"Your Majesty, why don't we proceed with Lady Anais's interrogation after the return of those who have gone to Vicern tomorrow?" one of the young n.o.bles courageously suggested, emphasizing that major n.o.bles were missing.

"Tomorrow, the investigation team who went to Tilia will return. It'll take days and days just to find out the truth about the Duke of Kiellini's suicide and the epidemic case. And isn't there a case of Princess Kiellini? Do you want to have an all-night meeting every day?"

The disgruntled n.o.bles closed their mouths.

Lady Anais's case was not a problem. The aftermath of these incidents was about to hit Austern.

Now that Prince Francis had pointed out the man behind the Kiellini family's poisoning case was Prince Killian, the political strife between the two had visibly begun in earnest.

'Who will be the victor in this fight?'

The fierce clash between the two Princes forced the rest of the n.o.bles to hold their breath and lie flat.

No one stopped the swift punishment of the Lady Anais. Christine was drawn to the waiting room next to the conference room.

When the inside was in order, the Emperor raised his hand to Count Crisver, the Grand Chamberlain. "Bring it."

Count Crisver who was ordered came with a gold tray. The Emperor checked two letters on the tray and handed them to Count Crisver.

When he opened up two letters and showed them to the n.o.bles, the Emperor said, "They are a certificate of the Vicern Temple and a letter from the Duke of Kiellini. He is asking me to put his adopted daughter into the genealogy of the Kiellini family."

Count Crisver handed the certificates to the Minister of Administration and the Minister of Etiquette sitting to one side.

The Emperor continued, "Why did you ask for an audience even though you could send the doc.u.ments?"

At the Emperor's words, Phoebe managed to answer in a trembling voice, "To convey the will of the Duke of Kiellini."

"Will you do that yourself? I heard that the lady of Kiellini asked for this audience. Where is she?"

Phoebe bowed to the Emperor's question and pleaded guilty. "Please forgive me for pa.s.sing on the will of the Duke of Kiellini, which should be delivered by Katarina Stella J. Kiellini. At this moment, the lady of Kiellini's mind is in a state of complete disarray and she cannot stand in front of you. Furthermore, I heard about Princess Kiellini after she disappeared suddenly. I thought I couldn't put it off any longer according to my stupid judgment, so I asked for an audience like this."

"Her mind is in a state of complete disarray, is it?"

The Emperor's surprise made Phoebe bow further. "His Excellency the Duke of Kiellini, has kept the illegitimate child who got before his marriage in a separate house, and has not informed the princess of it."

"Why did he hide the existence of an illegitimate child?"

"Because His Excellency has educated the illegitimate daughter as a successor in case the sick princess died first."

Surprised people began to speak noisily.

"Quiet! Go on."

Phoebe picked drew a trembling breath and went on with her speech. "But when the princess got back to good health, His Excellency seemed to think that he shouldn't reveal the existence of an illegitimate child. He tried to send her to another country."

"Oh, my G.o.d!"

It sounded cold-hearted, but it was common in the family of n.o.bles.

"But what kind of relations.h.i.+p does Lady Pauran have with the Kiellini family?"

At someone's question, the Emperor also looked at Phoebe, as if wondering.

"I am Phoebe Pauran, a cousin of Count Valerian. I had waited on the princess, and went down to Tilia a while ago and serve Lady Regina closely. So, because I know more about this incident than anyone else, I've come forward to deliver the will of the Duke, instead of Lady Regina who is missing."

"So that's why the Duke rushed down to Tilia? Was he going to take care of the illegitimate child he's been hiding?"

At the Emperor's words, everyone nodded as if questions had been answered.

"Yes. His Excellency who went to Tilia told Miss Regina to be ready to leave right away. It was like a bolt from a clear sky for Regina, who had been hiding in a separate house until then and waiting for only days to become the d.u.c.h.ess. She revealed her presence to Princess Kiellini. I think she was trying to avenge the Duke."

Phoebe went all the way there and took her breath for a while. "After learning all the facts, the princess asked the Duke of Kiellini to allow her as an adopted daughter. The princess sent me to Miss Regina to help her get ready to come to Austern. After that, His Excellency answered the request of the princess, and he took Miss Regina to Vicern for the Proof of Blood." Phoebe finished up as smoothly as she could.

"That's what happened. But what's the Duke's will? Did he ask me to take good care of his daughter?"

'Was it necessary to speak so far as to ask for an audience for such a will?'

Phoebe hesitated as everyone was thinking about it. "I had a lot of concerns about whether I would dare to tell you. But as one of the people who heard the will of the Duke, I thought I should not just stay silent."

"What kind of will is that?" she heard someone muttering behind.

"The Duke lost a note of the Kiellini family's secret recipe that Miss Regina kept after she had a cla.s.s for a successor. The butler who had served the Duke of Kiellini for a long time disappeared, too. The Duke, who thought it was the crime of the butler, started to look for him. Then the Duke found out that the poison of the Kiellini family was called an infectious disease and released on the public."