Her Graceful War Song

Matthew said in a low voice, “I’ve looked through it as well, Your Highness. Fortunately, this records the origins of those women, so we can send people to inform each of their families.”

“Have the retrieval teams returned yet?” Rafael asked.

“Not yet. The well is very deep and has been sealed for a long time. We need to wait until the stench dissipates a bit before anyone can go down. The people sent to retrieve the box reported that they had descended, but there were decayed and swollen bodies in the well that couldn’t be brought up–more than one, in fact. These rotting corpses are also hindering the retrieval of other remains.”

“Are the coroners on–site? Send a request to the Royal Citadel and have them dispatch some to assist,” Rafael commanded.

“They have already gone.”

“Good. Have the weapons been accounted for? I need to report to the palace,” Rafael inquired further.

“Yes, the inventory is here.” Matthew quickly pulled a ledger from the table and handed it to Rafael.” Everything is categorized for your review.”

Rafael opened the ledger.

There were 1,000 bows, 500 crossbow machines, 380 bundles of arrows–each bundle containing 100 arrows–800 sets of full armor, 300 long swords, 300 spears, 300 short knives, 600 swords, and three barrels of gunpowder. The total count of other weapons–axes, iron rods, and whips–exceeded 1,000.

If these weapons were said to be for the defense of the residence, no one would believe it.

Moreover, the regulations regarding armor are extremely strict. Even royal residences were not permitted to possess full metal armor.

Rafael had a set, but it was only for his own use and not his soldiers.

The guards in the estate wore either leather armor or wooden armor, and even these couldn’t be worn outside. Doing so was a violation of the law, with penalties that could vary widely depending on the severity of the offense and whether anyone was inclined to make a big deal out of it.

Even if Matthew could make excuses for the other weapons in the ledger, just the presence of crossbows or armor could be considered treasonous.

Rafael turned to Carissa. “I’ll head to the palace for a bit. This evidence could strip her of her title as a grand princess.”

Stripping Eleanor of her title and reducing her to commoner status would grant them more leeway in the investigation. When it came to torture, Eleanor was more familiar with it than anyone else.

Carissa replied, “Alright, you go ahead. I’ll review the other testimonies and look into the noblewomen who have had frequent dealings with Grand Princess Eleanor over the years. We need to ask the right questions.”

She had a top choice in mind–Yuvan’s household, specifically Molly and Fiona. Although they hadn’t interacted much with Eleanor while in Valken, they had visited Harmony Palace several times since returning to the capital. Additionally, Yuvan and Eleanor were raised by Ruth, which created a bond that

warranted some inquiries.

It would also unsettle Yuvan, making him regret his timing in returning to the capital. If he were still in Valken, this turmoil would never have touched him.

Rafael brought the two notebooks from Florence along with him to the palace.

Salvador examined the count of weapons, his blood boiling. “Eleanor has some nerve! How dare she harbor treasonous thoughts and plot against the kingdom!”

Derek quickly pleaded, “Please calm down, Your Majesty!”

Salvador’s gaze darkened as he turned to Rafael. “Interrogate her. Use whatever means necessary to force her to reveal the mastermind behind this,”

Rafael replied, “Your Majesty, she is still a grand princess. The royal family is exempt from such methods in public investigations.”

Salvador’s voice turned icy, “Issue an edict to revoke her grand princess title and expel her from the royal family. Make her a commoner!”

“Understood!” Derek hurried off to have the edict drafted.

Rafael added, “Your Majesty, the other two ledgers detail the concubines abducted for Henry over the years. There were more than 180 women, with over a hundred murdered. Currently, only about 40 are still alive. All the boys born to them were killed in various ways, while the girls were raised to be integrated into noble families. Investigating this will take considerable effort.”

Salvador took the ledger and began reading, horrified by the revelations. The thought of treason was one thing, but such madness and cruelty were another. Such a person from the royal family was a disgrace to the entire lineage. This content is © NôvelDrama.Org.

“Issue a directive to Royal Citadel’s governor, Anthony Klein, to assist the Capital Guard in investigating these cases. We must ensure justice for both the deceased and the living, as well as their families,” said the king, seething.