160. Investigation Begins (2)

Berser arrived at the Empress Dowager’s palace and paused briefly as he watched the knights moving in perfect coordination.

“What’s happening?”

“Oh? Berser, you’re here? An imperial order has been issued, but Her Majesty the Empress Dowager is causing a commotion. Several people have already suffered minor injuries from objects she’s thrown.”

“May I join you?”

“You? Well, you are an imperial knight, so your help would be appreciated.”

Berser entered the palace with him. He didn’t need anyone to tell him where the Empress Dowager was—the source of the noise was immediately obvious. With each step toward it, his legs felt as heavy as if weights were attached to them.

‘No matter what, is a mother still a mother?’

Berser couldn’t understand his own feelings. He could certainly say that no new emotions had suddenly developed for the Empress Dowager who had never cared about him. Yet he wondered if he might be hoping she would show even the slightest hint of maternal behavior.

As his father, now considerably recovered from his illness, increasingly expressed his resentment and hatred toward the Empress Dowager to Berser, who now knew everything, Berser’s own resentment and hatred seemed to diminish slightly with time. He thought that when people face desperate situations, they might regret their past actions even a little and seek forgiveness. Of course, he had no intention of forgiving the Empress Dowager. But it seemed that just seeing her show such remorse might lift the heavy stone weighing on his chest.

Even before reaching the Empress Dowager’s bedroom, he could hear her screaming in rage. A small bottle flew out from the bedroom and smashed against the corridor wall. The imperial knights were skillfully dodging the objects she was throwing, with practiced movements.

Berser gazed at the broken debris scattered across the corridor with complicated emotions. He looked into the Empress Dowager’s bedroom. Unlike her formerly neat appearance, she was now disheveled and panting, preventing the knights from approaching her.

Berser bit his lip hard at the sight of her.

“Berser, step back!!”

When Berser pushed his way through the knights, one of them barked at him harshly. But Berser paid no attention and stepped onto the threshold between the bedroom and the corridor. As he took another step forward, a sharp sword was placed against his neck.

“Berser, stand down! What do you think you’re doing? Are you disobeying orders?”

Berser turned to look at him. It was the vice-commander of the knights. The Empress Dowager’s gaze also turned toward Berser. She lowered the arm that had been holding an object and stared blankly at him. Their gazes met in midair. It was the Empress Dowager who looked away first. After Berser’s appearance, she became remarkably calm, unlike before. She bowed her head weakly. Her hands were trembling slightly.

Noticing her change, the vice-commander lowered the sword from Berser’s neck and sheathed it. Then he looked back and forth between Berser and the Empress Dowager.

“Could you give me a moment to speak with Her Majesty? I’ll try to persuade her.”

“No. You cannot converse with a criminal.”

“Who are you calling a criminal?!”

At the vice-commander’s words, the Empress Dowager suddenly changed again and threw the small jewelry box she was holding at him. Seeing the box flying, Berser pushed the vice-commander aside. The vice-commander had momentarily relaxed, thinking the Empress Dowager had calmed down, and if not for Berser, he would have been hit directly by the jewelry box.

After pushing the vice-commander away, Berser quickly ran to the Empress Dowager’s side. She looked at Berser standing beside her. Then, squeezing her bloodshot eyes shut before opening them again, she spoke to the vice-commander.

“…I wish to speak with the Empress Consort’s guard knight for a moment. Alone. If you don’t allow this, I’ll throw every object in this bedroom and then throw myself down from here, so act accordingly.”

At the Empress Dowager’s threat, the vice-commander rose awkwardly and frowned. Berser was currently the guard knight of the Empress Consort, whom the Emperor cherished to the point of giving her everything. Remembering what had happened to the former commander of the knights, the vice-commander signaled the other imperial knights to leave. Then he left the bedroom and closed the door, not taking his eyes off the two of them.

Silence fell in the bedroom that had been in chaos just moments before. The heavy air pressed down on both the Empress Dowager and Berser’s chests.

