Kapitel 150: [Chapter 150] She was not okay
She wasn't okay.
Neris gazed up at the cloudy night sky with a numb expression.
It was a good day for someone to die.
Being betrayed by someone she had trusted without a doubt and dying miserably was a fitting end for the duke. And if that was the case, Neris didn't need to take any action herself.
It was obvious what Camille, who had sent Adrian here, would do.
Neris had simply sent a message to the guards of the North Tower, telling them to avoid the area so they wouldn't get caught in the crossfire.
"Miss, the night wind is cold."
Dora approached with a gown. Neris put it on as Dora helped her. Then, she moved from the balcony to the room.
The West Palace, where few people stayed, was quiet, with all the lights out except for Neris's room, which was still awake.
"Is Mother sleeping well?"
Dora replied briskly to Neris's concerned question.
"Yes, miss. I took care of her so she wouldn't be uncomfortable. It's late, so you should sleep too, miss."
"Yes, that's right."
Tomorrow would be chaotic.
"It's been peaceful for a long time."
She had waited for just as long.
It was time to move again.
***
"What's going on?!"
A soldier burst into the morning meeting, where all the important officials of the White Swan Castle were gathered.
Rex's eyes, which had been dryly reporting on the day's schedule, turned fierce.
"What is the meaning of this sudden interruption? Don't you know the procedure?"
As the gazes of the high-ranking officials fell upon him, the soldier naturally took a step back.
However, it was an emergency. The soldier straightened his posture and spoke.
"The prisoner in the North Tower, Duke Tiphian, is dead!"
The room was in an uproar.
Cledwin, looking very uncomfortable, tapped his fingers on the table. Tap, tap. The officials saw their own heads rolling in their imagination at his ordinary gesture.
"Explain in detail."
No one dared to make a sound in the frozen atmosphere of the meeting room. A clear voice broke the silence. In the officials' eyes, a bloody, imaginary knife suddenly disappeared.
Naturally, their gazes turned to the owner of the voice, and awe settled in. Neris Trude, the advisor of the White Swan Castle, had not lost her composure even at the sudden news of the death of the person who had almost killed her.
The soldier saluted and reported.
"About 8 minutes ago, at 7:27 am, a soldier on patrol inside the tower discovered the body of Duke Tiphian, who was imprisoned in room 302! The cause of death is suspected to be murder, and the perpetrator is believed to be the knight imprisoned in the adjacent room! The suspect has escaped!"
The officials gasped. Cledwin spoke coldly.
"A prisoner killed another prisoner and escaped. And it happened in the North Tower of all places. At this rate, I'll be sleeping in my bed tomorrow night with a thief instead of myself."
His displeasure was evident. The soldier's face and the officials' backs were covered in cold sweat.
At this moment, Neris's clear voice changed the atmosphere again.
"For now, it's urgent to catch the culprit, Your Highness. And we need to control the news. Exaggerated assumptions won't help in resolving the situation."
Her sharp remark made Cledwin shut his mouth. The officials were impressed inwardly. It was amazing to see how she could make their stubborn lord shut up so easily.
Cledwin gave an order with an unpleasant expression.
"What we've discussed here must not be leaked outside this room. We'll issue a warning to the entire castle. If the escape happened after last night's patrol, they shouldn't have been able to leave the castle yet."
It was reasonable to assume that, since the castle gates were closed at night. The knight commander and the guard commander responded loudly.
"Yes!"
"Of course!"
However, the conversation didn't continue further.
Bang! The door, which had been closed since the soldier burst in, opened with a loud noise. And Adrian, wrapped in a cloak, walked in between the doors.
He looked around the room, assessing the situation with a relaxed expression.
"You're all so busy from morning."
People glared at him with disgusted eyes. Despite the unwelcoming atmosphere, Adrian clapped his hands without a care.
"Ah, of course, I usually sleep in at this hour. Waking up early and working is something only commoners who can't afford candles do. But I couldn't just lie down after hearing such shocking news, could I? I mean, the duke who was supposed to be imprisoned and awaiting trial!"
Eidan's eyes narrowed. Talprin's gaze, who was pretending to be a servant, was the same.
'Did you know about the duke's death before anyone else in this room?'
You're not even trying to hide your thoughts?
Adrian continued with a thrilled expression.
"The duke was murdered, wasn't he? Even an old man like him wouldn't die suddenly, would he? And if he did, it's obvious it was a revenge killing, right?"
The officials were stunned. And soon, they started to suffocate.
Adrian's serious gaze was fixed on Neris.
"We need to arrest the suspect in the murder of a high noble, in the name of the royal family, of course. The one with the most direct motive is the most suspicious."
A explosive killing intent filled the meeting room.
Adrian's face turned slightly pale. But he was pleased with the benefits he would gain from this incident.
'What a cheeky guy.'
Cledwin's instruction to Camille to crush this young man's pride was correct. So, killing Duke Tiphian was a good deed.
However, Camille's instruction to kill the owner of the jewel and bring it back if it was difficult to kill didn't sit well with him. He had a different use for this girl.
He would sell this clever girl at a higher price.
If she were stupid, it wouldn't matter, but if she were clever, he would pay a lot of money to take her.
Camille would be furious, but so what.
'I won't be killed.'
"Did I hear that wrong? Is this leech, who's clinging to the royal family, going to exercise judicial power over my people on my land?"
