3.

When Rockfort exited Elia’s bedroom, all eyes turned to him.

Without saying a word, he slowly descended the stairs and stood in the spacious reception room of the ducal residence. Jayden and a few knights loyally followed and guarded him.

“I have heard all the details of the incident from the lady.”

The Emperor clearly mentioned it as an “incident,” but few understood its seriousness.

It was because they hadn’t expected Elia to reveal all those facts. It wasn’t something a mere nineteen-year-old lady could do.

“I will now issue an imperial order. No one is to speak without my questioning.”

A chilling silence fell over the reception room.

Lorelaine, who bowed her head before the Emperor, sensed that something had gone wrong, but she still couldn’t fully grasp the situation.

It was natural, as she believed Elia to be a young and innocent lady who would follow her mother’s words without question.

“Jayden.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Rockfort gazed at the Duke and Duchess with his deep purple eyes.

“Bind the Duke and Duchess of Theon and gag them immediately.”

“……!”

The Duke’s eyes widened as he looked up at the Emperor, but his face was too resolute.

“Your Majesty, we……”

Lorelaine tried to say something, but she couldn’t finish as the knights following Jayden swiftly gagged her.

“I will find the truth myself.”

At Rockfort’s gesture, the Duke and Duchess were helplessly dragged away.

“Also, interrogate all the servants of this mansion right here. Anyone with evidence of participating in any plan of the Duke and Duchess should be arrested as well.”

“Yes.”

As if intending to observe the entire process, Rockfort sat on the sofa.

“You all heard His Majesty’s words, didn’t you? If you disturb His Majesty’s ears with unnecessary commotion, your punishment will be increased, so follow the orders quietly.”

As Jayden signaled to the knights, they each went out to find their tasks. Since they wouldn’t have used ordinary servants or maids for such dangerous matters, investigating the attendants and ladies-in-waiting would quickly yield results.

When Jayden was about to head to Elia’s room on the second floor, Rockfort, who had been staring into space for a moment, murmured.

“Leave the lady as she is.”

“……Pardon?”

Jayden asked again, but Rockfort, seemingly lost in thought, didn’t answer.

“Yes, understood. Then shall we start by investigating those who attend to the lady?”

Rockfort silently nodded. At Jayden’s gesture, one knight went up the stairs.

Whatever the inside story was, if they were planning to leave the lady as she was, they needed to make sure who would attend to her, which was a smart thought from Jayden.

He stood still, waiting without breaking Rockfort’s silence. This too was a wise decision.

“Sir Jayden.”

After a while, the knight who had gone upstairs carefully called for Jayden. Rockfort, who had been lost in thought, noticed and gestured.

“Report directly to His Majesty.”

“Yes.”

The knight stood before the Emperor and paid his respects.

“There is a woman who is both the lady’s nanny and head lady-in-waiting, and a long-serving head attendant, one each, who appear to have no particular interaction with the Duke and Duchess.”

The expectation turned into certainty. Rockfort immediately nodded.

“Tell them to take care of the lady for the time being. However, also arrest and investigate all the physicians who have been coming in and out of the ducal residence.”

“Yes.”

“What about the rest of the situation?”

“There is nothing that could be called evidence.”

That was to be expected. Since they had been notified in advance that the Emperor was coming, they would have hidden everything they could.

“But they can’t hide the truth. Everything will come out in the investigation.”

“Yes, Your Majesty. We have confirmed everything necessary, so let us return to the Imperial Palace now. It would be better to interrogate and investigate their crimes there.”

At Jayden’s words, Rockfort rose from his seat. He was already uncomfortable staying in this ducal residence any longer.

“……You said there was a maid who was her nanny?”

“Pardon? Ah, the maid……? Yes, that’s correct.”

“Bring her here.”

Despite the puzzling order, one knight bowed deeply and soon brought Hannah, the maid. The elderly woman with a gentle impression was completely terrified and bowed deeply before the Emperor.

“For the time being, I will prohibit people from entering and leaving this mansion. I will send a imperial physician from the Imperial Palace along with necessary supplies, so nurse and take good care of the lady.”

“Yes, yes…… I am deeply honored.”

