Chapter 556: Closing In
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 556: Closing In
"This is the Dion mansion."
The black carriage came to a silent halt before a magnificent manor. Wei'er poked her head out of the window, looked around, and confirmed the location.
"Marquis Dion, is it..."
Inside the carriage, Celicia remained focused on the parchment filled with names. She murmured to herself as she looked at the several entries that had already been crossed out.
Few remained, but those that did were all tough nuts to crack.
Dion was an established noble surname within the Empire. Centuries ago, it belonged to a peak powerhouse family that had single-handedly held more than half of the Empire's authority. At that time, Duke Frederick Dion, serving as the Imperial Chancellor, had extended his reach into every sector of the Empire by uniting major nobles and propping up various spokespeople. His brilliance had even eclipsed the Imperial Family; his power and prestige were beyond imagination.
However, during subsequent internal turmoils and foreign wars, a new wave of nobility led by the Campbell family rose to prominence. Furthermore, the Imperial Family, wary of the increasingly bloated and overbearing old guard, began a conscious effort to suppress them. After a series of bloody handovers and power reshuffles, the Dion family gradually declined, eventually swept into the dust of history.
Even so, while the family was far from its former glory, their status as Marquises remained unshakable. Behind the scenes, they still maintained significant influence over the Empire's political landscape.
"It is said that Frederick Dion’s head was personally taken by the first generation of the Campbells."
The corners of Celicia’s mouth curled slightly. she gestured to Wei'er.
"Go, announce our arrival."
"In whose name?" Wei'er blinked.
"In the name of the Third Princess of the Empire, Celicia Leopold."
"Understood!"
Wei'er hopped down from the carriage with alacrity.
Soon, accompanied by the clear tolling of a bell, the exquisitely decorated yet imposing gates swung open. Led by an elderly gentleman, a line of servants bowed respectfully on either side of the entrance.
"I... I did not know Your Highness would visit so late. Please forgive our lack of preparation. My apologies, my deepest apologies."
The old man wiped sweat from his brow as he hurried to the carriage. At his signal, a servant skillfully crawled onto the ground beneath the carriage door to serve as a step.
Celicia pulled back the curtain and said expressionlessly, "Bring a stool. I am not in the habit of stepping on people."
"Yes... yes, right away."
The old man shot an annoyed glare at the servant. Soon, a gold-inlaid footstool was placed before Celicia. She declined the middle-aged man’s offer of a hand and stepped lightly down from the carriage.
"Your Highness’s late-night visit... might I ask what it is for?" the man asked tentatively.
"And you are...?"
"I... I am the butler of this estate, Baron Arno."
"A butler... I come to visit in person, and the Dion family sends a mere butler to receive me?" Celicia spared him a casual glance. "In your eyes, is my status as a Princess so insignificant?"
"No... no..."
The butler’s face turned deathly pale. "The truth is, there is a small matter currently occurring within the manor. The Marquis is indisposed and cannot see guests. However, he has already instructed me to receive Your Highness with the highest level of etiquette."
"The master isn't even here, yet you dare call this the highest level of etiquette?"
"This..."
"Or perhaps... is what the Marquis is currently doing... something that cannot see the light of day?"
"How... how could that be?" Cold sweat drenched the butler’s forehead. "My master has always been law-abiding and has never violated the laws of the Empire. Your Highness’s words are purely conjecture."
"In that case... regardless of what it is, have the master of this house come to see me." Celicia stared coldly into the butler’s eyes, emphasizing every word. "Now. Immediately. At once."
"Yes..." The butler’s cheek twitched. Finally, with a look of fear, he bowed his head. "I will relay the message, Your Highness."
*
Led by the butler, Celicia and Wei'er were brought to a formal reception room. However, Celicia soon claimed the room was too stuffy and demanded the butler and servants give her a tour of the estate.
Having already experienced Celicia’s overbearing nature, the butler naturally did not dare to refuse.
"President, President."
As they strolled, Wei'er suddenly tugged on Celicia’s sleeve and lowered her voice. "Why do you feel even more 'alpha' today than usual?"
"Do I?"
"Mhm, mhm. Even though you were always cold before, you were rarely this domineering." Wei'er cupped her cheeks, looking mesmerized. "I feel like my kinks are being rewritten by you, President. Oh no, what if I fall in—"
"Shut up."
