Chapter 568: The Murder Case

Startled by a scream that shattered the peace, Davey rushed toward the source of the sound. There, a Rabbitfolk girl sat on the ground trembling, with the slender figure of a Beastfolk male lying in front of her, blood-splattered and fallen.

"Your... Your Highness..."

Tears welled in the eyes of the panicking Rabbitfolk girl as Davey, without a second thought, turned the Beastfolk man's body so that his stomach faced the sky and checked his condition.

"..."

It was too late. The Beastfolk male, who lay dead without a chance for any aid, was a servant named Bart who had been taking care of miscellaneous duties in the Heins Territory.

"Bart..."

"Sob... Sob sob..."

The sudden tragedy appeared to shock everyone who had followed Davey.

"What... What on Earth happened..." Baron Gorneo, who arrived late, placed his hand on the neck of the Beastfolk servant Bart with a grave expression.

"..."

"It's already too late."

The recently deceased might still hold a chance of revival. But regrettably, Bart's corpse was already becoming cold.

"Amy. Stop the event."

"Your Highness." At Davey's command, Amy, who had been trembling, shook her head. "No, Your Highness."

"Amy."

"If we stop now, everything you have prepared might go to waste, Your Highness."

"..."

Since a person died, continuing the event properly would be difficult. However, Amy did not want to see everything Davey had prepared collapse in an instant.

"That's right, Your Highness. I, too, agree with Amy."

"Bernile."

"I, Bernile, am aware this may seem disloyal, but now we must focus on the matter at hand. We cannot ruin this celebratory moment for Your Highness..."

"Can we possibly weigh the value of life?"

"..."

"Don't make me repeat myself."

At Davey's words, Bernile silently bowed his head, and Amy hesitated briefly before also quietly bowing.

"Yes... Your Highness."

* * *

Murders were treated with utmost seriousness. However, the victim in this case was merely a servant, and one belonging to the Beastfolk-a race not held in high regard.

"If we detain them like this, detrimental rumors will persist," Baris analyzed the situation coldly, hitting the mark.

Though they had come willingly, their return path blocked, it was only natural for them to become anxious. Fortunately, most of the key guests seemed to have some understanding of the situation. The problem lay elsewhere.

"Is this true?"

In response to Davey's question, Amy nodded quietly.

And so it began. During the engagement ceremony, the Rabbitfolk girl enlisted the recently deceased Beastfolk servant Bart's help in organizing and cataloging gifts sent from various nations. While she stepped away briefly for an urgent matter, Bart sorted the items and was about to record them in the ledger when, in the midst of examining the contents, he collapsed, bleeding profusely. The cause was straightforward-internal rupture. His organs were utterly demolished, leaving him in a gruesome state.

"Brother... This method..."

"Do you know it?"

"It's infamous... The most effective method for assassinating a master."

An assailant could cause blood vessels and internal organs to rupture by reversing the mana within someone who harbors mana. Unfortunately, Bart was caught up in the incident and had a particularly generous amount of mana compared to others.

"An assassination aimed at a master level..."

"It was a gift intended for Lady Perserque. Apparently, someone was not pleased with this engagement."

Crunch...

"Which individual did this?"

Amy looked baffled at Davey's question.

"Well... uh..." Amy trailed off, stumbling over her words before finally speaking slowly.

At the same time...

Click.

"Davey. I've heard what happened." Illyna entered familiarly through the door that opened, and all eyes turned to her.

"Why... What's the matter?" Illyna asked in confusion as she looked around the room steeped in chilly silence.

Amidst that silence, Amy pointed her trembling finger at Illyna and said, "I'm sorry, but among the gifts sent by Princess Illyna de Pallan to Lady Perserque..."

Illyna was quick on the uptake.

"What... What are you talking about?" Illyna stepped back, appearing flustered. "What are you talking about?"

"Let me ask you something, Illyna."

Davey stood up, and as he approached, Illyna looked back at him with trembling eyes, stepping further away. Each step Davey took seemed to engulf her in more fear.

"Is it true you sent a Stone of Blessing to Perserque?"

In response to the quiet question, Illyna slowly shook her head. With trembling hands and a quivering voice, she protested, "That... That's true, but!"

"..."

"It's not me. Davey, it was not me!"

In the midst of her desperate outcry...

"Your Highness, here's important intel."

At that very moment, a couple of men dressed in black seemed to emerge from the empty air and approached Davey. They were informants sent by The Echo guild, following the previous Moon Honey incident. Spotting Illyna, they stopped short, surprised, and fell silent.

"What. What's going on?"

"..."

"Don't make me ask twice; speak up."

"Tha... That is..."

The informants, seemingly wary, cautiously approached Davey. They then whispered something in his ear, a whisper so faint it was almost inaudible, yet audible only to those intended to hear, given their excellent hearing.

"Amy."

"Yes... Yes! Your Highness!"

"Confine Illyna to her quarters."

At Davey's cold command, Illyna widened her eyes in disbelief. "Davey... It isn't me... It's not me!!"

Illyna's frantic screams echoed as she was ushered away by the guards who followed her in.

"Rinne, follow and guard her, and don't let anyone in until I command otherwise. Use force if necessary."

