Titan Beneath the Heavens Chapter 171

The unusually exciting and eventful 13th day of the first month was finally over! This stage play didn't intend to come to an end even when the Venus star rose to the top of zenith. The patrolling cavalry in the streets had already retired to their respective military camps, but this didn't mean that Dulin was not under surveillance for the late-night shift. When the cavalry was dismissed, footsteps of the infantry which came from the north-western direction of Dulin city were heard loud and clear. 

First Independent Brigade of Steinberger House was a heroic force who had participated in the Battle of Saijo Mountain. The then Brigade Commander General Endorph had retired, and his position was replaced by a young Major General who was currently leading Steinberger's army to patrol around the city center.

Wellington Steinberger, the former messenger of Prince O'Neil, was able to fight well with swords as well as with knives. Wellington had been serving his family's armed force since he fled from Deiss. According to the records of Steinberger's warfare, Wellington, who had participated in more than a hundred battles, had grown into an experienced and steady field commander.

Wellington deployed a group of guards to enforce martial law for the east, south, west, and north districts respectively. He had also arranged the most elite team around the Road of Kings where the Imperial Palace was situated.

In the wee hours of the morning, the imperial princess finally met with her familiar old friend.

Both parties were filled with emotions at the reunion! Wellington was only a naive messenger at that time, and the princess was just a young girl who daydreamed her time away.

"Your Imperial Highness, I suggest My Lady move to another palace!"

"Why?" Alanis was puzzled.

Major General Wellington pointed to the direction of the bedroom where Poison Doctor Percy was still providing emergency treatment for His Elder Highness Prince Lobble, "My Lady, Kenshin Palace is not as safe as the Imperial Palace of the Emperor and Empress!"

Alanis shook her head firmly at the suggestion, "I will not leave Lobb behind, at least not until he is out of critical condition."

Wellington didn't insist. Instead, he gave a random excuse and exited Kenshin Palace.

At first notice of the Empire's His Elder Highness's poisoning incident, head of Secret Service Rudolf Hoss issued an order for his secret agents to arrest all the attendants in Kenshin Palace, including Executive Secretary and Confidential Secretary. In Rudolf's opinion, this method of poisoning was not something that ordinary people could come up with. Besides, it wouldn't be easy to produce a book which was heavily poisoned. The most likely possibility was that the book was produced somewhere outside of the palace and later brought into the bedroom of Her Imperial Highness the Princess by attendants of Kenshin Palace.

If this was the case, wouldn't Poison Doctor Percy be the biggest suspect? He was an expert in the use of poison, a murderous medical fanatic! But he was currently carrying out emergency treatment on His Elder Highness Prince Lobble. How could this explain?

Rudolf Hoss didn't know how it could be explained. In fact, he didn't want to know. If Prince O'Neil was in Kenshin Palace at this time, Rudolf would also seize His Imperial Highness the Prince, because Rudolf Hoss was the head of Secret Service, and the head of Titan's Secret Service was a mad dog as he was a loyal dog. This hound with a dexterous sense of smell and sharp fangs was capable of doing anything, especially when his master was violated or hurt.

When the first ray of sunlight lightened up the horizon after a torment of five hours, Poison Doctor Percy finally opened the princess' bedroom door. The people waiting outside the hall were all startled by his appearance.

"My God, Percy! What happened to my brother? And what happened to you?" Alanis rushed forward anxiously.

Percy shook his head weakly as he wiped off blood from his body helplessly. "You can enter but please don't disturb His Elder Highness!"

The princess and the head of Secret Service walked into the room together. Alanis' hands flew to her mouth as she tried hard to stop herself from crying uncontrollably. Her brother! He appeared to be on the verge of death! There was an accumulated pool of fresh blood and an unknown black jelly-like substance on his chest.

"I'm sorry! But I must cut off his tongue to release the poisonous blood," Percy washed his hands in a basin full of alcohol.

"Will...will he survive?" the princess caressed Lobb's face gently. Her brother's calm face seemed ridiculous as it gave her an illusion that he had left the world.

Percy wiped his palms with a white towel gently. Then, he walked to the bedside and checked the patient's breathing and heart rate with a stethoscope. Finally, Poison Doctor nodded in affirmation at the princess, "No problem! It is estimated that His Elder Highness didn't try too hard to flip the pages over in the Book of Hell."

