Chapter 272 (2/2)

“Good. Then, let me ask you one more thing. As everyone knows, there were two kinds of poisons that affected Lady Monique at the time. One was poisoning through regular use, and the one was amplifying the poison accumulated in her body. You have admitted to using the amplification method. Then, who bought off the maid with the 1st Knights Division to poison her on a regular basis? Were you also responsible for that?”

“It’s me who imported the two types of poison, and it’s also me who directed her poisoning, but it’s not me who bought off the maid and had her poison Lady Monique on a regular basis. There are others involved in this plot and the one who orchestrated the whole plan.”

“Who are they?”

At that moment, there was a tense atmosphere in the hall. While everyone waited for Laniers’ next confession, he looked around the noble faction including Duke Jena and others sarcastically, and said, “Earl Holten.”

“Hmm, he was dispatched to the border area last month. And who else?”

“Earl Wrestling.”

“Hey, Earl Lanier, what the heck are you talking about? When did I get involved in this case?”

“Earl Hame.”

“You damned bastard, Lanier! Are you crazy due to long imprisonment? Your Majesty, he is slandering me!”

“And…”

Ignoring the two earls shouting at him angrily, he said, raising his voice a little, “… Marquis Mirwa.”

A cold silence fell in the hall.

Marquis Mirwa? Was he really involved in the poisoning incident?

My head was in the clouds for a moment, but I immediately shook my head to shake off my wild imagination. I was embarrassed by his sudden mention of Marquis Mirwa, but given the various circumstances, I felt what Lanier said was in line with the contents of the materials that the emperor gave me the other day.

As if he felt the same way as I did, Duke Verita, who moistened his throat for a moment, said, putting down the glass, while staring at the early coldly, “Marquis Mirwa? Can you prove he was involved?”

“As he is such a meticulous person, I don’t have any clear evidence, but it’s a fact that he also committed treason.”

At that moment, I saw my father flinching momentarily to hear that. I also saw Duke Lars leaning forward, folding his hands, who remained silent until now. A smile came to Duke Verita’s lips, who pulled up his glasses, and Duke Jena stopped in the middle of lifting his cup to his lips.

What’s wrong? Wait a moment. Did he mention treason?

The moment I looked back at the earl in a hurry, the emperor said with an interesting expression in a break with his bored attitude, “Earl Lanier, how do you know that?”

“What are you talking about, Your Majesty?”

“Have you forgotten what you just said? I am asking you how you can reveal the fact that we all here have never heard before when you have been arrested and jailed until now after the incident took place.”

“I don’t get it…”

“Tut, tut. you still don’t know? You mentioned ‘treason’ a moment ago.”

His face, who replied with a relaxed attitude, hardened at that. As if they realized the gravity of the situation, Earl Hamel and Earl Wrestling, who were looking for a chance to strike back, got cold feet.

Looking at the embarrassed earl, the emperor said, turning up his mouth a bit, “How could you know in advance without plotting treason even when I realized it only recently? Besides, you were strictly prohibited from contacting outsiders.”

“Oh no, Your Majesty! How can I plot treason? I don’t know anything about it. It’s true that I tried to harm Lady Monique, but I have never tried to kill you, Your Majesty!

“You don’t know it? Then, who could have delivered the news to you last night, defying my order to stay home?”

“That’s right. I really didn’t know it, but I came to know it because I heard some news last night. Please believe me!”

Then, the prince coldly asked the earl, who shouted with his face turned white.

“Somebody sent you a message? Defying my order and breaking through the tight security of the imperial palace? Okay, who sent you the message?”