Saken widened his eyes, stammering:
âYouâ¦You saw through it long ago?â
Colin gave a calm smile and said: âI had suspicions from the moment you deliberately distracted Nina.â
âSo, why did you still follow me here?â
âI wanted to give you another chance, thinking you too were a victim of Mr. Ji.â
Saken opened his mouth, but for a moment, he didnât know what to say.
Colin then wiped away his smile, saying coldly: âBut if you had kept walking just now, I would have killed you with one sword and left immediately.â
After a moment of silence, Saken finally lifted his head to look directly into Colinâs eyes, sincerely responding:
âThank you, Lord Count!â
Colin gave a light smile and said, âAlright, tell me, what kind of trap is set inside? And who instructed you to bring me inside?â
Seeming to have untied a knot in his heart, Saken promptly answered:
âMy lord, in the second bookshelf of the third room, thereâs a book that hides a deadly smoke bomb. As soon as you open the book, even if it wonât kill you instantly, itâll still weaken you. The person who set this trap is my fatherâs maid, Lady Cadina.â
âCadina?â Colin recalled the maid who was always quietly standing behind Franco, pushing his wheelchair.
âYes.â Saken nodded, then added, âIn fact, she is also my fatherâs lover. After my father committed suicide by poison, she approached me, hoping I could assist her in her revenge against you.â
âLover?â Colin seemed thoughtful and asked, âI remember she also pledged her loyalty to me, so sheâs also a knight of the Morrison family?â
âShe is a loyal knight to the Morrison family, but she is not of the Morrison name.â
âSo, to which family does she belong?â
âI donât know.â Saken shook his head. âIt is said that sheâs a wandering knight taken in by my father, but she has never publicly revealed her last name.â
âHow long has she been at Phoenix Butterfly Fort?â
âAroundâ¦â Saken thought for a moment, uncertainly answering, âAround ten years.â
Colin was lost in thought for a moment, then he suddenly asked an seemingly unrelated question: âBy the way, where is your mother? I never saw her.â
Saken was stunned for a moment but replied, âMy mother has been dead for many years.â
âDo you remember when she passed away?â
âIt was also ten years agoâ¦â Saken paused as he said this, as if he had realized something, âMy Lord, are you suggesting that my motherâs death is related to Cadina?â
Colin shrugged, âYou should know better than I would.â
Suddenly, Saken became agitated, clenching his fists as if he was explaining to Colin, yet also telling himself: âYes, thinking about it now, Cadina is indeed suspicious! My mother was always quite healthy, but she began to worsen day by day after Cadina came to Phoenix Butterfly Fort, until her death. Iâve never linked Cadinaâs arrival and my motherâs death, but now it seems these simultaneous timings are too suspicious! Cadina is indeed highly suspicious for my motherâs death!â
Colin quietly listened to Sakenâs outburst, and suddenly felt a sense of deja vuâ
Didnât a similarly melodramatic plot unfold in the home of Count Uman, the lord of Fallen Eagle City?
Could this Cadina be another incarnation of Penny St. Sean?
However, there are some differences.
Penny bore a child for Count Uman, even letting this illegitimate son replace the position of the true heir, preparing to play a game of usurpation.
But Cadina didnât bear a child for Franco; the current Saken Morrison was Francoâs only child.
Of course, this might be because Franco had lost his fertility after becoming paralyzedâ¦
Cadina, even if she wanted to learn from the elder Penny, was helpless to do so.
Colin was looking at the rage-filled Saken, suddenly feeling fortunate for this ignorant lad, if his father could still bear children, it would probably be unlikely for the title of Count Morrison to come his way.
But one thing about the two of them should be the sameâthey were both chess pieces laid out by Mr. Ji!
Penny was Mr. Jiâs sister, and this Cadina likely has a deep connection with Mr. Ji too, probably being a survivor of the St. Sean family also.
In that case, even Francoâs âsuicide by poisoningâ has some questionsâ
Did he truly commit suicide? Or was he forced to commit suicide?
Upon this thought, Colin again asked, âThe person who first noticed something was wrong after your fatherâs incident, that should be Knight Cadina too, right?â
âYes, she was the first to discover fatherâsâ¦â Saken nodded, then suddenly his face changed, as if having finally realized something, âYou think father didnât commit suicide? That he was poisoned to death by Cadina?â
Colin once again shrugged, saying, âItâs possible. I suspect she was sent by Mr. Ji to monitor the Morrison Family, so after my seizure of the Morrison Familyâs nobility title, Cadina, filled with resentment, very likely made Franco âcommit suicide by poisoning,â in order to fully incite hatred towards me from the members of the Morrison family.â
âItâs a pity she didnât expect Lady Grace to be so decisive, and to have such high prestige in the Morrison Family, she even managed to convince everyone to pledge their loyalty to me.â
Subsequently, Colin glanced at Saken, saying, âOf course, she didnât walk away with nothing. At the very least, she successfully stirred up your hatred towards me.â
At this moment, Saken felt both shame and anger, his face contorted with a ferocious expression as he growled,
âCount, please apprehend her at once so that she can be severely interrogated! I want to know how father really died!â
But Colin merely shook his head slowly, saying, âSuch a determined person, threats and interrogation might not work.â
âThen what should we do?â Saken was instantly a bit anxious.
Colin confidently smiled and said, âI have a better plan, I just need you to play along in a little performance.â
Sakenâs eyes lit up, he immediately replied, âNo problem, as long as I can know the truth about fatherâs death, Iâm willing to do anything!â
âGood. Then you pretend I havenât discovered this trap.â
Saken seemed to understand Colinâs meaning, but still reminded him,
âYour Lordship, you must remember, the book that hides the deadly fog is called âOrigin of the Golden Tail Butterfly Badge,â itâs on the second shelf in the third room.â
âOkay, I understand.â Colin smiled faintly, and gestured for Saken to continue moving inside.
Saken stepped into the library, leading Colin to the third room, pointing towards a book on the second shelf, saying,
âYour Lordship, the secret about the Morrison Family that I want to tell you is hidden within this book.â
âAlright, let me take a look.â Colin nodded, but didnât pick up the book that Saken deliberately pointed wrong, instead he took âOrigin of the Golden Tail Butterfly Badge.ân/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
Saken was immediately stunned, thinking that Colin did not remember his words from earlier, and started blinking as a warning.
But Colin seemed not to have noticed Sakenâs warning at all, and went on to open that book.
Phew!
A wisp of deadly green fog suddenly erupted from the book, enveloping Colinâs whole head in an instant.