Rudolf Hoss glanced at Poison Doctor with suspicious eyes. He knew about all the precedence wrongdoings conducted by this man.

"How did you know immediately that the book was the source of poison?"

Percy just shrugged with indifference, "You should have already read the file regarding my background. Book of Hell is my own invention, but I have eliminated it out of my tools back then."

"Why so?"

Percy spread his hands at the victim lying on the bed. "Is it that difficult to understand? This method is very likely to kill an innocent by accident, that's why it has to be eliminated."

"Shut up, all of you…" the impatient Alanis ordered in a low but firm voice, "Get out if you want to argue! Get out!"

Rudolf who asked for a snub and Percy who had suffered out of his own actions left the room feeling dejected.

Alanis looked at the closed door for a while, but she quickly set her sights on her brother's bloodless face. She touched her brother's high nose with her fingers, and suddenly she was reminded of her younger self who loved to play with her brother's nose. Alanis went close to his brother's ear and whispered, "Brother, there is only two of us now left in the family, don't you leave me! As for the people who are trying to hurt us, I will break them down into pieces!"

Suddenly, Lobb's eyelids which were shut firmly fluttered, as if showing his agreement.

How rare it was! Church Calendar year 800, 14th day of the first month was greeted with warm sunshine and a gentle breeze. It was already a little past six when the sun climbed up from the horizon. The early risers didn't set their fireplace alight for economical reason. For ordinary people, saving even one candle was a good effort.

The martial laws had caused a lot of inconvenience to the people. But at most, they only dared to complain silently in their hearts. The soldiers in the city today were replaced with northern faces in red and white. These soldiers with longbows and double blades examined the magnificent capital and well-dressed Dulin people with shy but curious eyes.

Most people had some respect for the soldiers of Steinberger House. However, there were a few rogues who bullied these soldiers who came from other villages as they didn't dare to draw their swords rashly in the capital. These rogues threw stones and garbage to tease the Timberwolves.

Major General Wellington, accompanied by a team of knights, began shooting down a handful of troublesome rogues on the sidewalk. The Timberwolves' arrows were not only quick but also accurate. They only shot people's hands and feet. Then, they hoisted these rogues to the trees. These unlucky but well-deserved men had to be tortured for about two hours before they could finally die.

Wellington told his soldiers after seeing the city's immediate peace restoration. "See this? We implement necessary measures to deal with those who do not obey the martial law!"

Steinberger homeland soldiers responded firmly. As a result, there was no longer an idler on the streets just slightly after breakfast.

Princess Alanis Alfa Morisette only moved to Tacheles Fortress a little past eight in the morning. With her swelling belly, she had struggled hard in Kenshin Palace. She had kept herself awake for more than 30 consecutive hours. Her body was about to collapse in extreme fatigue.

Tacheles Fortress had always been the palace of the Titan's Emperor. The paladins inside the castle were replaced overnight by Marshal Robin to those of First Special Warfare Brigade of the military intelligence. Although the change made the paladins felt somewhat frustrated, they were well aware of the fame of the Special Warfare Brigade.

The news of poisoning the empire's new ruler was certainly a massive incident! But the princess didn't want people outside of the palace to learn about it. She only told Rudolf Hoss to investigate all those who entered and left Kenshin Palace on the day of the incident. Rudolf was willing to work hard for his master, but he began to complain when he learned that the people who came in and out of Kenshin Palace were almost two to three hundred in total.

"Master! In fact, the problem is rather simple!"

Alanis shook her head, "And tell me how simple it is?"

Rudolf took a deep bow at the imperial crown princess, "I'm sorry to say this, but this is just an analogy. If you are poisoned, it means that the succession to the throne according to ranks will not work! Since His Elder Highness the Prince is still down with dirty scandal, and he has given up his inheritance rights, when this happens, the Imperial Secretariat and the House of Lords will find a new ruler among the Imperial maternal relatives or the closest blood-related person! For example –"

"My husband?" Alanis' eyes widened. Her sleepiness was immediately replaced by horror.

