Chapter 64: Investigation

The Minister of the Left shook his head. "Your Majesty, there is no proof that it was done by someone else. Also, no one dares to approach, much less enter that cursed tower. Not only was it your royal decree, but also no one wanted to die in the hands of the witch."

"Similarly, there is no proof that the killing was done by the Third Princess," the King responded. "She is just a seventeen-year-old girl, not yet even an adult, who has always been alone in her residence. How can such a weak body overpower and kill two trained knights? There is not even a trace of the bodies being dragged from the gate towards the garden. Do you think a mere girl can carry two adults on her shoulder to hang them up on a tree? Based on what the investigation had gathered so far, it is highly likely that my daughter was lured out and saw those mutilated bodies in the middle of the night, and like any normal girl, she screamed in fear. Someone who holds grudges against her must have done it to frame her. "

"It's just a theory, not conclusive proof she did not kill them," countered the minister. "Who knows, Your Majesty, she might have carried them with black magic?"

"Similarly, you all have no proof against her, so there is no use having this discussion," Lord Eudes replied in the King's stead, seeing how obstinate the ministers were being. "Leave these to be further investigated first—"

"But the bodies were found at her place!"

"As His Majesty has said, it was someone else's doing to frame an innocent girl," Lord Eudes replied.

"Then how will you explain the black smoke?" asked the minister.

Lord Eudes opened his palms, giving the man a helpless shrug. "Minister, what explanation is needed? Black smoke is emitted when something is burned. Perhaps you have not heard, but with her sole servant currently away, who knows if it is the Third Princess's failed attempt at cooking?" 

"Y-You!" the minister could not help but say as he glared at the King's advisor. "Eudes Briggs! This is not a time for you to show your humor! What kind of flimsy excuse is that? Cooking never causes such a kind of black smoke! Not only that, as far as we know, without her servant, even His Majesty couldn't meet that witch. For days, she never received food offered to her from the royal kitchen. If she can't cook, then how can she survive without food? She could even scream so loudly after days of starvation?"

King Armen gestured for Lord Eudes to step back. With a dry chuckle, he stared at the minister. "Seems like our ministers are doing more than their fair share of official duties, having even enough energy to be aware of everything as if they have been keeping watch over the royal kitchen. How interesting. Does the minister perhaps know what meal I ate this morning, or is your interest towards the royal family only pertaining to my youngest daughter?"

Providing the food for the Third Princess was done in secret so that no one could sabotage the food by adding any poison or anything to that food. The fact that an ordinary minister knew the situation about Seren's meals made King Armen realize just how deep the faction against his daughter had infiltrated inside the palace.

The King's mocking words startled the minister, who knew that he dug a grave for himself; however, he refused to back out from making a strong argument for his side. "Well, Your Majesty, about the Third Princess meal, I only guessed it upon hearing the maid serving the Third Princess is not in the palace. How can His Majesty leave his daughter on her own and not provide for the needs she has?" 

King Armen remained calm as he stared the man down, aware that the blubbering minister was trying to make up for his mistake. He gestured for his trusted advisor to speak now, as he was already getting tired of the issue. However,  this was not the right time to get back at the noble faction when his men were yet to investigate the incident thoroughly.

"This item in the agenda can be moved for now. When the Third Princess's servant returns, let the royal court summon Her Highness to shed light on the questions we cannot answer today. Lord Eudes announced, seeing his king turn silent. It was time to put a pause to this item in the court session about the Third Princess.

"So what should we do till then when we are all here to seek justice for our injuries and trouble caused to us?" asked one minister.

"The Royal Bureau of Investigation is working to discover the truth, minister. Till then, we expect everyone to be patient. His Majesty assures you all to punish the culprit once his identity is determined," Lord Eudes replied with a courteous smile, but his expression only offended the minister more.

Just as they were about to move to the next item on their agenda, a member of the Royal Bureau of Investigation entered the hall, and he bowed to the King. He handed a stack of papers to Lord Eudes. "Your Majesty, the preliminary investigation report about the incident last night."

King Armen nodded as he accepted the documents from his advisor. "What of the dead bodies?"

"To answer Your Majesty's question, we have found that the guards were first attacked with swords as they have multiple sword wounds, both stabs, and cuts, on their bodies. From how deep the wounds were measured, the guards fought for a long time and were later strangled by a rope around their necks. Also…" The investigator stopped. 

"Continue," Lord Eudes instructed. 

"The guards were not killed by strangling. The examiners determined that their limbs were broken, and they were tortured while they were still alive. Also, after talking to the captain of the royal brigade, we have determined that the guards were high-level knights capable of defeating two or more ordinary soldiers on their own. With two trained knights, it cannot be done by any single person but probably ambushed by a group of about six men or more, probably hired mercenaries or assassins ."