Chapter 172: There is

Chapter 172: There is

“In addition, the accusations of treason involve the alleged act of selling Queen Lila Kaistein and Princess Elaira Kaistein to another country, supported by concrete evidence. Should the accused wish to present a defense, she is granted the opportunity to speak.”

Silence fell over the queen’s palace at Ian’s shocking words.

In that moment, the First Princess snapped back to reality and shouted, her eyes wide.

“What do you mean? Sold them to another country?”

“That’s correct. Your Majesty the Queen has sold my mother and sister to the Holy Empire.”

“Youngest... No, Ian, do you even realize how ridiculous that sounds?”

“Of course. I am fully aware.”

The First Princess flinched and looked at King Eloin, who appeared remarkably calm.

His eyes carried a look that seemed to say he had expected this all along.

It made sense, in a way.

‘He must have done some research after discovering that Ian’s mother and sister were still alive.’

With the abilities of the Black Lion Knights, the king probably had a rough idea of the situation.

He probably didn’t know they were connected to the Queen and the Empire.

King Eloin maintained a composed expression as he pressed the queen.

“While the fabricated decree is one issue, this cannot be disregarded, Queen.”

“...”

“If you don’t say anything, can I take it that you agree with the Seventh Prince?”

Yet the queen maintained her silence.

But the queen still remained silent.

To the First Princess, it seemed as if the queen was reluctantly admitting her wrongdoing. However, Ian did not see it that way.

‘You’re trying to think of a way out of this, aren’t you?’

In an instant, his eyebrows shot up.

There was no chance of escape.

The very fact that he brought this up now was meant to ensure she couldn’t find a way out.

‘The Queen is alone. There are no Council of Elders to aid her, no nobles to support and protect the Empire.’

Nobles were being summoned due to the fabricated decree implicating Jarken, the deputy chairman of the council.

What consequences would arise if the council intervened to defend the queen at this critical juncture?

The council would face total destruction at the hands of the enraged King Eloin.

No, he would ensure it.

It was only natural.

‘The mastermind behind the past exile of my mother involves not only the Queen but also the Council of Elders.’

The most important duty of the Council of Elders was to protect the members of the royal family.

That was why powerful elder knights, including the Guardians, had been dispatched to safeguard them.

However, there was no way the Council, which was said to consider the royal family’s ancestry, would have liked his mother, who was a maid.

‘Otherwise, my mother wouldn’t have been able to escape so easily from the palace.’

Ian had no intention of letting the queen or anyone related to his mother go unpunished. With a smirk, he thought,

‘Finally, I am getting the revenge I was unable to achieve in my previous life.’

Punishing the queen, the country’s mother, was, of course, a cautious task.

Moreover, even a king couldn’t easily publicize matters related to his mother and younger sister.

If formal procedures had been followed, there was a significant possibility that he would have simply brushed the matter aside to avoid drawing attention.

Internal struggles within the royal family were likely considered shameful to outsiders.

‘The best she would have received was a disapproving glance from King Eloin.’

Had all transpired smoothly, she might have been banished to a remote estate like Duke Garcia.

However, circumstances had shifted.

There were only four members of the royal family and three Black Lion Knights present, yet a trial to punish the queen was on the verge of taking place alongside the fabricated decree issue.

A trial composed solely of the king and members of the royal family. They could pass judgment without concern for external opinions.

‘I have awaited this moment.’

Ian then asked, “Please present your defense. How will you refute my claims?”

The queen slowly raised her head.

Her cold eyes conveyed no emotion whatsoever.

“I do not understand what you are suddenly talking about. As queen responsible for the inner court, I may be lacking in some respects, but I have committed no crime.”

“Is that so? Do you not regret those words?”

“Bring forth the evidence if you have it.”

The queen shot a cold glance at King Eloin.

“And you, Your Majesty. To be so easily swayed by the words of an inexperienced child and to put me in such a difficult situation. I’m truly disappointed.”

“Queen, do you truly...?”

“Of course. As the head of the inner court, I would never be involved in such shameless acts.”

The queen spoke confidently.

