Chapter 51

A Brutal Interrogation



“There is nothing we can tell you.”



Llewelyn's face darkened in front of the unyielding woman. She had been turned down once again. It was the third time already.



"I merely intend to find out the truth about your daughter's death."



“My daughter was a sickly child, and as a result, she died without warning. That’s all there is to it. There is no need for the Princess to investigate.”



The woman then proceeded to slam the door in Llewelyn’s face, in a rather rude dismissal. Llewelyn blinked, while Dain scowled in annoyance.



“It appears that….”



"Right. It seems that the Queen had a hand in this and took preemptive actions,” calmly observed Llewelyn.



Seeing her serene expression, Dain asked, his frustration apparent,



“Are you not worried?”



“Why would I be worried? Must I fret over folks who are unable to utter a single word, even though their own daughter died, simply because they are scared of the Queen? Even if we end up not finding anything, there’s no harm in trying.”



“That's not what I meant …at this rate your Highness will have to kneel.”



"Ahhh. Is that what’s troubling you?” inquired Llewelyn, flatly.



"What's so great about me getting down on my knees and bowing my head?"



Llewelyn shrugged, unbothered. If anything, it was Dain who was taken aback by her detached statement.



She was Royalty for Pete’s sake! A descendant of the Golden Raven, graced by God himself! She was akin to a deity in Brigent. He was well aware of how humiliating it would be for her to grovel in front of the Queen.



Forget about being Royalty, she was a person before anything, there was no way she could be fine with prostrating herself. Dain could never tolerate such humiliation either if he were in her shoes. Could her detachment be due to what had happened in the past?



He had heard that Llewelyn had kneeled for hours on end in front of Pamela, unrelentingly begging.



“If that’s how things will turn out to be, then so be it. I don’t particularly care what happens to me.”



“Your Highness —”



“Rather than that, I’m sorry you got dragged into this.”



The princess, whom he used to think was awfully conceited and arrogant, was gradually losing all pretense, thus becoming less and less awe-inspiring. Her elegant authority had been shattered, and all that remained in that empty shell was a pitiful girl.



Dain could see that her pride had already been trampled and crumpled, and so, dared not say anything.



She was investigating the deaths of those women, while risking the vestige of her trampled pride. There was no way she’d be fine with making obeisances to the Queen.



The other knights’ grim faces also betrayed a mixture of emotions. Looking at Llewelyn, they felt uneasy. They were bitterly thinking about the unfair situation she was in, their hearts going out to her. Even if by designating the Red Knights to carry out the investigation, Llewelyn had consequently brought the Queen’s wrath upon them.



But it wasn't the princess' fault.



The fault lay with the Queen Dowager, who exerted excessively harsh punishments on those who sympathized with people she disliked. And the King, who couldn't stop his mother, was also to blame.



The knights, including Dain, sighed. At some point, they had come to realize that the Queen and her incompetent son were becoming a problem, and discontentment had rapidly spread among them. This was all so wrong. The rulers of the country should not act like this.



Dain looked at the sky, the sun setting. He sighed once more and said,



"There's something I haven't told you, Your Highness."



“What is it?”



“It concerns one of the victims. She was the sister of Sir Ratan, a member of the Red Knights.”



“…How come I am only hearing about this now?!"



Llewelyn suddenly recalled that Tristan had once said in passing that the sister of one of his knights had died. Could he have been talking about Miss Ratan?



“The Captain said that he would go talk to him first. Apparently, he was worried that things would turn out this way.”



“It appears that he was right..."



“Sir Ratan might prove more cooperative.”



She understood why Tristan had decided to go meet him on his own. Even with the Queen pressuring him, Sir Ratan might be more prone to open his mouth in front of his superior. Despite the tragic circumstances, it was certainly fortunate that they had a connection to one of the bereaved. In any case, she was hopeful that Tristan might find some kind of clue, or at least something resembling it.



“Shall we go find the next person, then?”



At Llewelyn's words, Dain tilted his head in confusion.



"Pardon? I assumed we would wait for the Captain...”



“Since the next persons are parties concerned by the incident I witnessed, I’d like to meet them personally.”



"I see."



“I cannot just sit back and wait, I ought to do something too.”



Dain didn't have the faintest inkling of what the princess was planning.



