Chapter 117

“The Emperor will not meet with you.”  

The Emperor’s chief aide, Dave, bowed his head, unsure of what to do. Louis, standing in front of the tightly closed door to the Emperor’s office, clenched his fists as he glared at the door.  

“With the leader of Inferna captured and Marquis Cloak, who conspired with them, also in custody, His Majesty has suddenly become very busy. Once he finishes the urgent matters, he will summon you, so why not wait at the Crown Prince’s palace?”  

Louis was extremely angry. Seeing Louis wearing the same expression the Emperor had when he was furious, Dave felt cold sweat trickling down his back.  

It’s going to be a long day.  

Dave glanced at the slightly damp tips of Louis’s shoes and thought to himself.  

“Tell him I’ll wait here until he meets me.”  

Dave’s guess was correct. Swallowing nervously, he bowed his head and entered the Emperor’s office.  

The large door closed, leaving only Louis and Rayden in the spacious hallway. The rain, which had been pouring down, began to weaken, and the raindrops tapping against the windows gradually fell silent.  

Marquis Cloak and Aitor had been imprisoned in the underground prison where Louis had been earlier. Rushing there would obviously be futile, as visitation would be denied.  

Rayden bit his lower lip anxiously as he looked at Louis.  

Like a brewing storm, Rayden glanced at the hallway window. The rain seemed to have stopped, but the dark sky still looked ready to pour down heavy rain at any moment.  

The Imperial Palace, like the unpredictable spring weather, never had a quiet day.  

Time flowed at its own pace in the stifling situation. The rain had completely stopped, and the fickle sky gradually cleared, the clouds dispersing. However, the sun had already set, and the sky, tinged with a dark blue hue, quickly turned pitch black.  

Much time had passed. Rayden, feeling the stiffness in his back muscles, checked his watch to confirm the time when Dave opened the door and stepped out.  

“His Majesty the Emperor will see you now.”  

As soon as Dave spoke, Louis pushed the door open without hesitation and walked inside. Rayden, who tried to follow, was stopped by Dave, who shook his head, leaving Rayden to watch Louis’s retreating back.  

When Louis entered, he saw the Emperor, as usual, buried in documents. Even though he had entered, the Emperor did not look up, prompting Louis to bow slowly.  

“I greet His Majesty, the Emperor of the Empire.”  

Even after Louis finished his greeting, the Emperor didn’t lift his eyes from the documents. Louis, unable to hold back, spoke first.  

“What are you thinking?”  

At Louis’s sharp tone, the Emperor finally looked at the Crown Prince. Seeing the barely contained anger in Louis’s expression, Emperor Henry calmly set aside the document he had been reading and picked up another.  

“What do you mean?”  

The Emperor’s indifferent tone made Louis grit his teeth. His Adam’s apple moved roughly, and his clenched fists trembled.  

Looking at the Emperor, who had picked up a new document, Louis took a slow, deep breath before speaking.  

“Why was Aitor captured along with Marquis Cloak?”  

The Emperor glanced briefly at the Crown Prince, who had spoken each word with force, and shook his head slightly.  

“Did you not hear? That man, Aitor, met with Marquis Cloak to conspire together. Helping a fugitive who betrayed the Imperial family and the Empire—he must face proper punishment.”  

“Your Majesty!”  

“Moreover, that man kidnapped your fiancée. Even though Lady Dinever returned safely, his crime does not disappear. The reason he wasn’t punished until now was because he worked for the Imperial family, contributed to capturing Robert Fame, and was injured in the process of protecting Lady Dinever. That was why.”  

The Emperor, flipping through the documents roughly, slammed them onto the desk with a loud “thud.”  

“And yet, he tried to help Marquis Cloak escape.”  

The Emperor’s low, rough voice was chilling.  

“It’s a false accusation. Aitor certainly did not try to help Marquis Cloak.”  

“He was caught at the scene. Yet you spout such nonsense. I told you to think rationally while waiting outside, but it seems the time was too short.”  

Frowning at the endless pile of documents, Emperor Henry scribbled his signature on the document he had been reading moments ago.  

Pushing the signed document aside, the Emperor brushed his hair back irritably and stared coldly at Louis before standing up.  

“There will be a trial. Marquis Cloak, Robert Fame, the leader of Inferna, and Aitor, who helped them, will all be judged. It will be fair—know this and leave.”  

The Emperor and Louis’s gazes clashed sharply, neither backing down. The tension between them thickened.  

“An innocent man has been captured. If the trial starts with injustice, how can you claim it will be fair?”  

“I told you to leave, didn’t I? Dave!”  

At the Emperor’s call, Dave rushed into the office from outside. Looking flustered, Dave shuffled his feet nervously, glancing between the Emperor and Louis.  

In the end, Louis left the Emperor’s office.  

Rayden, waiting in the hallway, shut his mouth when he saw Louis’s expression, deciding not to ask what had been said.  

Following the silent Louis, Rayden left the Imperial Palace.  

In the carriage heading to the Crown Prince’s palace, Rayden cautiously spoke as he watched Louis staring at the mana stone lantern lighting the dark road.  

