The Grand Duke's Soulmate
Chapter 448: A Crime Accusation

Chapter 448: A Crime Accusation

"Where is the woman?" the Count of Abinair suddenly exclaimed, his eyes scanning the throne hall for the missing figure. All he could see were men.

"Ease yourself. I instructed her to wait," King Kyden replied calmly.

The count glared at the king as if questioning his authority.

"Your accusation against her is serious and involves her dignity as a woman. If proven incorrect, her future would still be affected if the word spread," the king continued. "So, we will discuss this first before concluding her involvement."

"She’s the main catalyst of this whole crime! She should be here to respond!" the count remarked, dissatisfied.

"What are you implying, count?" Kiev interjected, feigning ignorance of the Count of Abinair’s anger.

Before the count could respond, Eric spoke up.

"Pardon me for intervening. We’re here at your summons, Your Majesty. Please clarify the purpose of this audience so we can better understand."

King Kyden nodded at Eric’s request. An audience was a formal event, and the attendees had the right to know why they were called.

The king raised his hand, signalling for the count to be silent. The king then addressed the throne hall.

"It has come to my attention that the count of Abinair reported the disappearance of his escorts several days ago. I believe you are aware of this, Sir Navin, as he informed me that he directed the issue to you."

"Yes, that is correct. His Lordship requested the Knights of Gerhard’s assistance in searching for them. However, the matter was handled by the city authorities," Eric replied calmly.

"You refused to help! You disrespected me—"

"Count of Abinair, we discussed this matter at the authority office when you called for me. At that time, your men’s disappearance was still within the grace period. So, the guards could not take action yet. Any report of a missing person would only be attended to if they hadn’t returned after a day unless they were underage, which is not the case here," Eric interjected, cutting off the count.

"Do you think I’m a fool?" the Count of Abinair sneered. "I know the truth! The reason you declined my request for aid is because your men and he did the kidnapping!" He pointed an accusing finger at Kiev.

The Knights of Gerhard exchanged glances before shifting their eyes to the Mederian Prince.

"You are saying I did it with the knights?" Kiev asked, his demeanor still calm.

The accusation didn’t shake him at all, and the knights stood tall, showing no fear as well.

A concern grew within Eric about how the count had found out.

Before he could ask further, the king rose from his throne and said, "Silence! I haven’t finished!"

The throne hall fell into hushed surroundings, the knights bowing their heads in deference while the count clenched his jaw, anger etched on his face.

"Let me clarify the reason we are gathered here today before we proceed," the king continued, pulling their attention back to the objective.

"Now, based on the report, the authorities attended to the matter as Sir Navin stated. After two days of searching, the Knights of Abinair were found in a forest on the outskirts of Gantz. Two of them were already dead, and the others were severely injured from beatings and lashes. Only one had not been flogged, and they are currently receiving careful treatment," King Kyden explained.

He paused, surveying the men, all waiting for his following words.

King Kyden stepped forward, his gaze moving among the knights, the Mederian Prince, and then back to the second-in-command.

"Sir Joshua Hermann, the Knight of Abinair who is less injured than the others, has admitted to the group’s crime of framing and fabricating evidence in Sir Noah Brooks’s m*rder and r*pe case two years ago. We recorded every detail he provided and cross-referenced it with the submitted report of the case, and everything matches," the king added.

Noah felt his heart almost stop. The mention of the offense reopened old wounds, bringing back a wave of sorrow. The pain from the lashings, the humiliation, and the isolation gripped him, making his hands tremble and his face flush with sadness.

"Everyone involved in the investigation knows that the particulars are discreet and not exposed to the public. Given his specific knowledge of the details, it proves they were definitely involved in the crime," the king continued. "However..."

The king paused, his stern gaze returning to the group.

"Two years have passed. Why did they suddenly admit to their crime? Why now, after so long?" he asked.

"Probably because they have recently come here to Gantz due to the business collaboration between His Highness the Grand Duke and His Lordship, the Count of Abinair?" Eric guessed bluntly.

The king smiled wistfully.

"If they were sincere in admitting their crime and truly remorseful, they would have done so much earlier. The Count of Abinair’s entourage arrived during autumn, before the mid-autumn festival. Now it is already winter... Too much time has passed. Additionally, these men were found in a devastating condition. Judging by their injuries, it seems a strong group might have handled them... or should I say, taken revenge on them and threatened them into surrendering?"

King Kyden gave a meaningful gaze, one that the group of men understood. It seemed the king had realized that the Knights of Gerhard and the Mederian Prince had taken matters into their own hands regarding the perpetrators of Noah’s case.

"Your Majesty, may I speak now?" the Count of Abinair requested.

"Proceed," the king replied.

"The injuries sustained by the surviving members of my knights are not mere bruises from usual fighting. The skin on their backs is ripped from lashings, leaving open flesh. This is evidence of torture! And the worst part is, they are all castrated except for Sir Hermann! By the time we found them, Sir Ivar Royd and his assistant, Sir Frederick Merren, had died from excessive bleeding! This is all because of you!" The count’s anger boiled over as he lashed out.

"Why are you accusing us? Is there any proof to support your claim?" Eric interjected.

"The remaining Knights of Abinair who were still alive were brought back and treated. Due to their severe injuries, they had to be given dwale to keep them unconscious to alleviate their pain. During this time, one or two of them mumbled a few words, which we interpreted as hints about their attackers," the king interjected.

"And what words might those be?" Kiev asked.

"Red eyes... knights... Elisabeth Canton. They kept begging for forgiveness from these people. Now, if I were to connect the dots, you are the only man with red eyes in this vicinity, Prince Kiev, and Elisabeth Canton is the name of the maid from Gerhard that I bestowed upon you. As for the knights... between you two, wouldn’t it most likely be the Knights of Gerhard?" the king queried.