*



Living in an area situated far away from what was commonly known as the 'Noble’s District', the new aristocrats’ mansions possessed no gardens. This was because all the well-located and spacious estates were already being owned by secular aristocratic families.



The same was true for the house where Baron Thanol and his wife lived. Although it was a splendid residence, it was small in scale and contiguous to their neighbors’ house, unlike the majestic manors of the venerable gentry.



"Please forgive us…but we cannot help you.”



Naturally, the next person was also a dead end. Llewelyn wasn't surprised. Instead, she asked with a soft expression,



“And why is that?”



“We are truly afflicted by the death of our child, but we decided to come to terms with it and cherish her memory in our heart. We would appreciate it if you could refrain from reviving our pain.”



Baron Thanol and his wife, without ceremony, bluntly denied Llewelyn. They were still mourning.



“I asked for the exact reason behind your refusal, Baron Thanol.”



Baron Thanol flinched at Llewelyn's crisp words. Llewelyn, in turns, frowned at their blatant lack of decorum.



“Sir Dain.”



"Your Highness?"



“Gather the Red Knights and have them investigate every room in this house.”



"Understood."



At Dain’s signal, the squire next to him scurried away.



“What do you think you’re doing?!” they shouted.



Llewelyn, her eyes full of contempt, replied cooly,



“Listen carefully. Although I asked for your cooperation, I did not do so as your vassal, but as a member of the royal family.”



“…”



“Are you behaving as such because you wish to be considered worthy and recognized by the royal family? Or are you perhaps afraid of the Queen's reprisal?” berated Llewelyn in a stern voice.




“All I see here is you turning a blind eye to your daughter's death and trying to sweep her memory under a rug. I’d be hard-pressed to find the so-called pride of an aristocrat in such an abominable act!”



Upon being scolded by the princess, the couple suddenly looked aghast. They couldn't be mad at Llewelyn for rebuking them as such. Although she stood dignified in front of them, their mortification wasn’t due to the majestic fury she was displaying as an esteemed 'Royal'.



But simply because she was right.



The couple lowered their heads in shame. The baroness, her mouth quivering, asked,



“Will the princess protect us?”



“…”



“What if it was but an unfortunate accident?”



“…”



“If by talking to you we attract the Queen’s wrath and she decides to punish us…What will you do?”



Llewelyn’s lips curled as she faced the Baroness, causing Dain to flinch at the sight of the sardonic rictus. The imperious princess was resurrected.



"Could it be that you are trying to broker a deal with me, using your daughter as leverage?"



“…”



"What’s more, even though you’re well aware of the fact that you’re bargaining over her death, you appear to have no shame in it. How bold."



At her remark, they bowed their heads. Llewelyn gritted her teeth while throwing them a disapproving look. Just in time, the Red Knights returned.



“Search the place.”



At Llewelyn's command, the knights stormed into the mansion. Walking past the startled couple, Llewelyn put her hand on the Baroness’ shoulder. She gently patted it, her warm touch contrasting with her fierce attitude. With her hand still on the Baroness' shoulder, Llewelyn went up to the room.



“Princess!”



"Dear! Wait!"



The Baroness said as she grabbed her husband’s arm, as he was about to chase after Llewelyn.



"Why are you stopping me?! They’re going into Elodie's room!”



“Louder.”



"What are you saying?"



“Come on, hurry up!” she exclaimed as Baron Thanol looked completely flummoxed.




“…?”




“Don’t you understand? Right now, Princess Llewelyn is presenting us with a way to cooperate without facing retribution!! Raise a rumpus! We were forcibly interrogated!”



His wife's words finally making their way to his understanding, Baron Thanol began to shout. There was no soul in his voice as he roamed about, asking them to stop.



*



“Have the results come out?” calmly asked Llewelyn, seeing as Baroness Thanol was following her.



The Baroness answered quietly,



"They have."



“What was the conclusion?”



“Poisoning…by coming into contact with a toxic substance.”



Llewelyn nodded. This confirmed her suspicion that Elodie had died of poisoning.



Llewelyn looked around Elodie's bedroom. Her room was a beautiful combination of mauve and white. The girl must have been a tranquil girl who liked purple.



“When I saw her at the banquet, she was wearing a purple dress. She seemed to really like this color.”



