Chapter 170
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 170
“You used me for everything I was worth, and now that you’ve sucked me dry, you’re pinning the entire blame on me? Is that what you’re saying?!”
At his outburst, the attending nobles gasped in surprise, a wave of murmurs rippling through the room.
However, Count Hayward was not unprepared for such a desperate display.
“Cornered, are we? Trying to drag me down with you? It’s a futile effort. All the evidence points to you as the sole perpetrator.”
“Don’t make me laugh!”
“When you met the Firman spies, when you exchanged letters with their royal family, when you pocketed those illicit funds—you were the only one involved, were you not? Even the captured spies named only you.”
“I took that money and gave it to you bastards! Was using me as a go-between all for this day?!” Benedict shrieked.
Count Hayward didn't flinch. He didn't even look flustered.
“Do I look that naive? Why would I trust someone like you with such a massive sum? Why would I use only you as a middleman? It’s truly laughable.”
At his words, the other nobles snorted and nodded in agreement. It made sense. How could they have known he wouldn't embezzle the funds if they had entrusted everything to Benedict alone?
Benedict felt so wronged he thought his chest might actually burst. Back then, they had flattered him, whispering, ‘We can trust only you.’ And he, desperate to make a lasting impression on those in power, had delivered every last cent without fail.
“You said you trusted me!”
“What in the world are you talking about? You seem to think I’m an easy target just because I was critical of the former Duke of Kailas, but do not be mistaken. I merely stood in opposition to him for the sake of the balance of power; I never once harbored any intention of harming a hero of the Empire.”
“You liar!” Benedict wailed, but his cries changed nothing.
“Enough!”
At Durein’s single shout, the courtroom fell into a heavy silence.
“The traitor Benedict Kingsley is hereby stripped of his title and sentenced to death! The Kingsley Family will be charged reparations for the victims of <Angelic>, as well as for the Ducal House of Kailas and the Imperial Family!”
The verdict struck like a bolt of lightning. Benedict’s mind went blank.
This is a dream. It has to be a dream.
His gaze, trembling and vacant, landed on Cedric. The young Duke sat quietly, observing the entire situation with cold detachment.
“Ce—Cedric…!”
His murmur couldn't possibly have reached that far. Yet, Cedric suddenly raised his hand halfway, catching the Emperor’s eye.
“Your Majesty, I wish to speak with my uncle alone one last time.”
“I cannot permit private punishment.”
“I have no such intention. I merely… have something I wish to ask him.”
Perhaps sensing a trace of sorrow in his voice, Durein nodded after a moment’s deliberation.
Thanks to that, instead of being immediately dragged to the Imperial Palace prison, Benedict found himself sitting across from Cedric, bound to a chair.
“Cedric! This is a conspiracy. I was merely a pawn. The real masterminds are Marquess Pascal and Count Hayward!”
Having barely regained his senses, Benedict pleaded in agony, his voice sounding as though his very guts were being torn apart.
However, Cedric merely nodded calmly, as if he were listening to the most obvious facts in the world.
“It’s true, I tell you! Since things have come to this, I’ll tell you everything. Yes, I envied Rowan. It twisted my stomach to see someone who looked just like me get lucky enough to become the Emperor’s son-in-law, then a Duke, and then rise so rapidly!”
Benedict gasped for breath, pouring out his true feelings for the first time.
“But what could I have done? I was just a measly viscount who had to rely on the Ducal House’s prestige. If Marquess Pascal hadn’t enticed me, I would have lived quite comfortably under Rowan’s benevolence.”
“……”
“Marquess Pascal is the one who colluded with the Firma Kingdom! Though it’s not widely known, his birth mother was a Firman! Rowan, who swayed noble opinion in favor of the Imperial Family, was a thorn in his side. That’s why he decided to kill him. It’s true!”
Cedric, who had been silently watching Benedict plead—spitting as he spoke—finally uttered a single sentence.
“I knew all of it.”
“Huh…?”
As Benedict stared blankly, Cedric offered a faint smile.
“For the past few years, I’ve dug into everything related to my father’s death, even sacrificing several businesses to do so. I realized long ago that Marquess Pascal was the ringleader and that my uncle had betrayed the Ducal House. I simply lacked the evidence.”
