Chapter 277
Chapter 277 - A Hidden Enemy (1)
The first item on the agenda was to report all small and large damages caused by the battle . The main points of discussion were the numbers of casualties and what the reaction of the neighboring countries would be . Carlisle, who solved the realistic problems, looked at the nobles with a subdued gaze .
"Why has no one brought news about the Empress and Redfield?"
Everyone in the large hall simultaneously fell silent .
"I had ordered the capture of the Empress and the Second Prince, but no one has brought them to me . "
Carlisle no longer spoke of Ophelia with any tone of respect . She not only tried to assassinate him, but also tried to install her son onto the throne over the rightfully named successor . Following these events, they were no longer worthy of any respect .
A heavy silence followed . The nobles kept their mouths firmly closed for fear of retribution from Carlisle . His eyebrows furrowed deeply, and finally Smith from the Casey family stepped forward and fell to his knees .
"I beg for your mercy, Your Majesty . I searched the whole palace, but I could not find the whereabouts of the Empress and the Second Prince . "
"Are you admitting to your incompetence?"
His voice was emotionless and flat, but the nobles were familiar with Carlisle's violent tendencies and they broke into a nervous sweat .
Kuung!
Everyone else in the room dropped to their knees after Smith .
"I'm sorry, Your Majesty!"
Carlisle stared at the crowd with a cold expression . As long as Ophelia and Redfield were breathing, they should not have been allowed to escape under any circumstances . Carlisle opened his mouth to speak again, when
Kiilig
The door to the meeting hall opened, and a messenger rushed in with a harried look .
"I beg to inform His Majesty that the body of the Second Prince was found in the lake . "
om
"Redfield's body was found?"
Carlisle's blue eyes flashed with surprise . He hadn't ordered Redfield's death, only his capture .
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He wasn't the only one that was taken aback by the news . Everyone in the hall glanced at each other confusedly, and Carlisle quickly regained his composure and spoke again .
"What's the state of the body? What is the cause of death?"
"That is . . . the body was so disfigured that it was almost impossible to identify the Second Prince at first . Not only did he lose his eyes, nose, and tongue . . . but his limbs were cut off as well . "
Following the messenger's report, the meeting hall was filled with the stunned murmuring of voices . Redfield was not simply killed; he was deliberately and cruelly murdered by someone . It was clear he suffered terrible torture before his death .
'Who the hell . . . '
There was one figure that came to mind . It was the one he had put on the back burner for the moment; once he had taken control of the Imperial Palace and neutralized Redfield and Ophelia, then he would deal with the hidden enemy .
Paveluc .
Carlisle turned towards Zenard below him .
"Where is Grand Duke Lunen now?"
Last Carlisle heard, Paveluc was staying somewhere in the palace . Zenard answered .
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"I was about to report it . . . but Grand Duke Lunen is nowhere to be seen inside the palace . Why do you "I was a ask?"
Zenard had no knowledge of Paveluc's plans yet, and he was puzzled to be asked about him so suddenly . Carlisle had no intention to explain in it detail, and he simply knitted his eyebrows and mumbled to himself .
“ . . . Was I one step too late?"
Carlisle's gaze turned towards Elena standing next to him . Her expression had also changed significantly the moment she heard the messenger's report .
For a moment, Carlisle and Elena looked at each other silently . They were the only two that knew Paveluc would start a rebellion in the future .
'Because my victory was decisive, chances are slim that another noble would touch Redfield . If I had captured Redfield, I would punish him anyways . There is no reason for anyone else to take it into their own hands, no matter how much they wanted it . '
If anyone had found Redfield, they would have brought him to Carlisle first, so they could receive favor from the new emperor . And even if someone wanted to kill Redfield themselves, it wouldn't behind easy to find him before Carlisle did .
The motive for killing, the cruelty of the torture, the ability to handle things secretly—there was only one man who met all these requirements . It was Paveluc .
Many people knew of the struggle between Carlisle and Redfield for the throne, but none knew that it was a three-way war with the Grand Duke . It was not difficult to infer that Paveluc was responsible for Redfield's death .
Carlisle spoke again .
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"What of the Empress body?"
"Not yet found, Your Majesty . We have been searching the surrounding area, but it has not shown up
yet . "
While Ophelia was hardly powerless, there was nothing she could do without Redfield and his right of succession . There was no longer any reason to care about Ophelia's whereabouts anymore . That didn't mean Carlisle would leave it alone, however .
"Find her . Whether she is alive or dead, bring her to me . "
The reply came not from the messenger, but from countless kneeling nobles .
"Yes! Your Majesty!"
Carlisle's eyes were cold even after their chorus .
"I can overlook your incompetence only once . Do not test stretch my patience, so keep that in mind . "
“Understood!"
The nobles' shouts harmonized together . Now that the palace's ruler had changed, doubts of how to handle future events were long gone .
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