Chapter 241 241. Disclosure, Part XII

Translator: Khan

Editor: Aelryinth

They didn’t wait for very long, and she heard knocking at the door from the outside.

Prince Killian’s knight didn’t give her time to get ready to go out. He only allowed her to come out wearing a hat, so she didn’t have a long time to explain it to Poche. Of course, she couldn’t write down the details in the letter.

There was no time to wait for Poche to come by after she brought an envelope, paper, and a pen. Ivana, donning a hat on her own, took what Poche had brought. All Ivana wrote was a hastily scribbled line:

[The Princess of Kiellini is a fake. I’ve commissioned a private investigator, so check it over there.]

It would be okay, but it was better to have one or more safety devices. Ivana thought for a moment that the princess was the illegitimate child of Marquis Anais, but dropped her pen in surprise as the Marquis opened the door.

"What are you doing? The knights are urging us, so hurry up."

"It’s all done." Ivana hurriedly folded the letter on the table, handed it to Poche, and went outside.

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The Prince had called them in like sinners, but did not think of returning. ’Why did he suddenly call us here so suddenly?’

Ivana looked at her husband sitting next to her, but he seemed to have no idea what was going on. She felt sorry for herself, since she cared about her husband sitting there, but didn’t speak for a long time. She turned her head toward the wall, because the maid who gave them tea had bothered her since a while ago.

She had a rough brick-colored hair, unsightly glasses, and a well-rounded figure. ’Is that the figure of a maid who works in the imperial court?’

Ivana recalled a letter she had received from Pamela, the head maid of the palace of Bertino. There was a story about failing at what she had done to drive out Sir Albert and the maid who was caught up in the incident. Ivana’s eyes squinted when she recalled the explanation that the new maid the Prince brought was too hideous.

’Why does she get on my nerves?’

She was absorbed in such thoughts, and the maid raised her head, as if looking into her head. Her gaze was covered with thick glasses, but it was clear that the maid’s eyes were on her.

The door opened as Ivana was about to have an unreasonable thought.

"His Highness Killian is coming in."

At last, the prince came. Ivana saw the Prince’s appearance was disheveled. She rose slowly and bowed reluctantly, giving her courtesy.

"Ian, bring the paper," Killian ordered his servant without saying anything.

"Your Highness, for what reason did you call us?"

The Marquis spoke carefully, but Killian ignored him without even looking at him. "There was a time when Lady Anais kidnapped Princess Kiellini on the last day of the social season. She paid some money to a death-row convict and ordered him to kidnap the princess. She also tried to kill the princess with the poison of the Kiellini family, using what was recently known as an infectious disease."

"That’s ridiculous. She’s not capable, she’s not smart enough to do that." Unlike Marquis Anais, who staggered in shock, Ivana snorted. When the Kiellini family became dangerous due to the poisoning incident, it was clear that he was trying to weave Christine into a counterattack against it.

"Bring them in."

At Killian’s command, Lady Delat and the maid Jane were brought in.

"Speak everything."

At Valerian’s command, Lady Delat told what she had been ordered to. Then Jane, who had been beaten into a dreadful shape, testified that Lady Anais was the one who had ordered she poison to the princess.

"The Marquis of Anais, I turned a blind eye to the kidnapping, but you must have looked down on me. I think you had no intention of cracking down on your daughter. I forgave you once; did you think I’d forgive you if your daughter did it again?"

"Your Highness, I never thought she’d do it again. Forgive me."

Ivana glared at him as the Marquis cried bitterly. "You mean you knew about this in advance?"

"Yes. That’s why I told you to keep an eye on Christine, so she wouldn’t do anything wrong."

"You should have told me what she did!" Ivana screamed angrily.

"Be quiet! You’ll bring out who is wrong between both of you later, if there’s a chance. The Anais family will be ruined. I’ve come to report to His Majesty the Emperor."

Ivana looked over at the words of Killian.

"You won’t be able to do anything if His Majesty knew, because I know your secret."

"What secret?"

"Princess Kiellini is a fake."

At Ivana’s words, the Marquis of Anais looked at her with astonishment and was about to shout something.

But Killian stopped him. "That’s funny. Is Princess Kiellini a fake?"

"Yes, you can’t say that you don’t know. I think the reason why the Duke of Kiellini poisoned the capital is that he had his weakness seized by Your Highness in this matter. Otherwise, the Duke of Kiellini wouldn’t have to do this." Ivana created a reason quite near to the truth, and extolled it confidently.

"Really? The princess is a fake?" What certainty do you have to say that? I never knew that. So I’m going to go tell His Majesty about Mrs. Marquise and ask for the Proof of Blood for the Princess of Kiellini."

She was rather unnerved by Killian’s nonchalant appearance. "The Princess of Kiellini’s a fake."

"That’s why I want to get the Proof of Blood, as Mrs. Marquise said. If she’s really a fake, I’ll have to punish her. But if it’s slander, I’ll take the Anais family off the list of nobles. No, the Anais family is over, with what Lady Anais had done."

Ivana stared at Killian confidently, and laughed at him after a while. "Who would she do the Proof of Blood with? The Duke of Kiellini is dead, isn’t he? So, is she going to do it with my husband here? Then it’ll say it’s real, because she’s a bastard of the man."

When she uttered her last words, Robert had to try to stop her, seeing Ivana getting to her feet and shouting as if she were mad.

"Ivana, are you crazy? Didn’t you tell me that Julietta was dead? Why are you bringing the child out to this thing again, who is in the grave?" Robert had to try to keep his fears hidden. ’How did this woman find out?’ Once again, he couldn’t let Julietta’s life fall apart because of this evil woman.

"Don’t pretend you don’t know. Were you happy to learn that the bastard you knew was dead became your niece, who you have never been interested in? Is that why you weren’t aware of what Christine was doing?"

Ivana pushed against her husband, who struggled to seat her, and glared at Killian. "You said that you had warned this man, so do to this man and Christine whatever you want, whether you kill or save them. But Fjord and I had nothing to do with it. I’ll divorce this guy. I’ll go back to the Dudley family. So will Fjord. So, as for the Anais family, do as you please."

Killian agonized for a moment on seeing Marquise Anais, who was not daunted by her daughter’s crime. He would have difficulty if she died here. People had to watch the couple leave the Imperial Castle safely, and then he should get a will and rewrite events that they committed suicide. However, this unflinching woman who didn’t budge at all would not write a will voluntarily.

Killian yawned openly as if he were bored. "Mrs. Marquise, I’m tired, so I’d better finish this quickly. I can’t stop you from going back to the Dudley family. But not Fjord. He is the eldest son of the Anais family and the brother of Lady Christine. I don’t want to keep the direct line of the Anais family. I favored you because you were a relative on the mother’s side of the family of Princess Kiellini."

After speaking, Killian ordered. "Arrest Marquis Anais, go to the mansion, capture Lady Anais and the son of the Marquis, and put them in an underground prison. There are enough witnesses, so they will be beheaded right away without trial."

Looking back at the approaching Valerian and his immediate subordinate, Ivana hysterically shouted, "You don’t care if I say that Princess Kiellini is a fake and a bastard of the Marquis of Anais?"

"It doesn’t matter." Ivana bit her lips to see Killian was unperturbed. "I’m tired. Do it quickly."