Chapter 574: The Person in Charge of the Investigation

“Participated... in the assassination... of the Crown Prince?”

After Old Marquis Dion spoke so firmly—so “sincere,” so full of “deep feeling”—the others were only somewhat shocked, quietly weighing how much of it was believable.

But Sharp’s eyes were practically about to pop out of his head.

Assassinate the Crown Prince?

What kind of joke was that? That would be like assassinating his own father—an act of utter unfilial betrayal. Even if he were stupid enough to completely lose his mind, he still could not possibly do something like that.

Besides, why would he do it? He—and even the people behind him—were truly on the same side as Albert. No, to be more precise, everyone was acting under Albert’s orders. What was this supposed to be, me killing myself?

“Ridiculous! Ridiculous! This is nothing but ridiculous nonsense!”

Sharp’s eyes instantly turned bloodshot as he pointed at Old Marquis Dion and shouted in fury:

“That never happened. Not once! This is slander—naked, blatant slander!”

“Heh. Slander? I knew you’d say that.”

Old Marquis Dion shook his head and gave a long, wistful smile. That bitterness mixed with a trace of self-blame, and that self-blame mixed with a trace of regret—the look of an old father staring at a disappointing son—made Sharp almost want to rush up and tear that old face to shreds.

But good upbringing, and the bone-deep fear he had of that face, still made him hold back.

“You need evidence!”

“Evidence—I naturally don’t have any. Otherwise I wouldn’t be willing to throw away this old face and come here just to expose you, you unfilial son.”

Old Dion sighed, then continued:

“Whether it’s slander or not, when the truth finally comes to light, we’ll know. But let me ask you—do you dare say that you... or rather, that the Dion family back then, did not participate in that matter at all? Or, to put it another way... that you did not stand on Prince Andrew’s side back then?”

“Of course not. The Dion family didn’t support—”

Sharp was so furious at this shamelessness that hot blood surged straight to his head. He was just about to refute Old Dion’s blatant lies with cold, hard facts—

But before he could finish the sentence, he suddenly froze.

Because in that moment, he suddenly woke up and realized something. He saw an enormous hole the other party was digging out, bit by bit, prying open the filthiest, most disgusting rot of the Dion family—even the entire Inner Council—and exposing it under the sun.

Yes. Just like he had just said: whether it was the Dion family or the Inner Council, it was impossible they would actually do something like assassinating the Crown Prince—this “I kill myself” kind of thing.

That night had been under Albert’s control from beginning to end. The so-called “Inner Council helping the Second Prince assassinate” was only a performance—so they could, with proper justification, deal with the Second Prince without damaging the Crown Prince’s reputation, and at the same time lure out the Campbell family’s hidden forces as the leading power of the royalist faction.

The Second Prince died.

The Crown Prince had not a speck of filth on him, becoming the pitiable victim.

The Campbell family suffered catastrophic losses and could only lie low now.

From the result, everything had gone smoothly.

The Crown Prince had cleared away every obstacle. If nothing unexpected happened, then once the Emperor passed away, he would naturally become the supreme ruler of the Empire.

But—

An accident happened anyway.

Celicia suddenly blocked the road ahead and, with one grab, seized the fatal throat of their situation.

Not the Crown Prince’s throat.

His.

The Dion family’s.

That’s right... outsiders didn’t know.

Other than the Inner Council, other than the Crown Prince, other than Celicia who had come close to the truth... the other imperial nobles, every faction, ordinary citizens... they didn’t know.

A matter that big couldn’t have its traces completely erased. Some mutual dealings and collusion among nobles had also been noticed by those with eyes to see. So in their eyes, among the huge wave of nobles who had secretly supported Andrew back then, it was perfectly normal that the Dion family was included.

They did not know that the Dion family was now the Crown Prince’s most steadfast supporter.

On the contrary—among those outsiders, the Crown Prince and the Dion family had no connection whatsoever.

Yeah. What connection could there be?

A brain-dead prince who had only awakened less than two months ago—who should have had no power base at all—who could only flee in miserable panic under Andrew’s pursuit and nearly died...

And an old-established noble house that had faded from the imperial political stage for several years, yet still held deep influence...

What connection could there be between them?

No connection.