"Rinne, orders received."

"Davey!!! Davey!!"

While watching Illyna being dragged away and calling after him, Davey let out a sigh and turned to the informants. "This information you brought had better be correct."

The story brought by the informant was simple. After obtaining the Stone of Blessing, Illyna had made a stop at the orc mages before arriving here. An assassination technique capable of killing a master... A unique orc totem magic was needed to induce mana reversal.

* * *

The news of Illyna's confinement spread, and chaos ensued from all directions. People found it hard to believe that Illyna, who shared a special relationship with Davey, could have committed such an act.

"I am sorry, Prince Davey."

"Prince Rendos."

Rendos de Pallan, the Sixth Prince and one of Illyna's older brothers.

"I can't believe that foolish girl would be swept up in a whim and do such a deed..."

Davey silently listened to Rendos's sigh and said, "This isn't just about the servant's issue."

Given the unfortunate circumstances, the act was an assassination attempt on Perserque. Even if it couldn't kill Perserque, it would certainly have inflicted serious damage. Of course, Davey would have intervened as soon as he sensed anything off. But the fact remained that it was an attempt on her life.

"I hope this incident doesn't cause major discord between the Pallan Empire and the Rowane Kingdom."

"Do you wish for something?"

"Yes. I want to take Illyna back home. Misguided or not, she is my sister. I'll take her back and ensure she's properly punished..."

"No. Illyna de Pallan's fate will be decided here."

"Prince Davey." At Davey's icy reply, Rendos looked at Davey, startled. He said, "If you review the past treaties between the Pallan Empire and the Rowane Kingdom, if a citizen of the Pallan Empire commits a crime, the person's custody is transferred to the empire, following due procedure..."

"I will discuss it separately with Crown Prince Sullivan. There are always exceptions to treaties. Perserque is already betrothed to me, and though I've renounced succession rights, I am of royal blood. Crimes involving state treason or attempted assassination on royal blood are exceptional cases."

Rendos hesitated at Davey's words. "Sigh... Very well. But please ensure that the process, content, and outcome of the proceedings are clearly communicated to our empire. No matter how unwelcome the incident, it must be addressed."

"Understood."

At Davey's response, Rendos let out a sigh and turned to leave. "Tch tch... To think that such a stupid and foolish thing happened..."

"Prince Rendos."

At that moment, Davey quietly called out to the departing prince.

"Is anything wrong?"

"Did Illyna display any unusual behavior recently?"

"Well... I'm not sure. But she seemed rather unhappy. She was always a child who hogged love all to herself."

"Thank you for your input."

Under normal circumstances, such negotiations would be impossible. However, the current Pallan Empire considered the greatest military threat to be the Rowane Kingdom, not the Lyndis Empire nor the Contas Empire. They couldn't afford to be presumptuous. A single walking strategic weapon. That was the result this created.

Prince Rendos left, and Illyna was confined. The guests, traumatized by the sudden event, looked bewildered, but Davey reassured them with the prescribed actions and swiftly sent them home. Of course, a few remained.

"Prince Davey. Something is terribly wrong here." Yulis, along with Winley, confronted Davey to protest. He questioned, "Why would Illyna do such a thing? There must be a misunderstanding."

"That's right, big brother. Sister Illyna even had Perserque help her get ready for the wedding ceremony."

In response to Winley's words, Davey closed his eyes.

"Davey, that's right. Illyna could not have hurt Perse..."

"Listen."

At Davey's words, they fell silent.

"The curse in the stone of blessing could not kill Perserque. However..." As Davey trailed off, he gently removed one of the accessories decorated in Perserque's hair, still dressed in her ceremonial gown. He then asked, "What does it look like?"

Everyone looked puzzled by the question.

"It's a manastone, serving as a mana lubricant. In other words, if a mana reversal occurred, it would amplify its effect."

That decoration Davey had brought over and tucked into Perserque's hair turned out to be mixed with the Stone of Blessing, almost causing her significant harm.

"Davey."

"Be quiet, Perserque." Davey interrupted her briefly. Davey put his hand against his forehead and muttered, "Ugh... It's utterly maddening."

The celebratory day turned disastrous. Davey wanted to say it was not Illyna, but all the evidence and circumstances pointed to her.

"If Illyna is truly behind this, what will you do?"

At Perserque's question, Davey groaned with discomfort.

'What to do?'

His mind was in utter chaos.

Perserque was too precious a wife, yet Illyna was also a precious connection. He could not just discard Illyna like a worthless thing. In that moment of shared silence...

"Then..." Davey started to speak softly. "Choosing between the two won't be easy. But you are my top priority."

"Davey."

"Don't make me say it twice."

"Stop hiding and tell me." Interrupting him, Perserque approached and perched on the desk, grabbing his collar to bring her eyes close to his. "Are you confining Illyna because she really tried to assassinate me?"

Perserque questioned, and Davey maintained his silence. But to her, secrecy seemed pointless.

"No."

"See, I was correct, wasn't I?"

The previously empty space twisted, and a figure gracefully stepped forward, making a distinct clicking sound on the floor.

"Urd."

Davey's statement brought a broad smile to Urd's face.