Chapter 352: Agatha (50) <2-in-1>


    With how things were going, who would dare sympathize with Margarette?


    ''No,'' she kept shaking her head as if she was denying reality.


    However, when she snapped out of it, she subsequently realized that no one woulde to save her House. Her husband was out there fleeing from pursuers from the military. She had no real background here to shield her from the interrogation as Francis IV, her current identity''s biological father was so indifferent to her. She was even starting to suspect whether ''she'' was really the king''s child or if the monarch was simply this heartless.


    Finally, the Duchess realized, she could only depend on herself. She must do something.


    After overworking her brain toe up with a refute, she yelled out.


    "W-wait, Your Majesty! Please hear me out!" A bead of sweat was trickling down from her forehead to the tip of her nose. Her stutters had an unmistakable tone of desperation in it.


    "That traitor That traitor might actually be someone impersonating Milord, the Duke too! Right, it must be another pretender. Your humble subject is requesting for a fair trial and investigation! I believe there is something more to this situation. I really fear that this a malicious work of somebody from another kingdom."


    Francis IV, seated in the highest seat, appeared to be intrigued and looked at the woman kneeling before the throne with interest. "What makes you think so, Princess?"


    Marian had not managed toe up with an excuse yet so she couldn''t answer immediately, her eyes on her head that was bowed swam on the ground frantically.


    ''What to do? I am never someone good in words...'' the words kept repeating in her head, amplifying the worries in her heart.


    "Duchess" A vassal of the Grey family looked at her nervously from the farthest seat on the aristocrats'' side. The person was publicly known to be closely tied to the Grey family so he was truly afraid for Marian. The situation was bad for her and actually for him and the other allies too. In his nervousness where he was even wondering whether to cut ties or not, he didn''t notice somebody bringing in a stool and sitting on his left.


    Impatient for the female lead''s answer, Count Cornwell said with mask disdain, "Princess Margarette, allow me to express my doubt about another impersonator. I''m actually really finding it unbelievable that there will somebody in the kingdom who can rival Duke Grey in terms ofbat, that is, apart from General White...."


    "Right." Seated on the throne a step below the king and the queen was Agatha who was not even hiding her smile. "And General White shouldn''t be at the ce where the assassination urred because when the Grey Manor was put on lockdown by the general, the assassin was still with us being contained by the royal knights."


    The beautiful royal consort appeared extremely amused by the dumbfounded expression of the Duchess. Just how uninformed was the girl before march into the room?


    Anyway, Agatha was quite happy at the unexpected turns of events. Her face betrayed how she was feeling at the thought that even though she failed to apprehend those two devils, Jiang Li and Margarette, at least the ducal couple she had been hating for half a year now fell into the trap.


    ''The Princess'' mistake is admitting that this man is not the duke. If she said otherwise, there might be a chance that the king will believe her and spare their lives. But now?''


    Agatha''s eyes were literally shining as she stared at the cowardly man kneeling with his neck next to a de. If there was one thing she wanted to do to this double, it was to reward him for his unintentional help. It was definitely his presence whichrgely contributed to the weak mental state of the princess.


    Half a minute passed and finally, Marian spoke. Unsurprisingly, it was in a way people expected her to do. "F-forgive me for my presumptuousness, Your Majesty. But the count has said it himself. W-what if the real assassin is from another kingdom!" Marian loudly said with her voice betraying her confidence in her words. She was truly on the verge of crying, and looked like a wounded small animal.


    She added in the same shaky tone, "I don''t think this is just a scenario in my head. They might have sent someone to sow discord within Holon by secretly kidnapping my husband and switching him with somebody else. At the same time. At the same time"


    Due to being lost in her emotions, the thoughts in her little head were starting to jumble up. The eyes around and the pressure were not helping her to organize her thoughts.


    ''Her'' own father had obviously no intention to help out, narrowing his eyes as he asked, "You said your husband, the duke, could have been kidnapped?"


    The question made her taken aback.


    Well, even to Marian, it sounded like a huge joke when she finished saying it. Who was Andre Grey? In the whole continent, he might be the only one in possession of a Legendary Weapon. Frequently emphasized in the speeches before how everyone thought of him as one of the finest warriors of Mu even without that sword. Wasn''t it funny that Andre''s own wife said before the king that Andre could be kidnapped?


    "Pfft."


    "Good guess."


    Situations like this should be when one should be extra careful of his words so their enemies would not be able to nitpick anything. In line with this, Marian just really sounded so stupid formitting that simple blunder.


    Muffledughter faintly echoed one after another, which came off as no surprise. In fact, even the silent queen choked while covering her giggling mouth. The eyes of all attendees became very strange.


    Marian, as their recipient, could only bite her lower lip.


    "It was not at the same time. but a couple of hours after the first assassin was put in their dungeon that another assassin made to look like the duke came for the king and the royal consort."


    Just when the female lead was about to cry for real, in embarrassment and helplessness with no whatsoever princess elegance to speak of, a voice rang out. Amidst the fierce voices that wanted to add more to the pressure she was feeling.


