A Verdict Over Wine

There would be no one in the world who addressed an emperor by name alone.

At most, perhaps the late emperor had done so when Hector was very young.

Seeing him rest his chin in his hand with a face full of amusement, Chloe felt as though she had become a court jester.

Still, since he had not ordered her dragged away immediately, she considered it a half success.

“Very well.”

“This time, I’d like to hear your introduction.”

“Which count’s house did you say it was?”

Chloe clenched the napkin resting on her knee.

She had already stated her name the night before, but he seemed to have let it pass through one ear and out the other.

“It’s the House of Larouge.”

“A family with a small territory in the Toulain region.”

The House of Larouge, with Philip as its head, had little presence at court.

Following the scheme her dead husband had laid out, she offered details about an unremarkable house.

“I came to this hunting festival at the invitation of an acquaintance of my husband.”

“It’s been quite a long time since I last visited the capital.”

“Toulain….”

“I’ve heard of it.”

“A land at the southern edge of the empire where olives grow well, was it?”

“It’s just a remote countryside.”

“Thank you for recognizing it.”

Dining with an uncomfortable companion made everything she ate feel heavy in her stomach.

A full course was laid out before Chloe, while only a wine goblet and a plate of cheese sat in front of Hector.

She was being watched in her every move.

“What happened at dawn?”

How far should she extend her lie.

Hiding her taut nerves, she dabbed her mouth with the napkin.

“In truth, my husband suddenly fell ill.”

“I was accused of causing it.”

“When the servants all rushed in and pressured me, I had no choice but to flee before I could even explain.”

“What kind of illness?”

“I don’t know.”

“When I last saw him, he was in bed.”

“That’s vague.”

“His family will be taking care of him.”

“I should return now.”

“Family….”

Listening with his body slouched inelegantly, Hector rang a small bell.

An attendant rushed over and stood behind the emperor.

A young man appeared next.

The moment Chloe recognized the familiar face, her complexion drained of color.

The man with a monocle over one clouded eye was filled with killing intent.

After slicking back his hair like a serpent’s head and bowing to the emperor, he pointed at Chloe.

“It is an honor beyond measure to behold Your Majesty.”

“My name is Guillaume Larouge.”

“I never imagined the countess would be committing such impropriety here.”

“If you hand her over to me, I will take her away and deal with her.”

Her vision swam, unable to grasp how he had arrived here.

Had Hector summoned him.

Or had he followed the emperor’s horse.

Hector leisurely shifted his posture, propping his opposite elbow on the table and resting his chin on his hand.

Chloe struggled to keep her expression steady, but she could not read his intentions at all.

“Deal with her?”

“I was told you’re a retainer of the count.”

“Have you lost your mind.”

“You don’t even know your place when speaking to the lady of the house.”

Guillaume seemed to have concealed his identity by presenting himself as a mere retainer.

Naturally, he would not openly admit to being a butcher who killed people for a living.

His dark red lips twitched stiffly in indignation.

“I am not only a long-serving vassal of the count, but legally his adopted son.”

“A contingency, in case he failed to produce an heir.”

“Now that the count has been murdered by his wife without leaving a child, the authority of the house belongs to me.”

Chloe sprang to her feet in shock.

“That’s a lie.”

“I never killed my husband.”

At this rate, she would be handed over to Guillaume without resistance.

An adopted son.

It was the first she had heard of it.

Philip had used Guillaume only for dirty work in the shadows.

He had never taken him in as a stepson.

She began to wonder what had happened in the small villa during the single day after the organization’s head had died.

Guillaume would not dare falsify his status before the emperor.

Chloe staggered delicately, like a violet struck by harsh wind.

“Your Majesty, please grant me a chance to prove my innocence.”

“Rather, it is Guillaume who is twisting the truth to seize control of House Larouge.”

She did not rashly deny that Guillaume was an adopted son.

If Hector took interest and ordered an investigation, it would only put her at a disadvantage.