“You knew everything.”

At the Empress Dowager’s dejected words, Berser slowly nodded.

“Do you have nothing to say to me, Your Majesty?”

“Ha… Whether it’s this one or that one, everyone comes to me asking if I have something to say. I don’t! I don’t have anything to say!!”

The small hope Berser had harbored vanished like a mirage. A bitter smile played on his lips. He felt nauseated as if a terrible stench of decay was coming from somewhere. He swallowed the bitter fl*id rising in his throat and glared at the Empress Dowager.

“…Nothing? I told Her Majesty the Empress Consort that she could use me.”

“…”

“But Her Majesty the Empress Consort said she wouldn’t do that, considering the pain I would suffer.”

The Empress Dowager had been relieved that Larael knew about her relationship with Berser but hadn’t revealed it. However, she wasn’t particularly moved or grateful to Larael for this. And Berser’s words felt as if he had brought up Larael’s story to compare and criticize her.

“As your son, this is my first and last request. Don’t act disgracefully and go to prison quietly.”

Berser turned to leave after saying this. At that moment, the Empress Dowager called out to stop him.

“Ben!!”

Ben was the name the Empress Dowager had given Berser when he was born. Berser felt intensely uncomfortable at that moment. Without looking back, he opened the bedroom door.

“I’m not sorry to you, Ben.”

The Empress Dowager mumbled in a voice too soft for Berser to hear. There was no way her quiet words could reach him. Until this day, she had lived solely for Herwen as the Empress Dowager. She couldn’t deny that time.

The imperial knights, who had been ready to rush into the bedroom if necessary, were startled when the door suddenly opened.

“You may go in now.”

Berser spoke with empty eyes, not making eye contact with anyone. The imperial knights looked into the bedroom. Unlike before, the Empress Dowager was standing still like a doll. The imperial knights cautiously approached her.

Surprisingly, the Empress Dowager let them do as they pleased. It was as if she had completely lost all the fighting spirit that had been full of malice. The vice-commander didn’t know what Berser had said to the Empress Dowager, but since his duty was to imprison her, it didn’t matter.

After binding the Empress Dowager securely, they held her arms on both sides and dragged her out. The Empress Dowager looked at her messy bedroom with eyes full of lingering attachment, then bowed her head. Her handmaidens, who were to be escorted with her, were already waiting for her in the main hall, also bound.

When the Empress Dowager appeared, they began to wail. Not only was her appearance terrible from the commotion she had caused, but they had never seen her bow her head like that before.

“Your Majesty, please don’t bow your head!!”

Cararella, who had served her most closely, cried out. The Empress Dowager looked at her with distant eyes.

“What a load of nonsense.”

Joy, watching from behind, muttered with a frown.

***

Facing Duke Anderman’s interrogation, Larael couldn’t hide her nervousness.

“Your Highness, we’ll just go in by ourselves.”

“No, I’m fine.”

Larael pressed her lips together and forced a smile. Kali and Dean exchanged glances but didn’t try to dissuade her further. Duke Anderman, who had been brought to the interrogation room prepared by Edward, looked at Larael entering with eyes full of murderous intent.

“I have nothing to say today, so do as you please.”

He spoke with a venomous tone before Larael and her companions could even sit down. He tightly sealed his lips and turned his head away sharply. Larael sat down and spread out the interrogation materials she had prepared.

“Duke Anderman, you already know what criminal charges have led to your imprisonment, so I won’t bother telling you. I’ll begin questioning you about your first criminal act.”

Larael spoke in a calm voice, gazing steadily at Duke Anderman. He kept his head turned to the right, absolutely refusing to look back at Larael. She questioned him about his crimes in the listed order, but despite her continued interrogation, Duke Anderman kept his initial resolve and refused to speak. After finishing her final question, Larael rose from her chair without hesitation.

“Duke Anderman, you may not have heard, but Count Briznay was found hanged in his prison cell this morning. And this is the s*icide note he left behind.”