In fact, having no connection didn’t matter, because as long as Albert could sit on that seat, everything would become “only natural.” The Blood of Glory would shine again under the Empire’s wisest Emperor.

But.

He still hadn’t.

He was still only the Crown Prince.

And in that magnificent play that had fooled almost everyone, the Dion family—or rather, the Inner Council—had once helped Prince Andrew “assassinate” Prince Albert.

This... was a fact.

An undeniable fact.

The Dion family did it.

The Dion family really did—damn it—assassinate—damn it—the Crown Prince!!!

At that thought, a loud buzz exploded in Sharp’s head. He staggered a few steps, almost having to brace himself on the table to stay upright. His whole body became cold and weak, as if all the blood had been drained out of him.

Some things—if they aren’t put out in the open—are everyone’s tacitly accepted “understanding.”

But once they are exposed under the sun, the Dion family wouldn’t have enough heads to fill that bottomless, blood-colored pit.

He also began to understand the other party’s vicious intent. In truth, this didn’t even count as a “loophole,” because during that period, when the situation was still unclear, most support had been in the shadows.

But the other party had used an identity that could rip that thin film wide open—using the old marquis, this “fake” that had become “real,” to turn their “fake play”... completely into something “done for real.”

Sharp’s body trembled uncontrollably. Sweat had already soaked through his back. Instinctively, he looked toward Albert.

But Albert still had his head lowered, only his hands digging tightly into his knees—his expression couldn’t be seen.

There couldn’t be any reaction. Absolutely no reaction.

The moment there was any connection at all between the “Crown Prince” and the “Dion family,” there would be far too many things that could no longer be explained.

“Don’t worry, Royal Brother.”

Celicia seemed to notice his inner torment. Comforting him, she patted his back:

“As your only younger sister, I will definitely help you get justice for this.”

“...”

Albert said nothing, only the joints of his hands slowly turning pale.

“It seems this matter... needs to be investigated.”

Sharp’s abnormal reaction, at this point, couldn’t be hidden from anyone. After another round of exchanged looks, Marquis Angus broke the silence:

“An assassination attempt on the Crown Prince is no small matter. It can’t be treated as if nothing happened. Since both sides insist on different stories, then in the end, the truth will still have to come down to evidence.”

“Oh? Investigate it, then, Marquis?”

Pink Bear rubbed his chin. His tone sounded worried, but his expression was clearly the kind that loved a spectacle.

“This is a big one.”

“Precisely because it involves a marquis—this must be thoroughly investigated!”

The straightforward Marquis Mors slapped the table and said:

“If it’s a false accusation, then the truth must be restored. But if it’s fact... a dignified marquis house actually intended to assassinate His Highness the Crown Prince—this must be severely punished as a warning, or the entire Empire will fall into chaos later!”

“That’s reasonable. It has to be investigated.”

After idling for ages, the others also chimed in one after another.

Sharp looked at these people coldly. He ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ knew some were just going with the flow, some were helplessly piling on, and some truly wanted to tear the Dion family into pieces.

The Empire’s political arena had never been a single solid block. A weakened marquis house would absolutely attract countless hungry wolves.

But fortunately, he wasn’t alone. Behind him was the ancient blood that represented the Empire’s glory. They would help him—certainly they would.

“Regarding this, do you have anything else to say?”

Pink Bear looked at Sharp again.

“...No.”

Sharp lowered his head.

“The Dion family is willing to cooperate with the investigation.”

After calming down, Sharp understood that opposing it now would only shove himself deeper into the fire pit. An investigation targeting the Dion family was unavoidable. Since opposition was useless, he might as well start thinking about how to erase traces, work relationships, cover up facts...

“Since the investigation is decided, then the people responsible for investigating—”

“About the candidate, I have a suggestion.”

“No!”

Sharp snapped his head up and stared hard at Celicia, who had suddenly spoken:

“Your Highness the Princess has personal grudges with the Sharp family. I don’t trust that her people will investigate fairly.”

“When did I ever say I would recommend my own people?”

Celicia’s expression was flat. She didn’t even look at Sharp:

“I also know that the position in charge of this investigation is extremely important, and it may even affect the so-called truth. But the Empire’s relationships are tangled, and it’s hard to find someone all sides will trust. At the very least—if I send someone, or if Royal Brother sends someone—Lord Sharp, who hates the two of us, will never accept it. Therefore...”

