Chapter 63: Ye Tian Is the Culprit

Chapter 63: Ye Tian Is the Murderer

Ye Tian didn’t eat dinner at all; no one called him, as everyone was gathered around Charles V. He sighed inwardly, “What should I do?” Having eaten little at noon, his stomach was now empty. “No, I have to find something to eat.”

There was fruit in Ye Tian’s room, but he’d finished it in the afternoon. Now there was nothing left—he couldn’t possibly gnaw on the bedframe, and his teeth weren’t that strong anyway. After a moment’s thought, he decided to go to the princess’s chambers and look for something to eat there. As for the royal kitchen, he didn’t know where it was; otherwise, he would have gone there long ago.

He reached the princess’s chambers without any trouble; the guards in the vicinity didn’t even question him. “Mr. Gehr, what’s happened? Why is it so chaotic?” Kana, who had been caring for the princess and hadn’t left the room, had only heard the commotion outside and was clueless about its cause.

“Oh, His Majesty and the princess are just like before—unable to awaken from their slumber,” Ye Tian replied.

“Is that so? Then they won’t last half a year.” With a thump, Kana sat down heavily on the floor.

“Hush! Do you want to wake the princess?” Ye Tian hurriedly covered the girl’s mouth.

“Mmm!” Kana snapped out of her daze and nodded. “Where’s the princess?” Ye Tian let go and asked. “She’s still resting,” Kana replied, glancing around the room as tears welled in her eyes.

“There, there, could you help me find something to eat? I’m starving,” Ye Tian pleaded.

“Oh, right, of course!” Kana hurriedly lifted her skirt and rushed out, only to come back in a fluster, saying, “There are some pastries here, have some first.” She brought out a tray of delicate pastries and set them on the table before dashing out again.

Chuckling, Ye Tian picked up a pastry and took a bite—he had to admit, it tasted quite good. By the time he’d finished, Kana returned with more food.

“Thank you!” Ye Tian began eating.

“If you have questions, just ask,” he said, not bothering to look up.

“Is His Majesty really going to die?” Kana asked.

“Yes,” Ye Tian replied.

“And the princess?”

“Don’t worry, she won’t die,” he assured her.

“By the way, I’ve always had a question—does Emperor Charles have only three children?” Ye Tian asked.

“Why do you ask?”

“I’ve been to his study. There’s a portrait of a woman and a child. Incidentally, the woman isn’t the current empress.”

“You’re talking about Prince Charles,” Kana answered, hesitating.

“What’s the story?” Ye Tian was intrigued.

“In truth, His Majesty has four children: Crown Prince Rudy, Second Prince Dilufi—both sons of the Empress—and two illegitimate children, Prince Charles and Princess Raythina,” Kana confessed through clenched teeth.

“No wonder,” Ye Tian remarked, wiping his mouth. “Go on.”

“The Empress is very jealous, so Prince Charles was sent away from the palace after only a few years. Princess Raythina was brought back only when she grew older.”

“And you?” Ye Tian asked.

“I grew up with the princess,” Kana replied.

“No wonder. Did you grow up in the Miki household?” Ye Tian inquired.

“Yes, how did you know?” Kana asked, surprised.

“No wonder,” Ye Tian laughed. “By the way, is there any news of Charles?”

“No, I heard he died when he was a child, but whether that’s true or not, I don’t know,” Kana reflected.

“I see. Thank you.” Ye Tian wiped his mouth again. “What do you think of Miki?” he suddenly asked.

“He’s a good man,” Kana replied, lowering her head.

“Would you like to marry him?” Ye Tian teased.

“You, you, what are you saying!” Kana twisted her fingers nervously. “He’s the youngest greatsword master in the capital, destined to become a sword saint, while I’m just a maid,” she said softly.

“If you like someone, you shouldn’t care about their status—only about whether you truly like them,” Ye Tian said, rising to pat her head. “Don’t worry, you’ll make a fine wife!”

