Unfortunately, Lennox still didn't seem to understand his situation.
You don't look upset that your mansion has been raided, do you? I spoke to him in a gentle tone.
"The evidence of your treasonous pact has been revealed, Your Excellency."
"Lies! I never plotted such a thing!" Lennox glared at me, his eyes filled with bloodshot rage.
I simply tilted my head. "Well, I don't know. Whether it's true or false remains to be seen."
"Ha..." Lennox, breathing heavily, was so enraged that he lunged toward me. However, his attempt was immediately thwarted by Isaac.
"If you have something to say, say it," Isaac said, grabbing Lennox by the neck.
I thought that would be the end of it, but Isaac tightened his grip on Lennox's collar, lifting him. Lennox's face turned a ridiculous shade of red as he was held up by his shirt.
"What is this?" I raised a hand to my mouth to stifle my laughter. "He looks so pathetic."
"It's not enough that you broke into my home, now you're being insolent and rude!" Lennox protested angrily, but Isaac remained completely calm. He held Lennox's collar even tighter, his grip unshakable.
"Apologize to Meldenik," Isaac demanded.
"Why should I apologize to that woman?"
"If you want to be returned to the Imperial Palace with everything intact..." Isaac's cold gaze drifted down, stopping directly on Lennox's trousers. "... you can apologize. Otherwise, you'll be missing something you can't use anyway."
Lennox bit his lip. "...I apologize for my excessive remarks. But... who are you, exactly? Your face is familiar."
He flinched, then gave up and simply glared at Isaac. He must have sensed the overwhelming difference in their strength. From the moment Isaac stepped forward, Lennox's aura wouldn't have been functioning properly. And when Isaac grabbed him, no one came to help, so he had no choice but to stand still.
"Cooperate with the investigation," Isaac ignored his question, his voice low. "It is His Majesty's order to transport you."
Lennox muttered weakly, "If this is a baseless claim, you'll be giving up your neck."
Isaac slammed Lennox to the floor like an abandoned dog, then whispered a small incantation. Instantly, Lennox's arms and legs were bound tightly to his body, as if tied with an invisible rope.
"It's cool inside," I said, a slight smile on my face.
Wait… Duke Hesman stole from the Mage Tower and murdered a wizard?
"Yes, Your Majesty."
I recalled the previous night when I had visited the emperor. He held a hand to his temple and let out a long sigh. Understanding the sadness and sorrow in that sigh, I remained silent and just looked at him.
"But that alone cannot be used to punish the head of a family who serves the empire."
I spoke confidently, remembering the letter from the secret wizard that Isaac and I had reviewed in the carriage. That's not all. Duke Hesman also smuggled top-secret imperial documents while trading with other principalities.
The emperor, who had a friendly, bear-like face, suddenly hardened. Are you talking about top-secret documents?
Yes. There are minutes from the meeting. It's a document regarding the military and secret affairs of the empire.
The emperor's eyes widened. Isn't that treason?! he shouted.
Yes, it's treason. We infiltrated the Hesman family and found the meeting minutes of those who participated in the rebellion. The names of the conspirators are also listed.
The Duke of Babylon and the Duke of Hesman were the two pillars that firmly supported the empire. But recently, the Duke of Babylon had seemed to go mad, and his successor was on trial in prison. Now, the Duke of Hesman was involved in a rebellion.
The emperor's resolve was firm. Regardless of the authenticity, collect the meeting minutes. If it's true... we must cut out the rot.
After spending all night verifying the authenticity of the meeting minutes, the truth was revealed. The evidence of smuggling the imperial military list to other countries has been revealed. If we conduct a search and seizure, there will be much more.
As I reminisced, Lennox seemed to have spotted a line of Imperial Knights outside the window.
"This is..." Realizing he was about to be dragged to the palace, he muttered to me in a furious voice. "When I return to my family, I will not stand by and do nothing. Do you understand?"
He clearly thought that the treason he was being framed for would be dismissed. I understood his line of thinking: if he were arrested, his trusted aides would try to destroy the evidence. What if he could destroy the evidence of the rebellion and spread the rumor that he was simply interacting with the Mado Kingdom?
Such a difficult situation should be easy for him to overcome. After all, communicating with the Demon Kingdom is the dream and hope of all the powerful people on the continent. Lennox probably thought that no one would dare accuse the Hesman family, an object of admiration who had fulfilled such a dream, of a crime with no solid evidence.
But... would he really get to fulfill his dream? I uncrossed my arms and a faint smile appeared on my lips. "It's time," I murmured.
