Just as dawn was breaking, a sudden downpour struck.
The carriage carrying the Duke of Meccalu sped into the palace, the wheels splashing water onto the clothes of passersby.
Duke Mekalou hurried into the meeting hall, led by his attendant. To his surprise, the Emperor, the First Prince, the Second Prince, and several dukes were all there.
"Duke Meccalou, please have a seat."
The emperor pointed to the only empty chair and asked with a stern face, "Did Mord go home last night?"
"Halfway through the banquet, I couldn't hold my liquor, so he left with me."
Duke Mecca observed everyone's expressions, except for the two princes and His Majesty, who all looked very serious and seemed dissatisfied with his answer.
The expressions of the other dukes and ministers were intriguing; some gloated, while others expressed concern.
Are you sure?
The emperor gritted his teeth and asked again, wishing he could grab the duke by the collar and make him shout, "I'm not sure!"
"Am I... sure?"
The Duke hesitated, feeling as if something had happened that he didn't know about.
Where exactly was Moud last night?
"at home."
Are you sure?
"Sure."
"Fine, fine, you and your son are alike, both cowards who dare to do things but not to admit them!"
"If Your Majesty wishes to convict me, at least tell me what I did wrong!"
The Duke couldn't hold back any longer. Last night, Mode had caused him a lot of trouble, and this morning he was summoned to the palace because of Mode. He was interrogated like a criminal without asking why.
Did he really think he was an easy target?
"Don't you, as the father, know what your son has done?"
"He got drunk last night and I broke his leg. Your Majesty, tell me, what can he do now?"
Upon hearing this, everyone present gasped. The eldest prince's eyes revealed a hint of sympathy, while the second prince frowned deeply.
"What evidence do you have to support your claim?"
The emperor paused for a second, then gave a wink to his attendant.
"He went on a drunken rampage and turned the house upside down. In a fit of rage, I broke his leg, called a doctor to treat him, and then locked him in the basement."
The expressions on the faces of the other nobles became increasingly interesting. The eldest prince's eyes showed even more sympathy, while the second prince's hand, which was resting on his lap, clenched into a fist, then relaxed, and then clenched into a fist again.
"I will send someone to verify what you said." The emperor waved his hand, took out a necklace, and tossed it to the duke: "Does this look familiar?"
"Maud's engagement ring? How did it end up here?"
The Duke of Meccalous remembered clearly that the ring was designed and made by Maud's aunt.
"You should ask him," the emperor scoffed. "I'll ask you one more time: where was he last night? Or where did he go before returning home?"
"His Majesty should know his whereabouts better than I do."
The duke stared at the ring in his hand, a million possibilities flashing through his mind.
The emperor was speechless, precisely because he knew Morde's whereabouts, which is why he resorted to this desperate measure.
What are his thoughts on the marriage alliance between Lanque and the Nuolan Empire?
The emperor suddenly changed the subject, and the Duke of Meccalous keenly sensed something unusual.
“He was completely drunk last night, causing a scene at home. How would I know what he was thinking?” Duke Meccalou held up the ring. “Where did His Majesty get it?”
"It's a long story." The Emperor coughed, putting his fist to his lips. "Last night, when Lady Buren returned to her room, she found people having sex in her room. One of them was so frightened that he jumped out of the window and ran away. Can you guess who the other one was?"
How would I know?
Duke Meccalu hated riddles the most. He had disliked the emperor for a long time, but he hadn't shown it because of his relationship with Lanque and Mode.
"Lanque".
"Who?" The Duke couldn't believe his ears and repeated, "The Third Prince?"
“Yes.” The Emperor nodded. “He admitted that the person he had been intimate with was Mode, and that he provided the necklace.”
"Absolutely impossible!" the Duke denied outright. "Maud would never do such a thing!"
Mode and Lanque have been engaged for over a year; if anything was going to happen, it would have happened long ago.
"Are you sure?" The emperor stroked his beard and looked at the duke meaningfully. "Kolanque said they've had relations more than once, but it just wasn't discovered before."
"Absolutely impossible!"
The Duke was quite confident in his son in this regard.
Mode was a religious and chaste man. In his belief, having sex before marriage was unfaithful to God and would be cursed. The most intimate thing he and Lanque had ever been was kissing.
The expressions of the others in the room became increasingly vivid. Nobles valued their reputation above all else, and premarital adultery would damage the reputation of both parties, even if they were already engaged.
In the beliefs of the nobles of the Etolan Empire, it is absolutely forbidden to have relations with other people before marriage, otherwise it is considered infidelity to one's future partner and will be cursed and punished by the god of marriage.
If a young man in a family commits adultery out of wedlock, the entire family will be branded with shame.
"Duke Meccalou, are you sure that the man last night wasn't Mord?"
"I'm sure."
Duke Mekalou forcibly suppressed his anger. The emperor was clearly trying to find someone else to blame, using Morde as a scapegoat and trampling the face of the Mekalou family. He would never allow it!
"Then how do you explain this necklace?"
"Wasn't it because Morde was heartbroken after learning that His Majesty wanted to arrange a marriage between the Third Prince and the Third Prince that he went to the Third Prince to return the tokens of love?" Duke Mekalu calmly threw the necklace on the ground and took out a handkerchief to carefully wipe his hands. "I originally thought that Morde was making a fuss because he didn't want to be separated from the Third Prince, and I even wanted to comfort him. Now it seems that he is more sensible than I thought."
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