Chapter 381: A Slap!
The sounds of fighting kept echoing in the Eastern Castle.
As soldiers poured in, the shouting and fighting gradually lessened. Soon, Ragner brought thirteen people before Alaric.
Seeing their clothes, anger rose in Alaric's face. His body shook, and he almost fell.
"Father!" Simon quickly helped steady him.
After closing his eyes and resting for a while, Alaric slowly straightened and sighed. He asked. "Crown Prince, how do you explain this now?"
The thirteen looked much like Eldorian Empire people, but they wore reaver clothes, had messy hair, and most importantly, their hair was slightly curly, a reaver trait, same as the group who tried to kill Simon.
"Father... Father, this..." The Crown Prince was so anxious that tears nearly fell.
"Speak!" Alaric suddenly drew Ragner's sword in anger and pointed it at the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince's face turned pale from fear. He stammered. "Father, I really did not try to kill Simon. These are slaves I bought, just for playing with me."
"Playing? Playing what?" Alaric's face flushed with anger.
This was the Crown Prince, the future heir of the Eldorian Empire. Regardless of whether he tried to assassinate Simon, hiding reavers in the Eastern Castle was unforgivable. Even if half were Eldorian blood, any commoner knew their hearts belonged to the reavers.
"Playing... Playing..." The Crown Prince lay on the ground, breathing hard. Though not smart, he knew this was no excuse.
"Your Majesty, have mercy!"
Just as tension reached a breaking point, a voice came. Everyone turned to see Empress Gretchen approaching with the concubines.
"Mother! Save me!"
Seeing Empress Gretchen arrive, the Crown Prince grabbed her feet desperately.
Alaric was still angry and sneered. "You sure get news fast. Did you already know the Crown Prince was hiding reavers in the Eastern Castle? I trusted your family so much; this is how you repay me?"
Empress Gretchen didn't know what had happened.
But when she heard Alaric had brought many soldiers into the Eastern Castle, she sensed something was wrong and went there.
She hadn't expected to see Alaric pointing a sword at the Crown Prince, so she stepped in to save him.
Kneeling before Alaric, she said. "Your Majesty, I don't know what the Crown Prince did to anger you, but he is still your son and the heir. Please let him explain."
"Fine, fine. Let him explain where these reavers came from." Alaric said angrily.
Empress Gretchen helped the Crown Prince up and urgently asked. "What is going on? Tell your father clearly."
Supported by Empress Gretchen, the Crown Prince quietly said. "I bought these reavers specifically to pretend to be reavers for fun. I played the role of the reaver King, and they played the princes and generals."
Hearing this, Alaric's sword hand weakened and lowered. "What an Eldorian Empire Crown Prince, future king. You actually like playing reaver king? Ridiculous and shameful!"
By the end, Alaric almost shouted.
Empress Gretchen's face also turned cold. She slapped the Crown Prince and scolded him. "You always fool around, but now you can't even tell right from wrong! The reavers are enemies of the Eldorian Empire. How can you play such an absurd game?"
The Crown Prince had expected Empress Gretchen to defend him, but this slap stunned him. Now he finally realized how serious this was.
At this moment, Ragner hesitated and said. "Your Majesty, wounds were found on these people, probably from last night."
Ragner's words completely ignited Alaric's anger. He said. "Seal off the Eastern Castle immediately. Until the investigation is complete, no one may enter or leave without my order."
"Yes, Your Majesty!" Ragner replied.
Though Empress Gretchen wanted to plead for the Crown Prince, she knew this was not the time. And she had to know about the assassination attempt on Simon; it could be either a big or small matter.
The Crown Prince's face was deathly pale. Sealing the Eastern Castle was basically house arrest. He looked at Simon with hatred and cursed. "You despicable man! This must be your plot. Simon, you think making some merit means you can replace me? Dream on! Dream on!"
Simon sneered coldly and ignored the hysterical Crown Prince. He walked with Alaric back to the castle, leaving the Crown Prince's screams behind.
After bringing the captured assassins from the Eastern Castle back to the castle, Alaric ordered Ragner to immediately take them for interrogation.
Then he asked seriously. "You knew the Crown Prince was suspicious when you came to me, right?"
"Yes. Father must already know I went to Third Brother's mansion." Simon said.
"Hmph. Second, third, and fourth brothers are no fools. This time, they really found a reason to remove the heir. But Simon, don't be used by them as their killing sword."
At this moment, Alaric's eyes were very deep, as if he knew everything.
Simon pondered for a moment and said. "Father, rest assured, I won't easily believe them."
"Good. Then do you believe it was the Crown Prince who tried to kill you?"
"No," Simon said frankly. Just as Alaric said, he didn't want to be anyone's killing sword.
Alaric nodded lightly. "You are smart. Don't worry, I will give you justice and find the real mastermind. For now, prepare for your wedding. It's soon, and I don't want this matter to affect your marriage to Elin. You may leave for now."
Simon nodded and bowed in farewell.
Now that things had reached this point, Simon could only wait for Alaric's answer.
The more others wanted to use him to remove the Crown Prince, the more he would resist. Instead, he would use this matter to find the true mastermind.
Leaving the castle, Simon returned to his temporary mansion in Eldora.
Before reaching it, he saw many carriages parked in front. Stopping at the gate, someone came up to him; it was Prince Gerad.
"Dear nephew!"
Outside the royal mansion, Prince Gerad seemed to have been waiting for a while. As soon as he saw Simon approaching, he rushed forward to greet him.
At that moment, Ysabeau and Joan also came out from the mansion.
They both ran to Simon and checked him from head to toe. Only after seeing that he was safe did they finally let out a heavy sigh of relief. Last night, they had also heard about the assassination attempt and had been worried ever since.