Turning

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Chapter 152

To enter the party, one had to have their identification checked - a precautionary procedure. There were countless people Yuder might have bumped into during the party. Or, perhaps, something was planted in the carriage he had arrived in. Mulling over the potential factors, Yuder glared at the distant face of Prince Katchian, who was laughing away.

'Strangely, he kept saying we shouldn't leave the dead as a spectacle, that we should collect the corpse as soon as possible. Maybe he was trying to handle it before the poison could be detected.'

Yuder had made up his mind. He decided to investigate the individuals who collected Lenore's corpse, the servant who had been arrested for bringing the poisoned cup, and the carriage Lenore had arrived in. There was no time to inspect everything within an hour.

"Hmm. Seems like there's nothing else to read into. Is there anything else that could help?"

Yuder pushed back the hand that Kanna extended towards him, a shard wrapped in her handkerchief.

"Kanna, you keep that."

"Huh? Then what about Yuder?"

Yuder calmly lied. Thankfully, Kanna did not seem to detect any peculiarities from him and nodded her head. He then naturally walked towards the hallway where the restroom was. The few guards standing watch quickly dismissed him as an ordinary guest after a brief glance.

But someone coming out from the restroom didn't.

"...What, what are you! You followed me again…Oh!"

Before Kiolle, who widened his eyes in surprise, could complete his sentence, Yuder covered his mouth and gripped the back of his head, swiftly propelling them both into the deserted hallway. He had been planning to find Kiolle when he had a chance; it was a stroke of good luck for him and quite the opposite for Kiolle.

"Uh…uh…uh!"

"Quiet. I'll have you know I'm not stalking you. We just happened to run into each other. I have some questions. If you answer them, I'll let you go. If you understand, blink three times."

As Kiolle, a knight despite his circumstances, had considerable strength, it was a bit challenging for Yuder to subdue him with sheer force. So he pinned him to the floor and twisted his neck slightly, swiftly stating his intent. After a moment, Kiolle's struggling gradually ceased, and his dark, deep-set eyes blinked precisely three times in the dim light. Yuder slowly removed his hand that was pressing Kiolle down.

"Huff. You, you, a Cavalry, dare to…!"

Kiolle grumbled with a face that showed he was dying to curse but couldn't due to the vow he made.

"What do you want to ask me? I've taken an unfair vow with you, but I won't do anything that could harm my family! I have nothing to do with Lenore Shand Apeto's death! So, I don’t know anything you're going to…"

"Hmm. I see. So, this incident is indeed Prince Katchian's doing. Thanks for telling me even before I asked."

"…How did you know?"

As usual, his stupidity remained intact, blurting out pertinent information before even being asked. Kiolle's mouth fell open in surprise as he received Yuder's words of gratitude.

"You knew that His Highness the Crown Prince was involved… Could it be that even Duke Peletta…?"

"You don't need to know that. Anyway, has the Diarca family only sent you today? Surely that can't be the case."

"Surely not? What do you mean by that?"

Kiolle, sharply counter-questioning while glaring at Yuder, soon gritted his teeth and turned his head away.

"...I came with my third older brother today."

The only Diarca family's offspring that Yuder remembered was Kironne da Diarca, who would later become the next Duke of Diarca. Yuder didn't know about Kiolle's existence in the past, so there was no way he could remember his third older brother.

'So they sent the third and Kiolle, not the successor... It seems to confirm that Diarca didn't anticipate this happening.'

It was rather significant that Crown Prince Katchian had carried out this operation on his own without the knowledge of Diarca, his backer. At least in his previous life, he had never contradicted Diarca or acted alone until he became Emperor.

What caused this sudden change? Was it influenced by the fact that they couldn't cause any significant damage to the Cavalry during the entire festival period, as Kishiar speculated? Yuder gazed down at Kiolle, deep in thought.

Perhaps it was his third brother who had informed Kiolle that the Crown Prince had meddled. After Lenore's death and during the short, chaotic time when everyone was heading to the first floor, it seemed necessary to find out what had happened between Diarca and Katchian.

"Diarca claimed to have no connection with this incident."

"That's right!"

"Then, I'd appreciate an explanation. What happened?"

"You... are treating me like a mere underling..."