“Then why are you leaving Marquess Pascal alone? What good is there in catching a small fry like me?!”
“Small fry? Yes. A small fry indeed.”
His smile deepened.
“And that’s why it’s unforgivable. For a mere small fry to dare conspire in bringing the Head of the Family to his death.”
“Ce—Cedric!”
“Oh, and don’t feel too wronged. Marquess Pascal, Count Hayward, and all the other small fry beneath them won’t escape unscathed either. If I cut them all down at once, it would cause chaos in state affairs, so I’m simply dealing with them in stages.”
Realizing that Cedric had no intention of showing mercy, Benedict trembled violently, tears streaming down his face.
“I was wrong! It was all my fault! I beg you, just forgive me this once. Give me a chance to live and atone for my sins, Cedric!”
He was sweating so profusely that his clothes were visibly drenched. But Cedric’s expression didn't shift in the slightest.
“Do you happen to know how many chances I’ve given you over the years?”
“Ugh, h-h-h…”
“It seems you don’t. I stopped counting after fifteen. By then, I started feeling bad, thinking I was being too indecisive.”
Cedric looked down at his clasped hands resting on his knees. He recalled the moments he had to patiently endure until the decisive evidence fell into his hands, and let out a long breath. It had been painful, but it was worth the wait.
“At any rate, I have something to ask you, Uncle. I actually don’t think you’ll remember, but I have to ask anyway.”
Even with tears and snot streaming down his face, Benedict looked at Cedric, clinging to a sliver of hope.
“‘The Sword of Astellone’ and the novel ‘Treasure Island Story’—do you remember where they’re hidden?”
“The Sword of Astellone… Ah! I remember. Of course, I remember.”
The tears that had momentarily stopped began to flow again. But this time, it wasn't from fear.
“Those were the gifts Rowan and I received for our twelfth birthdays. We buried them beneath the floor of the treehouse we used as our hideout.”
It was as if those brilliant days, when they were each other’s strongest allies, were unfolding before his eyes.
“We promised to open them again once I became Viscount Kingsley… but I couldn’t…”
That was solely because he had been blinded by greed and jealousy. Benedict sobbed, lowering his head. The fact that Cedric knew that story meant Rowan had never forgotten that promise—even knowing his brother hated him and tried to thwart him.
“Haa… This has become troublesome…” Cedric muttered to himself.
Indeed, it was truly troublesome. He had not the slightest regret about executing Benedict. However, his father, who was more affectionate than he appeared, had left a single instruction regarding Benedict, as if he had foreseen this very moment.
“Cedric. No matter what Benedict does, grant him mercy just once at the very last moment.”
“I don’t want to.”
“Cedric.”
“No. The moment you speak of, Father, would likely be after Uncle has crossed the river of no return.”
“Then let’s do this. Ask him if he remembers where ‘The Sword of Astellone’ and ‘Treasure Island Story’ are hidden. If he remembers, spare his life.”
With that, Rowan had told him stories of the time when he and Benedict were the best of friends. It was a story so touching that Cedric, who had no siblings, had felt a pang of jealousy.
He had assumed Benedict wouldn't remember something from when he was twelve, but now things had become very awkward.
*
The <Angelic> incident calmed down faster than expected.
Albert offered the Kingdom Ship to the Imperial Family to pay the enormous reparations and fines. Rumors even circulated that it was essentially another kingdom incorporated into the Empire.
Those who had been addicted to <Angelic> initially fell into a brief panic, but thanks to <Simon>, they were gradually cured without suffering from severe side effects or withdrawal symptoms.
The Empire officially delivered a letter of protest to the Firma Kingdom, threatening to cut off all Imperial exports if they failed to pay the war reparations they had been procrastinating on within two years.
As the various problems began to resolve like a dam breaking open, the people praised Cedric alongside the Imperial Family.
In the midst of this, Harriet received an unexpected request to visit the Ducal House.
‘He must be so busy, so why does he want to see me?’
She didn't know the reason for the meeting, but she was secretly happy. She had wanted to see him.