Chapter 50

“It’s certain he was here just moments ago.”

A knight, inspecting the bloodstains on the floor, replied.

“The blood is fresh and it’s trickling slightly toward the outside. That means….”

Sure enough, when the light was shone on the floor, a trail of blood droplets could be seen leading out of the cell. Following the trail, the knight and Diana discovered a door on the opposite side.

“There’s another door here?”

“It seems to be another exit.”

As the knight said, they climbed the stairs and opened the door to see the outside. It was connected to a back alley.

“He must have gone out through here.”

“Yes. The rain has washed away the bloodstains, too.”

“Right… Then there’s nothing more we can do.”

Because it happened to be raining, the blood trail had vanished. Diana gazed quietly in the direction the man might have gone, then returned below. Neil approached her.

“Aide!”

“Oh, what about the people in the cells? Are they all out?”

“Yes. Fortunately, their wounds are minor, so they seem fine. The knights are checking their condition and will escort them. Baron Gam’s servants are being taken away too. And Baron Gam as well.”

Since they had taken people as slaves, the evidence was undeniable. Now all of them would have to face investigation.

“That side is nearly wrapped up. Um… What about the person who was locked up? Wasn’t there someone here?”

“There was, but it looks like he left through another door. At least he should have gotten some treatment before moving. I wonder why he was in such a hurry.”

Even in the darkness, his condition had looked serious. Diana had thought he wouldn’t be able to move, but contrary to her expectations, the man had managed to escape outside.

“Or maybe he saw you and mistook you for a slave trader? He might have run away, afraid of being sold.”

“That’s possible. The situation was pretty chaotic.”

It was dark, and in pain and confusion, anyone might instinctively flee if they thought someone was coming to take them. Neil’s reasoning made sense.

“Well, let’s get out of here for now.”

To direct the knights, Diana turned and left the cell. Even as she walked away, she kept glancing back at the spot where the man had been lying.

“…….”

Even if there was nothing she could do, having seen how badly he was hurt, Diana couldn’t help but worry. She stared at that empty spot for a while.

*   *   *

Afterwards, everything was swiftly resolved. Bihor and his servants were hauled away for questioning, and Diana and Neil sorted through the remaining documents for the investigation. Even the previously removed safe was opened, spilling out evidence of Bihor’s crimes.

“So Baron Gam will be processed according to Imperial law. Knights have been sent to the officials who took bribes. And the properties acquired through forged documents will be returned to their rightful owners after investigation.”

Diana reported the situation to Evan.

“The people who were locked up have been identified and released. Some were imprisoned after coming to borrow money, others were kidnapped.”

He’d targeted people whose disappearance wouldn’t cause much of a stir. That was how he’d managed to sell so many into slavery.

“That’s the general situation. I’ll prepare a more detailed report later.”

She worried about the mountain of paperwork waiting for her, but there was no helping it. When Diana finished her report, Evan nodded.

“Okay. I understand.”

“Yes. By the way, there are documents that need seal,Your Majesty. Could you look at them first?”

“Sure.”

Evan agreed readily.

“You could just take it and use it.”

“That’s absolutely not allowed. How could I ever use your seal without permission, Your Majesty?”

Did he think she could buy the Emperor’s seal at the market? Diana shook her head at Evan’s easygoing offer and stepped back.

“Then I’ll prepare the documents and bring them again.”

Diana quickly left the office, closing the door behind her. As she paused to catch her breath, Hamel was walking down the corridor.

“Aide?”

Recognizing Diana, Hamel approached.

“It’s been a while. Did you come to report to His Majesty?”

“I just finished. It really has been a while, Captain. You must be busy these days. Oh, and thank you for making it easy to bring the knights quickly. Thanks to you, everything went smoothly.”

“That’s only natural. You work so hard for the Imperial family. It’s only right to help.”

“Well… I don’t work that hard, really.”

Diana smiled awkwardly at Hamel’s praise, but his eyes still sparkled.

“I heard about it from the knights. You’re amazing. Always working for the Empire—I respect that. I want to follow your example and work hard too.”

“I’m really not that amazing. Captain, you should take it easy sometimes, really.”

“No, I can’t relax with hostile forces threatening the Imperial family. I must stay vigilant.”

“Yes, but I still wish you’d take it easy….”

“Pardon?”

“No, no. By the way, didn’t you come to see His Majesty? Go on in, he’s inside now.”

At Hamel’s enthusiastic attitude, Diana quickly pointed to the door, changing the subject.

“I need to get back to work. Take care, Captain.”

“Yes. You too, Aide.”

At Diana’s farewell, Hamel finally entered the office. Watching him go, Diana sighed in relief and trudged down the corridor. Even with little conversation, she felt utterly drained.

“He’s honestly the most nerve-wracking person in some ways.”

Especially since he was the captain commanding the Imperial Knights. To Diana, he was a difficult opponent in many ways. As she laughed helplessly and walked away from the office, another conversation was beginning inside, where Hamel had just entered.

“I’m coming in, Your Majesty.”

As Hamel entered, the atmosphere in the office changed. The smile he’d shown Diana vanished, replaced by a serious expression as he bowed to Evan. Evan, seated, greeted him.

“Sorry, I was a little late after meeting Aide Diana outside.”

“It’s fine.”

Evan didn’t mind Hamel’s slight delay. Instead, he had something else to ask.

“So. How did it go? The matter I mentioned?”

“As you instructed, I’ve been closely monitoring the Dukedom. I came to report something important.”

Unbeknownst to Diana, Hamel’s new assignment was to watch the Dukedom—especially Arthur’s every move.

“There’s been no unusual activity from the Duke since the banquet. I checked the Grand Duke’s side as well, but there’s no sign of communication between the two.”

After the banquet, Arthur hadn’t contacted Kahil. Not that he didn’t intend to marry Kahil, but for now, he was keeping his distance. After Kahil’s true nature was exposed to all the nobles, there was no hiding it.

“However, I did confirm contact with another party.”

“Who?”

“It’s someone you know well, Your Majesty….”

Hamel hesitated for a moment before answering.

“The Marquis Christine family.”

“…….”

“I confirmed a meeting between the Marquis and the Duke.”