"Oh..."
"Perhaps in the eyes of outsiders, I am indeed throwing my weight around today." Celicia’s cool gaze swept over the butler, who was bowing and scraping nearby as he introduced various collections in the manor. She sneered, "But with these cunning old foxes, if you don't apply a little pressure, they won't show any openings."
"I see." Wei'er crossed her arms and nodded solemnly, pretending she understood. "As expected of the President!"
"..."
*
"This place is..."
After touring for a while, the group arrived at a magnificently decorated hall.
"This is also a reception hall, though not a private one. It is where the Marquis hosts banquets. The overall style was personally finalized by Master Dragal. Every piece of the patterns decorating the surrounding walls is made of the finest—"
Ignoring the butler’s rambling, Celicia walked straight to the main wall of the hall.
This was arguably the most prominent spot in the entire hall. Two staircases rose in a zigzag pattern from both sides. One could imagine that when a banquet began and the host appeared from here, all eyes would instinctively converge on this wall.
Mounted on this wall were specimens made from the heads of various rare animals, along with various collections extremely rare in the outside world, all intended to showcase the host’s status and taste.
A white elephant, a white lion, the skull of a magical beast, a night pearl the size of a head, scales from a giant dragon, and...
"What was in this spot?" Celicia suddenly raised her hand, pointing to the very center of the wall.
That spot was clearly meant for the most precious collection here, but it was currently empty. One could only faintly see the marks left by whatever had once been there.
"This..." The butler stammered, looking left and right.
Celicia’s gaze turned cold, and she was about to press him further when a steady voice drifted down from above.
"That was once my father’s favorite piece."
Celicia looked up to see a well-dressed middle-aged man slowly descending the stairs. He walked up to Celicia and performed a respectful bow, hand over his heart.
"Good evening, esteemed Princess Celicia."
"Greetings, Master Sharp."
Celicia returned the gesture. She recognized him as the eldest son of Marquis Dion, Sharp Dion. He had also studied at St. Maria Academy, though he had graduated years ago. They had met a few times and were considered old acquaintances.
"You say that was your father’s favorite piece. Where is it now?" After the initial greetings, Celicia continued the previous topic.
"Now... I don't know either. It was reportedly stolen by a thief who broke into the house. Its whereabouts are unknown."
"Stolen? Interesting. To think a petty thief would dare steal from a Marquis’s manor, and such a large item at that."
A flash of mockery crossed Celicia’s eyes. She glanced at the wall again. Judging by the silhouette left behind, the item was at least half the height of a person. It was likely... the head of some beast.
An extremely rare beast.
"So, what exactly was it originally?"
"I don't know."
Seemingly aware that his excuse wasn't very convincing, Sharp gave an awkward smile. "I'm not entirely sure of the details. After all, my father usually resides in this manor while I rarely return. I only have a general impression of the items here, so I'm afraid I cannot perfectly answer Your Highness’s question."
"...It’s fine. I was just asking out of curiosity." Celicia’s eyes flickered.
After some more small talk, they finally got down to business.
"So, Your Highness, what brings you here in the middle of the night?" Sharp asked with a poised air. "If you require any assistance, the Dion family will certainly do its utmost."
"The matter... is actually nothing much." Celicia took the coffee brought by a servant, swirled it, and set it back down. "It’s quite simple. I wish to meet with Marquis Dion."
"..."
Sharp’s expression froze instantly. "Meet my father... Did Arno not tell Your Highness? Father... is currently indisposed and cannot see guests."
"He did, which is why I am even more curious now." Celicia stared into Sharp’s eyes, her tone leisurely. "What exactly is so important that Marquis Dion would only send you out to deal with me, even now? Does he truly look down on me... or rather, does he look down on the Imperial—"
"Mind your words, Your Highness!" Sharp immediately straightened his back. "The Dion family absolutely harbors no such thoughts!"
"Then why won't he see me? Is he ill? Then I should certainly represent the Imperial Family and pay him a visit. Or is it... that what he is doing right now... truly cannot see the light of day?"
"No, Your Highness, you’ve truly misunderstood!" Sharp was breaking out in a cold sweat, his previous composure vanished. He seemed at a loss for how to respond.
But Celicia had no intention of letting him off. As the atmosphere grew colder, she appeared increasingly impatient.
