“Ah, Young Count. You’re finally here.”
“I express my gratitude to you, Marquis Evnen, for inviting me to this occasion. It is an honor to have the opportunity to attend.”
Albert greeted Marquis Evnen formally.
Meanwhile, Marquis Evnen’s gaze on Albert was averted as he looked at a balcony connected to the hall.
Something’s suspicious.
For him to look over at a curtained balcony where no one seemed to be hanging around, it bothered me somehow.
Following my intuition, I decided to investigate.
And it was just the right time since Marquis Evnen and Albert ensued with their formalities.
“Albert, I’m going to check something. I’ll be back in a bit.”
Whispering to Albert first, I asked for his understanding and soon headed quickly towards the balcony.
Surprisingly, the door was slightly ajar. And there, I found Rosteratu.
“It looks like it’s about to start.”
He smirked satisfactorily at Albert, as though he was enjoying to the fullest what seemed to be a ‘final’ banquet.
He was watching Albert and Marquis Evnen through the gap between the curtains.
It was a dark balcony, so people wouldn’t be able to notice him inside. It was the right place for someone to hide and observe.
“The qualities of becoming a prince, hm…”
Rosteratu stroked his beard and scowled.
Emmett was right.
Before Albert was to be appointed as a prince, Rosteratu did come here to see what Albert was like.
I found something in Rosteratu’s ear. It seemed like a device that would allow him to hear their voices. Otherwise, Albert and Marquis Evnen were too far away from the balcony to hear, even if they could be seen.
From Rosteratu’s eyes, I could read his distrust.
He was still contemplating whether or not Albert was the right person for the position.
[ Your actions can change the future. ]
The voice echoed in my head once more.
And, again, chills ran down my spine. I took a deep breath and clenched my hands into fists. Then, I went back to Albert’s side.
By then, he should have finished exchanging greetings with Marquis Evnen, but they were still face to face.
The tension in the air had become much heavier than before. I had left for just a moment, but how did it come to this?
An unsettling bout of silence settled upon the banquet hall.
Grimacing, I was trying to figure out what was going on here, but Marquis Evnen then spoke up.
“Young Count, do you understand what I’m saying?”
“Yes.”
Albert’s gaze headed towards me. Seeing my puzzled expression, he continued.
“To recount what you said, I am being accused of ordering a child of the streets to rob you of your wallet.”
…What was he talking about? First of all, the premise itself was illogical. Did it make sense that Albert was desperate enough for money that he’d order someone to steal someone’s wallet?
That aside, there were many other things that made no sense at all.
Albert clenched his fists. The bystanders started talking amongst themselves.
I looked at him nervously. While thinking about intervening, Rosteratu from behind the curtains of the balcony weighed on my mind.
“However, Marquis. I am the heir of a Count, and I am someone who will have to keep meeting you. How dare I do such a thing, no less to Your Excellency as you have helped my family pay off our debts.”
Speaking in a quiet tone, Albert refuted Marquis Evnen’s claims and pointed out the contradictions in his words. At this, Marquis Evnen’s eyebrows crept up.
“Then, we can find out the truth here and now.”
Marquis Evnen beckoned to a servant.
After taking this as a signal, the servant left the hall momentarily and soon returned. He was dragging a child with him.
The child had bruises all over his body, as if someone had been beating him all this time. His eyes were covered with a piece of cloth and his whole body was bound.
“This child is evidence enough.”
The servant loosened the blindfold.
‘Oh my god.’
I was speechless. It was Schubert, who couldn’t even open his eyes properly because of all the bruises on his face.
None of the adults here frowned after seeing how terribly the child had been treated.
Only Liam and Mercy were shocked.
Everything that was happening here inside this hall was going according to Marquis Evnen’s plans.
“He stubbornly refused to talk from the very start. But once he’d been roughed up, that’s the time when he opened his mouth.”
Schubert’s pupils were dilated and he was panting heavily. He began to tremble all over.
Albert looked at Schubert with a calm face.
“Now, say it again. Who was it that ordered you to steal my property?”
Schubert kept his mouth shut.
Marquis Evnen scowled. Right then, I realized.
The marquis was using Schubert to frame Albert.
Not long after, he spoke once more.
“Goodness, the child is shaking. The person who threatened him is now in front of him, so he seems frightened.”
“That’s not—”
Schubert started talking in a fit of rage, but he began coughing.
Then, the servant who dragged him here gagged his mouth with a balled-up piece of cloth.
It was such an unsettling scene that you’d hear about only in horror stories.
Nevertheless, no one questioned Marquis Evnen’s accusations.
I laughed in vain.
In the first place, having a witness was not important.
All they needed was a ‘plausible’ excuse.
They all wanted the same thing.
With a faux benevolent smile on his face, Marquis Evnen spoke.
“Don’t worry, Young Count. I’m not wishing for any grave punishment either. As you said, we will have to keep meeting each other from now on.”
“……”
“Be that as it may, shouldn’t you still be given a reasonable punishment?”
Such words couldn’t even be called bullsh*t at this point. My first instinct blinded me, and that instinct was straight up murder.
Even though I knew that this wretched man was going to die in the future all the same.
