Queen of Revenge - Chapter 84

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Chapter 84
The Duke regarded Iolet with disbelief written across his features.
“By His Majesty’s… command?”
“Yes.”
The Princess, rumored to have been banished to the Border, had gained authority to involve herself in a matter that had escalated to the Royal Council’s highest deliberations? By what means?
Iolet’s expression remained impassive as she gestured subtly.
Compelled by an inexplicable pressure she exuded, the Duke straightened his posture.
The nineteen-year-old girl, whose eyes mirrored those of Queen Charlotte, continued with businesslike precision.
“Mother has entrusted me with finding a way to mediate this matter, so my opinion will carry considerable weight. This is also an excellent opportunity for me to earn Mother’s confidence, and I have no intention of conducting this inquiry carelessly.”
“Then, what is Your Highness’s assessment?”
The Duke’s voice grew increasingly strained.
“You’ve surely reviewed the case records. Do you truly believe my son deliberately murdered Count Monfer’s son? My boy is not the sort to kill a man merely over losing a woman. He confessed to me that he wished to pray for that woman’s happiness—”
“I do not know Prince Uter personally, Master.”
Iolet replied with cold detachment.
“Appealing to me about Prince Uter’s usual temperament or how dearly you cherish your only son provides no assistance whatsoever in this matter. There is a killer, there is a victim, and there are witnesses. Realistically, there is no way to save Prince Uter.”
Count Monfer had lost his second son. Had the murderer been anyone other than Prince Uter, he would have been dragged to the gallows long ago.
“Then… are you sentencing my son to death, Your Highness?”
The Duke’s lips pressed together firmly.
“Is that what you came all this way to say? Why on earth—”
“Master.”
Iolet halted his words with a quiet voice.
“What I’m curious about differs somewhat from your concerns.”
The moment Duke Uter met those blue eyes fixed upon him, sudden comprehension struck him.
From the very beginning until now, the Princess had unfailingly addressed him as Master. Despite being royalty with no obligation to show deference to nobility, she had elevated her speech.
It was an unmistakable expression of which side the Princess had chosen to stand with.
The faint ember of hope, nearly extinguished, flickered back to life.
“If Prince Uter truly had no intention of murdering Prince Monter, then who orchestrated this crime?”
“I… beg your pardon?”
Iolet, facing the Duke’s stunned expression, recalled her previous life.
This incident had unfolded identically in the past.
In that previous timeline, Prince Uter had ultimately received a death sentence at the final trial.
A nobleman being executed was rare even in Elovis’s history. More remarkably, this was the first instance of a sole heir from a great house belonging to the Royal Council being put to death.
“I shouldn’t show my face in the Capital for a while. If I become an unfortunate scapegoat, there’s nothing more unjust than that. How terrifying… how dreadfully terrifying…”
Iolet vividly remembered Count Castlane muttering those words with a deflated tone.
Yet among the countless incidents that erupted in the Capital, this particular case remained etched in her memory for a distinct reason—it bore striking similarities to an incident she herself had experienced.
At the time, Iolet had secretly retrieved and read a newspaper that Count Castlane had discarded.
[Prince Uter maintained his denial of criminal intent until the end. He claimed that four days before committing the act, another voice began echoing in his mind. According to his account, it was as though someone whispered directly into his ear, commanding him to “kill the person before you.” In fact, from four days prior to the crime, he exhibited behavior markedly different from his usual conduct, and the servants of House Uter who attended to him unanimously described it as “the Prince seemed to be possessed by a spirit.”]
In fact, from four days before the crime, he displayed behavior and speech different from his usual manner, and the butlers of House of Uter who attended to him all agreed, describing it as “it seemed as though a spirit had possessed the young master.”
Mother, Queen Charlotte, had exhibited symptoms similar to Prince Uter’s several days before her suicide.
It was true that Mother had gradually changed since her confinement in the Tower. The circumstances made it inevitable.
Every avenue of communication with the outside world had been sealed shut, and I lived under constant threat of assassination.
There was no way to seek help, and no one reached out to me first.
Even trapped in such dire circumstances, Charlotte strove to maintain her composure whenever she stood before me.
But three days before her death, she began showing signs of something terribly wrong.
She would sit motionless at the head of my bed through the night, muttering words I couldn’t understand, then caress my cheek only to grip my fragile neck with sudden force.
In those moments, her eyes held no focus. She couldn’t hear me when I spoke, and she would sometimes mutter incomprehensible things to herself.
“Mother, are you all right? Shall I call for a physician?”
“No… no, Iolet. No. A physician won’t help. Don’t. Don’t speak of it. Please, don’t say anything—. Who am I supposed to eliminate? Shut up!”
On the evening when her symptoms were most severe, Charlotte placed a necklace around my neck.
“Keep this with you always. You must never lose it or break it. Do you understand?”
In that moment, Mother seemed to have regained her senses, if only briefly.
She held me close as I trembled with anxiety, soothing my fears.
“Survive, Iolet. As long as you live the life I could not, even death itself shall not dare harm you.”
“Mother, you mustn’t go anywhere. You must always stay by my side.”
“I will not leave you for anywhere in this world. This is merely a precaution for the worst of circumstances….”
And then, the very next dawn, Mother took her own life by hanging.
Even after I was left alone, confined in the Tower, I found myself questioning what had happened.
Why had Mother been so different that day?
That question persisted even after I married into House Castlane, only to reignite the moment I learned of Prince Uter’s murder.
I immediately wrote letters to the Capital. One to Benedix, and another to Catherine.
Catherine never replied, and Benedix sent only a single brief line.
[This incident has nothing whatsoever to do with Charlotte. Pay it no mind.]
While I waited for a response, the case was resolved with astonishing speed.
Prince Uter’s final statement was ultimately rejected, and his execution was conducted in private, as was the privilege of the nobility.
After his son’s death, Duke Uter resigned from his position as an elder of the Royal Council and retreated to his Territory.
The Academic Community lamented the loss of a brilliant scholar, and the neutral voices on the Royal Council dwindled from three to two.
I wrote to the Capital several more times after that.
[Benedix. I wish to see my mentor. Could you convince my Elder Sister to allow me to go to him? Count Castlane says he cannot let me leave the Estate without her permission.]
From that point on, Benedix sent no replies.
I even tried writing directly to Duke Uter’s house, but it was futile.
No response came from anywhere.
To make matters worse, news from the Capital dried up almost entirely around that time.
Count Castlane never spoke of Capital affairs in my presence and ensured that newspapers and periodicals never reached my hands.
I could only catch glimpses of major Capital news through charred scraps of newspaper I occasionally found at the Garbage Disposal Site.
That strange situation could mean only one thing: my suspicions were justified.
Charlotte’s death and Prince Uter’s murder were intimately connected, and I was not meant to know the truth.
“Then Your Highness is saying there was someone who orchestrated this entire affair?”
“If Prince Uter was truly innocent, then someone likely manipulated him to accomplish their goals. When House Uter—which maintained neutrality—was expelled from nobility society, who stood to gain the most?”
Who had benefited most from Charlotte’s death?

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————