Hannah, though unsure of the situation, was grateful that Elia would not be taken away and bowed several times.

“Tell your mistress that my verdict is ‘not guilty.'”

Even Jayden found those words puzzling, but this wasn’t the right atmosphere to say anything.

“Also tell her that I will return soon.”

Rockfort rose with his usual indifferent expression.

“Yes, yes…… I will keep it in mind.”

Hannah kept bowing her head.

Not long after Rockfort left through the front door, knights dragged away the gagged servants. Concerned about information leaking, it seemed they were taking all the servants and maids somewhere as well.

“What…… what is all this……”

By the time she regained her senses, the spacious ducal residence was empty.

“Ma’am, only we remain in the ducal residence. I don’t know what this is all about……”

Dain, Elia’s attendant, came with a dazed face. The two looked at each other blankly, unable to hide their bewilderment.

“Our job is to protect Lady Elia. Let’s focus on that for now.”

Dain nodded at Hannah’s words.

It seemed as if a great storm had swept through the Theon ducal residence. What remained was silence, an uncertain future, and the Emperor’s true intentions.

* * *

After returning to the Imperial Palace, Rockfort immediately initiated a large-scale investigation. Of course, all investigations were conducted in secret, away from the eyes of gossipmongers.

“Your Majesty, the imperial physician has completed the autopsy.”

“I will hear it directly. Bring in the physician.”

“Yes.”

Soon, the imperial physician who entered the audience chamber had a very dark expression.

“I greet Your Majesty.”

An old man with white hair bowed deeply before the Emperor. He was a veteran who had survived all his life in this palace dealing with all kinds of secrets and illnesses.

“Allen, I heard that you personally handled the former Empress’s body right after the accident.”

“That is correct.”

“No need for long explanations. Even before I ordered a reinvestigation, you must have noticed something as a physician?”

Allen didn’t deny it. As someone who once secretly worked as a close aide to the Empress Dowager and understood the ways of the world well, he wouldn’t have failed to dig into the suspicious falling death of the Empress.

“Tell me exactly as it is.”

The Emperor’s purple eyes stared at the old man.

“The cause of death for the former Empress was the fall. Lady Theon was fortunate enough to get caught on a large tree branch before falling and thus survived, but fortune did not favor the former Empress.”

“I believe I said no need for long explanations.”

A low voice resonated threateningly.

“The former Empress…… was with child.”

Jayden’s expression was one of shock, but Rockfort remained calm.

“And?”

“Of course, I did not commit the disrespectful act of touching the body. But even to the eye, her lower abdomen was protruding like that of a pregnant woman. Now that Your Majesty has ordered an investigation, looking at the diary of the head lady-in-waiting of the Empress’s palace…… it was revealed that she had no monthly bleeding for several months.”

Even in a palace full of schemes and intrigues, this could be called an unprecedented incident. It was unheard of for an Empress who hadn’t even consummated her marriage to die from a fall while carrying a child.

“Judging from the records and the extent of her swollen belly, I estimate it was at least five months along.”

“It was noticeable enough just by looking?”

“Her entire body was extremely emaciated, but only her lower abdomen was swollen like that of a pregnant woman…… It is my opinion that further investigation is unnecessary.”

For a moment, silence fell. The physician had spoken indirectly, but it was an advice not to put a knife to the former Empress’s body and cut open her belly. Of course, there was no need for that anyway.

“The direct cause of death was the occipital region…… that is, impact to the back of the head. With a little treatment and covering with flowers, her face could be shown at the funeral.”

Huh, Rockfort let out a small laugh. He thought he had seen all kinds of filthy sights in his life. But the fact that his own wife had committed adultery and taken her own life was absurd.

“A funeral? Are you saying I should hold a state funeral for a woman who betrayed me and committed such a filthy act?”

The physician bowed his head at the angry voice.

“I will naturally follow Your Majesty’s orders. Also, this matter…… has been handled only by me and my assistant, so not even the other imperial physicians know about it.”

Perhaps due to his past service to the Empress Dowager, Allen’s conduct was very shrewd.

“For now, the body has been placed in the chapel basement where no one can approach it.”