“The Duke of Dinever also said he would investigate, and I will look into it as well. We’ll find out why Aitor was with Marquis Cloak.”  

At Rayden’s words, Louis leaned back deeply into the carriage seat and closed his eyes.  

“There’s no doubt His Majesty is involved in this matter.”  

“Pardon?”  

With his eyes still closed, Louis casually dropped a bombshell.  

“Before the trial begins, I’ll find a way to meet Aitor. Rayden, go to the Duke’s estate and find out why Aitor was at that place.”  

“…Understood.”  

The carriage soon slowed and came to a stop. After stepping out, Rayden headed straight for the Dinever estate, while Louis, along with Allen, went to his office.  

“Stop all current tasks unless they’re urgent.”  

“Yes, understood.”  

“Who’s in charge of the underground prison?”  

“The decision-maker is Earl Freeman.”  

“Summon him.”  

“Yes, understood.”  

After Allen left, Louis, now alone in his office, pulled out a piece of paper and picked up a pen. However, he stopped before completing even a single word.  

Ink dripped from the pen’s tip, spreading across the paper, but Louis couldn’t move easily.  

His hand gripping the pen began to tremble. Frustrated, Louis crumpled the ink-stained paper and pulled out a new sheet.  

His hesitant eyes slowly closed and reopened. Then, Louis began writing a letter without hesitation. 

‘To my uncle.’ 

On the envelope, Louis wrote the recipient of the letter.  

—There’s nothing……. nothing you can do.

Robert Fame’s mocking voice buzzed in his ears.  

***

Duke Dinever, who had hurriedly returned to his residence, found a line of people waiting eagerly for him to arrive, all filing into his office.

Taking off his jacket and draping it over a chair, he rolled up his sleeves as he looked at Vivian, Rosie, Teresa, and Lucas, who were all staring at him expectantly.

“How did Aitor end up with Marquis Cloak?”

At the Duke’s question, Rosie and Vivian spoke up one after the other. As he listened to their testimonies, the Duke’s expression gradually hardened.

“Teresa. You didn’t see the letter Marquis Cloak sent to Aitor either?”

Teresa shook her head, saying she hadn’t seen it at all. Despite searching Aitor’s room, nothing had been found, leaving only Vivian and Rosie to testify on his behalf.

The Duke let out a deep sigh and pressed his fingers against his temples.

“There’s a high chance a trial will be held.”

At the mention of a trial, the four exchanged uneasy glances. Duke Dinever leaned against the edge of the desk and spoke.

“It will likely be a public trial. They’ll want to hold a public trial to settle the empire’s unrest. Moreover, if the trial proceeds and they are sentenced, the anti-Imperial mages will be less likely to act recklessly. For His Majesty the Emperor, this trial will bring many benefits.”

A public trial was one in which the Imperial Family, high-ranking nobles, and nobles working in the treasury participated.

“…What will happen to Aitor?”

Lucas asked nervously, clutching his hands tightly.

“…I don’t know.”

Even Duke Dinever couldn’t easily speak on this matter. The crime of aiding a traitor was severe, and the punishment was harsh. The verdict depended entirely on the Emperor’s decision.

Already burdened by the Robert Fame incident, the addition of Aitor’s situation made Duke Dinever close his eyes in frustration.

“What if Vivian and I testify as witnesses during the trial?”

“I wouldn’t recommend that.”

The Duke coldly dismissed Rosie’s suggestion, crossing his arms as he opened his eyes.

It was practically a foregone conclusion that the trial’s outcome had already been decided. Even if Duke Dinever, who was protecting Aitor, and Countess Langdne’s household, which was close to them, stepped forward, the likelihood of being accepted as witnesses was slim.

Even after racking their brains together, they couldn’t find a way to rescue Aitor or turn the trial’s outcome in their favor.

As the heavy rainstorm finally subsided, the group, who had been discussing the matter for a long time, could only sigh in frustration.

At that moment, someone knocked on the Duke’s office door.

“Your Grace, a guest has arrived from the Imperial Palace.”

It was Pedro, the Duke’s secretary. At the mention of a guest from the Imperial Palace, everyone in the office turned their gaze toward the door.

Rayden, who was much taller than Pedro, met the gazes of the people gathered in the office. Those who had been hoping for new information from Rayden looked at him with faint hope.

However, the words that came out of Rayden’s mouth were shocking and disheartening.

“If His Majesty the Emperor has intervened in this matter…”

Duke Dinever stood up from the desk he had been leaning on and began scanning the shelves filled with books. Rather than succumbing to despair at the grim news, the Duke actively began searching for something. Vivian approached him cautiously.

“Father, why are you suddenly looking for books…?”

“There should be records of the empire’s legal code and past public trials somewhere here…”

Due to the previous Duke’s obsession with books, the office was filled with a significant number of books on various genres and topics.

“We must at least try everything we can. I can’t simply give up on the benefactor who saved my daughter.”

Vivian, watching her father pull over a small ladder to search the upper shelves, carefully spoke up.

“Father, I have an idea…”

At Vivian’s words, both Tereon, who had been reaching for a book, and the others sitting with dark expressions turned to look at her.

“It might be a bit reckless, but would you like to hear it?”