Chapter 257 - 6.17 Confrontation
The next day, the court hearing had been going on for almost half an hour before Jillian finally showed up. The heated discussion instantly halted as he waltzed in, his chin held high with the usual lofty on his face. He would have made a dashing figure, if not for the doll safely tucked within the crook of his arm.
Marquis Ouin, who was sitting quite far in the corner, blanched as soon as the Duke stepped in through the door. H—How...? The assassination had failed?! Stupid, useless people! What was the use of six of them if they couldn’t even take one person down?! Sweat beaded the Marquis’ forehead and his heart suddenly ran cold. Had the Duke found anything out? No, it couldn’t be. He had trained the soldiers himself, they wouldn’t have sold him out even in the face of death! He tried to calm himself again and again with that sentence.
Jillian dropped to one knee in front of the King and placed his right palm over his chest. "My sincerest apologies for being late, Your Majesty. I have been held back by a few pressing matters."
"Oh?" His Majesty King Emeri replied with an intrigued tone as he beckoned for Jillian to stand up. The corner of his lips twitched imperceptibly as his gaze landed on the doll in the General’s arm but in the end, the King decided not to say anything. Not yet. "It’s not everyday that a problem crops up enough to keep you occupied. What kind of serious matter might that be?"
"It’s a shame." Jillian moved toward his designated seat on King Emeri’s right, his eyes surreptitiously glossing over Marquis Ouin’s direction and that alone was enough to make the latter’s heart tremble. No, it couldn’t be... The Duke couldn’t have known! "I found out that my stableboy has been working with those who wished for my death."
Gasps and exclamations of surprise resounded through the room. The King’s brows furrowed as he lifted one hand to silence the crowd. "And then? Have you found out who’s the mastermind behind it?"
"Oh yes. Fortunately, the stableboy has been caught before he could run away and also, I extorted a lot of unexpected information from the assassin." Jillian’s lips curled up into a benign smile that didn’t reach his eyes. "What do you think I’ve found out, Marquis Ouin?"
In an instant, all eyes turned to Marquis Ouin who struggled to maintain a calm facade even though he was clearly panicking inside. Calm down, Ouin. The Duke couldn’t have meant anything by that! Fortunately, he regained his bearing quickly, courtesy of years of experience being part of the court hearing where heated arguments were commonplace. They were all old, sly foxes here. The more he thought about it, the calmer he was. There was no way the Duke could have gotten his name from his trained soldiers. They would choose to kill themselves first before it could happen.
"Marquis Ouin?" King Emeri looked at him with a frown.