The night was black as ink.
The sound of a carriage echoed along the quiet streets outside the royal palace. Lin Lei sat alone inside the carriage, with the Shadow Mouse Bei Bei curled up on his lap. Alongside the carriage rode a dozen or so knights on fine steeds, led by a sharp-voiced court herald.
Inside the carriage.
Lin Lei's brow was furrowed. "It's already late at night, but Clyde has suddenly summoned me. What on earth does he want?" A man with a clear conscience has nothing to fear.
But Lin Lei had killed Pederson, and he knew full well that the one who had ordered Pederson to send people after his mother back then was none other than Clyde. In truth, he and this Clyde had a deep grudge.
Naturally, Lin Lei had to be cautious around Clyde.
"I heard that a couple of days ago, Clyde had the duke's household steward arrested and has begun investigating matters related to Pederson. Pederson told me he hadn't told anyone he was going to see me. But can that be trusted?" Lin Lei was uncertain at heart.
For all he knew, the steward might have known about Pederson's meeting with Lin Lei.
If the duke's household steward had passed that information on to Clyde, then Lin Lei would find himself right in the eye of the storm.
"Don't worry, Lin Lei."
Derinkoort materialized beside Lin Lei and reassured him, "Lin Lei, even if that duke's steward knew about Pederson seeing you, it's fine."
"Fine?" Lin Lei looked at Derinkoort, puzzled.
Derinkoort nodded confidently. "Of course. Even if Clyde suspects you killed Pederson, he won't bring it up openly."
"Because… Clyde doesn't know why you killed Pederson." Derinkoort's face was full of confidence.
Lin Lei was taken aback. Even if Clyde didn't know the reason, he was still the one who had killed Pederson.
"It's simple. From what you and Pederson said to each other in that secret chamber the other day, it's clear Pederson and Clyde don't get along. While Pederson served as 'Minister of Finance,' he embezzled shamelessly. Clyde probably doesn't care much for him. And there's another thing… Clyde doesn't know you have a deep grudge against him. So he won't go after you without reason. After all, to punish or kill you, he needs the approval of the Church of Light." A hint of disdain flickered in Derinkoort's eyes.
"Hmph, and Clyde calls himself a king? The Church of Light has every right to depose him. And you, on the other hand, are someone the Church of Light holds in extremely high regard. Would he dare act against you lightly?" Derinkoort continued to console him.
Lin Lei nodded.
He understood the reasoning.
But still…
Lin Lei truly didn't want Clyde to grow suspicious of him. Once that suspicion took root, how could he investigate his mother's whereabouts? How could he exact revenge for what happened to her?
"Open the door. It's me." The sharp voice of the court herald rang out.
Lin Lei recognized it at once — they had entered the palace gates.
In the darkness, the vast royal palace loomed like a great beast resting quietly upon the earth. Within the span of half an hour, carriage after carriage entered the palace grounds.
Among them was the carriage carrying Lin Lei, the one carrying Bernard, and those carrying other nobles.
The palace's council hall.
Aside from the two guards at the entrance, the council hall was filled with the higher-ranking nobles of Fenn City — eight in all. They were Bernard, head of the Debus Family; Lin Lei, the court's first mage; Baron Bonar, the Left Minister; the Inspector-General Hampton…
"Lin Lei, you're here." Baron Bonar greeted him warmly.
The other nobles who had already arrived all came over to greet him as well. When Lin Lei saw them, he felt a measure of relief — it seemed this wasn't a summons for him alone.
"My lords, do any of you know what His Majesty wants with us this time?" Lin Lei asked immediately.
Baron Bonar, serving as Left Minister, had no shortage of information.
"This summons is most likely about the disappearance of Duke Pederson," Baron Bonar replied with a friendly smile.
Bernard quickly spoke up beside him. "Your Grace, Duke Pederson has gone missing — but why would the king summon me? I don't hold any important position at court."
"Today, His Majesty isn't summoning his key ministers for governance — he's investigating a matter. Otherwise, why am I the only one here? Why didn't the Right Minister come? Why is only one Inspector-General present?" Baron Bonar saw the situation clearly.
Bernard nodded.
But in his heart, he was still uneasy.
Ever since Pederson's disappearance, Bernard had been constantly worried — worried that the Debus Family's involvement in smuggling aquamarine ore alongside Pederson would be exposed. If that secret got out, the Debus Family would truly be finished.
"His Majesty arrives—"
Suddenly the sharp voice of the court herald rang out. From the side door of the council hall, flanked by two respectful attendants, Clyde strode in and took his seat.
"Greetings, Your Majesty."
All eight nobles bowed in unison.
Clyde swept his gaze across the eight nobles before him and gave a faint nod. "It's nearly midnight. I would not wish to disturb you all, but the disappearance of my younger brother, Duke Pederson, is a matter of great importance. I had no choice but to gather you here."
"Duke Pederson has gone missing. May I ask why Your Majesty has summoned us?" Lin Lei asked directly.
Among the eight people present, Lin Lei was probably the only one who dared speak to Clyde like this. The others all read his expression, but Lin Lei technically belonged to the Church of Light — he merely held a nominal title in the Fenlei Kingdom.
"Lin Lei, I only want to get to the bottom of the facts." Clyde offered a slight smile, then declared in a loud voice, "Bring in Lodi, the steward of the duke's household."
Lodi? The duke's steward?
Both Lin Lei and Bernard of the Debus Family felt a jolt of alarm.