"Oh no! How could it be Prince O'Neil?" The head of Secret Service shook his head repeatedly, "His Imperial Highness is far away in Narcissus County, and I believe that everything that has happened here in Dulin has nothing to do with His Highness. He wouldn't be on the top of the list even if the Imperial Secretariat and House of Lords want to seek for a new king. He is a member of the Andrew House. The Imperial Secretariat and House of Lords wouldn't dare to allow the Morisette Dynasty to change its name."

Alanis rubbed her forehead, "Not my husband?"

Rudolf Hoss rolled his eyes. He knew that the princess was exhausted and was losing her concentration.

"Your Highness, I can promise you that this matter has nothing to do with your husband."

Alanis exhaled a long breath. Her eyelids became heavier but still, she resisted to let it close.

"Then, could it be Kachev?" the Imperial Crown Princess gently mumbled the name of the Cabinet Chancellor.

"Haha! You're right! It must be Kachev!" the head of Secret Service laughed through his gritted teeth. His twisted features were a horrible sight to the eyes.

"Oh, no wonder he insisted for his illegitimate son to have the legal status as the Prince of the Empire."

Alanis used the last bit of motivation left in her mind to do the thinking.

"Yeah!" Rudolf revealed a determined smile, "His grandson is a member of the Imperial Family whom the late Emperor Alpha III had confirmed through a legal proceeding. Back at that time, the House of Lords had paid a considerable price to press the Imperial Family in explaining the matter. Now that His Late Majesty Alfa III is gone, the House of Lords has regained their power. I'm certain the House of Lords would nurture the illegitimate son once the Imperial Family lost all the heirs –"

The head of Secret Service suddenly closed his mouth at the slight snores of his tired master. 

"Your Imperial Highness...Master..." Rudolf called out carefully but Alanis didn't respond. "If so, I shall leave then." The loyal dog saluted his sleeping master respectfully and then tiptoed out of the Emperor's sleeping chambers. This palace once lived his old friend, Osli, but now, the owner of the palace had been replaced by Princess Alanis – the daughter of Osli.

"Rudolf..." Just as the Count was about to exit the room, a crisp female voice suddenly beckoned him.

"At your service!" The head of Secret Service turned back abruptly and bowed slightly in the direction of the voice.

"Don't let go of anyone from the Ferdinand House..."

Alanis closed her eyes once again. It seemed that she was really asleep this time.

The hound remained loyal. In fact, Rudolf Hoss was really a peculiar creature. After having experienced a full day of drama, except for those who had lost their script, each cast member and staff who participated in the show took the time to recuperate, while Rudolf Hoss happily jumped on the carriage. He brought with him several assistants and then ordered the coachman to head for the subterranean drainage tunnel.

The carriage moved along the middle of the road in average speed and those guards didn't hinder them as they noticed it was the carriage from Secret Service Department. The carriage wandered along the wide streets into the filthy and chaotic slums. Gradually, the figure of the patrol horses became scarce and eventually, they couldn't be spotted at all after the carriage turned into an alleyway.

The four attendants who played the role of bodyguards for the head of Secret Service stood on the pedals around the four corners of the compartment.

They only deserved some insignificant tasks, but today, things seemed to be a little different. The coach of Count Rudolf Hoss came to a halt at the back of the alley. In front of the window on a stone brick wall, people of all ages from the neighborhood were queuing to purchase their breakfast. Behind the brick wall stood old Lavin which was the owner of this famous beef waffle store. His waffle tasted so amazing that even His Majesty the Late Emperor enjoyed and praised it.

Rudolf's subordinates scared off the people waiting in line and yelled loudly into the window.

"Old Lavin! Old Lavin! Four beef waffles and four milk teas! Then another one with pepper for my Lord! Do you hear me? My lord wants to add pepper to his!"

Old Lavin had no choice but ordered his staffs to prepare the lords' order first. It wasn't like these bandit-like secret agents should never be provoked, but they lacked the time and energy to bargain with these people. The secret agents wanted to leave behind a few coppers but was refused by Lavin. Eventually, they give up at the owner's insistence.

Then, these evil-looking men returned to the carriage with a couple of oily paper bags in their hands. One of the secret agents opened the door and handed the breakfast through the door respectfully. As another pair of skinny hand revealed from within the carriage and grabbed the paper bag tightly, a sudden light flashed from behind.

The secret agent looked at his arm in disbelief. The man behind the door was also surprised as he stared at the paper bag he was holding in his hand and a broken hand attached at the other end.