"No answer? Then I will have no choice but to take this matter to—"
"I... I’ll speak!" Sharp looked helpless. Finally giving up the struggle, he slumped onto the sofa. "I can tell you, but Your Highness must promise me not to let any word of this leak out."
"Oh?" Celicia raised an eyebrow. After a moment’s thought, she agreed. "Very well. Wei'er, step outside."
"...Fine." Wei'er puffed out her cheeks, glared at the butler, and the two of them left together.
In the spacious ballroom, the nearest wall was at least twenty meters away; there was no possibility of eavesdropping. Celicia waited quietly for Sharp to continue.
"Actually..." Sharp wiped the sweat from his forehead and said with a bitter smile, "Father... passed away from illness not long ago."
"What...?"
Passed away? Dead?
Celicia was stunned, her pupils shrinking slightly. Even she hadn't expected that after all her pressuring, this would be the answer.
"What do you mean? You’re saying Marquis Dion... is dead?" Celicia stood up abruptly, her expression turning grim. "How is that possible? For a Marquis to pass away is a major event. How could I have received no news? There hasn't even been a ripple in the noble social circles."
"Calm down, Your Highness. Listen to me first." Sharp hurried to soothe her. "It’s natural that there was no news. Since Father passed, I have done everything in my power to keep it a secret. It’s only normal that Your Highness wouldn't know."
"Kept it a secret..." Celicia frowned in thought.
Marquis Dion had begun withdrawing from the Empire’s political circles several years ago, gradually fading from public view. He had always lived a reclusive life, rarely even hosting other nobles. He hadn't even attended the ball held by the Second Prince recently.
If he truly had passed away recently, the Dion family certainly had the motive and the ability to suppress the news.
"Why?" Celicia asked. "Why hide such a major event? Normally, you should be holding the succession ceremony for the title by now."
"The title can be inherited at any time. As for why we hid it..." Sharp’s expression grew even more bitter. "It is precisely because the matter is too significant. Your Highness should know what time it is. Right now, the successor to that seat is undecided. The Empire is in a state of turmoil as power is being reshuffled. If the news of Father’s death got out..."
"You fear that without the old Marquis at the helm, the Dion family would become fat prey in the eyes of those greedy wolves," Celicia finished for him, quickly grasping the reasoning.
"Yes. This was Father’s instruction before he passed. I am merely following it."
"Indeed, that is an airtight reason. Choosing to suppress the news out of fear of others' greed..." Celicia stroked her smooth chin, her mind racing.
If Marquis Dion was already dead, then many clues—including her previous theories—would be overturned. After all, that path was now a dead end. A dead man couldn't collaborate with the Inner Council.
However... Celicia thought of the missing collection on the wall that seemed to symbolize something. She blurted out, "How do I know if this is true? After all, this is just your side of the story, isn't it?"
Sharp’s face changed instantly. "What does Your Highness mean by that?"
"I mean..." Celicia narrowed her beautiful eyes. "Is there a possibility that Marquis Dion is indeed doing something in the shadows, and this 'death by illness' is merely a ruse thrown out by that old fox to escape notice because he sensed something upon my arrival?"
*
In the night, the sound of fluttering wings echoed as a robin landed not far from Prince Andrew.
"We need to speed things up." The robin’s expression was serious. "I just received word from the Lord Speaker. The situation on his end is a bit urgent. We can't delay any longer."
"Oh?" Andrew, who was standing on a high vantage point overlooking the night with his hands behind his back, turned around with a half-smile. "The great Lord Speaker of the Inner Council has actually been pushed to the point of urgency?"
"The Lord Speaker is but a mortal man; naturally, he requires assistance." The robin bowed respectfully, hand over heart. "The one who is truly special is you, our Prince. You are the chosen one, the only one, the noble one."
A look of satisfaction flashed in Andrew’s eyes, though he feigned sternness. "Quiet. I don't care for your flattery."
"You are inherently wise and martial, Your Highness; naturally, you do not listen to flattery."
"Heh. How are the preparations?"
"Everything is ready."
"And the internal agent you planted by his side? I don't want any blunders."
"Also on standby at all times."
"Excellent!"
Andrew laughed loudly, reaching out his hand as if to clench the entire Lower District in his palm. "In that case, let us follow the plan and send my naive, ridiculous brother... on his final journey!"