Prince Ashworth Suspects the Duke of Crestfall
The moment Prince Ashworth stepped into the Imperial Study and saw his daughter, his face lit up. He immediately abandoned the Emperor and practically ran over to her.
"Cassidy, you won't believe it," he said, his voice buzzing with excitement. "The Duke of Crestfall is finished."
Cassidy looked up from her papers, puzzled.
"Dad, I thought you were going to the Ministry of Justice to talk to the Marquis of Stonehaven. What does that have to do with the Duke?"
Then a suspicion dawned on her, and her expression sharpened.
"Wait. You didn't go to the Ministry of Justice at all, did you? You went to fight roosters with the Duke of Crestfall again!"
She started rolling up her sleeves, a look on her face that said she was perfectly willing to uphold justice, even if it meant turning in her own father for skipping out on his duties.
Seeing the doubt in his daughter's eyes, Prince Ashworth decided he was done talking to her.
He spun around to face the Emperor, who was seated on the dais above them, and put on an expression that practically begged for a pat on the head.
"Your Majesty, I went to the Ministry of Justice today to question the Marquis of Stonehaven, just like you asked. And you'll never guess what I found out."
The Emperor already had a headache from the father-daughter bickering and was in no mood for games.
"If you have something to say, say it," he snapped. "Otherwise, get out of my study."
Prince Ashworth's smug look vanished, replaced by a serious, professional expression.
"In my expert opinion," he began, "this whole business of colluding with the enemy has to be a setup. A frame job. Why would a perfectly good Marquis risk the execution of his entire family for no reason? It makes no sense. So, I figured it had to be someone with an old grudge against him."
He rolled a pair of worry stones in one hand while stroking an imaginary beard with the other.
"I thought about it long and hard. Among all the officials at court, the only people the Marquis has really ever crossed are me and the Duke of Crestfall. Now, even though that man used to complain about me constantly, I'm a forgiving person. Water under the bridge. But the Duke of Crestfall...
he's a vengeful old coot. This has his fingerprints all over it."
"*This* is what you've been investigating?" A vein throbbed in the Emperor's temple. He couldn't believe he'd actually thought this scoundrel would find anything useful. Solana had been more helpful, and all she'd found was a single note.
Cassidy was just as unimpressed. "Dad, is your entire case based on a hunch?"
"Am I really that unreliable?" Prince Ashworth sputtered, genuinely offended. "Would you two just let me finish?"
"Fine," Cassidy sighed. "Go on."
"So, when I was questioning the Marquis today, I specifically asked him if the Duke had been acting strangely or doing anything out of the ordinary lately. And you know what he told me?"
"If you don't get to the point, I'm going to scratch you," Cassidy threatened, rubbing her hands together. She hated it when people dragged out a story.
Prince Ashworth choked and shot her a venomous look. *This rebellious daughter,* he thought.
"He told me," he continued, pointedly ignoring her, "that a few months ago, his grandmother had a birthday. Half the court was there, including the Duchess of Crestfall and her son."
"Apparently, the Duke's son had hit the Marquis's son at the Academy before that. The Emperor heard about it and reprimanded the Duke, so the Duchess used the party as an excuse to have her boy apologize. The Old Madam saw he was being sincere and let it go."
"But," Ashworth said, leaning in, "the Marquis remembers something odd. During the party, the Crestfall heir's servant somehow got lost and ended up near his study. One of the Marquis's servants had to find the guy and lead him back to the party."
Hearing this, the Second Prince, who had been quiet until now, shot up from his seat.
"Father," he said, his eyes wide, "that servant is definitely suspicious. We'll know everything once we arrest him and get him to talk."
Prince Ashworth gave the Second Prince a strange look, then glanced at Cassidy, his eyes asking, *Why is he so eager? Is he trying to steal our credit?*
But Cassidy wasn't worried about the Second Prince's motives.
"Uncle, I'll go arrest him for questioning right now."
She was a woman of action. The words were barely out of her mouth before she was already halfway out the door. Seeing his daughter bolt, Prince Ashworth scrambled to follow her.
With the two of them gone, the Second Prince wasn't about to be left behind. He quickly bid the Emperor farewell and hurried after them, heading for Crestfall Manor.
When the Duke of Crestfall saw Prince Ashworth, his daughter, and the Second Prince arrive at his estate, his brow furrowed in irritation. He couldn't stand a single one of them. But with them standing on his doorstep, he couldn't exactly turn them away.
He suppressed his annoyance and forced a stiff smile. "To what do I owe the honor? I wasn't aware you were all paying a visit."
Cassidy stepped forward. "The Capital Inspection Bureau is conducting an investigation. I trust you'll cooperate."
The Duke's frown deepened, and his tone grew sharp. "The Capital Inspection Bureau? And what crime has been committed in *my* home that requires the Princess herself to come and make an arrest?"
Cassidy cleared her throat, pulling out her Capital Inspector's badge and adopting an air of pure, unassailable authority.
"It's a small matter, really," she said coolly. "His Majesty suspects Crestfall Manor may be involved in the Stonehaven treason case. He sent me to bring some people in for questioning. If you refuse to cooperate, I'll have to assume you're defying an imperial decree."
The Duke was sure he'd misheard. He was minding his own business, raising his prize-winning chickens. How in the world did he get dragged into a treason plot?
He glanced at Prince Ashworth, who was practically radiating smugness, and then at the Second Prince, who looked strangely excited. He could understand Ashworth's attitude, but why was the Second Prince so giddy? The Crestfalls had no quarrel with him.
The Duke felt a knot of frustration tighten in his chest, but an imperial command was an imperial command.
He gritted his teeth and squeezed out a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "If it is His Majesty's wish, then please, come in."
Prince Ashworth breezed past the Duke without a word, letting out a dismissive snort as he went. Cassidy fell into step beside her father, and the two of them began loudly critiquing the manor's decor as if they were the only ones there.
The Duke was so angry he could feel his teeth grinding. If it weren't for the Emperor's decree, he would have had them both thrown out on their ears.
He didn't want to give those two the satisfaction of speaking to them, but a deep unease was settling in. He turned to the more reasonable-looking Second Prince. "Your Highness, I don't understand. What crime could my family have possibly committed to be linked to treason?"
The Second Prince, clearly enjoying the attention, just smiled.
"You'll have to ask your son."
With that, he strode off to catch up with Ashworth and Cassidy.
The Duke of Crestfall was left completely bewildered.
Ask his son?
His ignorant, good-for-nothing son? Committing treason?
Did the boy even have the brains for that?
No, that wasn't the point. The point was that the Crestfall family's entire standing depended on the Emperor's favor. Why would his son commit treason? Was he insane? Was he tired of living a life of luxury?
Unable to make sense of it, the Duke hurried to catch up.
When the group swarmed into the heir's courtyard, they found him squatting under the veranda, his rear in the air, cheering on a servant who was apparently fighting a rat.
"Go on, Prosper!" the heir yelled. "Bite his leg!"
Everyone stared at the ridiculous, pathetic scene. They all shared the same thought.
Could a boy this foolish even begin to comprehend what it meant to betray his country?