"Attack!" The crowd broke out into chaos at the stern command. A dozen killers with rapiers in hand swooped into the scene.

The crowd fled to watch the fighting from behind the alleyways. The resistance of the four bodyguards was almost instantaneously destroyed with three to four long swords pierced through their respective body! Bright blood oozed out as the rapier was removed from the bodies swiftly, making noises as the blood splattered against the wall.

Obviously, the target of the assassination was the head of Secret Service Rudolf Hoss who was resting in the carriage. Twelve rapiers penetrated the body of the carriage from twelve directions at the same time. The swordsmen were surprised when their swords pierced through all positions, but none felt like it pierced through a human body.

Just as they were thinking of the possibilities that could go wrong, in this split second, a black shadow broke free through the roof of the carriage. Shards of debris and the shouting of that dark silhouette shrouded the audience instantly. The assassins looked up, but their reaction was slightly hindered because of their rapiers embedded in the thick wooden carriage. The body which leaped out of the roof was covered in a dark cloak, and from his cuff emerged a sharp longsword. The assassins who were present had never seen such a sword. It was 1.2 meters long and 3.4 centimeters wide. The goldsmiths in the entire Westland had no capability to produce such a long and narrow sword!

sword!

The cloak fluttered in the air and its huge shadow covered for a semicircle under the sun for a brief second. Six of the twelve assassins screamed and scampered off from the dark shadow. Their hands held their broken trachea as they issued their last groan.

The long cloak of the dark shadow fell gently on the horseback, and the remaining six assassins couldn't help but exchanged nervous glances with each other. They just witnessed something that went against the laws of nature. Instead of piercing into the horseback, their rapiers were bent into a U shape by the gravity force against the human body. With extreme agility, the black silhouette leaped and landed behind the assassins.

The assassins turned their back abruptly to witness two of their people being killed. The fluttering cape of the black silhouette obstructed the sword from the crowd's view, but blood could be seen splattering out from the bodies which fell to the ground one after another.

Almost instantaneously, the only one left among all twelve assassins who attempted to kill the head of Secret Service, Rudolf Hoss, stood horrified as he stared at the approaching "black cloak".

"Who…who are you?"

The black cloak slowed down his pace. The Titan language he knew had constructed themselves in a question for him.

"Thirteen! I'm Thirteen!"

The assassin turned to his heels immediately, but just as he took the first step of his escape, he realized from the corner of his eyes that a dark shadow was engulfing him from behind. The long sword was raised aloft in the air and pierced sharply from below. Since then, the assassin's eyes lost their luster forever.

Thirteen inspected the dead bodies splayed across the ground, then turned to the crowd. The secret agent responsible for the tailing of the target had already hidden among the people. Imperial Guards who heard the news also arrived at the scene and blocked the crowd's sight with shields.

A secret agent quivered to the front of Thirteen whose long sword was pointed at the ground. It appeared that he pretended not to notice the approaching silhouette in front of him.

The secret agent pulled out a glass syringe which was filled with a thick white liquid from within his arms. Thirteen seemed a little nervous, but his sword eventually stopped shaking, and the blade shifted away from the body of the approaching silhouette slowly.

The injection needle pierced accurately at the neck of the King of Assassins, and a burst of blood gushed through the needle hole and dissolved quickly with the liquid in the syringe. The secret agent continued to press down the syringe. He was pleased to see the Eastern killer in front of him relaxed gradually. The scene resembled a life-and-death duel. 

Perspiration formed on his forehead and slowly, his body became as soft as a sponge.

Finally, the real King of Assassins of the Westland fell to the ground!

"Hurry! Hurry! Take him away! Take him away!" the secret agent yelled at his companions. They cooperated to shift the King of Assassins into a military carriage and left the scene quickly.

More soldiers of the Imperial Guards gathered in the alleys to collect the corpses for the staff from the Ministry of Justice and Military Intelligence Bureau to confirm their identities. It was expected that no results would arise from the examination because professional assassins were not careless enough to leave any trail behind for identification.

However, there was always an exception! The person in charge of the Military Intelligence Operation of the capital discovered a beautiful cigar butt during the post-mortem process. Its brand was printed on it. There was only one store in the whole of Dulin that sold this brand of cigar. In other words, things were starting to get interesting!

