Chapter 71

71. Defeat for Victory

The next day, after hearing that the Emperor had granted permission to interrogate the Marquis of Flanders, Callion, who had been waiting to hear from him, hurried to the imperial palace when he was informed that the Marquis had taken his own life in prison.

He was greeted by Duke Lephisto upon entering the palace.

“Welcome, Duke.”

“What has happened?”

“I don’t know.”

Duke Lephisto shook his head in confusion.

One by one, the members of the Imperial Council entered the room as they were called. The last to enter, Duke Howard, spoke heavily.

“As you may have heard, the Marquis of Flanders has taken his own life in prison.”

“What is the cause of death?”

“From what I gather, there was a vial next to the deceased marquis, suggesting poisoning.”

“Isn’t that why His Majesty told us not to untie his hands!”

Duke Howard clucked his tongue at Marquis Werner’s accusation; the interrogation hadn’t been too intense, and he’d been co-operating with the investigation, so it was inexplicable that he would suddenly take his own life.

“Was he threatened during the interrogation?”

“We checked the transcripts, but there were none.”

There was nothing in the records kept by the scribe who was present during the interrogation.

All he said was that it was all his fault and that the Emperor had nothing to do with it. His motive was also convincing: he had a grudge against Adelaide for what happened at the party.

What remained unclear was the identity of the person who had written to the marquis on behalf of the emperor.

The Duke of Toulonel, who was close to the Marquis of Flanders, spoke up.

“It seems that the guilt was too much for him to bear, and he chose his own death.”

“What do we do now that the culprit is gone?”

“Is there any point in pursuing the investigation any further?”

The members of the Emperor’s Faction chimed in. They didn’t say it out loud, but it was clear that they wanted the investigation to stop at this point.

“Have we discovered how the Marquis came into possession of the poison?”

“It appears he had it with him when he entered the prison.”

“You didn’t search his body?”

“I was told that they only checked for weapons and skipped the pat-down.”

Callion frowned at the explanation that, even though he was a criminal, he was a marquis, so the guards hadn’t followed protocol.

“Was there anyone who visited him during that time?”

“Not that I know of, except for the guards guarding his prison and the maid who brought him his meals.”

“Then…….”

“His Majesty the Emperor.”

Everyone rose from their seats, bewildered by the emperor’s unexpected visit. The Emperor, who had burst into the meeting unannounced, was furious.

“What has happened, that the Marquis of Flanders has taken his own life?”

“We were just discussing the news.”

“I feared such an eventuality and opposed the Marquis’s interrogation, but you insisted that it was all right…”

Elkius glared at Duke Howard with a sharp glare. He was going to use the Marquis of Flanders’ death to turn this crisis against him.

“Was there any coercion or intimidation during the interrogation?”

“I’ve checked the transcripts of the interrogation and there’s no indication of that, and the investigator who conducted the interrogation also said that the Marquis gave a calm testimony.”

“Then why did he suddenly end his life?”

Elkius persisted.

It was a nuance that made him feel as if he had wrongfully driven an innocent man to his death.

“No matter what crimes he may have committed, an unjust death cannot be allowed. Investigate thoroughly if there was any reason for him to take his own life during the interrogation.”

“I understand.”

“Also, now that the Marquis is dead, I think we should put this matter behind us.”

“The investigation is not yet complete.”

Callion, who had been silent since Elkius entered the room, spoke up, as if he knew it was coming, and Elkius answered immediately.

“I understand your feelings, Duke, but calm down and think rationally.”

Elkius tried to manipulate him to suggest that Adelaide was preventing him from making a rational judgement, but Callion was not to be duped.

“Your Majesty is right. The Marquis of Flanders is dead, the Duchess is unharmed, and this matter can be closed here.”

Elkius smiled as he took a step back. As he was about to say, they should wrap things up.

“But the Velido found in the Marquis of Flanders’ mansion must be investigated separately.”

“…….”

“I’ve heard that 1300 pounds of velidos were found, and it seems unlikely that the Marquis would have spent that much on himself.”

The nobles, not knowing the details, began to stir.

“Please allow us to investigate so that we can identify those involved in the distribution and manufacture of Velido.”

