IBWCD 46

Chapter 46

*Whoosh*

He took a deep drag on his cigar, and a thick cloud of smoke escaped Kalian’s mouth.

He smirked at William, who curled the tips of his bloodied fingernails at his own words.

“Well, I’m not going to pry further into that, since I would have taken matters into my own hands even if you hadn’t.”

Then, with an air of all-knowing superiority, he added smugly.

“But if my honor is tarnished in the slightest by this incident, I won’t stand idly by, will I?”

Kalian shook his head, and the shrewd Benjamin handed him the report, which was as immaculate as his personality.

Skimming it once more, Kalian leaned back in his chair with an exaggerated frown.

“Your filial piety is evident, seeing as you’ve left your parents and other relatives a considerable amount of wealth…”

“What’s wrong with a child providing for their parents?”

“It’s not a problem, but embezzling the budget and concealing the family’s wealth is, because that’s embezzlement.”

“What do you mean, concealment…”

“You know what, I’ve known people my whole life who tell one blatant lie after another.”

Finally, as if he’d reached his limit, Kalian pushed himself to his feet and stomped toward the desk.

He picked up the sword hidden under the desk, held it up to the sunlight, and spoke.

“I’ve never left you alone, not once.”

Kalian ran his enchanted fingertips along the hilt.

A trace of blood, freshly wiped clean, clung to his ragged fingertips.

As he looked at it, the corners of his mouth drew into a thin line.

“But I can’t let my hands ruin a craftsman who deserves the utmost respect, can I?”

His dark brows arched, and with a snarl, he smeared the blood on the paper from his arm, causing it to burn and spark blue flames.

The flames wandered through the air for a moment, then seeped without trace onto the blade of a holy sword passed down through generations of Paladin masters.

It was one of the ancient magical rituals for identifying the owner of a bloodstain and the weapon used to kill.

William, who had watched the process calmly, slammed his hands on the table and leapt to his feet.

“What the hell are you doing with the sacred sword!”

“You’ll have your say in a moment, but just shut up and listen, hmm?”

He snapped his fingers, and Benjamin began to speak on behalf of Kalian, telling him of William’s trespasses.

The scandalous affairs, the gambling, the siphoning off of funds to his own family, all of which were enough to disqualify him from the position of head of the household.

William’s face fell as he listened to the tale of corruption told in a beautifully crafted voice.

“How did you get all this…”

“It’s only taken me two days to figure this out, and I’m beginning to wonder where I’ll end up when I really dig in.”

He’d be hard pressed to find a family that hasn’t been tainted by the empire’s great wealth and succession of titles.

However, such families are very good at hiding their dirty laundry, and it takes a lot of work.

In that sense, the fact that William was the first patriarch of the family was a blessing in disguise.

“There’s something I really want to ask you.”

William swallowed hard, realizing that the answer to this question would determine his disposition.

Kalian watched the fearful figure with a hint of curiosity in his eyes.

“Why in the world would a paladin who was so desperate to please his wife make a woman he brought back from the hunting grounds his bedroom maid?”

“Well, it was something my wife approved of, she said I would need a woman to take care of my needs while she was pregnant…”

“Now that you mention it, I’m even more mystified. If that’s what she thought she was for, she should have prevented her from having children in the first place.”

“She has her own reasons, too, my wife’s nursery was destroyed in childbirth, and since I’m lonely alone, I thought it would be nice to give my daughter a little sister…”

“A sister?”

Cursing under his breath, Kalian grimaced. It started out as a nasal chuckle, then turned into a sinister sound that sent chills down William’s spine.

“Not exactly, I thought you had her crippled.”

“…….”

“That doesn’t fit, unless you’re talking about the fact that you made her a doll instead of a sister.”

“…….”

“Well, in any case, God’s wrath will be upon you for cutting off the limbs of such a thoughtful lady.”

William’s dark green eyes fluttered violently.

