The Impact Of The Villainess’ Fake Marriage On The Ending - Chapter 99

Chapter 99

“Even the culprit will know that the brainwashing has been broken. They must have received a signal when it happened.”

Adeline told Kael everything she had been thinking about.

“I don’t know exactly why, but they must have wanted everything to happen according to my brainwashing. You and Lady Felix getting married, and me dying at your hands.”

“…”

“But that brainwashing has been broken. And since the culprit also knew that things wouldn’t happen like that anymore… If they felt that the Emperor was caught between us and trying to interfere with us, they might have wanted to get rid of us through him.”

Kael listened to Adeline’s words with a serious expression. It made sense. It was never to be overlooked that a ‘full-scale war’ came out of the emperor’s mouth.

“Who has a grudge against me and you? It must be a grudge from a long time ago. That person must have known me at least fifteen years ago and brainwashed me.”

Kael’s brows furrowed at the mention of someone who had a grudge against both Adeline and him.

There was no such point of contact between the two. Adeline was aware of Kael’s existence from the beginning due to the brainwashing, but Kael didn’t have much interest in Adeline until the ball.

He had never actually met her, and he didn’t have a reason to do so either. Their families weren’t even involved with each other. Since Kael lived on the battlefield for a long time, he had many enemies, but that wasn’t Adeline’s case at all.

“It’s difficult.”

“I don’t know if it’s the right answer yet, but I just keep thinking about this. How should I put it… It’s like that person thinks we shouldn’t be together.”

Kael’s eyes opened wide. Hearing that, it made sense.

“So His Majesty stands out, but, as I said, he doesn’t have to go around this much to achieve his goals. This person must want the same as His Majesty. He doesn’t want the two of us to be together. Though I don’t really know why.”

Adeline’s reasoning was powerful in many ways. It was able to explain many situations, and it was very plausible.

If that person didn’t want the two of them to be together, there was a high probability that they had feelings for one or the other. Kael immediately asked Adeline about the families that had proposed to her.

“Adeline. Do you remember the nobles who proposed to you?”

“I don’t know. No one saw me in person and proposed to me except you. My brothers got rid of them all.”

“Did anything happen in the process that would make someone have a grudge against you?”

“Nothing at all. Even though my brothers were determined, they were very polite.”

There was nothing at all worthy of a grudge. Adeline could guarantee him.

“What about you?”

“It’s the same. I rejected them all, but nothing ever happened. Though, of course, there may be people who accept it on the outside and harbor different thoughts beyond that.”

Kael thought for a moment.

“I’ll expand it this way and look into it. You have a point. It seems true that they are trying to maximize my confrontation with His Majesty and use it to their advantage.”

If there was someone who wanted Kael and the emperor to completely oppose each other, they had no intention of playing right into this person’s hands.

Their dislike for the emperor had not disappeared, but things had changed.

“First of all, I have to find a clue that His Majesty did something within a week, so I will go to the bar where the incident occurred. I’ll probably be busy looking around.”

Kael sighed and wrapped his arms around Adeline’s waist.

“I want to put everything aside and just hold you, but it’s not easy.”

“We just need to solve everything quickly and rest together for a long time. If there’s anything I can do to help, I’ll try my best.”

“I’ll probably be late again today.”

“It’s alright. But be sure to wake me up when you come instead of letting me sleep.”

Kael grinned and asked why, pretending not to know the reason.

“Why?”

Adeline laughed as if she couldn’t stop him, then looked at Kael and answered,

“Because I miss you.”

Upon hearing the desired answer, Kael smiled and kissed Adeline.

While they kissed, he wished earnestly. He wished that things would be resolved quickly, as Adeline said. He wished that all truth would be revealed, and that he and Adeline would find time to love each other completely.

***

“Nothing in particular stood out to you?”

“Yes. I welcomed Sir Ramon for coming here after a long time, and that was all. After that, I didn’t see anything special. He drank a lot, like he always did, but he didn’t get too drunk because he ate well.”

The spot where Ramon and the dead knight were found was in the back of the bar. It was also the last destination Ramon remembered.

Kael went to the bar with Vero. However, it could be a setback for the investigation, so he covered half of his face and quietly pretended to be Vero’s colleague.

The position of the grand duke was too high. Given how the nobles behaved, it was clear how the common people would receive Kael’s sudden appearance.

In order to look into it closely, he had to conceal his presence.

“Did Sir Ramon remain alone?”

“Yes. He tends to enjoy his time alone when he comes here. Except when he comes with the other knights.”

“Did anyone approach Sir Ramon and greet him or speak to him?”

“Not that I remember. He just drank quietly. He shared a few words with me, and that was the first time he did so. I was busy dealing with other guests and taking orders, so I couldn’t keep up with the conversation.”

Vero continued to examine the situation with a serious face.

“And when he left? Do you remember when Sir Ramon left? Was he drunk then?”

“He must have been somewhat intoxicated. But he wasn’t drunk enough to stumble or anything. I can swear on that. Others may not have even realized that he was intoxicated. He smiled, paid for what he consumed, and left.”

He thought someone had approached him, but things were different from what he expected.

Ramon said that he had been alone the whole time and that he wasn’t drunk. He expected him to make something up while he was drunk, but the situation seemed even more complicated.

“It’s all true, isn’t it?”

“Ah, of course. Have I seen you once or twice? How can I lie when I’ve seen with my own eyes what happens when someone tells a lie?”

The bar owner shuddered and answered firmly.

It was Vero, who hid in the darkness and gathered all kinds of information. There was no store owner in the secluded alleyway who didn’t know him.

Rumors had spread that there was one man who couldn’t be identified, and that giving him false information could cost one’s life. It was even added that you wouldn’t die a pretty death, and the owner of the bar they were actually in was the one who witnessed the scene.

“So I was even more surprised when it happened. He was perfectly fine by the time he walked out of the bar for it to have happened because he was drunk.”

The owner shook his head as if he didn’t understand.

Listening to the owner’s story, Kael looked around the bar.

“Did you touch anything until the military police arrived? Inside the bar, I mean.”

“I closed the door in the morning, so I cleaned the place before that. I found them on the way out after locking the door.”

It meant that the scene didn’t stay the same. With a slight sigh, Kael approached the place where the tables were gathered.

“Is this table broken? Do you do business like this?”

“Ah, last night… Ah! There’s something I didn’t tell you.”

The round table was slightly broken, and the legs were split. Kael, who did not miss this, immediately asked about it, and the owner continued speaking with wide-open eyes as if he had remembered something.

“There was a fight between some drunk customers last night. It’s something that happens frequently, so I stopped them and thought that was the end of it. But there was one more fight. It got worse than I expected. Sir Ramon stepped forward because the atmosphere became very threatening.”

“Sir Ramon?”

“Yes. He separated the two fighting men from each other and warned them fiercely. Anyone could see he was a high-ranking knight, so it was sorted out quickly.”

“Why are you telling me that now?”

“I apologize. Sir Ramon always helped me take care of fights. That’s why I didn’t think it was any different from usual.”

Vero stared at the owner like he was dumbfounded, and the owner avoided his gaze with an embarrassed expression.

Kael glanced around the table. Maybe something had happened when Ramon interrupted the fight.

“Ah.”

As he was looking around, Kael noticed something behind the table placed in the innermost corner.

When Kael picked up the object, both Vero and the owner looked at him.

“I found it. A clue.”

In Kael’s hand, there was a small bottle with a cork stopper.