"If it has nothing to do with the Diarca family, you can speak. If you tell me just this, I'll let you go."

Kiolle, his face distorted, glared at Yuder, gasping for breath for a long while. But in the end, as if realizing he was the weaker party in this situation, he gritted his teeth and began to speak.

"We didn't know the situation when that bastard Lenore had just died. After descending to the first floor, my third brother told me he had received a rebuke from the Crown Prince's attendant. He said it had something to do with the Crown Prince, and he would handle it and inform our father later, so for today, we should refrain from rash actions and go back."

"..."

"That's all there is to it. Let me go now! Get off me! You're too heavy!"

Kiolle, gasping for breath, managed to slightly lift his upper body after prying off Yuder's hand on his neck. That's when it happened.

"Hey, who's there!"

Someone shouted from not too far away, as if having heard Kiolle's voice.

'Damn.'

There was no time to flee elsewhere. So, there was only one option left. Yuder suppressed Kiolle, who was struggling to get out from under him, and feigned calmness.

"...What are you doing here?"

Two soldiers, running with lanterns, looked at Kiolle, who was lying on the floor behind the statue, and Yuder, who was on top of him, with very odd expressions. Thanks to Kiolle's intense struggling, their formal attire was disheveled, which fortunately eliminated the need for any other pretenses. It was not unusual to find nobles entangled in a corner of a garden or a corner during a party due to the influence of alcohol and the atmosphere.

Taking full advantage of their misunderstanding, Yuder covered Kiolle's face, which looked as if he might scream at any moment, with his hand and opened his mouth to speak.

"There's no need for you to know. Judging by your esteemed faces, you shouldn't be here. Leave at once."

"A-ah, yes, understood. However, this is the imperial palace... please leave soon."

The soldiers, with a look of annoyance, retreated. Yuder only rose to his feet after their presence completely vanished. As he casually straightened his clothing, Kiolle, who had turned a mixture of red and blue, managed to stand with the help of a wall.

"You, this... this..."

"I did tell you to keep quiet."

"Are you blaming me?"

"Of course, it's your fault."

What an act of pretense. Upon receiving Yuder's cold gaze, Kiolle sharply drew in breaths, clenching and unclenching his fists.

"Anyway, I've heard everything I need to, as promised. Now, I'm leaving."

"Where are you going?!"

Yuder didn't answer and turned away. He planned to head underground first. However, not long after he quickened his pace, he stopped. He felt the surprised halt of Kiolle, who had been following behind him.

"Stop following me, Kiolle da Diarca."

"Why should I? You kidnapped me, so I have to see what suspicious deeds you're up to in the imperial palace!"

Had this foolish boy already forgotten the trouble he faced in Hartan when he was dealing with Apeto's people? Yuder sighed and looked around. If he could find something small enough to just toss, he intended to knock Kiolle unconscious immediately.

However, he was unable to fulfill his intention again. Just as he was about to throw a button he had torn from his formal clothes at Kiolle, whose pupils were beginning to tremble as if he sensed something, footsteps were heard nearby. The moment he hid behind a pillar, several men in servant clothes appeared.

"We've taken care of the one who moved the cup as you ordered."

"It took longer than expected."

"He wasn't easy to kill. He was full of bluster, so it took some time to confirm and then deal with him."

"What a fool. He should've just followed orders instead of being anxious and greedy. That's why he ended up like this."

They had taken care of the one who moved the cup? Were they talking about the servant who was taken away? Yuder's senses were on high alert.

"Have you found Apeto's servant? Did he seem to know anything?"

"He almost collapsed when he heard his master had passed. It seems like Apeto did not tell anyone and came alone, as promised."

"Good. Now you go and report to His Highness."

"Yes."

As expected, they were servants following Crown Prince Katchian. Yuder watched one of the five servants quickly disappear in another direction, his breath held.

"Now then, where is the body of Apeto?"

"It's over here. Please follow me."

Since they had already killed the servant who moved the cup, one of the three things Yuder wanted to investigate was already gone. At least, they shouldn't be allowed to search Lenore Shand Apeto's body and destroy evidence first. Yuder imbued the button he had prepared to knock out Kiolle with wind power and forcefully threw it at the servants.

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