Chapter 69

69. Sicker Than Me

The door without a handle broke easily. Callion, who jumped in with flying splinters from all directions, grabbed the back of the Marquis Flanders and slammed him to the ground.

“Adele!”

“Kuluk!”

Adelaide coughed frantically, barely freeing herself from the chokehold, tears rolling down the corners of her eyes.

“Ha, ha…….”

Her ragged breath tasted like blood. Callion untied her bindings and swept a hand down her back.

“Your Grace…?”

A cracked voice leaked out. Adelaide opened her eyes, barely able to take in her surroundings. Callion breathed a sigh of relief and pulled her into a strong hug.

“Please, don’t scare me like that.”

Adelaide blinked helplessly. The embrace was warm.

‘It was really you. ‘

She was relieved.

“How did you get here?”

“Does that matter now?”

“Why didn’t you go to the south…?”

“Whether it’s the south or not, stop talking. One more word, and I’ll get angry.”

“…….”

Adelaide’s mouth snapped shut in a murderous rush. Her lips were pale, then bluish. Callion gritted his teeth at the handprints on her slender neck.

Meanwhile, the knights had bound the Marquis of Flanders and his men.

“My lord, they are all arrested.”

“Take them all to the guard. I’ll go to the Imperial Council.”

“Yes.”

⚜ ⚜ ⚜ ⚜

Word of the Marquis of Flanders’ kidnapping of the Duchess of Tiflis spread across the Empire in less than half a day.

The Guard that took over the Marquis of Flanders was at a loss as to what to do with the overwhelming criminal.

Captain Regan Melkis ordered his men to remain silent until the case was reported to the Emperor, but it was a futile endeavor.

Many saw the heavily armed knights of Duke Tiflis riding through the center of the capital. Even if they didn’t know the details, they knew that something bad had happened.

That same night, the carriages of the members of the Imperial council rolled into the palace. Haywards Cangeling, who was on his way to the estate, received a message and hurried back to the capital.

“Search the Marquis of Flanders’ mansion and see if he has any accomplices.”

The Duke of Howard, who had become Acting Chairman after the Marquis of Flanders was permanently expelled from the council, quickly gave instructions to the Guard.

While the guards verified the scene and searched the Marquis Flanders’ mansion, the Council reviewed two letters that Callion had submitted as evidence.

One was a letter from the Emperor to the Marquis of Flanders, and the other was a letter from the Emperor to Adelaide. The Emperor’s handwriting and signature, as well as the type of paper and ink, were carefully analysed.

The Emperor’s opinion was completely excluded from the investigation, as it was possible that this was done at his direction.

After submitting the evidence, Callion returned to his mansion and was never seen again.

“Duke Howard has informed me that he has sent an investigator of his own choosing to the scene, separate from the guards, to investigate.”

“And the Marquis of Flanders?”

“He’s been taken to the Central Prison. His Majesty has ordered him to be bound and gagged hand and foot in case he tries to harm himself, so that’s what we’ve done.”

“They’re going to gag him.”

Callion smiled bitterly as he received Ahio’s report. The Emperor, cornered as he was by the letter, had decided that it was better to keep the Marquis of Flanders silent than to risk what he might say.

That alone is not enough to convince me that the Emperor was involved in this.

“Then there was the discovery of a large quantity of Velido in the Marquis of Flanders’ mansion. Rumour has it that the raw leaves and processed Velidos combined are worth over 1300 pounds.”

“Thirteen hundred pounds?”

Callion clicked his tongue in disbelief.

Thirteen hundred pounds of Velido would be enough for every Imperial to inhale.

“That’s a death sentence just for making them.”

He wouldn’t have kept that much Velido for himself, so he must have been involved in its production and distribution. Although it was skeptical whether the investigation would be conducted properly since there were likely more people involved.

“So,” Callion said, bitterness returning to his voice.

“Anything else to report?”

“There have been reports that the Duke’s knights may be facing charges for riding heavily armed through the capital without permission.”

Imperial law forbade all but members of the Guard and imperial knights to wear armour and swords in the capital. Even in an emergency, They were warned to be prepared for trouble.

“I’ll take care of that, and you can go get yourself healed.”

Callion said to Ahio, who was still wearing his bloodstained armour.

The guilt of endangering the Duchess had kept him from seeking proper medical attention for his grievous wounds.

“I’m fine,” Ahio replied stubbornly. Callion frowned.

