The Male Lead Is Trying To Tame Me With Money - Chapter 93
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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93.
“How dare, how dare!”
The First Empress’s angry voice grew louder than ever before.
“How dare you drag someone in!!”
Then the Empress strode toward me and raised her hand.
This might hurt quite a bit, I thought, but I didn’t avert my eyes from the Empress.
The moment I lost in momentum, it would all be over.
However.
Smack-!
I heard the sound, but there was no pain.
“Ch, Charley…”
“Please calm down, Mother.”
It was thanks to Charley, who had just entered the audience chamber, hurriedly stepping between the First Empress and me.
‘…But was Prince Charley originally that quick?’
I thought his physical abilities were average at best, even being generous.
“I, I wasn’t trying to hit you, Charley.”
“I know, and I also know how much Mother cares for me.”
Then Prince Charley slightly turned his body and extended his hand to me.
“Hmm, I feel like I’m going to get an earful from Casian later for this.”
Even in this serious situation, he seemed no different from usual.
Contrary to his words, his face showed no seriousness at all as he waved his hand for me to take it.
Looking at the First Empress who had become dazed behind him, I gladly took his hand.
“Mother cares for me too much, so please understand, Advisor Salice.”
Charley helped me up from my kneeling position and even lightly dusted off my skirt.
“Ch, Charley. Why are you…?”
“Since this concerns Father, I thought I should be here too, and I think Advisor Salice’s words are reasonable.”
“Reasonable!”
Unlike when she was angry with me, the First Empress grabbed Charley’s shoulders with a hurt expression.
“You! You who are always kind and gentle, what reason could you possibly have to harm your father, His Majesty the Emperor!”
I don’t particularly have any either, Your Majesty the Empress.
While he may be a terrible father to Casian, I’d prefer making him taste earthly suffering rather than killing him – could you please respect that?
Since it would be awkward to say this openly in such a setting, I was protesting inwardly when.
“The Second Empress has been coldly treated for a long time, and even the Fourth Prince was nearly killed being sent to the battlefield! Moreover, Advisor Salice is.”
The First Empress’s resentful eyes fixed on me.
“Someone who would have the wicked thought of putting her fiancé Prince Casian on the throne if His Majesty the Emperor passes away! Harboring ambitions to become Empress.”
My dream is a simple and peaceful life, Your Majesty the Empress.
After my preferences, now you’re arbitrarily changing my future aspirations too – this is really too much.
While I was grumbling and wondering how to deliver some impactful facts to Her Majesty the Empress, the words that would shock her came from elsewhere.
“If we’re going by that logic, Mother, I too might have anxiety about Father recently favoring Casian.”
“Th, that’s…! That’s completely nonsensical…!”
“This is the Imperial Palace, isn’t it?”
“You mustn’t say such things, how can you say something you don’t mean…! Do you want to see this mother’s heart drop?”
At the Empress’s pitiful words, Charley gestured for the maids near me to support the Empress, then stepped back.
“How could that be? But if I didn’t have Mother, someone might have attached such reasons to me.”
“Charley!”
“To summarize in one sentence, hmm.”
Charley muttered ‘This really isn’t something I’m good at,’ then spoke to the Empress again.
“The natural habitat of the herbs alone cannot make the Second Empress or Advisor Salice into criminals.”
It was a refreshingly clear summary.
The First Empress staggered as if she might collapse at her son’s unexpected interference.
“So Mother, how about listening more to Advisor Salice’s story, since she was in charge of the investigation?”
Charley sent me a strange look.
“I’m sure she’ll tell us fair investigation results.”
*
‘Can I consider this as owing Advisor Salice one small debt?’
Charley, who had calmed the First Empress, whispered such words as he passed by me.
‘Or is this too small? I hope you’ll consider it positively.’
Without any words of coercion, Charley didn’t even blame me for putting him on the suspect list and headed toward the First Empress.
I was a bit confused by his behavior, but remembering what Casian had told me before, I set aside all questions for now.
‘Thinking about big brother is a losing game.’
At that moment, I felt I understood very well what Casian’s feelings had been.
Anyway, thanks to Charley’s intervention, it became easier for me to present the investigation results I had prepared.
