Sword of Salvation-Chapter 94: - A Fool; Gaining Power (3)

No one said anything.

The 25-year-old man intensely observed his siblings, watching them closely. Of course, Viertino had no doubt that the culprit was Vincent—and to a lesser extent, Linea. However, he didn’t want to reveal that he already knew. Viertino pretended to be unaware to make this meeting more interesting.

"Viola, don’t you have something to say?" Viertino asked his nearly same-aged sister, his lips curving as if implying something.

The question was not well received by the princess. "Are you accusing me, Vier?" she asked with a sharp glare. "Do you realize how foolish that accusation is? I’m not obsessed with the throne. My only goal is to dominate the trade in this land. While I wouldn’t refuse if I were chosen to inherit the throne, I have no reason to plot the emperor’s death."

Viertino’s lips curled gently. "I’m not accusing you," he said. "I was simply asking—don’t you have anything to say? You have many connections, so I assumed you might know something."

"Why don’t you ask Linea?" Viola asked harshly. "I don’t know how many times she’s slept with Marquis Sergey, but it’s clear she’s warmed that disgusting man’s bed. Maybe Linea knows something."

"Oh, how cruel you are, Sister Viola. How could you indirectly insult your little sister like this? Ah, are you perhaps jealous because I’m so experienced while you’re still clueless? Don’t be like that. You know our grandmother was the same as me, don’t you? Insulting me is the same as insulting our father’s mother. Your mother was a former prostitute, wasn’t she, Father? Oh, and I heard your mother was also a former prostitute, Brother Vier. Has it never crossed your mind that my father might not actually be your father?"

The room immediately fell into a deeper silence than before.

Viertino was neither angry nor upset. What Linea said was the truth. His mother was indeed a former prostitute. However, he had no doubt that he was the emperor’s son. His eyes were the same as that man’s. So was his skin color. Viertino was one hundred percent entitled to inherit his father’s throne.

But the same couldn’t be said for Zalestino. The man casted a sharp gaze at the princess. "If I hear those words come out of your mouth again," he hissed, "I will strip you of your status as a princess on the spot. Do you understand, Linea?"

"Of course, Father. Forgive my impudence."

Viertino curled his lips once more. "What about you, Vincent?" he asked, bringing the conversation back to the main issue. "Do you know something?"

All eyes turned to Vincent.

"I can’t deny that I have connections with certain criminal groups, but I didn’t do what is being accused here. I only used those criminals to handle my dirty work. Hmm, what if someone deliberately orchestrated all of this to divide us?"

Hearing Vincent’s words, Viertino instinctively turned to their eldest brother. However, contrary to Vincent’s expectations, the former crown prince did not support him. The man chose to remain silent, unwilling to voice anything. This was unsurprising; Viertino knew his brother was reluctant to go against their father.

"What about the rest of you?" Viertino asked the others.

But none of them spoke.

Viertino nodded slightly and turned to face the emperor. "It seems no one is willing to confess, Father," he said. "I think there’s no need to wait any longer. I know you already know who the culprit is, Father."

"You’re right, Viertino. I’m slightly disappointed." Zalestino shook his head and casted an intense gaze at his fourth daughter. "Reveal everything, Athenia. Earlier, I said I would lighten the punishment if someone confessed, but since no one did, I can’t fulfill that promise."

All eyes immediately focused on the princess. Various expressions filled their faces. The most obvious was Vincent’s expression. He struggled to hide his panic, but that only made his distress more apparent.

Game over, huh, Vincent?—Viertino murmured in his heart.

"Thank you for the opportunity, Father," Athenia said as she stood, pulling several sheets of paper from her robe.

"I couldn’t just stand by and let the mastermind behind the attempt on Brother Viertino’s life go unpunished," Athenia began. "So, I hired mercenaries from Ultores to conduct an investigation for me. They managed to uncover the culprit, but not only that—they accidentally discovered an even more shocking truth."

The atmosphere grew tense.

"Brother Vincent, you have done something that has greatly harmed the imperial palace. Worse than that, you have conspired with the One Mind organization to take control of the empire. You planned to use them to assassinate Father during his birthday celebration in three months. One Mind demanded an upfront payment of 150 million escal, and you even paid them.

"From there, we also found evidence that you and Sister Linea helped several nobles embezzle taxes, though not as extensively as Marquis Sergey. I have all the proof here, including a reply letter from One Mind’s leader confirming that they would ensure Father’s death on his birthday. Feel free to see for yourselves."

Athenia handed over the sheets for everyone to read.

Expressions of shock filled their faces as they read the contents. Linea and Vincent were the most stunned.

Linea immediately denied everything. She claimed that all the money she received from the nobles, especially Sergey, was not payment for helping them embezzle taxes. Instead, she insisted that it was payment for allowing those nobles to satisfy their desires with her body.

Unlike Linea, Vincent didn’t try to defend himself. He immediately accused Athenia of fabricating everything to destroy him. Vincent quickly concocted a theory that Athenia had framed him, making him a scapegoat. He even accused her of being the one who had actually tried to kill Viertino.

"Brother Vincent, if all of this evidence is false, if everything you accuse me of is true, then why did you pay criminals to kill me? I deliberately met with Marquis Sergey to gather more proof, but you realized that and acted immediately. You came here full of confidence because you thought I was dead, didn’t you? But the moment you saw me sitting here, you were shocked. You can’t hide behind that ridiculous excuse anymore."

Vincent opened his mouth to argue, but no words came out.

If he hadn’t shown shock earlier, he might have still had a way to deny it. Vincent knew that, which was why he couldn’t immediately come up with a rebuttal. He could try using another flimsy excuse, but without further evidence, he wouldn’t be able to escape the accusations.

"Do you have any proof to disprove Athenia’s allegations, Vincent?" Viertino asked with an amused smile.

Vincent didn’t hear Viertino’s voice. Even if he had, he wouldn’t have cared. The prince’s focus was now locked solely on Athenia. The veins in his neck tensed, his fists clenched, and his teeth gnashed in fury. In his eyes, there was no one else in the room besides him and Athenia.

And in the blink of an eye, Vincent leaped from his seat, flames erupting around him. He lunged at Athenia, wielding a blazing sword. If he couldn’t escape from this cornered situation, then at the very least, he would destroy the person responsible for putting him there. No matter what awaited him, as long as Athenia died with him, he could find some satisfaction.

However, the fiery blade never reached its target. It was halted just an inch before striking Athenia’s neck.

Vincent’s eyes widened as he processed what had happened. That damned bastard had stopped his sword—but what shocked him the most was that it had been blocked with just a single index finger.

"You...! How—"

Vincent never got the chance to finish his curse. Mariel had already sent him flying with a small wind blast from his mouth. The third prince of the empire was hurled violently into the wall.