“How can we find out when the person involved is dead?”

“It’s a large trade, and a search of the marquis’s estate will reveal the details of the transaction.”

“With the recent commotion surrounding the Duchess’s abduction, do we really want to agitate the public further by delving into the affairs of a deceased individual’s estate?”

Elkius was openly uncomfortable, but Callion didn’t back down.

“Velido is a highly addictive drug. The late Emperor has ordered that anyone who touches it be punished severely.”

“…….”

“If such a large quantity had been circulating, the Empire would have been plunged into uncontrollable chaos, so you must make an example of this and punish those involved.”

“It seems the Duke of Tiflis knows one thing and pretends not to know the others.”

Elkius glanced around at the nobles who were present. Few met his gaze directly. He knew well that there were hardly any innocent parties when it came to Velido.

“Let’s be honest. How many among those who enjoy parties haven’t tried Velido? Whether willingly or under coercion.”

Several nobles nodded in agreement.

“There are many who smoked Velido before the Emperor banned them. How else would you punish them?”

“Set a standard, Your Majesty. If we sweep this under the carpet, we’ll have the same problem again.”

“You’ve been away from the capital so long you don’t know what you’re talking about, but penalizing people for using Velido would likely result in half the population being thrown into prison.”

“…….”

“Furthermore, it’s not desirable for the security forces, who should maintain law and order, to be entangled in such matters. Let’s drop this discussion.”

Elkius reiterated that he would never allow it.

The others seemed to agree with him. They don’t want to side with Callion, as it would likely implicate them.

But letting this slide would defeat the purpose of Adelaide’s efforts.

Callion asks the emperor one more time.

“”Then please allow my soldiers to conduct the investigation.”

“No.”

The answer was immediate. Elkius smiled wryly as he stared at the clear anger in Callion’s eyes.

It amused him to see him struggle to stand up to him. He was certain he would be the victor in the end.

“It’s only once that they turn a blind eye to a private soldier from a noble family who messed up the system as if he could do anything.”

“…….”

“If the Duke continues to be stubborn, I will hold the Duke’s knights responsible for their unauthorized activities.”

It was exactly what Adelaide had expected. Callion remembered the conversation he’d had with Adelaide before he’d entered the palace.

“Elkius will bring up the card. He’ll criticize you for having armed knights wandering around the city.”

“That would certainly be an issue.”

“Then you should emphasize that you pledged allegiance to His Majesty during the party.”

“Allegiance?”

“Allegiance means dedicating everything to His Majesty. In other words, the Duke’s knights are also His Majesty’s knights. His Majesty’s knights are not punished whether they roam the city armed or n*ked.”

He calmly paraphrased her.

“Since I pledged allegiance to His Majesty, the Duke’s knights are also His Majesty’s knights. How should they be held accountable?”

Elkius raised one corner of his mouth.

He knew it was a fallacy, but catching onto it would dilute the significance of the allegiance pledge. It was just a futile struggle, as he was confident that he would emerge victorious.

Elkius replied with a chuckle.

“Then I cannot allow my knights to waste their energies on such a pointless endeavour.”

“…….”

Disappointment washed over Callion’s face.

He had been told by Adelaide not to be too discouraged if things went awry, but it was disheartening to see that they had.

“Let’s deal with the Marquis of Flanders first.”

Elkius ignored Callion’s speechlessness and continued.

“The Marquis has committed a grave crime, but he has paid for it, so I will not strip him of his posthumous title, but I will confiscate all of his property for threatening the imperial family and causing chaos in the empire.”

“Your judgement is wise.”

Marquis Werner quickly agreed.

“I will destroy all of the recovered Velidos, and I will deal with any future incidents of this nature without mercy.”

Although it was not appropriate for the Emperor to intervene while the investigation was still ongoing, Elkius decided on his own.

“Now that my intentions have been made clear, announce it publicly through the Ministry of State Security.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“If there is no further business to be discussed, this meeting is adjourned, and you may rise.”

Elkius rose to his feet. Callion bit his lip as he watched him leave the room.

Just then, the chamberlain came running into the council chamber, his face pale with exhaustion.

“Your Majesty! Something terrible has happened! The-the commoners have stormed into the capital.”