CH 183

Chapter 183 – Arrest her

Translator – Yue

“Yes”. Basil nodded. “After the viscount’s wife passed away, his lover Leticia became his new wife. Afterwards, she became Count Clovis’ lover”.

“Did you find additional information about the deaths of Count Alessin and Viscount Olbach’s first wife?”

“Of course! You may always count on me, Your Majesty!”

Basil gave Igor a single sheet of paper.

“I interviewed a servant who used to work on Count Alessin’s home. According to the witness, the day before the Count died he had a horrible argument with his daughter. The next day, the Count was found lying on the floor with a bottle of poison in his hand”.

“And they regarded his death by poison as suicide?”

Basil nodded. “Because Count Alessin had huge debts to his name at the time, House Alessin wanted his death to be resolved quickly. What’s more, his only family member, the queen, was abroad”.

“And what about the death of the Viscount’s wife?”

“After finding out that her husband had a lover, she died shortly after by committing suicide with poison. Her actions brought shame to her family, so her death was quietly swept under the rug”.

Basil sighed.

“There are suspicions, Your Majesty, that Count Clovis helped facilitate the viscount’s wife death. The investigation of her death was carried out too lightly and rather hurriedly. What’s more, the detective in charge was hired by the Count”.

“Is there any information regarding what type of poison they used?” Igor asked.

“Yes, that information has been revealed in the investigation. Both the viscount’s former wife and Count Alessin ingested a poisonous plant named talis. But this plant has a peculiar characteristic, my king. Talis is a poisonous plant, but usually…”

“People don’t usually use talis to commit suicide. It’s a toxic substance that makes the victim suffer utter pain, as though they were in the deepest pits of hell” Igor added.

Basil looked at Igor, his eyes widened.

“How do you know that? But it’s true. Even though talis is effective and quick, it causes the victim too much pain to be used for suicide. It would destroy the victim’s organs and make them throw up blood nonstop before finally finding themselves at death’s hands. Thus, even if one were to commit suicide, it would be with other poisonous plants, definitely not talis”,

Igor’s fist tightened. With those words, he felt as though ants were crawling all over his skin.

“Arrest her”. He growled.

Basil nodded. “Yes… even though there isn’t enough evidence, it should be enough to make her confess her crimes”.

“No. That woman will never confess. She’ll play innocent, as though she’d never played any role in that plan”.

“If that was so, Your Majesty, then proving her guilt will be difficult. Even before, no definite proof was ever found…”

“That’s why it’s necessary to arrest Count Clovis”.

Basil inhaled sharply. “Count Clovis? Why…”

“For treason, of course”.

“Your Majesty!” Basil was so shocked he couldn’t help raising his voice.

Basil had seen Arundell in ruins after an inner conflict that had happened 20 years ago, so he was particularly sensitive to any event that might destroy the country. They’d barely overcome the bloodshed that happened back then, and he didn’t want anything remotely similar from ocurring again.

If Igor didn’t leave behind any heir, the crown would go to Count Clovis. If they arrested Count Clovis over treason, an inner conflict would arise.

“Your Majesty, you can’t do that without conclusive evidence”,

“You said we only needed a confession, right?” Igor replied.

“But you just said that that woman would never confess her sins…”

“Count Clovis himself will confess”

Basil looked at Igor, his jaw to the floor.

“How do you know that, Your Majesty?”

“Because he is someone who’d get rid of whomever necessary to survive. Even without back up, he’ll plot again and again in the shadows. However, if you threaten him for whatever reason, he’ll immediately turn into the world’s most servile man and will bow to the floor, Basil”.

“But…”

“Arrest him for now. If we do that, he’ll confess all his sins without us doing anything”.

“But that’s too dangerous! Please reconsider Count Clovis’ arrest, Your Majesty”.

“Basil, Rihannan will give birth to my child… our baby…”

“Yes, that’s why please rec-… what?!”

“Rihannan is pregnant”.

Basil’s mouth gaped.

“Aksahfksja!!! What?!!!”

Basil covered his mouth, but strange sounds kept coming out.

“Is that true? Your Majesty will have a baby? Oh, my God! What a happy day! Well, happy day, the events that happened a while ago notwithstanding”.

Basil coughed.

“Please, don’t tell anyone else. No one besides you know”.

“Yes, of course. Please, don’t worry. This time I’ll keep my mouth shut”.

Basil made the gesture of sewing his own mouth, like a mime. After that, he smiled happily, holding his cheeks. He spoke in a happy tone. “All that Her Majesty the queen needs to do right now is give birth to a prince. We won’t have to worry anymore about the heir issue”.

“Even if the newborn baby is a princess, she’ll inherit my throne”.

“Eh? But…”

Basil remembered what the Queen Mother went through as a princess. If the baby was born a girl and inherited the crown, a case similar to the Queen Mother’s would be repeated, shacking the kingdom upside-down.

Igor looked at Basil’s worried face and smiled bitterly. “Rihannan has a weak constitution. It will be impossible for her to give birth to another baby. Even giving birth to this baby will be harsh on her. It’s ok if we only have one child. That’s enough for both of us”.

Igor sighed. “Basil, I don’t want my daughter to walk down the same path as my mother. To make sure that doesn’t happen, we must take care of Count Clovis first. He is always lusting after my position, and he won’t hesitate to put my daughter in danger as long as he achieves his goal”.

In the past, both Leticia and Count Clovis worked together, each making plans to achieve their own selfish goals. One was after the king’s throne, the other after the queen’s death. In spite of Count Alessin’s death, both evil beings found a way to meet again in this life. Igor wondered if this was all part of a perverse destiny.

“Don’t worry. I do not want to start a bloodshed. I only want to strip him and his relatives of any right to ascend the throne”.

“His right to inherit the throne?”

“Yes. That’s the only sin they’ve committed so far, and that will be their punishment”.

Igor wasn’t planning on taking their lives. They would be all safe, now and in the future.

“I’m sure there is a servant named Rode among the people working in the Main Palace, right?”

Basil’s eyes widened.

“Yes… that’s right… but, why would you remember the name of a humble servant?”

“He is a spy placed there by Count Clovis”.

“Eh?”

“He’s been reporting all that’s happened in the Castle every day for the past years. Whether I was suffering, if I threw up my food… things like that”.

“If you knew what was happening, why did you leave him alone, Your Majesty?!” Basil roared, enraged.

“If I have to catch a rat, I might as well do it when it’s useful” Igor calmly replied.

“Then you should have told me before, at the very least!”