Celicia paused, then said:

“I recommend a candidate who, because of her background and her personality, has no entanglement of interests with most nobles in the Empire. I think that person is very suitable to conduct this investigation. And her status should also be enough for most of you to trust.”

“Oh?”

Count Bugald grew interested.

“Your Highness means...”

“Heh...”

Celicia’s lips curved slightly as she answered:

“She is...”

...

...

“Who are you?”

In the shadow at the street corner, Ariel held her hand half-clenched, staring warily at the man in black formalwear who had appeared out of nowhere.

“What do you want with me?”

“Don’t be nervous, don’t be nervous. I’m not some suspicious person.”

Still in disguise—and even more unwilling to reveal his true face in front of her—Muen smiled, removed his hat, and bowed:

“I’m merely a messenger, representing the upper levels of the Empire, to deliver to you an important task.”

“The Empire’s upper levels? A task?”

Ariel frowned, still on guard:

“I don’t know any ‘upper levels of the Empire,’ and I don’t know who would give me any ‘important task.’”

“Hehe. Look at this—you should believe it then.”

Muen took out an exquisite letter and showed her the clear royal seal on it.

“The royal family?”

“And this.”

Muen then showed Ariel a crest—a blooming ice-blue flower, cold and elegant. At a glance, you could tell who it belonged to.

“Celicia?”

Ariel’s wariness instantly eased a lot. She leaned in to examine the crest carefully.

“You’re Celicia’s person?”

“Mhm. You could say that.”

Muen nodded, then handed Ariel the letter.

“So you should believe this isn’t anything suspicious. This truly is an important task issued to you by the highest level of the Empire.”

“But if the order is from the Empire’s upper levels, why not go through the Bugald family to notify me? Why come secretly at night?” Ariel still didn’t understand.

“Because this isn’t being issued to the Bugald family. It’s being issued directly over their heads—to you, Ariel Bugald.”

Muen answered solemnly:

“Do you understand?”

“...”

Ariel didn’t speak, but her expression instantly turned serious. She quickly took the letter and tore it open to read.

“Investigate... Marquis Dion?”

A sharp light flashed in Ariel’s eyes:

“The unrest in the lower city some time ago?”

“You really do know?”

“...I don’t know the details, but I killed a lot of those kinds of monsters back then.”

Ariel shook the letter slightly and looked up at Muen.

“The Dion family was the mastermind?”

“If you want me to answer, I’d say yes—the Dion family is indeed one of the masterminds. But that kind of thing needs evidence, so what I say doesn’t matter.”

Muen shrugged.

“Why come to me?”

“Because you don’t have entanglements of interest with most nobles. Naturally, you won’t be restrained, and you can investigate freely.”

Muen answered seriously.

“Of course, the most important thing is—we trust your ability.”

“‘We’?”

“Princess Celicia.”

Muen said:

“She trusts you.”

“...”

Ariel fell silent. But in the dim light, Muen could clearly see Ariel’s eyes gradually brighten. Celicia’s trust was like an injection of adrenaline, making this person—who had recently seemed a bit lazy, with barely any presence—shine again.

“Leave it to me.”

Ariel’s mouth crooked into a grin as she answered confidently:

“I absolutely won’t let Celicia down!”

“Good.”

Muen smiled faintly again.

“I’m counting on you.”

“No problem. Dragging out scum who won’t even spare ordinary people—something like that, even without Celicia asking, I was going to do it anyway. Now that there’s official support, it’ll only be easier to finish.

But compared to that...”

Ariel studied Muen carefully again:

“Have we met before? Why do I feel like you’re really familiar...”

“No.”

Muen’s expression tightened as well, and he answered without hesitation:

“Never. Not once.”

...

...

A few minutes later, watching Ariel disappear behind the door, Muen couldn’t help wiping a cold sweat off his forehead.

As expected of Ariel—her intuition was way too terrifying. Even after he disguised himself like this, he still almost got recognized.

But...

“This is a good thing.”

Muen looked into the distance, and his mouth crooked into a grin as well:

“Let you see what a so-called Child of Destiny is—what a protagonist’s halo looks like!”