A team from Special Operations rushed to the store, and fortunately, although the owner of the store couldn't recognize the person who smoked that cigar, he gave the name of the Lord who purchased it.

"Who was it?"

"The Imperial Secretariat's liaison officer at Kenshin Palace – Lord Suhar!"

The Secret Service only inquired about Lord Suhar's residence around 11 o'clock in the morning. The capital's operations headquarters dispatched more than sixty first-rate secret agents to infiltrate the mansion. The operation was rather disappointing as there was no fierce fighting as anticipated.

That was because the secret service only discovered the dead body of Lord Suhar! The Imperial Family's liaison officer swallowed half a bottle of poison. His twisted features were quite a horrible sight to the eyes.

The special operations personnel conducted a detailed search in the secret room where the body was located. They soon discovered that the half bottle of leftover poison drank by Lord Suhar was the same poison consumed accidentally by His Elder Highness Prince Lobble.

According to the testimony of Colonel Vick Keegan, Secretary of Affairs at Kenshin Palace, Lord Suhar was not only the liaison officer deployed to Kenshin Palace from Imperial Secretariat, he was also the personal courier of Cabinet Chancellor Duke Kachev and Prince O'Neil.

On the night of the 13th, Lord Suhar stayed at Kenshin Palace until late night before returning to his residence. However, it couldn't prove anything as the clues were interrupted from here. No one witnessed the uninvited guest who broke into the bedroom of Her Imperial Highness.

Back to the topic of Rudolf Hoss who had such an interesting persona. In addition to his faithful attitude towards his master, he also had a clever but overly-suspicious mind. The danger caused by his identity and status had long left him to have no faith or trust in anyone around him. That was why he often shifted from one carriage to another every time he traveled and often entered a building from its back door.

Actually, Rudolf Hoss was no prophet, nor could he foresee the future. He hadn't expected this sudden assassination, and it just so happened that he had the habit of changing his carriage halfway through his journey and replaced it with a superb killer that could raise anyone's eyebrow. Anyway, he won the bet this time! At the same time, he also revealed some inside stories about Kenshin Palace. 

Although Prince O'Neil's connection with the Cabinet Chancellor wasn't an earth-shattering news, it provided Kachev opportunities for all sorts of things by using Lord Suhar's privilege of moving in and out of Kenshin Palace with ease, for instance -

To poison the wife of Prince O'Neil.

So...if Rudolf had changed to another carriage halfway, where did he go?

About ten o'clock in the morning, the meeting hall in the House of Lords was cramped with an overwhelming crowd. The representatives of the House of Lords were based in Dulin but they originated from other provinces. They gathered to discuss important issues, which was suggested by the spokesman of the House of Lords - Duke Cadro Budisette.

Viscount Minsk Drakas Ferdinandis was the true son of the late Alfa III His Majesty. According to his day of birth, he should be His Elder Highness' younger brother and His Second Highness' elder brother.

This matter was discussed before the dissolution of the House of Lord by year 798, and the Imperial Family also responded to the case proposed. Although Viscount Ferdinand was not accepted by the Imperial Family, Alfa III His Majesty acknowledged his family status and bloodline as it was an irrefutable fact after all.

However, the question was now raised again! The current situation that resulted in only one princess the right of succession for Morisette Imperial Family would naturally make Alanis the successor to the throne. Could Viscount Ferdinand had lived under the name of an illegitimate son for his whole life? As a result, the spokesperson of House of Lord, Duke Cadro Budisette, published a speech regarding the continuation of the Imperial Family traditions and bloodline, before introducing a treaty for the appointment of the Prince.

Frankly speaking, this proposal was indeed a treaty. If the bill was passed by the House of Lords, it would indicate that Her Imperial Highness the Princess must agree to appoint Viscount Minsk Drakas Ferdinandis as the new prince in order to obtain the Lords' support. Otherwise, she would not receive the majority votes from members of the House of Lords, nor could she receive support by the legitimate nobles. 

In other words, the majorities of the House of Lords were flagrantly coercing the Princess into agreeing with their proposal! According to the Titan Codex,

Titan Codex, only the Imperial Emperor was allowed to disband the House of Lords and the government. Alanis must endure for another day as long as she was not crowned the Queen. The House of Lords had been unusually determined at pressing her for an answer. Even though Her Imperial Highness the Princess was lethargic at this time, her brows were constantly knitted even in her sleep. However, even if she failed to receive support from the House of Lords, her coronation ceremony could still be carried out as planned. It was just that the Imperial Crown Princess' coronation ceremony would have been more fitting and proper if she was officially authorized by members of the House of Lords.