“Mr. Gehr, you’re teasing me!” Kana scolded playfully.

“Thank you for dinner,” Ye Tian said, then left.

As he wandered back, he hummed a tune, swinging his arms and passing by maids who all avoided him as if he were a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Even when a maid happened to pass by, she hurried past with her head down, afraid to catch his attention. Ye Tian grinned, and when a maid dashed past, he swiftly reached out and patted her behind, causing her to yelp and dart away like a startled rabbit.

“Serves you right for hiding,” Ye Tian chuckled as he returned to his room. Just as he rounded a corner, a patrol of guards approached. He stepped aside to let them pass, and as the last one went by, he suddenly heard a soft voice: “The person has been safely sent out.” Ye Tian was taken aback but continued on without looking back.

“Heh, finally all cleaned up!” Ye Tian flopped onto his bed. “Now that the stage is set and the actors are in place, let’s see who all will take part in this drama!”

That night, Ye Tian slept fitfully. Suddenly, a maid knocked on his door.

“What is it?” Ye Tian yawned as he opened the door.

“Mr. Gehr, His Majesty is awake—the prince asked me to fetch you!” The maid hurried off before he could finish his reply.

“Oh, right, I’ll be there—” But she was already gone. “Well, whatever.” Ye Tian packed up his belongings, shoved his precious pouch under the bed for safekeeping, checked his needles, and headed out.

Strangely, the usually well-guarded palace was eerily deserted. Ye Tian yawned as he made his way toward Charles V’s bedchamber. Before long, he arrived, and attendants were already waiting. Seeing him, they quickly ushered him inside.

“Your Majesty, Your Majesty.” Ye Tian stepped forward to check and found the old man’s eyes tightly shut. Touching his nostrils, he realized there was no breath.

“This is bad.” Just as Ye Tian was about to escape, someone suddenly shouted, “Catch the assassin!” In an instant, the room was flooded with guards.

“Drop your weapons and surrender, or you’ll die!” a guard shouted.

“I’m innocent!” Ye Tian cried, dropping what he held and raising his hands. Two burly guards immediately seized him, twisting his arms behind his back.

“I’m innocent!” Ye Tian shouted.

“Your Majesty, Your Majesty!” a maid rushed to Charles V’s side. After checking his breath, she jumped in fright. “His Majesty is dead!”

“What’s going on?” At that moment, Rudy, Dilufi, and the Empress entered.

“Your Highness, I saw someone break into His Majesty’s bedchamber, so I cried out. His Majesty has passed!” the maid sobbed.

“What happened?” Rudy turned to Ye Tian.

“I’m innocent!” Ye Tian insisted. “While I was sleeping, a maid told me His Majesty was awake, so I brought my medicine box and came right away. Just now, a maid even led me in.”

At that moment, several guards carried something in. “Report to Your Highness, we found a corpse at the door. She’s been dead for quite some time.” They dropped the body on the floor—Ye Tian’s heart sank. “That’s her.”

“How did she die?” Dilufi demanded, gritting his teeth. “Father was perfectly fine during the day—how could he die now? Speak! Speak!”

“Yes, Gehr, you said someone summoned you—where is she? You claim someone let you in, but how long have you been here? How long has this maid been dead?” Rudy pressed.

“This…” Ye Tian was truly at a loss. How could he say a dead person had let him in? Who would believe that?

“I’m innocent! Why would I kill His Majesty?”

“That’s exactly what I want to ask. Who ordered you to assassinate His Majesty?” Rudy’s eyes darkened as he shouted.

“Innocent!” Ye Tian cried out, “I didn’t kill His Majesty! I didn’t kill him! I’m innocent!”

“Take him away! He’ll be publicly tried tomorrow!” Rudy ordered, and Ye Tian was roughly dragged away.

“You may leave. We wish to spend some time with our father,” Rudy said desolately.

“Yes.” The others glanced at each other before silently withdrawing, leaving only the two princes and the Empress behind.