Chapter 88. The Royal Palace in Uproar at Midnight
The violent fluctuations of Dou Qi drew the real Palace Knights.
Hurried footsteps approached from far to near. William slowly came back to himself from his daze and looked up, only to see dozens of knights in standard-issue Royal Armor already rushing toward him.
The knights looked at the twelve corpses on the ground. Their armor and uniforms were unmistakably the standard gear of Palace Knights. Their expressions instantly turned grave, and they all dropped to one knee.
“Your Highness, are you unharmed?”
William’s expression remained cold as his gaze swept across the bodies. He truly had not expected that someone could smuggle twelve death warriors at the level of Sky Knights into the palace guard. Only a handful of people in the royal palace could make a move of that scale.
While he was still thinking, two more figures hurried over. Royal Chief Steward Pand was dressed in a neat tailcoat, and behind him followed a Legendary knight with a heavy, restrained presence.
The knight merely swept a glance across the scene. Seeing that the danger had already been resolved, he gave Pand a slight nod, then turned and departed without a sound.
Pand’s gaze fell upon the twelve corpses, and his grizzled brows drew tightly together. When he looked at William, lingering fear could still be heard in his voice.
“Your Highness, are you all right?”
“I am fine.”
William spoke calmly, his gaze passing over the identical fatal wounds at the assassins’ throats.
“Fortunately, the Shadow Guard Father King arranged for me acted in time. Otherwise, the corpse you would be looking at now would be mine.”
Pand, however, shook his head, his tone certain.
“Your Highness, the Shadow Guards His Majesty arranged for you are at most only Sky-rank combatants. They could not possibly be Legends.”
“To kill twelve Sky Knights in an instant, only a Legendary Combatant of the assassin class could have done it. It may have something to do with the Royal Family Secret Realm...”
He paused, swallowing the rest of the words that had reached his lips.
“Enough. So long as Your Highness is safe, that is already a blessing. I will report this matter to His Majesty at once. We must investigate it thoroughly.”
“Very few people could mobilize Sky Knights and have them disguised as palace guards.” William looked at Pand. “Sir Pand, I will leave the trouble to you.”
“It is my duty to ease Your Highness’s burdens.”
Pand bowed in acknowledgment, immediately ordered the knights to seal off the scene, and then strode quickly toward the Royal Study.
William said nothing more and turned toward his own palace.
The royal palace beneath the night sky seemed wrapped in an invisible layer of tension. There were several times more patrolling Palace Knights than usual, and the scraping of armor and the thud of boots against stone intertwined to shatter the silence of the deep night.
The soldiers of the Royal First Monster Legion stood fully armed, guarding the palace gates and every major thoroughfare. Even the air itself seemed taut with hostility. Palace servants hurried back and forth, whispering among themselves, their voices full of unease.
Inside the Royal Study, the atmosphere was even heavier, almost thick enough to drip.
Kroll II sat at the head seat, his fingers clenched tightly around his scepter as his blade-like gaze swept over the five people standing before him.
Three of them were white-haired princes, his own paternal uncles. The other two were trusted senior ministers who had followed him for many years. All five were core figures with the authority to mobilize the Palace Knights.
“Three of you are my elders, and the other two are the men I trust most.”
Kroll II’s voice was low like muffled thunder.
“I truly cannot understand why anyone would move against a child.”
Prince Ed, who oversaw the Palace Knight Legion, was the first to step forward. Bowing, he said, “Your Majesty, our investigation shows that the assassination attempt took place within the patrol sector of the Seventh Squad of the Third Battalion.”
“At the time of the incident, the Seventh Squad, which should have been on duty, had been transferred away for rest. The ones who replaced them on patrol were precisely this squad of impostor knights, and the one who ordered the change in deployment was Prince Ladio, Commander of the Royal Guard.”
“Utter nonsense.”
Prince Ladio suddenly raised his head, his aged face full of fury.
“I never issued such an order. Ed, do you dare forge a transfer order to frame me?”
“The order bears your personal seal. Is that false as well?”