"Therefore, let's get to voting now!" The smile on Duke Cadro Budisette's face didn't appear genuine. He had always had this look in front of his colleagues.

"Objection!" A high-pitched sound appeared from the end of the hall. The people shifted their attention past the railings in front of the podium and crossed the round seats in the conference hall. The door to the foyer was widely opened, allowing sunlight to shine brightly on the ground. In the middle of the sunlight stood a tall, thin figure.

"Is it...Count Rudolf Hoss?" With difficulties due to the reflection of sunlight, the spokesperson tried to make out the person's features, and he suddenly felt a pang of uneasiness. After all, Duke Cadro Budisette had spent almost half of his life within the capital's noble circle. He had seen such things more than once in his political life.

"I'm sorry, Count, my lord! It's apparent that you've come to the wrong place. There is no seat in the House of Lords reserved for Imperial Secret Service Department!"

Rudolf stepped on the rostrum amidst the laughter of the elders with a smile on his face. He didn't seem to be bothered by the mocking at all.

The head of Imperial Secret Service stood next to the spokesperson of the House of Lords and revealed a document from within his arms.

"Everyone, do you wish to be living under someone else's command? Don't you want to know the reason for my objection?"

The elders once again broke into a loud chaos of reprimanding. Some shouted aloud the previous occasions of great cleansing on nobles led by the Imperial Secret Service where Alfa III ordered his dogs to slaughter many innocent men.

However, on each occasion like this, there would always be people who remained silent, just like the nobles from the south. Thirty-nine seats of the southern nobles always begged off from a battle, but their position on the matter was clear. As long as the final candidate for the throne was Her Imperial Highness Princess Alanis, then everything else was negotiable! Otherwise, no one should blame them for falling out!

Just as the head of Secret Service was getting anxious, a representative of the eastern noble elders suddenly stood up. The abrupt appearance of the elder calmed down the entire scene.

"Andrew of the eastern border is willing to act for Count Rudolf Hoss. I plead the Head of Secret Service to hand over the document to myself!"

As soon as Andrew's representative finished his sentence, the House of Lords erupted into yet another fierce squabble. The nobles expressed their disagreement at the idea as there wasn't any tradition of acting as agent for lodging of protest since ancient times.

"Listen!" Rudolf Hoss finally became impatient. He shouted aloud as he snatched the wooden hammer from the spokesperson's hand and continued to hit it on the surface. "Do you know what's my protest? At least listen to what I have to say! I want to protest to the appointment of the prince -"

Angry remarks and all sorts of small items were thrown at the direction of the rostrum at once which left Rudolf Hoss with no alternative but to hide under the wooden table of the rostrum. He hadn't expected things to get so tricky, but he could only blame himself for underestimating the hatred of the nobility toward the Secret Service Department.

"Marquise Erdogan Vas Ferdinand is not the birth daughter of old Duke Kachev Drakas Ferdinand the Cabinet Chancellor of the empire!"

Almost instantaneously, the venue came to a complete still at the cries of the head of Secret Service. His claim had the nobility elders' mouths opened wide and they were unable to react. What was Rudolf Hoss talking about? Marquise Ferdinand who gave birth to the illegitimate son of the emperor was the Duke's birth daughter? Then who was she?

Rudolf poked his head from behind the rostrum cautiously, "She was sold to old Duke Katchev at the price of ten golden Tis by a whore!" 

After what seemed like forever, when Rudolf thought that his speech had shocked everyone, a pair of stinky boots hit right in the face of the Head of Secret Service!

"This is nonsense!"

"Stop this hypocrite!"

"That's right everyone! This is the time for our revenge!" 

Perhaps the head of Secret Service was really going to be killed by the boots which were being thrown continuously at his direction if the long-awaited bugle call hadn't sound in the meeting halls of the House of Lords!

Duke Cadro Budisette who had long taken cover in a corner suddenly realized that Rudolf's nonsense speech was just an effort to provoke the nobles to create an excuse for the intervention of the Imperial Guards!

