Chapter 250: 250
Chapter 250 – Feeling Trapped (2)
The witnesses stood behind the partition and recounted their stories from Redfield’s party hall .
“At one point, my mind became fuzzy and I couldn’t keep my balance . Then, as if the Second Prince was waiting for the opportunity, he r-raped me . He even passed me around to other men…”
Redfield turned purple in the face .
“Lies! This is a conspiracy by Carlisle!”
The woman replied with a noticeably anger-hardened voice .
“Don’t you remember? You told me I should be grateful to accept the seed of the Second Prince . ”
The testimony caused the room to fall into shocked silence, as if everyone had been doused with cold water .
“Th-that’s false . It’s meant to trick all of you . ”
Redfield continued to claim innocence, but everyone in the room was not eager to defend him from the accusations . The evidence Carlisle presented was too clear to be able side with Redfield .
“The reason an official investigation was not conducted was because the witnesses were reluctant to reveal their identity . I was forced to hold the Second Prince in custody until all would be revealed . ”
“No matter the excuse, one cannot allow an arbitrary investigation!”
Cesare attempted to find fault with all of Carlisle’s words, but the prince continued calmly with not a hint of a tremble in his voice .
“The opinion of Lord Anita is not important . I’m sure none of the victims here are your family . ”
Redfield could not touch his relatives, so the victims were naturally from other noble families . Carlisle lifted his eyes towards the nobles, his voice carrying strongly across the room .
“I would not advise just standing by and seeing these victims as someone’s else’s daughter . One of them behind this partition may be your own . ”
The nobles who had sided with Ophelia suddenly became mute . Because the faces of the victims were not revealed, the nobles were forced to use their imagination . Every man may be indifferent to another man’s suffering, but when it came to their own family, they became protective . It was because of this that Carlisle decided to obscure the victims’ faces . A few courageous women wanted to step forward to ensure the Redfield was punished, but it was decided that it was more favorable for the victims to remain unknown .
There were a number of reasons why Carlisle detained Redfield in his palace . One was to distract Ophelia and have her obsess over the condition of her son . Because Carlisle intended to attack her by multiple angles, he needed to draw her attention away from his other plans as much as possible . Redfield’s detention was also a clear message to the nobles that Carlisle’s position was far stronger .
And…Carlisle’s plan worked . Ophelia’s blood drained from her face . It was not possible for her to claim Redfield was innocent .
‘…I was struck . ’
Ophelia lacked a counterattack to Carlisle’s words . She knew in the worst case, witnesses would appear, but she did not anticipate that they would cover their faces . By doing so, each noble was inflicted with doubt, fearing that one of the victims was their daughter .
Sullivan, who had been silently watching the proceedings, finally spoke in a low and strong tone .
“Needless to say, the Second Prince’s crime is clear . ”
“No, Father! I didn’t do anything wrong—”
Redfield tried to restate his innocence, but Ophelia signalled him with a small shake of her head to stop him from talking . It was disadvantageous to insist that he committed no crime at this point . Now it was important to lighten Redfield’s guilt somehow . Ophelia lifted her head imperiously and prepared herself for what was to come next .
“Your Majesty, no matter the severity of his wrongdoing, Redfield is the Second Prince . Why don’t you take the time to consider his punishment instead of deciding what to do here?”
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At her words, Carlisle let out a sharp bark of laughter .
“I believe you just said that not even a prince was above the law . ”
Those were Cesare’s words . His face turned red in anger, but he stood there without saying a word .
Everything had gone according to Carlisle’s plan, and he played his final card .
“Your Majesty, do you remember what you told me the other day?”
Sullivan gave him a questioning look .
“What do you mean?”
“You said that if the culprit who sent assassins after me were caught, then I could cut their throats . ”
“Kollog . I did . ”
“The prime suspect in the incident is Her Majesty the Empress . ”
Everyone’s eyes turned towards the Empress at the same time . Her eyes widened in stunned disbelief .
“What on earth are you talking about now, Crown Prince?”
“You know that Marquis Selby was named the mastermind of the plot . But recently, someone attempted to poison his daughter, who was being held in prison at the time . ”
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Ophelia remembered a conversation she had with her lady-in-waiting Cassana .
— We plan to take care of her with poison . Any connection to you will be completely cleansed, Your Majesty .
— Well done . Once the hunt is over, we eat the hounds .
Ophelia naturally assumed Helen had been removed from the picture by now . But…
‘…Did it fail?’
She never imagined that Carlisle knew about it .
“The investigation regarding Lady Selby’s attempted poisoning has already been completed . We discovered what the poison was, and traced it back to its source . Everything points back to Her Majesty the Empress . If the Empress was not connected, she would not have tried to poison Lady Selby . ”
Carlisle smirked lightly . He knew Empress Ophelia better than anyone else . He used bait to distract her from knowing that he had amassed a mountain of evidence before her, before using the opportunity to strike .
“Ah…”
Ophelia began to panic when all her schemes began unraveling before her . She was already accused of attempting to destroy Flower Bridge . To make matters worse, she was suspected of being involved in Carlisle’s assassination . Redfield was also in trouble for serious charges against him . She could not respond to the wave of accusations levied against her .
Ophelia was mute, and Sullivan made his final decision .
“Begin an investigation regarding the Empress today . ”
The nobles gathered there were astonished at the unexpected turn of events . Most had bet on Ophelia’s victory today, but Carlisle had neatly drawn her into his surprise trap .
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When Carlisle spoke, it was with a solemn expression .
“As the one who has investigated these matters so far, I have a favor to ask of Your Majesty . ”
“Speak, Crown Prince . ”
“There are many things that will need to be discussed before justice can be administered . However…”
Carlisle’s eyes gleamed in triumph, like a predator close to its prely .
“Please remove Redfield’s right to succession today . ”
Ophelia, who had kept her mouth firmly shut, suddenly burst out into rage .
“Th-that’s preposterous!”
All the nobles stared at Sullivan with stunned eyes . Although the formal investigation would take time to be conducted, the sins of Ophelia and Redfield were already certain . Sullivan nodded, then spoke with a firm voice as if he already made his decision .
“As of now, all claims to succession held by Second Prince Redfield are no longer valid . ”
Small, stunned gasps rippled across the room .
But that wasn’t the end . Sullivan’s words continued .
“We will soon have a coronation to formally pass the throne to Crown Prince Carlisle . ”
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