229: A finger of accusation (part 2)

A finger of accusation (part 2)

Alphonso opened the door, making way for a flushed Kaiser, whose vibrant blue eyes fixed on his daughter, pinning her in place with his gaze.0

Oh no...

"That is the Kaiser de Lanark we all know and love!" The princess cheered. "I see that you are as well informed as ever!"

Finally remembering her manners, Adela curtsied to her father.

"Your Excellency," Egon greeted curtly yet politely at the same time.

Kaiser did not return the greeting; instead, he turned around and closed the door behind him, his eyes now locked on his daughter with an enraged expression.

Adela flinched back.

"I will deal with you later, Adelaide," Kaiser said, taking a deep breath that slightly lessened the flush of anger on his face. Then, he turned his attention to Egon. "What was that about a witness?"

"You are not obliged to provide an answer to him," Sasha intervened, attempting to shield Egon from Kaiser's questioning.

Egon, however, chose to disregard her intervention. "The man is a convicted felon whom I helped put in jail. He holds a grudge against me," 

Kaiser frowned in disapproval. "How come you are associated with such people?" 

"He is a close friend's father. He sold her to a brothel in Kolhis, and after we managed to settle her debt here in Emoria, he went on to sell her to another brothel in the Empire. So she pressed charges against him. That is all,"

When the Archduke turned his head away to look at Sasha, Adela held her breath, anxious about his reaction and what he might say or do next.

"He is not obliged to answer my questions, but you are, Sasha. I can make it formal if that's what it takes to get an answer from you. Why did you bring up a witness now?" 

Sasha gave Kaiser a serious nod. "In your testimony, Egon von Conradie was asked to remain in place while you retreated to your designated chambers, and then you were to meet each other again over dinner. However, the witness claims to have seen Egon von Conradie leaving the murdered King's estate and heading to yours."

"Which places him as a first-degree suspect," Kaiser said gravely, the weight of the situation apparent in his voice.

Adela's nails dug into the flesh of her thighs beneath her dress as she fought the urge to look up at Egon, who stood beside her calmly.

"I will speak openly with all of you," Sasha began, setting aside any noble titles. "I will conduct a thorough investigation to uncover the identity of the murderer, adhering to the necessity of conventionality. What you do with the identity of the murderer afterwards is up to you. Kolhis would not interfere," Her gaze lingered on Egon before she added, "Most likely... won't interfere."

"I have always appreciated your straightforwardness, and I am glad that hasn't changed. I need to be equally straightforward... The possibility of Egon von Conradie murdering the late King Emanuel is null,"

Adela's breath caught in her throat, deeply touched by her father's support and belief in Egon's innocence. Meanwhile, Sasha raised her hands in the air.

"Fair enough!" she conceded before lowering her hands. "My first priority is to obtain the missing testimonies and then address the inconsistencies. You see, this morning, I learned that Egon and the murdered King had a verbal argument right after he exited the portal, and that crucial detail was nowhere to be found in the file."

"Is that why you summoned Sir Arkin?" Kaiser inquired, now far calmer than before.

"Isn't it natural? His testimony is among the few missing from the papers I received," 

"He was guarding Emanuel's room from the outside, and the murderer clearly used the window," Kaiser pointed out.

Sasha tapped her fingers on her arm thoughtfully.

"Are you suspecting Sir Arkin regardless of what His Excellency just told you?" Adela asked, her concern for her brother evident in her voice.

Sasha gave Adela another one of those annoyingly impressed looks, as if it was extremely strange for Adela to have a voice and know how to use it.

"Arkin von Conradie is a Commander in the Archduke's army. He wasn't alone in that corridor as he stood guard, but he held the highest rank there," Sasha scoffed. "This is Emoria, and one order of silence can prevent Knights from uttering a word against their Commander."

Anger surged through Adela once again. Emoria might have its flaws, but it was still her beloved Kingdom, and she couldn't bear to see it mocked.

"You are right," came Kaiser's surprising admission. "But you forget that the murdered..." He hesitated, swallowing hard. "He was the King. My Knights' ultimate loyalty is to their Monarch."

"Assuming that this is true, in addition to the verbal confrontation and being seen near the murder chambers according to a witness, it only places Egon as a first-degree suspect, as you pointed out earlier,"

When Adela visibly tensed, Egon leaned slightly toward her.

Sasha's smart gaze darted between the two. "I advise everybody to cooperate and stop withholding important facts that would only prolong the investigation. It is in everyone's favor for it to end as soon as possible,"

"But you see, Sir Egon was only near the crime scene if he said he was, not before that," Kaiser objected to Sasha's earlier narrative.

Sasha's disappointment was evident in her brown eyes as she regarded the Archduke.

"If you continue to withhold facts from my investigation, then you keep Egon and Arkin von Conradie as my main suspects. I understand that Arkin is of great importance to you, Kaiser, but protecting the innocent might just incriminate another innocent man, while the guilty remains at large,"

Adela lifted her gaze to meet Egon's, the weight of their shared secret was taking a toll on her. His brown eyes darted between hers, displaying many emotions before settling into an expression of defeat.

"I was there that night," his voice cut through the prevailing silence.

Kaiser's face flushed a shade nearing purple. "What is that supposed to mean now?"

"Why were you there that night?" Sasha interrupted.

"Just because he was there doesn't mean he is incriminated!" Kaiser defended.

"From an objective point of view, one can argue that it helps incriminate him," Sasha countered.

Adela clutched her dress tightly over her chest. Her heart visibly pounding. "He was in my room that night," she revealed with a steady voice.

Kaiser closed his eyes, his jaw tightening once, then twice, his face continuing to contort with a mix of conflicting emotions.

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