"That is too vague to implicate us, Your Majesty," Eric replied. "Red eyes could refer to anything... perhaps an animal of prey that was after them. His Highness Prince Kiev’s name is not mentioned, and as for Elisabeth Canton... yes, it’s similar to His Highness’s woman, but it’s a common name. How many women in Cassian could share the same name? The Knights of Gerhard also wouldn’t want their hands dirty in such a crime since His Lordship is our Grand Duke’s business partner, a respectable figure under His Highness’s protection."

"There can’t be any other knights! These men had every reason to seek revenge on my knights. They must have discovered the past deeds recently and decided to retaliate against the Knights of Abinair. Even if my knights did wrong, the punishment should be handled by the law, not by them!" the count reproached.

"That’s absurd! We just celebrated Sir Drystan Mills’s wedding the day before you reported your knights missing! We attended the banquet, and even His Majesty was there! When would we have time to scheme for this?" the second-in-command knight interjected, attempting to cover for his comrades.

The king nodded affirmatively.

"Yes, I can attest to that. Everyone who attended the event can confirm it, too. However, the banquet ended before midnight. The last time the Knights of Abinair were seen was when they left an inn in the plaza, and that was after midnight. So, presumably, their kidnapping occurred after that."

"It doesn’t make any sense! We were in a bliss of happiness for our comrade’s marriage! How could we suddenly become villains after enjoying such merriment? Just a few words aren’t enough to label us as the bad guys!" Eric exclaimed, adamant about defending his team.

"I knew you would say that! That’s why I did my own digging and found out that the woman bestowed to His Highness Prince Kiev is Elisabeth Canton, a slave I purchased two years ago. She was among the other slave women that His Highness, the Grand Duke, personally requested from me as a token of gratitude for our collaboration during my birthday celebration! You and your men were there, Sir Navin! The Mederian Prince must have joined your knights for retribution at her demand!" the Count of Abinair shouted, his wrath flaring.

"My woman is not a slave! She’s a chaste maiden!" The Mederian Prince yelled out.

"A chaste maiden??" A mocking laughter escaped the count’s lips. "She was a slave who caught Sir Royd’s interest at the slave market to the extent that he personally requested her from me for his entertainment! Who knows how many men she’s been with? For all I know, Sir Royd and the other knights had a good time with her."

"You f*cking b*stard!" Kiev cursed.

’Whap!’

A hardened blow landed on the Count of Abinair’s jaw before he could utter another mocking word. He stumbled backwards and fell to the ground, his mind momentarily blank. A tepid liquid that tasted like iron quickly flushed into his mouth.

The count shook his head several times, and as he gathered himself, he saw Kiev in a rage, his arm held by the king while the other knights stood in surprise. A look of terror filled his face.

King Kyden missed the first punch but managed to prevent the Mederian Prince’s assault from escalating further. Had the king not stepped in as a shield, the count would have faced a much worse fate.

"Retreat, Prince Kiev! This is my palace, and you shouldn’t ambush anyone with your strikes in my presence!" the king warned.

"He dared to insult my woman! I will not take this lightly!" Kiev shouted in a fury.

Hearing this, the count scuttled backwards in fear for his safety. The determination in the Mederian Prince’s eyes made him feel confident he would be dead in the man’s hands if another blow were to land.

"Enough! If there are any unjust actions within this kingdom, it is I who will pass judgment and impose punishment, not you! I am the benevolent king of Cassian, and I will uphold the dignity of your woman or any innocent woman in this kingdom!" the king declared.

His grip on the Mederian Prince tightened, and Kiev felt the force behind it. They had duelled before, and both knew that a fight between them would only lead to chaos.

Kiev felt a hand on his shoulder, prompting him to glance to the side.

"Let go, Your Highness. This matter won’t resolve well if you use force against His Lordship," advised the second-in-command knight.

Kiev’s brow remained knitted, his stance still hardened, refusing to budge.

"Your Highness, please. I implore you. This is not what we want," came Noah’s voice, coaxing him carefully.

Though the knight shared the same sentiment as the Mederian Prince, he knew their objective wouldn’t be achieved in this manner. Engaging in a battle of wills or escalating tensions would only complicate matters further.

After everything he had been through, he had learned his lesson well from both Kiev and the Knights of Gerhard.

It was time to be patient... at least for now.

"Sir Brooks is right. For the humiliating words the count has uttered and his accusations against Elis, His Majesty will surely deliver a fitting sentence," Garin added.

"True. We will go by the law, Your Highness," said Alex. "As we should."

The persuasions finally softened Kiev’s resolve, reminding him of the promise he made to his knights. His tensed body relaxed, and he took a step back, fixing his collar.

"Fine! This will be the last time I tolerate such behaviour. There will be no next time. Should he mock me or my woman again, I ask Your Majesty to take immediate action according to the law of Cassian!" the Mederian Prince proclaimed.

King Kyden breathed a sigh of relief.

He turned to the count and said, "You heard him, Count of Abinair! Consider yourself lucky. If you do it again, I allow him to punch you in the face!" the king warned.

The count wiped the blood from his lips, clamping his mouth shut, but not for long. He stood up, tidied himself, and faced the Mederian Prince.

"All right. I’ll adhere to what Your Majesty desires. However, since His Highness Prince Kiev insists that his woman is not my former slave, then prove it!"

Kiev raised his chin with a smug face, eager to respond to the challenge, adrenaline coursing through him.

"Fine! I’ll get her and prove it to you!"

Search the lightnovelworld.cc website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.