“That, how can you…”

To murder one’s spouse in the Empire is considered as great a sin as murder for survival. Besides, he was a paladin who was supposed to be cleaner than anyone else.

Realizing it was impossible to fool him, William wiped his sweaty hands on his pants and dropped to his knees.

“What do you want? What the hell are you doing to me? I kept my mouth shut so the grand duke wouldn’t be harmed!”

Kalian knew it was William who had killed Louise.

He’d had a watch on the convoy carriage in anticipation of the assassination attempt.

The High Priest would have ordered it, of course.

Which meant there was something he had to hide, even from his foster daughter.

‘It must have something to do with Evelyn.’

The Primal Stone, the power of regeneration.

But even if he were to ask the Count about it now, it would not satisfy his underlying suspicions.

Perhaps the Count of Lawrence was just one of their chess pieces, ignorant of what was going on.

‘Still, it would be risky to plant him in the temple.’

At worst, even what they had discovered could sink to the bottom of the ocean.

In the end, there was only one way to go.

“Yes, and for that I am grateful.”

William looked up, met the fierce gaze of Kalian, and then lowered his eyes again.

The voice dropped like the blade of a guillotine over William’s head as he trembled, awaiting his punishment.

“Therefore, to ensure that you are no longer a thorn in my side, I am forfeiting your titles and estates.”

By its very nature, forfeiting a great nobleman’s title is a tricky business.

It’s often a spider’s web of kinship, business, and politics.

It was the custom of the aristocracy to tolerate most sins as long as they weren’t treason, just as the Viscount Fairfield, a distant relative of the emperor, could get away with murder.

But William was a commoner, with no family history to speak of.

Moreover, as a man of the temple, William was not trusted enough by the emperor to escape responsibility for murder.

So this might be a good excuse to legally cut off the high priest’s right arm.

“I will spare your life, however, if you admit your guilt and reveal who was behind it.”

“…I really have no idea who did this.”

“That’s a very credible answer.”

“Truly, come now, why would I lie to you!”

Rising to his feet and rummaging through his desk drawers, William thrust a letter with a red seal in front of Kalian’s eyes.

“This is the letter from him!”

It was the mark again.

The same mark as on the key, the vial, the demon.

The letter described how to kill Louise and threatened to take her daughter’s life if he failed.

“I don’t want to lose my only daughter, so please do me a favor…”

William looked up at Kalian, his eyes filled with fear.

His stomach turned when he saw the crocodile tears in his eyes.

All men are duplicitous, he knew, but he couldn’t help but feel a twinge of murder whenever he saw the charade.

“I’ll see you in a moment, then, at the autopsy.”

Kalian stared at him for a moment, her eyes dry and cracked, before she left the office.

* * *

The dungeons, the imperial palace of the Cardassian Empire.

The dankest and darkest room in the palace, filled with valuable and precious things, was cluttered with clutter.

Several officials from the Emperor’s staff were present to examine the former Countess.

Everyone’s jaws dropped at the state of her body.

Some were even openly criticizing the brutal northern methods.

Kalian remained unmoved and stood silently by the Emperor’s side.

When the news of Count William Lawrence’s confession finally came, it coincided with the High Priestess beginning to recite prayers for the dead.

When the captain of the guard delivered the confession to the Emperor, those who had been suspicious of the grand duke quickly changed their tune.

“Hmm,” they said, “he must be in great grief over the loss of his wife, for he has not come out of his office.”

“He must have thought his wife had defamed him, you wretch!”

Their opportunistic whispers died down only after the stern-faced High Priest had finished his prayer.

The examination continued.

Still, procedure is procedure, and the imperial physician and medical examiner began to examine the body’s wounds and speculate on the murder weapon.

“We’ll take our leave.”

The Emperor, his brow furrowed in annoyance, motioned for the captain of the guard to finish his examination, then led the Grand Duke back to his office.

The chamberlain returned with tea.

“How’s the case with Litchev? I heard you had a difficult time.”