“This is the only time I’m going to let you off the hook for failure Ahio. Recover quickly and await further orders.”

“……Yes.”

Ahio left the room with a sagging shoulder. As soon as the door was closed, Callion sighed.

“The Marquis of Flanders acted alone this time.”

“…….”

“We’ll know for sure when we examine the handwriting, but if Elkius paid for the kidnapping, he wouldn’t have written a letter; he’d have sent someone or given instructions in some other way.”

Callion’s gaze fell on Adelaide, who had left the inner chamber, wrapped in a blanket.

He’d told her to rest and not worry about anything outside. But she hadn’t listened.

“Elkius must be quite upset, and the Marquis of Flanders is a man who knows a lot, so he might try to get rid of the Marquis to shut him up. Tell the guards…….”

“Quiet, I don’t want to hear it.”

Callion cut her off coldly.

‘Is my voice so unpleasant to listen to?’

Even her own voice, weakened by a sore throat, was irritating to her ears. Adelaide closed her mouth and glanced at him cautiously.

He took a deep breath and spat it out, his anger rising.

“Let me ask you a question.”

‘I thought he wants me to be quiet. ‘

Adelaide shook her head slowly. Callion asked in a somewhat harsh tone.

“Did you realise it was a trap?”

“……vaguely, yeah.”

“Ha.”

He spat out a disbelieving chuckle and scratched his forehead.

“Then why did you accept the invitation?”

“Because it seemed like a ……good opportunity.”

“A good opportunity?”

“Since the letter came in Elkius’s name, even if it wasn’t his doing, it would still be a blow to him. And since it was a plot targeting me, Your Grace could have an official reason to act…”

Adelaide’s voice grew quieter in proportion to the harshness of Callion’s expression.

“If things get out of hand, I don’t think Elkius will ever call on me privately again…….”

“And if it goes wrong.”

“…….”

“What’s the point of all that planning if I don’t get there in time if you die because of it.”

“…I’m fine.”

“For heaven’s sake!”

Adelaide stared at Callion in surprise at the shout that seemed to be squeezed from his lungs.

It was her who was injured, but he was the one who was hurting.

Adelaide threw off the blanket she’d been wrapped in and stepped closer to Callion, his eyes bulging wide at the corners. She stilled, took his hand, and placed it on her cheek.

“Callion.”

“…….”

“I’m sorry.”

“…….”

“I was wrong.”

Callion’s throat moved wildly.

He resented the woman for making him feel this way every time, but he couldn’t help but feel weak at the sight of her face.

He stared down at her wordlessly, then bit her lip fiercely.

He hated her as much as he loved her.

“Ah! It hurts, Your Grace. Gently…”

“Don’t move.”

“But, it hurts so much… Ouch!”

Adelaide screamed as a hand pressed firmly on the bruise.

He was doing this on purpose.

She knew he was being grumpy, but she was guilty of it, so she grumbled to herself. Closing the ointment jar, Callion pulled her into a hug from behind.

“You look good, all blotchy.”

“It’s ……too much.”

“You want to ask Margaret who’s too much?”

“…….”

That’s really too much.

As Adelaide, trapped in his arms, flicked his back with her fingertips, Callion retaliated by pinching her neck.

“Ugh!”

She turned her head in pain, and their eyes met, but she quickly looked away. Instead of getting angry, she almost forgot that she should be grateful for being let off so lightly.

Adelaide’s sullen vision caught sight of Callion’s fingers binding her body, bloodied from the ropes he’d used to untie them.

‘I owe him my life again.’

A new wave of remorse washed over her. She touched Callion’s wound with her fingertips.

“I didn’t…… get to say it earlier, but I’m glad you came to save me.”

“…….”

“I didn’t think you’d be able to come after you left for the South, so…… I thought it was a hallucination at first. They said that just before you die, you think of the person you badly want to see.”

“Don’t say that.”

Adelaide laughed softly at the voice behind her.

“How did you find out?”

“A bridge broke on my way to the south, so I came to see your face while I was stranded…….”

The first thing he heard when he got back was that she’d been kidnapped.

Adelaide felt the hand wrapped around her tighten and dropped her head on his chest. Callion paused for a moment, then spoke.

“I followed Lirkan to where your trail ended, looking for you, and a man told me where you were taken.”

“A man?”

Callion nodded deeply.

“Carter Siben. No, I mean Michael Alberden.”

“……!”