Marshal Robin Sparse stepped into the meeting hall accompanied by Colonel Basil Kenny, the palace chief. Following behind the Chief Staff of Imperial Guards was a heavily armed paladin team that had been dismissed from their previous positions in Tacheles Fortress by the Imperial Army.

Duke Cadro had no alternative but to welcome Marshal Robin's arrival but his courtesy was returned with a causal military salute. The old marshal later told the chairperson of the House of Lords, "According to the provisions of the Imperial Emergency Act, the Imperial Guards have the right to interfere with the constitution of the House of Lords' meeting."

Duke Cadro laughed reluctantly, "Marshal my lord, I wasn't informed that the Imperial Guards has issued the Emergency Act."

Marshal Robin shrugged indifferently, "Last night, a group of conspirators sneaked into Kenshin Palace attempting to poison Her Imperial Highness Princess Alanis Alfa Morisette, but they didn't succeed. Imperial Guards had already at that time issued the Emergency Act although without a public announcement."

"But why are you here?" Duke Cadro asked. He didn't want to give up.

Marshal Robin assisted the trembling head of Secret Service to his feet, "Count Rudolf Hoss was being jointly attacked, is it wrong for me to calm the situation?"

"What a perfect timing!" Cadro ridiculed relentlessly but Marshal Robin simply ignored him.

Rudolf finally came out of his hiding place and raised to his full height. His eyes red and swollen, his forehead was scratched by the boots, but no one could stop him now. He stepped onto the rostrum and revealed the protest document once again.

"I have evidence to prove the facts listed on the protest document! Don't you want to hear it?"

The nobles chose to remain silent after scanning the room filled with heavily armed paladins.

"Invite the old woman in!" the head of Secret Service motioned to the Chief Staff of the Imperial Guards, and Marshal Robin signaled his adjutant immediately.

An old woman was helped into the hall by a paladin. She appeared cowardly as she looked at the whispering crowd in fear.

"What is your name?"

The old woman's hearing wasn't very good with age and could only understand when the head of Secret Service repeated himself for the third time. "My lord...my name is Ajisa."

"Did you work at Erlia Club located in Lucio city of Bordier Province?"

"Yes," the old woman reminisced, "I used to work in Erlia Club!"

"What kind of job did you do?" Rudolf laughed maliciously.

"My job required me to serve men!"

"Prostitution?"

"Don't be rude, young man!" the old woman wasn't happy at the response.

The head of Secret Service shrugged helplessly. He was not a young man anymore, "Alright, allow me to apologize. So, you worked at men's service in Erlia Club! Then please try your best to recall, what's the name of your first daughter?"

"I will never forget...her name is Erdogan!"

The meeting hall was once again overwhelmed by waves of objections. The nobles cursed at Rudolf Hoss with various expressions consisted of despicable words. They kept denouncing that this kind of testimony was not trustworthy at all.

"Everyone, please remain quiet! We're about to reach the most important point!" the head of Secret Service persisted. Alpha III had investigated the past of Ferdinand House secretly since Duke Katchev returned to Dulin! The investigation on the identity of the illegitimate child was of highest importance. Although secret agents at the Secret Service didn't find any evidence against Viscount Ferdinand, they discovered that Duke Katchev had a history of infertility when he was younger! Hence a problem was raised – even if the birth of the illegitimate child was true, where did his mother come from?

"I remember clearly that it was a snowy night!" exclaimed the old woman. "On the night I delivered my baby girl, it was the first blizzard in the history of Lucio. Although I had no idea who her father was, I decided to raise her nonetheless! I named her 'Erdogan', which means the orchid of Erlia."

"And what happened after that?"

The old woman wiped off her tears before replying, "My dear Erdogan was sold to a young nobleman by the club owner that night! My poor child hasn't even tasted her mother's milk yet!"

Rudolf Hoss clapped his hands and turned to the nobles who had been on tenterhooks, "I believe that everyone is still not very convinced about the facts, hence let us verify the date of birth of Marquise Erdogan Vas Ferdinand!"

The head of Secret Service took a file from an Imperial Guards officer, "According to the genealogical records of the Ferdinand House, Erdogan Vas Ferdinand was born on Waning Moon Day, Guard Year of the Church Calendar*. On this day, Bordier Province located on the edge of the southern mountainous region encountered the most severe snowstorm in 100 years. This is the same as recounted as the old woman!"

