episode_0194

“……What was that?”

Why was Fosao invited by the Piollo Family?

He was a completely unexpected person.

It was true that Fosao held the unignorable position of ‘the Queen’s husband’.

However, he had no power. Only the Queen held the authority to govern this nation. His sole duty was simply to accompany the Queen and fulfill his role as her husband.

He hadn’t even received a decent position yet, and currently held so little influence that he was no more than a mere attendant in the royal palace.

But the Piollo Family invited him?

And furthermore, they treated him with such extreme hospitality that it seemed suspicious?

“There’s something going on.”

He could only interpret it that way.

Robert immediately got out of his carriage and headed straight for the palace.

Come to think of it, it was true.

Until now, people had never bothered to get to know the individual named Fosao Modaless.

From the start, little was known about him, and there was no reason to look into it deeply.

He was merely a fat, ugly commoner, evaluated simply as a lucky fellow who coincidentally rose to the position of Queen’s consort, thanks to marrying well.

He was so unpopular that some nobles scorned him as ‘that pig hiding in the Queen’s skirts’.

Robert had thought so too.

When he thought of that disgusting pig bastard snatching away the pure and kind Tia, his blood still boiled.

But.

Was that ‘all’ there was to Fosao?

Could all of this truly be a ‘coincidence’?

As that thought crossed his mind, his boiling blood turned cold.

Perhaps there’s a secret we don’t know?

Robert’s steps had, before he knew it, reached the Royal Administration Office.

Joseph was there, working late into the night.

“Robert, my Lord? What brings you here at this late hour?”

“I came to find something out.”

“What?”

“Is the Queen’s Consort currently in the palace?”

At his question, Joseph glanced through the entry records and replied.

“No. He left a little while ago.”

“Where did he go?”

“He went to inspect the repair of the palace walls and moved with some palace guards for a short while.”

Inspection?

It was a lie.

Fosao hadn’t gone to see the walls; he went straight to the Piollo Family.

…That meant Fosao was intentionally hiding his whereabouts.

“Do you need to meet him urgently? I will send an attendant to inform you when he returns from the inspection.”

“No, there’s no need. It’s not urgent. Have a good night then.”

Robert gave a slight bow and left.

Although Joseph was one of the Queen’s close aides, Tia had entrusted this specific mission to him alone, so it seemed better not to speak carelessly.

For the time being, he decided to investigate the relationship between the Piollo Family and Fosao alone.

***

The next day.

Robert secretly met his old friend in a back alley.

He was a knight serving under the Piollo Family.

“Anything unusual lately? No. It’s been too quiet.”

“Even something minor is fine. Has nothing truly happened since the war?”

“Hmm…”

The friend, deep in thought, snapped his fingers as if something had just occurred to him.

“Oh! Right. A few days ago, I went to arrest a merchant and the chief court physician.”

“A merchant and the chief court physician?”

“Well, they said they were loyalists of the exiled king. We were dispatched on the family head’s orders.”

“So, did you catch them?”

“We caught the physician safely, but the merchant caught on first and fled.”

Robert had heard this for the first time today.

The process of arresting traitors, in particular, must all be reported to the palace. But the Piollo Family seemed to have handled it secretly using their private soldiers.

He needed to find out why that was.

“What kind of person was the merchant?”

“I don’t really know. I just went there after receiving the deployment order. But Robert, why are you asking about this?”

“You never know. That merchant might happen to catch my eye.”

“If you catch that guy, hand him over to me. Then I’ll tell you.”

“Alright.”

The friend told him about the ‘merchant’.

Having heard the detailed information, Robert immediately went and visited the place.

Whoosh—.

A harbor where the sea met the land. Amidst countless warehouses lined up in a row.

When he went to the place his friend had told him about, a single tightly closed warehouse appeared.

He asked the people living nearby who the owner of this warehouse was.

“That place? It belonged to a merchant who dealt in rare items. He was a real eccentric.”

“He said a shark bit off his privates, didn’t he?”

When he slipped them some money, he was able to hear a detailed story.

“He was a bit strange. His habit was to snicker with a villainous laugh: ‘Heheheh….’ But he was a merchant who truly sold rare things. He sold not only goods but also information. You asked if soldiers came a few days ago? Of course. They completely trashed the warehouse. What I heard was that he recently obtained ‘very dangerous information’. Perhaps that’s why he was retaliated against by some noble?”

However, they said they didn’t know anything about that ‘very dangerous information’.

The Piollo side seemed to have tried to silence him first before the information could be traded.

At this point, though he didn’t know what it was, one thing became certain.

There was something the Piollo Family was trying to hide with all their might.

And that… was undoubtedly connected to Fosao.

All these suspicious actions had occurred since Tia was instated as Queen.

His next destination was the Medical Center.

The Medical Center was an institution founded by the former king, but it barely managed to survive, considering its significant contribution to the development of Dexeo’s medical arts.

Above all, thanks to Queen Tia’s wish that the Medical Center remain as it was, this place was able to avoid the purge.

Robert told the physicians he wished to meet the chief court physician.

Then, the answer came back that the person had already ‘retired’.

This differed from his friend’s story, who said they ‘arrested’ her.

So when he bribed one of the physicians with money, a different testimony emerged.

“Soldiers suddenly came and took the chief court physician-nim. There was no resistance. I haven’t seen her since then.”

All the other physicians were left alone.

Only one person. Only the chief court physician was taken.

From what he heard, she was the most skilled physician on this continent, a very kind and upright woman. They said she was someone who practiced medicine to save people, with no relation to war or politics.

But the soldiers suddenly made her ‘retire.’ The current situation was that her position had become vacant.