The First Empress was still listening to the story calmly without being flustered yet.
“-Therefore, through these testimonies, I determined that the servant Beri is the prime suspect for putting poison in His Majesty the Emperor’s tea set.”
At my words, Beri cried out as if wronged.
“Th, that’s ridiculous! Advisor Salice, this is different from what we discussed!”
“Different from what we discussed?”
“I put in the poison because-!”
And the accused opened his mouth exactly as expected.
“Are you planning to say I ordered it?”
“That’s right! Didn’t you say I would be safe because you were likely to be assigned as the investigation officer!”
At servant Beri’s words, the audience chamber stirred.
Reassuringly, the guards maintained their usual attitude.
“What about evidence?”
“Wh, what evidence could there be! Didn’t you tell me to burn everything because it would be trouble if such things remained!”
Beri began beating his chest as if truly wronged.
“Advisor Salice, shouldn’t we also examine that man’s background?”
The First Empress, seeming satisfied with this situation, spoke to me.
“Of course, I can show you anytime.”
He entered the palace three years ago, and surprisingly, his origin was a barony near Terodima County.
“How can this be, that man’s hometown is very close to the Salice Barony!”
The First Empress looked at me as if asking how I could still stand there shamelessly.
Then Beri began to speak as if this was his chance.
“That’s right! Originally, Advisor Salice and I were childhood friends.”
What complete nonsense.
“Our entry into the palace wasn’t that different in timing, and our status was similar, so I was looking for opportunities to greet her, though of course…”
Beri said this, then hung his head with a sad expression.
“I’m just a servant, and she’s the First Advisor to the Second Prince, so she asked why I was acting friendly above my station. Still, still I tried to be good to Advisor Salice based on the fact that we were hometown friends.”
“How can he be so rude!”
“Is he looking down on all servants and maids right now?!”
The Empress’s maids provided excellent commentary.
After that, Beri continued to spout well-crafted lies, but they were so absurd that I let them all bounce off my ears.
“Are you done with your false story, Mr. Beri?”
“It’s not false! Rose, we were close!”
He had even changed to casual speech now.
My male childhood friend is Paul, who doesn’t listen to his mother much but works hard and is a pitiful single guy…
Since explaining wouldn’t work, I decided to show them instead.
“I thought you might make excuses when accused like this, so I decided to just show you.”
The moment I clapped my hands like that, Samuel Moti entered in restraints, his face red from many people’s gazes.
*
A magical device activated above the Audience Chamber.
‘I, I did as you told me. I can be safely released now, right?’
It was a collaborative creation between the criminal mages who had been researching efficient prison life and Samuel—a video recording magical device using light spirits.
Through the crystal sphere, the scene inside the prison during the deep night was reproduced quite clearly.
A Royal Guard in the screen handed Beri a note.
‘These are the words to say when you’re pointed out. If that happens, I can’t guarantee your life though.’
‘My, my debt… Our family’s title…’
‘We’ll take care of everything, so don’t worry.’
‘Understood, I’ll do as instructed. Salice has been a thorn in my side ever since she entered the palace anyway.’
Anyone could tell it was Beri’s voice and Beri’s face.
In the conversation that followed, while there were criticisms directed at me, there wasn’t a trace of anything resembling childhood friendship.
When the playback ended, a Royal Guard collapsed next to Beri, bound and restrained.
Both of their faces were deathly pale.
And I decided to give the Royal Guard one chance.
“So, Sir Knight, will you give me a more substantial answer? Whose orders were they?”
“Sa, Sa, Salice Advisor’s orders—”
And the moment the Royal Guard said that, a clicking sound was heard from behind.
‘Understood, I haven’t forgotten the Zamoti Duchy’s grace.’
With a face that seemed to say this situation was getting out of hand, Samuel Moti played the next video.
At the same time.
“Well, now the First Empress will have to provide the explanation.”
Casian’s voice echoed through the Audience Chamber.
“How… already…”
The First Empress looked at him with disbelief as he entered, throwing aside his long cloak that had become tattered.
And my superior, with a leisurely expression as if he had just stepped out for morning training, shamelessly uttered:
“My devotion to His Imperial Majesty runs quite deep, Your Majesty the First Empress.”
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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