“At that time, the first prince was the crown prince and still in good health, and I was raising the second prince and the first princess myself. If I had disliked the First Prince’s mother, I would have shown it. But I had no time to hate that child’s mother.”

“Well, he claims there is evidence now, Queen?”

“Is that so? In that case, I too wish to see this so-called evidence.”

All he saw was a bloody item with the queen’s emblem.

But it had been well-hidden among the second prince’s treasures.

‘Furthermore, that bastard had been sending people to retrieve this item all along.’

It was so important that the Second Prince, who had been robbed of his palace, would go to great lengths to get it back.

Of course, it had been discovered and taken care of beforehand.

And, although he didn’t realize it at the time, Ian discovered it after meeting his mother and sister.

‘It belonged to the knight who tried to kill my mother, didn’t it?’

His mother, Lila, had heard that she was only able to get the item because of the knight’s sacrifice to protect her.

It should have been in his mother’s possession.

“Ironically, the first to find my mother was the second prince. And he took this from her and handed her over to the Holy Empire.”

“Huh...”

“And he was hiding it the whole time. To someday use it as the Queen’s weakness.”

“...”

In that very moment, the brooch in Ian’s hand opened up.

Click.

A green gem.

It had the same function as the amulet Ian had once held.

The only difference was that it displayed a single sentence.

A sentence that should have ended the mission, or at least disappeared with Lila’s death.

But because the mission was not completed, a sentence that had lingered for over a decade appeared.

[Deal with the lowly and hand the dirty ones over to the priest.]

The queen’s eyes wavered at those words.

No matter how much she tried to insist otherwise, she realized that it was futile.

The First Princess also found it hard to breathe.

She understood that the second prince had bound her with an oath, but—

‘I never thought he would reach out to her.’

She’d never imagined it.

Of course, neither did the Queen.

She had turned a blind eye to the fact that spies had infiltrated her palace until now.

The queen quickly clung to King Eloin.

“Your Majesty, I will explain everything. The truth is that, all of this was for you...”

“Silence.”

King Eloin brushed the queen’s hand away. He then talked in a colder tone than ever.

“How far do you plan to disappoint me? A queen serving her husband attempts to assassinate another wife. And now you dare to lie to me in the face of the truth?”

“Your Majesty, that’s not what happened...”

“Enough!”

King Eloin snatched the token from the queen’s hand.

It was the one that had earned her her rightful place as queen.

He commanded the Black Lion Knights in a harsh voice.

“Arrest the Queen. No, sinner. Take her deep into the underground prison, where no one can see her, and closely monitor her.”

“Your Majesty! How could you do this to me...”

“This is my final mercy towards you, who has tarnished the dignity of the royal family,” King Eloin coldly shouted.

“From this point on, you will exist only in name as queen, and you shall never return to the palace again.”

“Your Maaaaajesty!”

At the king’s command, the Black Lion Knights dragged the queen away.

She struggled fiercely, trying to resist, but could not withstand the strength of the strong men. Thus, the queen was taken away.

“Thank you for your hard work,” King Eloin said, placing a hand on Ian’s shoulder.

He had been preparing to cleanse the rotting parts of the royal family from the very beginning.

He’d been gnashing his teeth ever since the untimely death of his favorite successor, the First Prince.

‘But it wasn’t easy. The Council, the inner court, and the nobles were all tightly knit together.’

Even during his predecessor’s reign, he had eliminated someone who disrespected the royal family, but remnants of that still remained.

He had spent a long time quietly waiting, biding his time to draw them out.

The succession struggle itself was a diversion to redirect their attention and work behind the scenes.

But thanks to Ian, he had managed to pull them out more easily than he had anticipated.

‘Moreover, I was also able to deal with those connected to the Holy Empire altogether.’

Not just that.

He also found his wife and daughter, who he had thought were dead.

So, King Eloin asked in a gentle voice.

“Is there anything you desire?”

In response to those words, Ian raised the corners of his mouth in a smile.

“Yes, there is.”

And at Ian’s words, the First Princess’s face hardened.