By volunteering to clear herself, she could buy time and find a chance to escape.

Like fanning a flame, Hector rolled his fingers in a circle, signaling her to continue.

To the emperor, her fate was no more than a piece of cheese on the dining table.

Guillaume seized the opening to press his attack.

“Last night, the count was stabbed to death.”

“There are witnesses who saw that woman climbing over the wall and fleeing.”

“I was terrified….”

“They suddenly accused me of murder and even fired guns.”

“Don’t spout nonsense.”

“If not the wife, then who else could the murderer be?”

“When I went to the bedchamber to speak with the count, he was already dead.”

“If that were so, you should have screamed and rung the alarm bell.”

“The reason I fled is exactly this situation.”

“You accusing me as the culprit.”

“Why would I kill my husband.”

“You’re framing someone without motive because you want to swallow House Larouge whole.”

“Enough.”

After enjoying the sordid brawl, Hector finally spoke.

If she lost momentum, a bottomless abyss awaited.

Her face was now flushed with agitation.

Guillaume, too, was shouting in a voice like glass being scraped.

Hector’s deeply contoured eyes narrowed.

“All of that aside, you’re hurting my ears.”

“I don’t tolerate loud-mouthed bastards even in the privy council.”

Chloe’s throat had dried so badly she could barely speak, like a withered reed.

It was clear the one who had offended the emperor was Guillaume.

Startled, Guillaume bowed so deeply his head nearly struck the floor.

“My deepest apologies.”

“The countess is attempting deception with her paltry tongue.”

“Well….”

“That’s just your opinion.”

Like a spectator stepping into the arena, Hector rose and positioned himself between Chloe and Guillaume.

With his arms crossed and his weight shifted to one leg, he looked as disreputable as a back-alley thug.

He cast Chloe a long, unreadable glance before turning to Guillaume.

The soft click of his tongue sounded less aristocratic than utterly base.

“In my view, this matter requires some time to investigate.”

Once it became clear whose side he favored, Chloe let her eyes glisten faintly, her chest tightening.

Then the solemn judgment fell.

“For the time being, Lady Larouge will remain here.”

Guillaume, frozen under the emperor’s presence, lifted his head.

“But, Your Majesty—”

Hector’s gaze turned icy.

With a small flick of his hand, he silenced him, then strolled forward with the languid pace of a well-fed beast.

His lowered hand brushed the marble table absentmindedly.

He happened to pick up a piece of tableware resting at the edge.

It was a crystal decanter filled with wine.

A vessel that had gleamed elegantly on the table became, in his grip, a potential weapon.

“You said ‘but.’”

The downward sweep of his eyes was dangerous.

He stepped so close to Guillaume it was suffocating, placing a hand on the man’s head.

“Did you think I looked easy because I granted you an audience and deigned to speak with you?”

Guillaume dropped to his knees, his face drained of color.

He braced himself on the cold floor, shoulders shaking with fear.

He tried to apologize, but the emperor’s displeased click of the tongue stole his voice.

Over the head bowed like livestock, Hector tilted the bottle.

A liquid the color of blood coursing through human veins poured out, soaking Guillaume’s crown.

It ran over his nose, chin, and earlobes, staining his pristine white shirt red.

“You dare argue with my words….”

His tone was almost bored.

Without raising his voice, he crushed his opponent with sheer presence.

He flipped the now-empty decanter and gripped it by the neck.

Like a hammer.

The next instant, the crystal flashed through the air like a streak of the Milky Way.

Guillaume’s body, struck by the solid bottle, toppled like a rotted tree.

“To think the authority of the emperor has fallen this far.”

“It brings tears to my eyes.”

“I’ll have his head taken as a warning to others.”

Guillaume did not see Hector’s theatrics as he shook his shoulders.

He was already unconscious on the floor.

Unaware that his lifeline was about to be severed, his eyelids twitched faintly.