60. The Criminal’s Confession

“Yes.”

Ferma replied, unusually shy.

“I’ll consider the suspicion that the Duke of Anderman is behind this as merely the Tower Master’s conjecture, and for now, I’ll act as if I haven’t heard it.”

“But, Your Majesty…”

Marquis Argen leaned in to speak quietly to Edward, but stopped when Edward shot him a sharp look, his expression turning displeased.

Edward felt a stabbing pain in his head, as if pricked by a needle. He pressed his forehead with his hand, frowning.

If he implicated the Duke of Anderman without solid evidence, it could backfire on him.

He knew that Herwen, unable to ascend to the throne, opposed him at every turn. Still, since Herwen posed no direct threat to his position, Edward had simply kept watch.

Edward didn’t want his relationship with the Empress Dowager and Herwen to deteriorate, but if they ever threatened his position, things would be different.

“Can I see him now?”

“Yes, if that’s your wish…”

Edward went to the Magic Tower with Marquis Argen. The tower was unusually quiet. Ferma led them to the underground level.

It was Edward’s first time in the tower’s basement. The deeper they went, the colder the air became, and the musty smell of mold stung his nose.

“This is the place, Your Majesty.”

A wizard stood guard in front of an old iron door. He bowed deeply to Ferma and Edward.

“Open the door.”

At Ferma’s command, the wizard muttered something. A bluish light flared, and the iron door creaked open with a chilling sound.

Inside, there was only darkness. The foul stench and oppressive air made one wonder if anything alive could exist in such a place. Ferma entered first, and Edward followed.

Once inside, the wizard who’d opened the door cast a spell, illuminating the room. What had been darkness was now visible, and in a corner lay something that looked vaguely human.

Edward narrowed his eyes and approached. A person with grotesquely twisted limbs was lying there, groaning softly.

Edward clicked his tongue at the sight, even more horrifying than he’d expected, and glared at Ferma. She avoided his gaze, staring off into space.

“This is Brooks, right?”

“Yes.”

Ferma replied shortly and crouched beside Brooks.

“Brooks, the Emperor himself is here. You can’t just lie there, can you?”

As she spoke, she levitated him into a standing position, his body twisted in a bizarre way. What sent chills down Edward’s spine wasn’t Brooks’ grotesque form, but Ferma’s calm expression as she manipulated him.

“Enough. Ferma, put him down.”

Edward snapped irritably, and Ferma, looking deflated, dropped Brooks to the ground without mercy.

“Be careful with him!”

Edward snapped again.

Brooks groaned from the pain of hitting the floor.

“Brooks, His Majesty the Emperor is here. Answer his questions properly, understood?”

Ferma coaxed him gently.

“Brooks, can you answer?”

Edward asked, eyes lowered.

“Ugh… yes…”

“Did you release Fenrir at the Summer Palace?”

“…Yes.”

Brooks managed to squeeze out the answer from his barely functioning throat.

“It couldn’t have been easy to procure Fenrir. How did you do it?”

“…”

“Brooks, His Majesty is asking a question. You need to answer.”

Ferma, glancing at Edward, hurriedly pressed Brooks. She regretted not warning Brooks beforehand that the Emperor was even harsher than she was. At her anxious urging, Brooks groaned again.

“Ugh… ah… from the… black market…”

“Which black market? And why did you try to kill me?”

“No… I… it was for the Empress Consort…”

“Why?”

Edward’s voice was laced with anger.

“She’s… the wicked woman… who tarnished… Your Majesty’s authority…”

Edward clenched and unclenched his fists. His eyes flashed with a chilling light. He glared at Brooks, struggling to suppress his rage. A long silence followed.

“I will send knights to the tower to escort the criminal to the palace. Once he’s brought to the capital, he will be executed immediately. Make sure he knows that.”

With a sweep of his cloak, Edward turned away. Ferma hurried after him. Marquis Argen followed and asked,

“Your Majesty, aren’t you going to question him about his connection to the Duke of Anderman?”

“Do you have any evidence that implicates the Duke? Let’s keep that suspicion between us. This isn’t the time to bring it up. And whatever reward he may have received from the Anderman family, he intends to take the fall alone. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have withstood such t*rture.”

“Your Majesty, if the Duke of Anderman is involved, doesn’t that mean the Empress Dowager and Grand Duke could also be implicated?”

When Ferma mentioned the Empress Dowager and Herwen, Edward suddenly stopped and turned around. Ferma halted abruptly. Edward closed the distance between them, narrowed his eyes, and pressed a finger to her lips.

“Ferma, I won’t hold you accountable for your lapse in oversight as Tower Master, so you’d best not speak carelessly.”

Edward turned and began walking again. Ferma followed, looking dissatisfied, but she could see the deep hatred in Edward’s eyes. Now, Edward would be watching the Empress Dowager and Herwen closely.

As he climbed the basement stairs of the tower, Edward was deep in thought, his expression pained. His lips had gone pale.

It was something he’d hoped would never happen in his life—a change in his relationship with the Empress Dowager, Herwen, and himself.

Now that someone had started pulling on that tightly stretched rope, he could no longer pretend not to notice.

Especially if it meant Larael would be harmed.

The fact that, despite being the real target, the attacker claimed it was Larael’s life they were after when their attempt failed, only fueled Edward’s anger. It wasn’t the blatant lie that made him angry, but the implication that Larael’s life was worth less than his own.

When Edward returned to the palace with Marquis Argen and was giving orders for the transfer and execution of the criminal, Trix entered the office and reported that a maid named Sasha from Abella Palace was requesting an audience.

Edward asked her name again. As far as he knew, Sasha was a maid Larael had brought from her family. Since she’d never come to him directly before, Edward frowned slightly but allowed her in.

“What is it?”

After greeting him, Sasha lifted her head slightly. Her eyes were swollen from crying. She still looked shaken.

“Her Highness the Empress Consort would never forgive me if she knew, but I just couldn’t keep quiet, so I’ve come to tell Your Majesty.”

Edward’s eyes flickered at her words. Realizing it was about Larael, his heart began to race.

“Her Majesty the Empress Dowager came to Abella Palace today. While speaking with Her Highness the Empress, she suddenly grabbed and shook her hair.”

Recalling the scene vividly, Sasha couldn’t hold back her emotions and began to sob.

Edward felt as if all the blood in his body was rushing in reverse. He jumped to his feet, about to rush to Abella Palace, but stopped.

All the aides in the office were watching him. Struggling to control his anger, Edward sat back down. He looked at Sasha, who was sobbing. She was, by all accounts, unfit to be a maid. But if she hadn’t spoken up, Edward would never have known.

“Keep it a secret that you told me, and return now.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

After Sasha left the office, Edward leaned back deeply in his chair. Marquis Argen got up from his desk and came to Edward’s side.

“Your Majesty, what will you do?”

“I really am a disgrace as a man. Just look at what Larael is going through because of me…”

At Edward’s self-mocking mutter, the aides in the office fell utterly silent. It was the first time they’d seen Edward blame himself and reveal such vulnerability.

The delicate balance he’d maintained with the Empress Dowager was rapidly fracturing. Edward shook his head. He couldn’t just go to the Empress Dowager and demand to know why she had done such a thing to Larael.

“Jayden, shall we have a drink together this evening?”

“If that’s Your Majesty’s wish, I will gladly accompany you.”

Hearing Marquis Argen’s reply, Edward turned his gaze to the documents on his desk. His hands flicked through the papers quickly, but nothing registered in his mind. Marquis Argen watched him for a moment before returning to his seat.