“Ah, Young Count. You’re finally here.”
“I express my gratitude to you, Marquis Evnen, for inviting me to this occasion. It is an honor to have the opportunity to attend.”
Albert greeted Marquis Evnen formally.
Meanwhile, Marquis Evnen’s gaze on Albert was averted as he looked at a balcony connected to the hall.
Something’s suspicious.
For him to look over at a curtained balcony where no one seemed to be hanging around, it bothered me somehow.
Following my intuition, I decided to investigate.
And it was just the right time since Marquis Evnen and Albert ensued with their formalities.
“Albert, I’m going to check something. I’ll be back in a bit.”
Whispering to Albert first, I asked for his understanding and soon headed quickly towards the balcony.
Surprisingly, the door was slightly ajar. And there, I found Rosteratu.
“It looks like it’s about to start.”
He smirked satisfactorily at Albert, as though he was enjoying to the fullest what seemed to be a ‘final’ banquet.
He was watching Albert and Marquis Evnen through the gap between the curtains.
It was a dark balcony, so people wouldn’t be able to notice him inside. It was the right place for someone to hide and observe.
“The qualities of becoming a prince, hm…”
Rosteratu stroked his beard and scowled.
Emmett was right.
Before Albert was to be appointed as a prince, Rosteratu did come here to see what Albert was like.
I found something in Rosteratu’s ear. It seemed like a device that would allow him to hear their voices. Otherwise, Albert and Marquis Evnen were too far away from the balcony to hear, even if they could be seen.
From Rosteratu’s eyes, I could read his distrust.
He was still contemplating whether or not Albert was the right person for the position.
[ Your actions can change the future. ]
The voice echoed in my head once more.
And, again, chills ran down my spine. I took a deep breath and clenched my hands into fists. Then, I went back to Albert’s side.
By then, he should have finished exchanging greetings with Marquis Evnen, but they were still face to face.
The tension in the air had become much heavier than before. I had left for just a moment, but how did it come to this?
An unsettling bout of silence settled upon the banquet hall.
Grimacing, I was trying to figure out what was going on here, but Marquis Evnen then spoke up.
“Young Count, do you understand what I’m saying?”
“Yes.”
Albert’s gaze headed towards me. Seeing my puzzled expression, he continued.
“To recount what you said, I am being accused of ordering a child of the streets to rob you of your wallet.”
…What was he talking about? First of all, the premise itself was illogical. Did it make sense that Albert was desperate enough for money that he’d order someone to steal someone’s wallet?
That aside, there were many other things that made no sense at all.
Albert clenched his fists. The bystanders started talking amongst themselves.
I looked at him nervously. While thinking about intervening, Rosteratu from behind the curtains of the balcony weighed on my mind.
“However, Marquis. I am the heir of a Count, and I am someone who will have to keep meeting you. How dare I do such a thing, no less to Your Excellency as you have helped my family pay off our debts.”
Speaking in a quiet tone, Albert refuted Marquis Evnen’s claims and pointed out the contradictions in his words. At this, Marquis Evnen’s eyebrows crept up.
“Then, we can find out the truth here and now.”
Marquis Evnen beckoned to a servant.
After taking this as a signal, the servant left the hall momentarily and soon returned. He was dragging a child with him.
The child had bruises all over his body, as if someone had been beating him all this time. His eyes were covered with a piece of cloth and his whole body was bound.
“This child is evidence enough.”
The servant loosened the blindfold.
‘Oh my god.’
I was speechless. It was Schubert, who couldn’t even open his eyes properly because of all the bruises on his face.
None of the adults here frowned after seeing how terribly the child had been treated.
Only Liam and Mercy were shocked.
Everything that was happening here inside this hall was going according to Marquis Evnen’s plans.
“He stubbornly refused to talk from the very start. But once he’d been roughed up, that’s the time when he opened his mouth.”
Schubert’s pupils were dilated and he was panting heavily. He began to tremble all over.
Albert looked at Schubert with a calm face.
“Now, say it again. Who was it that ordered you to steal my property?”
Schubert kept his mouth shut.
Marquis Evnen scowled. Right then, I realized.
The marquis was using Schubert to frame Albert.
Not long after, he spoke once more.
“Goodness, the child is shaking. The person who threatened him is now in front of him, so he seems frightened.”
“That’s not—”
Schubert started talking in a fit of rage, but he began coughing.
Then, the servant who dragged him here gagged his mouth with a balled-up piece of cloth.
It was such an unsettling scene that you’d hear about only in horror stories.
Nevertheless, no one questioned Marquis Evnen’s accusations.
I laughed in vain.
In the first place, having a witness was not important.
All they needed was a ‘plausible’ excuse.
They all wanted the same thing.
With a faux benevolent smile on his face, Marquis Evnen spoke.
“Don’t worry, Young Count. I’m not wishing for any grave punishment either. As you said, we will have to keep meeting each other from now on.”
“……”
“Be that as it may, shouldn’t you still be given a reasonable punishment?”
Such words couldn’t even be called bullsh*t at this point. My first instinct blinded me, and that instinct was straight up murder.
Even though I knew that this wretched man was going to die in the future all the same.