Ed let out a cold laugh and drew a parchment scroll from his robes.
“Your Majesty, please look. The seal on this is certainly no forgery.”
Kroll II took the parchment, his fingertips brushing over the familiar princely seal. His expression darkened even further. He turned to the other princes.
“Do any of you have anything to say?”
One old prince, who had remained silent until now, let out a sigh.
“Your Majesty, Ladio is hot-tempered, but he is not the sort of man who would lay murderous hands on a prince. Ed and he have long been at odds. Could it be that...”
“You mean I framed him?”
Ed immediately shot back.
“Now that the Fourth Prince has been attacked, the royal family’s reputation has already been dragged through the mud. Why would I choose this moment to throw us into even greater chaos?”
The argument inside the Royal Study only grew louder. All five men insisted on their own version of events and accused one another, yet not one of them could produce conclusive evidence.
Kroll II suddenly slammed his palm down on the desk. A crack instantly split across the rosewood surface.
“Enough.”
The arguing stopped at once.
“From this moment onward, all five of you are suspended from your duties. Remain in your residences and do not step outside.”
Kroll II rose to his feet and looked at Pand.
“Pand, take men and assume control over the dispatch authority of the Palace Knight Legion. Thoroughly investigate all transfer records. In addition, bring me Ladio’s personal seal and compare it for authenticity.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Pand stepped out from the shadows and bowed to receive the order.
The five men all wore different expressions, but none dared defy him. They could only bow and withdraw.
As the night grew deeper, William’s palace remained brightly lit.
When Zoe heard the news of the assassination attempt, she had been practicing swordsmanship. She stopped at once and hurried to William’s palace, grabbing his arm and looking him up and down.
“Are you really all right? Are you hurt anywhere?”
Before she had even finished speaking, Vivian also arrived in a rush. The moment she saw William standing there safe and sound, her eyes reddened instantly.
“They would not even let you be at peace inside the palace... Those people have truly grown lawless.”
“Your father is already investigating. There are only so few suspects. Before dawn, there will definitely be a result. No matter who is behind this, they must pay the price.”
Zoe nodded repeatedly at the side. “Exactly. Anyone who dares touch His Highness must be tired of living.”
As they were speaking, the voice of a Palace Knight came from outside.
“Your Highness, Fourth Prince, His Majesty requests that you proceed to the Royal Study immediately.”
William nodded in acknowledgment and turned to leave.
Zoe wanted to follow, but he stopped her.
“Stay here and keep Mother company. I will go and return soon.”
As Zoe watched his back disappear through the doorway, she could not help stamping her foot, her face full of worry.
Seeing her like this, Vivian suddenly laughed and teasingly pinched her flushed cheek. “You are this worried already?”
Zoe’s face turned red, and she pulled herself free from Vivian’s hand. “Your Highness.”
“All right, I will not tease you any further.”
Vivian took her hand and led her toward the inner chamber.
“Let us go inside and wait. He will not be back anytime soon.”
William followed the Palace Knight through the silent palace roads. The royal palace at night was guarded with extreme severity. Every few steps, another knight stood watch, his armor gleaming coldly beneath the moonlight.
The lamps in the Royal Study shone as bright as day. From a distance, William could already see Kroll II’s shadow on the window paper, standing motionless before the desk.
When he pushed open the door, a heavy scent of ink mixed with a faint trace of blood.
At the sight of William entering, Kroll II pointed at the dossier on the desk. “Read it yourself.”
It was the investigation report Pand had just delivered.
Prince Ladio’s personal seal had indeed been tampered with. The composition of the seal paste on the transfer order differed from the one he normally used. And among those who had access to the personal seal in his study, aside from his close attendants, there was also... the personal maid of the Second Prince’s Wife.
William’s fingertip brushed across the three words “Second Prince’s Wife,” and his eyes darkened slightly.
Kroll II sat in his chair, a trace of mockery in his voice. “Sometimes what the eyes see is not necessarily the truth. I have already investigated it. It could not have been the Second Prince’s Wife.”