Chapter 291
“I greet His Majesty, the Emperor, eternal beneath the sun. I am Bella Appenz, here at the summons of Prince Shateian.”
She had barely finished her introduction when Silas’s shrill voice pierced the hall.
“Your Majesty, will you really allow that wicked witch to sully your palace?”
Sebelia shot him an icy glare, but before she could speak, Dehart stepped forward.
“And what right does a petty criminal—one who used his own son in a plot to murder—have to raise his voice in the imperial palace?”
His heavy tone instantly shifted the tense atmosphere. Not giving Silas a chance to recover, Dehart ordered the guards to summon an official from the Ministry of Justice at once.
Desperate, Silas raised his voice even more.
“They’re all in Duke Inverness’s pocket, Your Majesty! Think about it—Nathan is my only heir. Do you really believe I would use my beloved child as a murder weapon? You know I’m not that kind of vile human being!”
“He’s right.”
It was the First Queen who stepped up to defend him.
“Isn’t this all absurd, Your Majesty? Your loyal servant is left broken-hearted, weeping for his only son. And yet, this arrogant northern Duke, who so often ignores your earnest summons, dares not even kneel before you—he brazenly brands one of the oldest and most loyal houses of the central nobility as criminals!”
Silas pressed on, leveraging her support.
“It’s more than that! The only reason I was in the tower is because that witch—using some evil sorcery—tried to kill my son!”
He forced himself to his feet, nearly shouting.
“Until just a few months ago, there was no such person as Bella Appenz. I had no idea. I truly believed she was my child and welcomed her close to me.”
His voice shook with feigned passion.
“And this is the result, Your Majesty! Duke Inverness’s trap cost me my son—nearly my own life, and that of your most faithful servant! And now, because things didn’t go as they hoped, they drag in Prince Shateian to pin their crimes on me before running off!”
“How long do you think you can keep getting away with these lies?”
A cool voice cut through the heated tension, Sebelia’s blue eyes sharp as ice.
“Your Majesty, Marquis Wheddon infiltrated the tower to harm Duke Inverness and me—”
“That’s enough.”
The Emperor waved her off, irritation plain on his weary face.
“Duke Inverness is hardly in a position to call others melodramatic. You take in some commoner, and she turns out to be a mysterious witch dabbling in forbidden arts. No wonder the north is in such disarray.”
“…!”
“We’ll sort this out in due time. If the Duke wishes to bring charges against the Marquis, so be it. But Marquis Wheddon is one of the oldest houses among the central nobility and a loyal servant of the throne. I cannot simply send him to prison so easily.”
With a heavy voice, the Emperor finally sighed as if in pain.
“For now, house arrest will suffice. Everyone else, return home. I’d hate for our honored guests from afar to be disturbed by this.”
Sebelia felt her breath catch in her throat. For a moment, the world spun—but she forced herself to stay focused.
She’d underestimated the Emperor. A man who barely batted an eye at the power struggle between the queens would never care about a northern Duke and his commoner companion.
But I can’t just let this go.
She still lacked hard evidence, but she knew they’d plotted to assassinate the Emperor and install an impostor. Surely, even the Emperor couldn’t ignore that.
Clenching her hands around her skirt, Sebelia raised her head. The Emperor’s dark, blood-red gaze fixed on her, silently asking why she hadn’t left.
“Your Majesty, in truth—”
“If I may—why do you call her a witch?”
A soft, low voice rang through the hall—gentle, like sunlight breaking through fog, but with a hidden blade. The kind of voice that drew everyone’s attention.
Sebelia immediately recognized the man who’d interrupted her. He’d been observing the situation near the Emperor with a look of amused interest.
That must be the foreign ambassador everyone’s been talking about.
His pale blue eyes, clear as the sky, were fixed on Silas. The Emperor looked exhausted but made no move to stop the newcomer—clearly, this guest held special status.
Silas, apparently thinking he’d gained another ally, quickly responded.
“Ah! You must not know, having only recently arrived in Belkram. That woman uses a sorcery no one’s ever heard of—neither magic nor divine power, but some devilish illusion!”
“Aha.”
The ambassador let out a dry laugh and set aside his wine glass.
“So Balak was telling the truth after all.”
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