Chapter 271 (2/2)
“Roan. How are you related to the Baron Roan family that was exterminated fifteen years ago?”
“Exterminated family? I don’t know much about it. I’m serious. All I know is my great great grandfather was the second son of a baron’s family. Please trust me, sir.”
The duke smiled faintly at the man who was desperately appealing to him with a terrified expression.
“Okay, let me believe you. Instead, answer honestly my questions. Do you understand? ”
“Yes, of course! I will answer honestly. Thank you so much, sir.”
“Barba Roan, you are the head of the Barba merchant company that specializes in importing items from the Lisa kingdom and selling them in the empire, right?”
“Yes, yes, that’s right.”
“Are there any import items you send to the temple?”
“Of course. I often buy the necessary items for the priests and donate them. Tea and leather goods are very popular, sir. ”
I glanced at the man who kept babbling on, with his head down.
‘Is that person really a noble of the empire? His tone and way speaking are strange. Is his language the so-called commoners’ dialect? I heard that his way of speaking was pretty common among the commoners.’
Duke Verita continued to question him.
“Have you provided a special item to Priest Sorel on a regular basis for the past couple of years? For example, some small things but very expensive or some rare medicine that’s hard to obtain.”
“No, I didn’t. Priest Sorel is a very frugal person, and he despises expensive items.”
“Then, do you have any item you should deliver to him by all means or something you were told to keep well?”
“I don’t know. Probably not. ”
“Barba Roan, are you going to continue denying even though I have hard evidence here? Have you never brought in poison for the purpose of harming Lady Monique?”
“Did you say poison, sir?”
The man’s face was white with fear when he saw the paper that the duke was shaking.
Baron Enen hurriedly stepped forward and said, looking up at the head table, “Your Majesty, this is an obvious blackmail! Can you continue to let this trial go ahead…?”
“If I had known it was prison, I would never have given it to the priest! I’m serious!”
“Hmm. Baron Enen, I know what you mean, but I think I should listen to him. Barba Roan, continue. What did you convey the priest?”
The baron staggered back at the emperor’s cold response.
As if he noticed the emperor’s harsh attitude, Barba Roan stuttered in a strangely awkward tone, “Well, the priest told me two years ago that he needed precious medicines to be delivered to the priests in the capital. So, I obtained them for him sometimes. He told me to keep it secret because he would be in trouble if other priests came to discover it. But I really didn’t know the item was poison. I’m serious!”
“Can you swear?”
“Yes! I swear to God. Lady Monique is such a precious woman as to be the next empress. How could I smuggle poison to harm the First Lady of the empire? I’m also a citizen of the empire. I really couldn’t do it.”
‘Did he just mention the empress …?’
I felt strange to hear that. I thought it was a title that didn’t have anything to do with me, but there were still people who regarded me as the next empress. Perhaps it was natural for ordinary people who didn’t know the political situation of the central government to think so. Until recently I was widely introduced as the child of God’s prophecy and the emperor’s wife offered by Vita, our God.
“Maybe Priest Sorel might have not noticed it was poison. Please trust me! He is not the type of person who would try to harm the next empress. Besides, she is the child of God’s prophecy, right? How could he try to harm the future First Lady of the empire decided by our God? I don’t think our good priest could try to harm such a precious woman.”
“Hmm, you claim that Priest Sorel is innocent, right?”
“Yes, our priest cannot do that! Oh, I think it’s clear that he was deceived like me! Yes! I’m confident that Baron Enen must have deceived him because he often took money from our priest!”