How Can There Be Such a Stupid Person in This World
"How can anyone be this stupid?" Cassidy muttered to herself.
She immediately shot a look at the woman, Celeste. "So, you're the one who swapped the laxatives for craned's crest and poisoned Leo?"
Kneeling on the ground, the woman shook her head frantically, her voice trembling. "I didn't. What I gave him was the laxative Conan gave me. I swear, I have no idea why it turned into poison!"
Cassidy looked from her to Conan with disgust. "Are you two really this dumb?"
They couldn't even pull off a simple revenge plot. What kind of villains were they? A disgrace to the whole profession.
Prince Ashworth looked at the Duke of Crestfall with a mix of pity and contempt.
That old scoundrel had no morals. It was no surprise that of his two sons, one was dumber than a bag of rocks, all brute force and no brains, while the other was a sinister, ruthless schemer.
A classic case of the apple not falling far from the tree.
His daughter, on the other hand... she was exceptionally clever, gentle, and well-behaved. And her looks were a gift from the heavens; she'd inherited his best features, softened with a charm all her own. Across the entire capital of Argent, no woman could hold a candle to her.
Thinking of this, Prince Ashworth puffed out his chest with pride. Only a handsome and wise man like him could have such a perfect daughter.
Meeting her father's adoring gaze, Cassidy felt a wave of goosebumps.
"Dad, I'm broke," she announced.
Prince Ashworth was aghast. "This girl!" he muttered, then immediately redirected his anger toward the Duke of Crestfall. "So it was you! You old scoundrel, you swapped the laxatives for poison and killed Leo!"
The Duke of Crestfall couldn't believe the blame was being pinned on him again. He was furious. "In the testimony the princess took earlier, didn't Leo's friend from back home say that someone in a veiled hat gave him money to cause trouble at The Food Cauldron?"
Prince Ashworth shot back, "So that person in the veiled hat was you?"
The Duke of Crestfall was speechless. "Am I crazy? Why would I pay someone to drag my own family's name through the mud?"
Cassidy chimed in, "Who knows? Maybe you're playing the victim to throw everyone off." She'd played enough rounds of Mafia to know it was a classic move.
The Duke of Crestfall felt that if he kept arguing with these two, he was going to have an aneurysm.
He hurriedly turned to the Emperor on the throne.
"Your Majesty, I beg you to see the truth!"
he shouted. "This whole affair is a malicious setup. My son, the one born from a concubine, yes, he did a despicable thing, but that is my fault. It was my failure as a father that allowed him to become so wicked!"
"But while he may be petty, he would never have the guts to poison someone. Somebody must have swapped the laxatives, killed that servant, and framed my house. It's a clever move to destroy my entire family! I beg you, Your Majesty, grant me justice!"
The Emperor thought back on the information Cassidy had just uncovered and was suddenly struck by the fact that the Duke of Crestfall's entire household was made up of idiots. Hadn't a single one of them connected this back to the Marquis of Stonehaven's study?
He decided to question the woman on the ground himself, his voice sharp. "You were Leo's lover. Did he ever tell you if he saw anyone suspicious near the Marquis of Stonehaven's study during the Dowager Marchioness's birthday banquet?"
The woman on the ground began to shake, her eyes darting around nervously as she stammered, unable to form a single word.
Seeing her reaction, the Emperor's tone grew even sharper. "Or were you in on it with him? Was it Leo who hid those letters in the Marquis's study, accusing him of treason?"
The woman was terrified, pressing her forehead to the floor again and again. "I'm innocent! And Leo... he didn't frame the Marquis."
Perhaps fearing the Emperor's anger, the words started tumbling out of her.
"Leo told me he was sneaking out that day to drug the young master of Stonehaven Estate. On his way, he saw someone slip into the Marquis's study. He got curious and went closer to see what was happening, but just as he peeked inside, the person spotted him. The man pulled a dagger to silence him."
"Leo was so scared he turned and ran. He happened to run right into some servants from the estate, and they brought him to the banquet."
The Emperor's brow furrowed, his voice turning colder as he pressed her. "Did Leo get a good look at this person?"
The woman shook her head repeatedly, her face growing even paler. "No, but Leo said he saw a strange pattern on the back of the person's neck."
"What pattern?"
The woman hurriedly reached for a plain bundle beside her and took out a handkerchief with trembling hands. "I embroidered this based on what Leo described. He said he was afraid he'd forget it, so he asked me to make this and keep it safe."
Steward Payne quickly took the handkerchief and spread it out before the Emperor.
The Emperor's eyes fell on the pattern. The outer edge was an irregular circle, and inside was a beastly shape, something like a tiger, but not quite. The creature's head was held high, its claws half-extended. It was a strange, unsettling design.
Frowning, the Emperor stared at it in confusion. He'd never seen this pattern before.
Cassidy and Prince Ashworth leaned in for a closer look.
Prince Ashworth, though he'd never seen it either, still had to offer his opinion. "Why would anyone get a tattoo like that on their neck? It's like they want to get caught."
Cassidy stared at the pattern for a long moment, then rubbed her chin. "It looks like a tiger," she said, a strange tone in her voice.
Suddenly, a thought struck her, and she covered her mouth in shock. "Two tigers can't share one mountain... Uncle, this person wants your throne!"
As soon as she said it, the great hall went dead silent.
Prince Ashworth jumped to his feet in a rage. "Who dares to covet my brother's throne!" He whipped out the saber at his waist and declared fiercely, "Don't be afraid, brother. I'll protect you. With me here, no one in this world can harm you!"
Cassidy also scrambled to stand in front of the Emperor, flexing her biceps with a confident look. "Uncle, don't you worry. With me here, if anyone dares to so much as touch you, I'll wipe their whole family off the map!"
The Duke of Crestfall and Steward Payne just stood there, blinking. For a split second, they felt like they should probably jump in front of the Emperor and shout something about protecting him, just like that father-daughter duo. Otherwise, they might look disloyal.
But they knew they could never bring themselves to shout something so completely embarrassing.
The Emperor had been seething, his face as dark as a thundercloud at the thought of someone plotting to take his throne.
But now, seeing his brother and niece working together, shouting about protecting him, his anger gave way to a strange warmth, and the tight knot in his brow loosened just a little.