Chapter 345
“But Duke Bayern is nowhere to be seen.”
It was a fact most people knew that the relationship between the husband and wife of House Bayern had been mended.
Knowing there was no impure intent behind the other party’s question, Nina smiled gently and said casually,
“He stepped out for a moment because he had something to attend to. He’ll be here soon.”
Last night, she had been able to hear from Ash how far the investigation had progressed.
As a result of making inquiries in the slums day and night, he had been able to catch the tail.
‘But the problem is that the tail was cut off…’
According to the investigation, those suspected of being the tail had been robbed and killed several days before the event took place.
Could that really be a coincidence?
‘There’s no way. They were silenced.’
No matter how common robberies were in the slums, how could it be a coincidence that they had died one after another within a few days?
Behind those ‘small’ deaths that no one paid attention to, the one who had instigated this matter must be standing.
Nina recalled what Ash had hinted at before they entered the banquet hall.
“…Marquis Crewe will be waiting for an opportunity to pin the blame on you, Wife.”
“I suppose so. He must prove the charges he claimed against me, after all.”
He was curled up and silent now, but as her husband had said, he could not remain still forever.
The moment the investigation results came out, not only would Duchess Nord fall into an endless abyss, he himself would also have to endure the humiliation of kneeling.
“Therefore, I’ll put pressure on Marquis Crewe until he loses patience.”
He was probably already anxious as it was.
But if even a little stimulation were added here, Marquis Crewe would not be able to endure his impatience.
That might lead to a fatal mistake.
“Wife, this time, I will protect your honor… and make that man kneel before you.”
Recalling her husband’s resolute promise, Nina looked somewhere with a worried expression.
‘…What exactly is he planning to do?’
Where her gaze was directed, Ash and Marquis Crewe were facing each other in a strange atmosphere.
Ash was striding forward on his long, well-shaped legs.
Who did not know of the conflict between Duke Bayern and Marquis Crewe?
The nobles gathered in the banquet hall stepped back with gazes where tension and excitement were strangely mixed.
Everyone knew his destination was before Marquis Crewe.
Arriving in front of Marquis Crewe, Ash swept his gaze over the hall with an indifferent expression.
“I don’t see Duke Nord.”
At the question tinged with mockery, Marquis Crewe’s eyebrows twitched.
Marquis Crewe, too, had inwardly been wondering about the absence of his granddaughter’s husband.
“I saw the carriage of House Nord heading toward the red-light district earlier. Surely he didn’t head to that place in the middle of all this?”
“What kind of reckless words are those?”
Marquis Crewe glared, and those who had been watching the meeting between the two with bated breath drew in sharp breaths.
The red-light district!
It was an open fact that the relationship between Duke Nord and his wife was worse than could be.
But even so.
At a time when he ought to be showing devoted loyalty to the Imperial Family and promoting his innocence publicly, he headed to the red-light district?
This was something he should not do as a husband, or as the head of a family.
Was he not even afraid of the Imperial Family!
They knew Duke Nord was a scoundrel, but they had not expected him to cause such a major incident together with his wife, so the surroundings began to stir.
“I only spoke the truth, yet you call it reckless. I understand that you must be out of your mind because of your granddaughter’s thoughtless deed, but no matter how much you deny reality, nothing will change, will it?”
Marquis Crewe, whose sore spot had been struck directly, said as if grinding his teeth, veins standing out on his forehead.
“…Duke Nord was merely unable to attend because he collapsed from worrying about his wife. Are you perhaps trying to damage House Nord’s honor with a groundless slander because you fear the investigation results?”
“…Well.”
Ash spoke meaningfully with a crooked smile.
At that smile, an ominous feeling crept up Marquis Crewe’s back.
‘Surely not… That cannot be!’
Tracing back rumors that had grown as dense as clouds would take a long time.
Moreover, this matter was being investigated not with one specific person in mind, but with a broad group as the target, so even more time was needed.
Besides, the poor who had been instigated by his informant had already long since become cold corpses, hadn’t they?
