Chapter 95

“Do you think Lady Katrin Elemore’s support for Your Majesty’s revolution could possibly erase her crimes? She is the daughter of that vile, loathsome Duke Elemore!”

Inside the Great Hall, Aglia, leader of the Council faction, shouted before the nobles who supported her.

Though she had recently been disgraced—her private army recalled amid corruption charges involving Fadelmon—her arrogance had not diminished in the least.

The crowd stirred, agreeing with her words.

“The Duke of Elemore’s crimes against the Council could fill volumes!”

“He persecuted so many of His late Majesty’s loyal retainers! And as the traitor-king’s right hand, he wielded absolute power like a tongue within the mouth. He is dead, so should not his daughter bear the punishment in his place?”

“Aye, indeed!”

“And most of all—look here.”

All eyes turned to the small dagger in Aglia’s hand.

Holding it aloft, she showed the nobles the crest engraved upon it, her tone filled with feigned grief.

“This was found among the ruins of Cambute Palace. It bears the mark of Duke Elemore. Proof that he slew the late Empress!”

Her words ignited the nobles’ fury like wildfire.

Everyone knew that on the day Cambute Palace burned, Etias had lost his mother.

“That cursed Elemore bastard!”

Aglia’s lips twisted in a crooked smile.

Katrin Elemore would soon arrive.

She had quelled the fire, returned as a hero of the people, hand in hand with Etias.

And in her hands, she would bring proof that Aglia was the true traitor.

So, before Katrin returned, Aglia would utterly ruin her reputation.

“Even her so-called support of His Majesty was only a scheme to conceal her father’s crimes! She even threatened me, His Majesty’s own aunt! When she saw I had this dagger, she vowed to kill me!”

If no one trusted Katrin, then Aglia could push her aside and secure her place.

“How could she commit such horrors…?”

Even nobles who had once thought well of Katrin for supporting the revolution now wavered at Aglia’s testimony.

The daughter of the man who killed the Emperor’s mother.
No amount of service to the revolution could outweigh that.

“That wicked woman knows I, Aglia, will expose her foul nature! So whatever she says, you must believe me alone!”

Many nodded, swayed by Aglia’s fervor.

Just then, a herald’s voice rang out:

“His Imperial Majesty approaches.”

Etias von Clyde, Emperor of the Empire, entered under the heavy silence of the chamber.

Broad-shouldered, towering, cloaked in commanding presence, and with blue eyes sharp with reason—this was their Emperor.

Each step sent his blue cloak whispering through the air.

Behind him followed Karon, his face cold, and Duke Kamel Beatrice.

Karon carried a copy of The Economics of Liberation, the treatise guiding the rapid stabilization of the Empire’s economy after the revolution.

Meanwhile, the ever-grave Duke Kamel had remained in the Palace while Etias went to Quaidon, investigating Aglia and uncovering truths of the past.

“Where is Lady Katrin Elemore?”

As Etias mounted the dais, nobles murmured softly.

They knew only that the Emperor had brought Katrin Elemore, the revolution’s heroine, to the Palace.

Of course, since she was an Elemore, no one would have been shocked if he had rewarded her with chains instead of honor.

Especially after Aglia’s accusations just now.

Why had the Emperor come without her? They all speculated feverishly.

“Your Majesty,” Aglia cried, clutching the dagger in both hands as she approached, “I beg leave to speak.”

Her mind raced.

That he had arrived without Katrin was already to her advantage.

If she could seize the moment, she could topple Katrin completely.

“Do you know what this dagger is? It was found in the ruins of Cambute Palace, beside the late Empress herself! Proof that Duke Elemore—or his men—trapped her so she could not escape the flames!”

“Are you certain.”

The Emperor’s low voice made her eyes flicker.

“I ask if you are certain Duke Elemore killed my mother.”

His piercing blue gaze fixed on her like ice.

“Of—of course! I should have told you sooner, but I feared to wound Your Majesty’s heart. Only now can I bring myself to speak.”

The truth was, she had delayed because she was searching for the letters linking Katrin and the Duke.

One dagger alone was not enough—if Katrin counterattacked, her own position could crumble.

So she had planned to secure herself first by destroying Katrin, then reveal more later.

But now it was all or nothing.

If Katrin had returned, danger surrounded her regardless—so she resolved to strike first.

“Bring Lady Katrin Elemore here, and judge her for her father’s crimes! If the father committed such atrocities, should not the daughter be held to account?”

Several nobles nodded, still swayed by her earlier fiery words.

Then Etias spoke, his voice quiet yet icy:

“How can one know the truth of a thing by its surface alone—whether of a person, or of a blade.”

“…What do you mean, Your Majesty?”

Aglia’s eye twitched as she demanded an answer.

It was then that Duke Kamel Beatrice, standing to Etias’ left, spoke.

“Duke Elemore did not slay the late Empress.”

He had discovered new truths in his exhaustive investigations under the Emperor’s command.

At his words, Aglia’s face twitched violently as she shouted:

“Ha! You prospered under the traitor-king, so of course you defend Katrin Elemore!”

Many nodded. Unlike Kamel, Aglia had at least outwardly long played the role of Etias’ protector—so her words held weight.

“Even with such evidence, Duke Kamel Beatrice defends that wretch! Punish him as well, Your Majesty!”

But before she could continue, Etias suddenly seized the dagger from her hands.

“…!”

Though charred and blackened by the fire, the sheath still bore the crest of House Elemore.

“See, Your Majesty! Proof it came from Cambute Palace! The red ash of those rare palace timbers is lodged in the carvings!”

Certain he meant to examine it more closely, Aglia raised her voice, recalling her delight when she had found it in the ruins.

“Without doubt, he threatened the Empress with this blade—so she could not flee and perished in the flames! Thus clearing the way for the traitor-king he served to seize the throne—”

Etias raised the dagger as she had, letting all see.

“I said—one cannot know the truth by appearances alone.”

Then, placing one hand firmly upon the sheath, he pressed.

Crack—

The charred sheath split, unable to withstand the pressure.

Aglia had never dared strip it away, fearing the brittle emblem would crumble.

Now, blackened fragments rained down—

—and beneath, the blade gleamed white and smooth, preserved in pristine condition.