Chapter 87

Office of the Magistrate of Tonghua District.

After finishing his work, Delov leaned back in his chair, exhausted. In just a few short days, his mind felt as if it had been through centuries of torment, and even a few strands of white hair had appeared at his temples.

Sighing deeply, Delov picked up the teacup on his desk and took a small sip, his eyes staring blankly at the pale yellow tea, lost in thought.

Since the shocking bloodbath at the Royal Central Academy, Delov had received orders from his superiors at the Guard Hall to conduct a thorough search for the key criminals involved that day. Even the portraits of the heavily rewarded criminals were posted.

For many in the magistrate's office, this was undoubtedly an exhilarating matter.

10,000 gold tols—how many years would it take to earn that much? Even through corruption, it might be impossible to accumulate such a sum in a lifetime. Therefore, many magistrates, while carrying out the order, became somewhat brutal, leading to a state of fear and unease in the capital.

They all wanted the reward, and none of them wanted anyone else to get ahead of them.

To a greater or lesser extent, they paid little attention to the deaths of the nobles or the rumors surrounding the involvement of the Fourth Prince. They might only discuss it casually when they had free time.

But Delov was different from everyone else. While all his colleagues were excitedly searching for the criminals, he was perhaps the most消极 (negative) one.

Because he had an indirect connection to the Fourth Prince.

Especially after the Fourth Prince was placed under house arrest in the palace and the Silver Wing Legion was stationed at the Prince's residence, he felt as if his entire being was about to collapse.

He had no idea why the Fourth Prince was the mastermind behind the noble murders, but from the vague hints given by his acquaintances at the Guard Hall, he understood that the bloodbath was definitely closely related to the Fourth Prince.

Politics is a strange thing. To a certain extent, his connection to Rosslyn, an important subordinate of the Fourth Prince, made people see Delov as part of the Fourth Prince's faction. If the Fourth Prince were to be convicted, Delov's future would be ruined.

Even if he tried to explain, would anyone believe him?

He had long had a premonition that once he got involved in matters of the throne, he would be plunged into a dark and treacherous whirlpool. One wrong step could mean falling into an abyss, but he never thought it would come so quickly and catch him off guard!

Regret and complaint, what good would they do now?

Delov drank the last of his tea, his face bitter. He reached into the drawer under his desk and took out a badge. It was the identity badge left by his deceased assistant.

Since his assistant's death, he had kept it in his drawer.

"I wanted to do something for you, but now even I can't. I'm sorry—"

Caressing the engraving of his assistant's name on the badge, Delov closed his eyes, clenching the badge tightly as he whispered in pain.

Suddenly, a knock on the office door startled Delov. He quickly put the badge back in the drawer and closed it, rubbed his cheeks, and straightened his collar before saying in a voice tinged with authority, "Come in!"

The door opened, and Delov saw a person he absolutely did not want to see.

Rosslyn!

"You... Why are you here?" Delov asked, surprised and suspicious, as Rosslyn smiled and took off his dark gray hat.

Since the Silver Wing Legion had been stationed at the Fourth Prince's residence, it was almost impossible for anyone to enter or leave the Prince's residence freely, except for the servants who went out to buy supplies. Yet, Rosslyn had appeared here so casually... If anyone saw him, his position would be impossible to clear.

"Surprised to see me?"

Rosslyn sat on the guest sofa, placing his hat casually beside him and looking at Delov. "As the host, shouldn't you offer tea to your guest at this time?"

"Sir, why are you here?" Delov asked, coming to his side in a hurry, regardless of the consequences.

"Why can't I be here?" Rosslyn said calmly.

"But—"

"Are you worried about the soldiers stationed at the Prince's residence? Don't worry, those fools won't notice me, and they certainly can't stop me. I'm not their prisoner," Rosslyn said.

"Doesn't anyone notice?" Delov asked nervously.

Rosslyn glanced at him for a moment and then said, "Are you worried that the Fourth Prince's situation will affect your future?"

Caught off guard by Rosslyn's direct question, Delov composed himself and said, "Sir, do I have any other choice at this time?"

"Since you have no other choice, why have you abandoned the task I gave you these past few days?" Rosslyn said, narrowing his eyes.

Delov had not forgotten the task Rosslyn had given him to investigate the murder of Ambefin, but after the major incident at the Royal Central Academy, he had lost the will to continue.

"Sir, I'm sorry, but—"

Before Delov could continue, Rosslyn rudely interrupted him, "I don't want explanations, I just want results. I thought you were different from the others, but you've disappointed me..."

Faced with Rosslyn's cold gaze, Delov felt as if his heart had stopped, cold and numb. This was the first time he had seen Rosslyn truly angry.

A pain like being cut by a knife.

"You don't need to worry about other things, you just need to complete your task," Rosslyn said with a cold laugh. "If you weren't still useful, do you think you would still be alive?"

Such a naked threat made Delov's anger rise, but he knew that Rosslyn was just stating a fact. Even if he wanted to back out, he couldn't.

He had no way out.

Because retreat meant death.

"So, Sir, your visit today is not just about this, is it?" Suppressing his anger, Delov lowered his head and said in a deep voice.

"No, I have new leads on the person who killed Ambefin," Rosslyn said, ignoring Delov's hidden emotions.

"What are they?"

"We found a headless corpse at the Royal Central Academy, and the sword marks on it are identical to those on Ambefin's body!" Rosslyn said calmly.

"Hmm?"

Delov敏锐地 (sharply) picked up on a fact from Rosslyn's words! "We?" A corpse found at the Royal Central Academy? Who are "we"? How could the Fourth Prince's people have been at the Royal Central Academy at that time?

But that wasn't his concern now.

"Sir Rosslyn, do you have any suspicions?"

"Yes—"

Rosslyn leaned back on the sofa, tapping his fingers on his raised leg and smiled. "Do you remember the young man I showed you that day?"

"The one at the Golden Rose Inn?"

"Exactly. He went to the Royal Central Academy that day, but he came back alive the next day. What's more interesting is that he met someone," Rosslyn said.

"Who?"

"Of course, the Crown Prince!"