The White Swan Castle soldiers moved in unison, surrounding Adrian. Adrian's subordinates tried to enter the meeting room but were blocked.
Eidan's voice grew louder in the midst of the chaos, staring at Neris.
Her face was the only calm one in the room. Her tranquil eyes slightly narrowed.
Adrian shouted.
"Opposing the royal knight is equivalent to opposing the emperor himself! Can Maindland take responsibility for this?"
"Responsibility?..."
It was then that Hilbrin tried to grab Adrian's collar.
Neris stood up from her seat.
"Your Highness, please calm down."
Her voice wasn't loud, but it had the power to quiet the room.
In an instant, the meeting room fell silent, and Cledwin gazed at Neris from the innermost part of the room.
"Really?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"We can't oppose the royal family."
The room fell silent again.
Neris locked eyes with Cledwin. He must know the current situation. Without needing any explanation, he would understand it very clearly.
That she was the one who had planned the murder of Duke Tiphian, and that Adrian was the real culprit.
That she had anticipated Adrian's actions.
But he wouldn't know why she had intervened now.
The fact that she was using this moment to exact revenge for her past grudges.
'What will you do?'
Cledwin Maindland was not a person who would easily hand over his people to the royal family. But he had to back down now.
If he used the jewel to persuade, it would be easy. But...
He couldn't do that.
He couldn't do that to Cledwin.
So Neris broke eye contact with Cledwin and approached Adrian.
"How can I just stand by and watch you oppress Maindland's people without any evidence and then bring up the royal knight to arrest them? But I must say one thing as the lord of this land."
The fiery glow in her eyes made Adrian swallow hard, but he forced a laugh to maintain his pride.
"You're not listening."
"If something happens to me, it's because Adrian, as an individual, intentionally harmed Maindland. His Majesty the Emperor won't punish me without a trial, will he?"
It was a warning that she would take full responsibility if anything happened.
Adrian didn't have any intention of harming her anyway. On the contrary, if someone tried to harm her, he would have to stop them.
So, he laughed with satisfaction.
"That's nonsense. We need to investigate fairly and squarely. I guarantee your safety."
"Then..."
The lord, who had been directly appointed by the emperor and had achieved many merits, was being dragged into a situation without any just cause, succumbing to the royal family's arbitrary pressure.
This incident would sound the alarm for the proud officials of Maindland.
Instead of fighting each other internally, they needed to unite against the royal family, which was watching them with keen interest.
Neris had thought that far and created a plan. She left the meeting room, followed by the royal knights standing on either side of her.
She didn't look back. If she did, she knew she wouldn't be able to take another step.
❖ ❖ ❖
"Your Highness! You can't let them go like this! How can the lord be treated like this?"
Hilbrin's face turned red as he protested in front of Cledwin. Rex also agreed with him. Despite their usual disagreements, their opinions were united this time.
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"That's what I think too."
Cledwin's anger was palpable, as if he would rip Adrian's throat out at any moment.
"What if we don't let them go? Should we mobilize the knights and stop them? Should we clash swords with the royal knights and imprison the royal family?"
In reality, everyone gathered in Cledwin's office wanted to do just that. Imprison them? That wasn't enough; they wanted to cut off their heads.
Talfryn clicked his tongue inwardly. If not for Neris's strange behavior, Cledwin would have killed Adrian on the spot.
"What nonsense are they talking about?"
Adrian had been imprisoned last night. That much was already clear. With that alone, she could protect herself. Cledwin could also protect her.
Anyway, this was Maindland. If they punished the real culprit here, what could the royal family do?
The possibility of an all-out war was clear, but Cledwin was not someone to fear that.
However, Neris was clearly thinking of something. That's why Cledwin didn't do anything.
His heavy voice continued.
"She's trying to avoid that by getting arrested quietly. She doesn't want to give the royal family an excuse."
"That's not something we can just accept! How can our weak lord be treated like this by those ruthless southern bastards? Is the trial going to be fair? Alone, with no connections, how can she be oppressed, bullied, and treated unfairly?"
"Not alone."
Hilbrin's protest was met with Cledwin's curt response.
The people in the office fell silent. Only Talfryn muttered to himself, "Yeah, I knew it would come to this."
But even as he muttered, Talfryn realized his own chest was burning with anger.
"I'm also a damn noble of this land, after all."
Cledwin stood up from his seat and said.
"As the lord of Maindland and the lord of the White Swan Castle, I cannot just sit back and watch my subordinate, the lord, be unfairly taken away. I will attend the trial in the capital."
The people in the office stared at Cledwin in silence for a moment.
The next moment, a cheer erupted. The servant who was passing by the office door at that moment stopped, wondering what was happening, and then opened the door and came out, taking a step back at the sight of the lord's face.
With a mixture of determination and sadness on his face, Cledwin muttered to himself as he quickly walked out.
"I won't hold back."
I want to give you everything you want.
"But I don't know when I'll need you."
So let's go together.
No one can give you sorrow.
Her departing figure, which seemed to be leaving with a carefree attitude, didn't look light at all.
She seemed to be saying, "I'm fine on my own, watch me do something on my own."
She was fine on her own, and he agreed with her thoughts.
But the words he said before asking were actually the opposite of what he meant.
"It's not okay."
She wasn't okay, and neither was he.
So, without her...
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