Chapter 42 [Grind's Past]
Griningk did have many flaws, but what truly convinced Mela that he had a problem was a casual remark by Silas.
"The buttons on his clothes look so familiar..."
Silas stood on the windowsill, staring at Grining, who was sitting in a chair helping to peel potatoes, for a long time.
“Silas, what did you just say?” Mela appeared from behind it.
Silas was so frightened that the feathers on his body stood on end.
However, Mela, with foresight, covered Silas's mouth with one hand, carried him away from the windowsill with the other, and walked to a tree.
Unless someone goes to the window in person, there's no way to see what Mela and Silas are doing just by sitting inside the room.
This also made it easier for Mela to ask Silas again, "What were you saying just now? Buttons? What happened to Grind's buttons?"
“I think the button on his clothes looks familiar, like the one I gave to Miss Lily back then,” Silas answered honestly.
Mela thought for a while before finally remembering that it was a farewell gift from Silas to Miss Lily, but since they hadn't seen the actual item, she and Lex hadn't paid any attention to the button at the time.
But now, Mela is demanding that Silas recount exactly where he found the button and what it looked like.
“It was in the woods…” Silas was forced to begin recalling.
The more it recalled, the more certain it became that the button it had picked up was exactly the same as the one on Grind's body.
The unique luster, the shell-like shape, and the wave-like patterns were all things Silas had never seen before, and they left a deep impression on him.
Mela looked thoughtful. Could this button have been dropped by Grind?
No, the timing doesn't match up. He should still be in the northern territory right now.
However, it might not be entirely true to say that it has absolutely nothing to do with Grinning.
It's probably more reliable to ask Lex about these things.
With that in mind, Mela asked Silas to find a way to call Lex over that wouldn't arouse suspicion.
“No problem,” Silas replied, patting his chest.
Lex quickly arrived at the tree.
"Silas just told me in a mysterious way that you need to talk to me."
“There is something I need to discuss. Do you think there's anything wrong with that man named Grinning?” Mela asked, observing Lex's calm expression.
Upon hearing Mela's words, Lex's eyebrows twitched, seemingly surprised that she also harbored doubts about Grind.
Then Lex thought again, even knowing there was something wrong with the other person, he still dared to bring them back to the cabin, that was just like Mela's style.
Moreover, people often fear potential dangers because they doubt their ability to resolve them.
Mela has always been exceptionally confident in herself.
Ha, there really is a problem.
Even though Lex hadn't said anything yet, Mela already knew the answer from his reaction.
"Tell me, what do you think is wrong with him?" Mela asked curiously.
“The row of buttons on his clothes is a style that was popular in the royal city five years ago, which means he either lived in the royal city all along, or he spent some time there five years ago,” Lex said.
Wait a minute, something seems off.
"You even pay attention to such details?" Mela asked, puzzled.
Lex: "..."
How to explain this to Mela is a long story.
This style of button first appeared on a maid in the royal palace.
Royal palace maids are generally divided into two categories: those of commoner origin, who are mostly selected because of a special skill, and those of noble origin, who enter the palace for various reasons.
This maid was the second daughter of a count.
I heard that she entered the palace to escape her fiancé whom she didn't like, hoping that when she got older, her fiancé would ask her father to break off the engagement.
However, it's inevitable to miss one's hometown after being away for a long time.
So she spent a lot of money to find a tailor who carefully polished small seashells, a specialty of her hometown, and made them into buttons to sew onto her clothes.
Such a unique and beautiful button naturally caught the attention of Elijah, who served her personally.
Elijah loved it and immediately had a tailor make her a gorgeous dress in the same style, which she wore to make a stunning appearance at the next royal ball.
After the ball, similar buttons quickly became a trend among the people. If they couldn't find such seashells, they used other materials instead, which was much cheaper.
When Lex saw that Fernanki's exposed collar featured the same buttons as his own, he made a few sarcastic remarks, which made the impression even more vivid.
"I see." Mela understood. Just like how the tax official's wife's appearance at the banquet always inspired others to imitate her, it was all a means to pursue someone with more power and influence, that is, to make her the center of attention.
Although Mela always thought it was ridiculous to stick colorful feathers on her head.