    It was calm, so calm that it made those from Agatha''s faction shut up. Not. Of course, the count and the others wanted to re up with their rebuttals but discovered that they lost their voices.


    ''Which damnable and mannerless magician is it?!'' Everyone''s eyes widened before anger rushed up to their brains, veins popping up either on their forehead or the hands holding their throats. They began to look around. Even Agatha, and Marian did. But when their eyes widened next, like the rest of those present, it was due to fear.


    "I like that veryone has quieted down. Good. Allow me to continue." Next to the Viscount was a youth dressed like a regr noble''s heir. He looked unperturbed, with his eyes on the quill in his hand, even though several others reacted the same like Agatha upon seeing who he was.


    "Like the Duchess wanted to say, people from the other kingdoms have spies in Holon. When they saw that His Majesty came out of the pce escorted by only a toon of knights, they took it as a chance to strike down. Actually, the Duchess has solid proof of this im. I think I already said it a while ago. But didn''t somebody visit the Grey''s manor hours prior to the king''s night incognito trip?"


    ''It''s really him!'' Agatha was not listening actually, her focus on verifying her guess. She gripped on the armrest harder. The king''s slightlyzy expression turned serious.


    Earlier, it was the king''s sloppy disposition that turned a serious gathering like this into something so messy and informal, with his ''daughter'' even put on a hot seat almost equal to a public trial. In actuality, had Marian not been the one besieged by the unforgiving tongues of the nobles, she would have secretly grumbled how low-standard the court of Holon waspared to other kingdoms.


    But now that an uninvited guest had barged in, Francis IV straightened his back and sat properly on his throne. How could he dare to remain careless and indifferent? Especially when the uninvited guest was that damnable acquaintance of him who tortured his stomach for half a night and practically kicked his mother out of this!


    Remembering what the fortune-teller told himst night though, instead of bing resentful, he turned serious and wary and with a slightly forced smile put on, "What an honor for me to be able to see our continent''s sole Supreme Ice Magician. Sir Jiang. May this king know what you meant by what you just said?"


    If those in attendance could only make a sound, they would have eximed in surprise and fright already. Supreme what? That unassuming youth who looked no older than twenty?


    Hearing this, Agatha became very anxious in her seat. She lowered her head in fright, ''Oh my god. I should have known. Only someone in the supreme stage could suppress all my fellow coven members with pure strength and dare to be so disrespectful to the king. Yesterday, he even dragged Francis under our watch''


    Jiang Li smiled at Agatha to tease her, not. He would have done so if only he was not in a bad mood.


    After nodding to the king, he looked at Marian and stood up. In front of everyone, he cast magic in an effortless manner that caused a huge ripple in the air before taking shape into arge mirror made of ice. Most of them were familiar with it since they also have magicians under their employment. Therge scale magic impressed them nheless.


    "As I am nothing but an uneducated youth, I let your eyes see for yourself."


    A few scenes yed right after he said that. Everyone''s eyes were glued on the moving pictures. It was all they could do since they couldn''t speak anyway.


    "The person is from Borley. He came with the royal envoy" The video had no sound, so the youthpassionately acted as an interpreter.


    "He attacked the duke and the duchess."


    "A few hourster, Duke Grey was lured out of the manor. There were many things that could happen after that."


    "Duchess, why don''t you just bring here the detained spy? I''m positive the royal torturers can get some good information from him, or locate hispanions"


    ''What the hell is his intention?''


    Francis IV narrowed his eyes at Jiang Li. Few of the royals and nobles thought it was because of the foreign and vulgar term used by the magician to address interrogators.


    There were still some images shing across the ice screen, but most of the eyes were already on Marian. Agatha''s face was wreathed in a frown and ck lines after she took a look at the king. Although she disliked it, the viiness could already foresee the ducal coupleing out scathe free.


    ''Oh no. Prince Benedict of Borley might even be dragged into the mess.''


    Meanwhile, Francis was still looking at Jiang Li. Fresh in the king''s mind was how the man screwed up the male child of fate from the previous world, so why was he being lenient to Andre Grey and Marian Obson?


    The king did not get an answer and had to constantly guess.


    "That''s the end."


    The huge squarish bloke of crystal ice shattered into pieces. When everyone discovered that the youth had already slipped out of the room, it was already toote. The images they saw really distracted them and since Jiang Li had disappeared without warning, Marian was left to answer the queries and defend herself against Agatha''s faction.


    Unfortunately, while the girl was so muddle-headed and feeling guilty for her knight at first, it seemed that not even the power of plot could win over love. This was because when she epted the painful truth that she could not save the two men at the same time, she chose to grab the opportunity given to her by the youth. She chose Andre.


    ''I''m sorry, Adam'' Marian closed her eyes and whispered.


    A couple of minutester, when the discussion concluded, it seemed it ended with the king in a bad mood. Out of impulse which was gotten from his years of sitting in the throne, he ordered the execution of the ''double''.


    Francis IV did not attach much importance in the ''double'' since he knew it was only someone from Grey manor. Anyway, to stage the show, there was really a foreigner conveniently nearby. The king was not aware of how Adam, the man starring in the video as the assassin, was actually also another male lead.