"Pardon? Ah, yes she did… Ever since the day she first saw the Queen wear that gorgeous lilac dress. She had found her so beautiful…”



Lady Tarnol shed a tear. Llewelyn meticulously looked around the room. A portrait of a young girl hung on the wall, she was happily beaming.



Llewelyn was deep in thought. If she indeed had been poisoned, how had the girl come in contact with the substance? Had she drunk the poison in the palace? She tried thinking about it objectively, without connecting her death to the ones of the other young ladies.



“Did Miss Elodie always have a weak constitution?”



Baroness Thanol answered Llewelyn’s question with a whimper,



“No, she used to be healthy. But…”



“Go on.”



“Her health started to deteriorate once we moved to the capital.”



“…”



“Do you suspect someone with a grudge against us could have —”



Llewelyn frowned at her. If an otherwise healthy girl had died from poisoning, there was a good chance it had been intentional.



*



“Are you saying that this girl had the same symptoms before she died?”



"Indeed."



"And that they’re not certain whether she’s been poisoned?"



"That's right."



Llewelyn nodded her head in response to Tristan's report. She read the files scrupulously, bringing her pen to her lips, as she pondered over them. Tristan involuntarily cast a glance at those lips. She was deeply absorbed in her thoughts, furrowing her brows.



“You said you collected some tableware and a few other items, right? And you didn’t find any poison on them?”



"Correct."



“In addition, no poison was detected on any of the utensils used in the palace...”



Llewelyn let out a low sigh and leaned back in her chair. Her well-combed hair was tousled. The maids came up to deliver a small collation to everyone. Llewelyn set her heart on a most delicious orange cake, and she let the freshness of the citrus fruit fill her mouth.



Just then, the door opened and Sir Ratan walked into the room, a somber look on his face. Llewelyn gestured the knight closer.



“Come on in. You may skip the formalities and take a seat.”



Sir Ratan hesitated for a second before proceeding to sit down.



“I received a report from Sir Tristan. He stated that the death of Miss Ratan was similar to that of Miss Thanol.”



“…”



“Is it true that after being ill for days, she started to vomit and then died abruptly?”



It was an overly pragmatic description of her death. Sir Ratan seemed like he was about to say something, but then he clenched his fists and bowed his head.



"Yes."



“When did Miss Ratan make her social debut?”



“I reckon it was this spring.”



“This spring?”



Llewelyn furrowed her brows, appraising this new information.



“Spring is when the high society is at its most glamorous. The clothes during that period become lighter and more colorful.”



"Right. She attended a ball at the palace once, and had been besotted with dances ever since. She kept pestering me…asking me to buy her a dress.” said Sir Ratan with a hazy expression.



He seemed to be reminiscing about his deceased sister. Llewelyn put her pen down and, her voice low, inquired cautiously,



“Do you remember what kind of dress it was?”



“According to her, the dress was as beautiful as the one Her Majesty the Queen had worn at the ball.”



Llewelyn recalled Baroness Thanol's strikingly similar words, when she had said her daughter had found Pamela's dress beautiful...



“So did you end up gifting her the dress?” asked Llewellyn.




“It was an expensive dress, so I had to chip in, but in the end she did get to wear it.”



“…Could you tell me more about that dress? I find it rather interesting.”



Sir Ratan was speechless. He had reluctantly agreed to talk with the princess out of respect for Tristan, but this... Llewelyn scribbled down a few words, then asked,



“Did you bring some of Miss Ratan’s belongings as I asked?”



He held out a few trinkets to Llewelyn in reply. In his hands was a pretty jeweled hairpin, a blue medaillon with a cameo, a purple silk stole, an imposing pearl earring, and a book. Looking at it, Llewelyn said to Tristan,



"I think I have a rough idea of what happened."



“What! Did you find the culprit?!” asked Sir Ratan, his eyes wide in trepidation.



Instead of answering, Llewelyn looked at Tristan and declared,



“What I’m about to ask you to investigate will be of the utmost importance. Therefore, please follow my instructions carefully.”



Leaving the documents on the desk, Llewelyn gave out instructions while fiddling with her forehead, a lackadaisical look on her face. She didn't look out of place, rather, she seemed familiar with the exercise. Seeing that, Rosalie whispered,



'Brilliant!'



The maids clasped their hands together, thinking the same thing in unison.

Chapter end