The Web of Knightspur-Chapter 257 - 253
Princess Eleanor and Grand Duke Christopher stood at the side with sad expressions on their faces.
The High Priest was reciting the prayers as he looked at the coffins with three dead bodies. Everyone was sad, but few of the nobles had a lot of thoughts in their minds.
The people supporting the Grand Duke’s family were happy, but the ones supporting Prince Richard’s were not so. Especially his maternal Uncle. The man had lost his biggest backing - his sister who was the Empress and his nephew who would have been the next Emperor. He felt like the power was slipping out of his hand. He could not grasp the situation.
"Is it the doing of the Grand Duke?"
"From the time it is known that he is the First Prince, everything is turning out disastrous."
"We have to take a stand. How can we let this happen?"
"But haven’t the Cenid Kingdom’s people taken a stand against it? Did they really?"
"Shh.... How can this be? The Empress’ family and the Cenid Kingdom have done trade with each other for centuries. How can they kill the Crown Prince? It has to be the conspiracy of someone else."
Many whispers spread throughout the area. Although they thought that it could not be heard by anyone, the truth was different from their assumption. They could hear it clearly.
Princess Eleanor looked at the Grand Duke who blinked his eyes. Her thoughts were clearly written all over her face. It was something that was bothering her. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺
’Are they all doubting us?’ Princess Eleanor mouthed as she blinked at Grand Duke Christopher.
’Don’t worry.’ Grand Duke Christopher mouthed back as his fingers touched Princess Eleanor’s palm slightly. It was evident that the Princess was nervous and he wanted to make her feel better.
"Don’t worry, Princess." Grand Duke Christopher said in a calming voice that everyone could hear. "No one will harm you. I will ensure that nothing bothers you. After all, the Temple supports you over this. And who in the Empire dares go against God’s will?"
Princess Eleanor nodded her head. She knew that Grand Duke Christopher’s words were meant for the people who were whispering. It was a slap to their faces for thinking that they could go against the Temple when in fact, they have all supported them over the years.
"I know." Princess Eleanor said in a small voice. "I am not afraid. Priest Erasmus had said that it is God’s will and I believe it. This will be a new era. An era filled with prosperity."
Princess Eleanor looked back as her eyes looked down. "I am worried that the people will think otherwise. The First Prince is also of Royal blood and yet he is not given the respect that he deserves. There are times that I, too, think it was necessary for the people of the Cenid Kingdom to go this far, but I think I understand it. The results were beyond their expectations and that made them do it. I have seen blood turn against blood. Greed and emotions made him take those steps. If even your own blood cannot keep you safe, then how can a mere trade relationship do that?"
Princess Eleanor looked at the High Priest, ignoring everything else. It was evident that this was not something that bothered her. "I believe in the High Priest’s words. I have to. He is in a position where God directly communicates with him. If we oppose his decision, then what will it show? Are we doubting all the decisions that the High Priest has made over the years? Are we saying that none of the Emperors were supposed to be crowned under the High Priest’s words? Won’t the whole monarchy fall then?"
Princess Eleanor sighed, "I do not believe in everything that the High Priest has said, but will all the nobles take responsibility for the spread of rumors? Will they all stand at the podium and say it to all the commoners that they are revolting against God even when they stood by his will during the time Prince Richard was still alive?"
Princess Eleanor looked back as she said with a determined tone, "We all are people who understand things. The rumors can be dangerous for both parties." Princess Eleanor did not say anything else but simply closed her eyes as she looked at the dead. "May they rest in peace."
—---
"I heard you had a problem with my decision." Priest Erasmus said with a smile on his face. His eyes were burning with hate, "I never knew that the former Empress’s family was so against my words. If I had known it sooner, then maybe I would have never recommended her being the Empress in the first place."
"Former Empress?" The man said, gritting his teeth. "So you have given up on her so soon?"
"What is there to not give up? I think you are mistaken. She is already dead and we have a new Empress that will be crowned soon. Keeping that in mind, she will be the former Empress. Oh wait, she should not have been an Empress in the first Place. She only became one because your family made a deal with the Temple. A deal to kill the First Prince and his mother. Isn’t it?"
The man’s eyes widened. Although he knew that everything was passed down to the new High Priest once he was appointed, he did not realize that all of their dark history and unholy transactions would be passed down as well.
"How..." The man asked in a small tone. He was Crown Prince Richard’s maternal Uncle. Someone who was about to inherit a Duke’s title once his nephew got up on the throne. He was known to be arrogant and yet today he was not. Even if he wanted to be, he could not say anything else.
"You know that the First Prince is still alive. The Grand Duke is the First Prince. But some people will not agree to it." Priest Erasmus smiled. He was sitting on a chair but soon he leaned forward as he tapped his finger on the table. "And to tell you the truth, he is not."
"Priest Erasmus moved his hand and soon a shadow came behind the man looping and pulling a rope around his neck. He was choking. All the arrogance that was in him disappeared in an instant.
He struggled a lot as he tried to loosen the rope from around his neck, but he could not. His eyes bulged out in fear. "This..."
"I am the First Prince whom you thought you killed. I am the one that Duke Beaumont adopted and hid. I am the one who spread the rumors that the First Prince was seen at the borders every now and then to see how you all would react. And to tell you the truth, you did not disappoint. You would always send killers to the place where the rumors originated. I always wanted to take revenge for my mother’s death. Yes, it was me who killed your sister, the Empress, and your nephew. But you all were not the only ones under my radar."
Priest Eramus’s lips curled up sarcastically, "The Cenid Kingdom helped you to kill the former Duke and Duchess, didn’t they? They were the ones who made the murder look like an accident. You struck a deal with them and made them do the killing so that none of it will lead the investigation your way."
The man’s eyes widened as he swallowed hard. He was struggling to say something but the rope was cutting off his air. Even if he wanted to, he could not say a word.
"I have waited and conspired for a long time. Initially, I was going to spare my father too. Because I thought he was not involved in the death of my mother. But I knew that was not the case with Duke Beaumont’s death. He was killed under the orders of the former Emperor because he was afraid that his brother would rebel." Priest Erasmus laughed out loud, "So funny. Even when he took so much more care, he still failed. Even your nephew failed. The man they feared the most will be the new Emperor and that alone is satisfying for me."
Priest Erasmus got up and he looked down at the man who was about to die. It is evident on his pale face that he would not be able to survive even if the rope was loosened. "You will be announced dead soon. I will personally bring to light all the things that you have done over the years along with the former High Priest. I will make sure that your family, the people of the Cenid Kingdom, or even the Temple who had conspired in the death of my loved ones, will not be able to stand up but grovel for forgiveness."
Priest Erasmus turned his head around as he walked out of the room. He could hear the ruffling noises, indicating the struggle of the dying man. "It is the start of a new era."