"But - " Rudolf revealed another document, "The most interesting is this medical record collected from a renowned clinic in the city of Lucio. We can clearly see a physician's signature on the medical records, as well as the content of agreement in this medical record."

The head of Secret Service showed off the document to the nobles gathered as he walked toward them, "The contents of the agreement involve confidentiality clauses, meaning that if the clinic reveals the privacy of the patient, the person involved has the right to ascertain the dereliction of the clinic. Anyway, let's look at this signature!"

Rudolf now stood by the side of the spokesperson of the House of Lords, "You should read it aloud to everyone."

Cadro Budisette forced out a smile as he noticed his old friend's signature on the document. "It was signed off by patient…Kachev Drakas Ferdinand!"

The elders of House of Lords finally became anxious and one of the bold men snatched the medical record from the head of Secret Service and looked at it carefully. First, he studied the patient's signature and then, examined the contents of the medical record. However, he only took one glance at it and was shocked.

"My God! He is infertile!"

The nobles gathered around and scrambled through the medical records that determine their fate.

Rudolf laughed in delight. He had waited for a full decade for this day! No matter how smart or sly the old Kachev was, he would never have thought that his sterility would cost him his life!

The head of Secret Service touched the arm of the president of Duke Cadro Budisette, the House of Lords, "I know Kachev is under your protection, bring me to him. The time has come for us to have a talk. If he's planning to compromise now, he might be able to save his life, and you will also be able to escape from this humiliating incident!"

As described by Alfa III His Majesty, Cadro Budisette was the most iconic figure for hedger among the capital's noble circles. He nodded quickly at Rudolf Hoss without hesitation.

The winter sun was shining brightly over the ancient National Palace of the House of Lords which stood quietly in the center of the city surrounded by trees. The warm sunshine spilled into the room from the floor-to-ceiling windows. The Faran-style palace incense burner was burning pine woods. There was a rattan chair facing the direction of the window, and on the chair was covered with a thick layer of velvet.

The age-old bookcase exuded a unique scent of oak. One of the glass windows on the bookcase was opened ajar and from there, several historical books that contained wisdom and blood were on display. The rattan chair was directly opposite the bookcase, next to the fireplace. Inside the burning fireplace were documents that were gradually burning into ashes.

The head of Secret Service looked at the empty room and examined the temperature of the tea with his fingers. Disappointed, he turned to the elder of the House of Lords.

"Where is he?"

Cadro Budisette could only smile helplessly, "Can't you see? He just left!"

Rudolf Hoss shrugged, "Then that's a trouble..."

The spokesperson of the House of Lords stared at the dagger which was inserted into his stomach with disbelief. His hands flew to grasp the murderer's arm, but Rudolf Hoss only returned the old Duke with a calm look. He didn't want to explain anything to this guy that all of these were pre-arranged.

With the constant stirring of the dagger inside his internal, the famous hedger among the noble circles left the mournful world with much regret and fear. Perhaps he wasn't even sure of his reason for death. Why did he die as a sacrifice of the Imperial Family even when he constantly swayed both ways?

Rudolf removed his dagger and confirmed the pulse of the deceased before he turned to the petrified attendant stood in the room.

"Do you know what to say?"

The attendant's face was washed over by a nameless horror, his snots and tears flowed down his cheeks at once. With trembling fingers, he pointed at the warm corpse.

"Duke Cadro revealed the crime of Duke Kachev face-to-face! By the grace of God of Light! Duke Kachev…Duke Kachev took out a knife, and…and murdered Duke Cadro!"

Rudolf nodded with satisfaction and patted on the shoulder of the attendant, "Don't worry, I'll catch the murderer!"

On the afternoon of Church Calendar year 800, 14th day of the first month, Alanis who was still asleep soundly had no idea about the crime just happened in the City of Dulin. Similarly, regarding certain events, people who had no personal experience could not define it accurately. However, it was clear that the unprecedented drama had already opened a new chapter of the history. The new actors performed their respective roles faithfully according to the script. As for those who lost their script, history would be fair to them as well! It arranged a reasonable explanation for each one of them who was eliminated, but how true were these commentaries? Only the God of Light would know. 

Chapter end