, you dared to play me. No matter what tricks you pull, things will never go your way.'
Only then did Iason begin to piece together the whole story.
Every piece of evidence she presented had been what he'd hidden away to exploit the Fourth Imperial Princess's weaknesses.
It never crossed his mind that Medeia had intervened to redirect Angelique's arrows toward him.
So, he could only assume this false accusation was Angelique's retaliation after discovering his schemes.
'Damn it, I thought those documents had disappeared! Where was I exposed? How did Angelique find out?'
Had he still possessed the evidence, things might have been different, but with no proof left, exposing the Fourth Imperial Princess as the true culprit now was far too dangerous.
The hot-tempered, violent princess was no easy opponent.
Hadn't he originally deemed a direct confrontation unwinnable, choosing instead to observe from the shadows and wait for an opportunity to topple her?
Caught in her trap without any preparation, Iason stood no chance against the Fourth Imperial Princess.
"Count Kensington, you know the truth, don't you? That I didn't do this!"
Iason frantically looked around and, spotting Count Kensington standing nearby, desperately sought his aid.
Kensington merely stared back at him with an impassive expression.
'Regardless of the Fourth Princess's pitiable antics, it's better for the Grand Duke to fall here. His ambitions would only bring chaos to Kazen.'
Even though an unofficial imperial decree had already been issued for his return to the homeland, the fact that the Grand Duke still lingered in Valdina could only mean he sought something here.
At the same time, Kensington couldn't conceal his astonishment. His eyes flickered briefly toward Medeia.
'Was the Princess of Valdina targeting all three of them—the ones I had in mind?'
Meanwhile, Iason was on the verge of madness as even Count Kensington, whom he had trusted, turned his back on him.
Escaping from this enormous snare tightening around him was nearly impossible, and not a single member of the Kazen diplomatic mission stepped forward to defend him.
"Grand Duke Castulo, you truly have a thick hide! How dare you still show your face before Her Highness?"
At Margrave Monte's furious roar, unable to contain his anger, Iason instinctively turned his gaze toward Medeia.
'Could it be... does even the Princess believe this? That I intended to harm her? Is that why she has been pushing me away so ruthlessly all this time?'
"N-No, Your Highness. It's a lie."
Desperation laced his flushed face as he tried to assert his innocence.
He had genuinely tried to protect her.
He had even prepared to risk his life to save her from the wolves, and afterward, he had searched for her frantically.
Even if the first button had been fastened wrong, he wished—just her—would recognize his efforts.
"No, Your Highness. Surely, you don't believe this? That I would ever try to harm you...?"
Iason gazed at Medeia with pleading eyes.
'If only the Princess would believe me. Then, there might still be a way.'
But Medeia, as if trampling over his hopes, merely looked down at him silently. No emotion could be discerned from her eyes. Iason was at a loss.
"Grand Duke Castulo, you're not very skilled at lying."
Her voice remained composed—was it disappointment? Anger? He couldn't tell.
All he realized was that another, even thicker wall had been erected over the already impenetrable curtain between them.
'Am I to be pushed away like this, without ever reaching that woman even once?'
Medeia—the presence of that princess—seemed to slip through his fingers like sand.
Meanwhile, the Queen Dowager made no effort to conceal her displeasure.
'So it wasn't the Fourth Princess but the Grand Duke who did this? I must have gravely misjudged the man.'
The Grand Duke had stepped forward for Medeia—both during the duel and in the hunting grounds.
Setting aside the fact that he was Kazenian, his character had seemed just and upright. There had even been a fleeting moment when she thought he might make a good match for Medeia.
'To think I failed to see the greater predator right before my eyes.'
As she smoothed down her chest, fury surged within her.
How could all Kazenians be so cunningly alike?
The gazes of the other Valdinans were no different from the Queen Dowager's.
"They say you can't know a man's heart until you split his belly open. Yet here you are, pretending righteousness at every turn, feigning concern, all while plotting against Her Highness with your hypocrisy!"
"Castulo, that vile cruelty of yours is clearly inherited from your father! That man is an enemy of Valdina!"
Iason had, in effect, bared his true nature.
The abrupt shift in the atmosphere sent panic surging through him.
"I-I can explain everything. This is a scheme by those who seek to frame me. The wise Queen Dowager of Valdina would—"
"Grand Duke Castulo."
Then, a heavy voice, as though suppressing anger, resonated.
"This old woman has eyes and ears of her own. There's no need for explanations."
The Queen Dowager spat out the words coldly before turning her back.
"I won't mince words. From today onward, I wish to never see the Grand Duke again."
She had no intention of listening to any more of Iason's slick, oily excuses.
If she could, she would have lashed out with a whip right then and there—but her opponent was a Grand Duke of Kazen.
Even as the Queen Dowager, she couldn't risk igniting greater conflict just to vent her fury.
"Leave Valdina. This royal palace is too cramped—not spacious enough to accommodate a wolf lurking behind my back."
"Your Majesty, the Queen Dowager!"
Iason, who had been desperately trying to defend himself, froze as if struck by lightning. To be expelled so abruptly, like chasing away a stray dog on the street?!
"The Empire will lodge a formal protest, Grand Duke Castulo. Regardless of Her Majesty's command, you will be held accountable for this incident."
Siseo addressed Iason in a dry tone.