I stared at Lennox, my smile growing even wider. He had a premonition that he wouldn't be able to escape this place. Since his strength and aura had been suppressed by magic, it was only natural that he would try to plan for the future and prove his innocence.
He looked around. "Now, let's go to the Imperial Palace," he said.
But no one moved.
I whispered to him calmly. "We don't have time for that yet."
"What...?"
As soon as our conversation ended, the Hesman family's knight commander and butler rushed in at the perfect moment. The butler, with his hair in disarray, hurried over to Lennox and whispered, "Sir! The Marquis of Padel and his wife from the Mado Kingdom have arrived!"
A bright smile spread across Lennox's face. He was overjoyed by the sudden appearance of the Marquis of Padel—his only lifeline to get out of this situation.
Do you really think the couple from the Demon Kingdom will help you? Even if they did, you wouldn't be released immediately because this is a crime of treason. Your thinking is so shortsighted.
Lennox puffed out his chest, his spirits renewed. However, the situation was not going to go as he expected.
I watched as the Marquis and his wife, Padel, turned the corner of the hallway and I tilted my head slightly. "Excuse me. It's a pleasure to finally meet you all," the Marquis said to us, including Lennox.
"It's the first time—" Lennox began, looking at the Padel couple, but his expression twisted in confusion. He naturally assumed he had met the Marquis of Padel just yesterday.
"What is this?"
Marquis Padel, standing straight in the center of the hall, stroked his handsome mustache. "I received a strange letter from the Hesman family," he said.
"Yes, I wrote a letter about our contract," Lennox stammered awkwardly.
"A contract?" Mrs. Hayne, standing beside the Marquis, widened her eyes and looked genuinely confused.
Even though I knew the whole situation, I couldn't help but look at Lennox with pity. At this point, he seemed to be guessing what was happening. The fact that his plan was collapsing like a sandcastle. Mrs. Hayne cried out, confirming his painful guess.
"We're just here to tell you that there are scammers impersonating us!"
"What...?"
"We've never been to this family before, have we? This is the first time we've met you! We think you've been scammed!"
Mrs. Hayne, who spoke with a lively energy that was rare for an old noble, finished her words, and Lennox stumbled back in shock.
"What, what is this? Obviously..."
"My wife and I have no intention of interacting with the head of the Hesman family at all," the Marquis said sharply.
Lennox's face collapsed. His lifeline was gone, and he was crumbling. I narrowed my eyes slightly at the Marquis of Padel. Mrs. Hayne continued the story, saying what we had agreed on in advance.
"Oh, that's right. I have something else to say!"
I played along, asking seriously, "What is it?"
"I interrogated the scammers and retrieved the tiara and necklace they were given. Oh, and of course..." she continued, "they died for breaking confidentiality."
In reality, they weren't dead; they were still alive. Isaac had ensured that. Because I signed a confidentiality agreement, if we don't keep secrets, we'll die, right? I had asked him. I changed the contract just before signing. We won't die, he had replied.
We had created a fictional scammer with a fake identity, just in case Lennox tried to track them down later. They then agreed to break the confidentiality agreement and disclose the contract contents to make it look like they had died.
It was a perfect plan, I thought.
Mrs. Hayne, who had been a part of our plan, looked at me, silently asking if she should say more. I tilted my head slightly, almost imperceptibly.
Mrs. Hayne spoke sharply. "Our Demon Kingdom's special verification process had some results."
"A special verification process?" Lennox asked, stuttering.
"Yes. A tiara the scammers gave me, apparently from the Hesman family. They said it was stolen from the Kinnoa family. That's why I contacted this Marquis."
When Mrs. Hayne finished, Lennox, who had been on the defensive, only pouted and said nothing. He no longer had the cheeky and ruthless appearance he'd had before.
Finally, I spoke. I stared at Lennox, making a formal declaration. "That is why I, who have nothing to do with your treason, am here." I glared at him, a stiff gaze. "Why did the lost Kinnoa family tiara come from the Hesman family?"
Lennox tried to play innocent, turning his gaze away and whispering, "...I don't know."
I nailed the final point in a cold voice. "Your Excellency will have to prove in court that the tiara was not stolen."
You will never prove it, I thought to myself, swallowing the words. I tilted my head with a cold gaze.
Then, the surrounding knights fully restrained Lennox. In the end, he had become a criminal. He would probably never get out of prison.
Because I have all the evidence.
I looked at Lennox's back as he was quietly dragged away, my arms crossed in satisfaction.