“She was forcibly taken, so why are you saying she retired? Was there external pressure?”

“You’ll really… keep this a secret, won’t you? Knight-nim?”

“I swear it. I will keep it.”

The physician, looking around nervously, said in an uneasy voice.

“Two days after the chief physician-nim disappeared, Her Majesty visited the Medical Center. Before that, we were ordered not to say anything in front of Her Majesty. Her Majesty asked us where the chief court physician was, saying she really wanted to meet her, but the Grand Duke who accompanied her answered instead. He said she had already retired and her whereabouts were unknown…”

So they had prepared in advance.

Robert concluded.

As expected, though he didn’t know the exact reason, the Grand Duke Piollo prevented the ‘Queen’ and the ‘chief court physician’ from meeting each other.

Why would he have to do that?

Is there something the Queen shouldn’t know?

But even so, why would he secretly meet the Queen’s Consort Fosao, who is closest to the Queen?

Isn’t he digging his own grave?

Anyway, Fosao would tell Tia everything.

The moment he reached that conclusion.

Robert’s eyes widened.

“…No.”

Tia still knew nothing. That’s why she entrusted this mission to him in secret.

That meant.

Fosao hadn’t told Tia.

There was a truth Fosao wanted to hide from Tia.

“Then… have Grand Duke Piollo and Fosao colluded? Fosao using the Grand Duke’s power to hide his secrets, and the Grand Duke using Fosao to seize the Queen’s power?”

No other conclusion came to mind.

Thump!

Robert quickly rushed out.

He had to report immediately before it was too late.

Although he hadn’t yet reached the complete truth.

The fact that Grand Duke Piollo had been secretly doing such things behind the Queen’s back was an undeniable challenge to the royal authority.

With an urgent heart, he arrived at the palace in one breath.

As he entered the corridor leading to the Queen’s chambers, an attendant blocked his way.

Robert said in a hasty voice.

“Move aside. I have something urgent to tell Her Majesty.”

“Not now.”

“Tell Her Majesty at once. If you tell her Knight Robert is here, she will call for me.”

“I cannot do that.”

There was no time to argue with the attendant.

He simply pushed the attendant down. And without a moment’s hesitation, he sprinted down the corridor.

“Stop him!”

Two guards, guarding the main door, rushed forward and immediately seized him.

Thump!

A loud clang of armor colliding echoed loudly in the hallway.

However, Robert, though entangled, did not yield and continued to push forward.

With bull-like strength, clasping the resisting guards with both shoulders.

Forward, he pressed forward.

“Ugh— What strength…!”

Under immense force, the guards’ heels slowly slid back and caught on the main door.

Thump—!

Robert pushed the guards aside and violently burst open the main door.

“Pant— pant—.”

He lifted his head.

The Queen’s bedchamber was visible, about twenty paces away.

“Stop!”

The guards drew their swords.

He knew. He could no longer advance. If he moved without permission now, he would become an assassin who dared to attempt regicide.

But. If he raised his voice and shouted here, it would surely reach Tia’s ears in the bedchamber.

Robert raised his voice, intending to shout, ‘Your Majesty!’

At that moment.

Clatter!

Suddenly, the Queen’s bedchamber opened.

“Wh-What’s going on?”

“……!”

Robert immediately sensed his mistake.

Of all people, the one who opened the door and came out… was Fosao.

The guards, still pointing their swords at Robert, replied.

“Lord Robert said he urgently wished to meet Her Majesty…”

“Ah. *Snicker*. Is th-that so?”

Fosao turned to look at Robert.

Those unctuous, unpleasant dark eyes, whose depths couldn’t be understood.

He felt like he would vomit if he continued to face Fosao’s face, so he immediately turned his head away.

“Ah, unfortunately, not now. Our Ti-Tia needs to wash herself. Hehe—.”

“……”

Uttering words that had not an iota of authority, as good as telling them what he and the Queen had just been doing, the man grinned, baring his teeth.

Then, as if doing him a favor, he said to Robert.

“If you h-have something you wa-want to say, t-tell me. I’ll pass it on to Tia.”

“I apologize, Consort. I wish to have an audience with Her Majesty and tell her directly.”

“Ah. Sh-should I not know?”

It was a question as if asking if there was something he, as the Queen’s husband, dared not know.

A strange way of speaking, hiding a blade within his words.

Robert remained silent, not answering.

“Alright. G-guards. It’s fine, l-let him go.”

“Yes, sir!”

“Now. L-Lord Robert. G-get up.”

Fosao extended his fat hand to the freed Robert.

He didn’t particularly want to take that hand, but he couldn’t refuse the Consort’s goodwill with everyone watching.

He had no choice but to grasp that dirty, clammy hand.

Thunk.

Then Fosao closed his eyes and inhaled deeply.

“Hoo-oh—.”

He winced as if in pain, then slowly opened his eyes again with an unpleasant expression.

A brief silence fell.

Fosao grinned slyly and said.

“L-Lord Robert, you l-look very tired.”

“……Pardon?”

“Your f-face is d-dark. *Snicker*. You’ve b-been very t-tired lately, haven’t you? I’ll t-talk to Tia and s-suggest a vacation for you.”

“No. I’m fine.”

“No, no—.”

Fosao took a step closer to him, then spoke in a sinister tone, audible only to Robert.

“I th-think it’d be b-best if you st-stopped now and r-rested well. *Snicker*.”

“……!”

It was completely different.

The pig who had been stupidly stuttering moments ago was gone.

Fosao was glaring at Robert with a completely different aura.

Stop now.

It was a clear warning.

Robert felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up, one by one.

A lie.

Why…?

How did Fosao ‘know’?