“But Gwentil told me that she met Grinker in the Northern Territory, where he was almost forcibly taken to be a slave on the plantation. If Grinker had ever lived in the capital, why did he leave?” Mela steered the conversation back to Grinker.
“There are generally two possibilities. One, he had no choice but to leave; two, he chose to leave voluntarily,” Lex analyzed.
Whether Griningke belongs to category one or two depends on the very different circumstances involved.
There may be many reasons for leaving voluntarily, such as seeking a better life or opportunities for advancement, but if Grining was forced to leave the royal city, then he must have offended someone and was doing so to save his life.
While Mela was still pondering which possibility was more likely, Lex suddenly said, "Come to think of it, I feel like he looks somewhat familiar."
"Are you referring to his face, which is completely covered by a beard and whose features are not visible at all?" Mela hesitated before speaking.
“No, of course not,” Lex denied.
If I had to say it, it would probably be a feeling? That is, the feeling that they had definitely seen it before.
“Your words have given me some inspiration. Do you think it’s possible that he deliberately grew such a thick beard to prevent you from recognizing him?”
If that's the case, Mela urged Lex to think more carefully about the circumstances under which he had met Grind.
“Then, Lex thought of someone, someone who forced him to flee into the Dark Forest back then. You were the leader of that group of pursuers, weren’t you?” Mela stared at Grinning, her tone very certain.
In the darkness of night, the small wooden cabin with its kerosene lamp is the only source of light for miles around. The dim yellow light shines on the weathered wood, giving its deep brown color a warm and inviting feel.
Unfortunately, for Grining, who was tied up, this was probably not a pleasant scene.
His mood was perhaps the complete opposite of when he led a group of men to chase after young Lex, watching the high and mighty Crown Prince flee in disarray.
"So how did you get to where you are now? Didn't Elijah give you any benefits? After all, you eliminated a big problem for her." Mela asked, puzzled.
Although Lex was actually alive and well in the Dark Forest, Elijah and the others didn't know that in their eyes, Lex was already a corpse.
Queen Elizabeth did not believe that Prince Lex was dead.
Now that things have come to this, Griningke is too lazy to hide it any longer. In any case, even if he tells the whole story, it won't affect the woman who holds sway in the palace.
Regardless of the unexpected turn of events involving Grinningk, Lex and Elijah were destined to clash sooner or later. A fight to the death.
"She doesn't believe me? Why?" Mela and Lex exchanged a glance.
“Because we didn’t retrieve Prince Lex’s head,” Grinningk replied.
His gaze became unfocused, landing on mid-air, yet it seemed as if he wasn't looking at anything in particular.
His mind seemed to return to the day he met Elijah.
That night, Grind led his men out of the Dark Forest. Without resting, they immediately returned to the agreed location to rejoin the main force.
Seeing them return empty-handed, the leading man frowned. He sat on his horse, his gaze carrying an undeniable sense of oppression, and slowly swept over the faces of Grind and the people behind him.
“Grind, please don’t tell me that all of you let a twelve-year-old kid escape.”
“We didn’t let him escape. We chased him into the Dark Forest and saw a shadow bigger than a small mountain sweep across the sky. That was the witch’s pet. He couldn’t have survived,” Grind explained.
If it were someone else, they might have managed to survive the witch's clutches, perhaps because the witch was in a good mood at the time. But as a member of the royal family, Lex would never be able to get away with anything from the witch.
"Hmph." The man snorted arrogantly. "Save those words for Her Majesty the Queen. Perhaps, out of respect for Her Majesty Severi, she will be willing to give you a chance to make amends."
Grind entered the palace with trepidation. If it were Queen Elijah, perhaps she wouldn't be as dissatisfied with them as the men said.
However, upon hearing Grining's words, Elia's smile turned cold. "You mean, you could have continued the pursuit and brought me his head, allowing my child to secure the throne, but instead, out of fear of death, you left his life to be decided by an unknown witch?"
“…Your Majesty,” Grining said with difficulty, “I believe that given the chance, no witch would choose to spare the descendants of Nurengel.”
It is believed that in the entire kingdom, no one would wish for the extinction of all people with the surname Nurengal more than the witch.
"Then you are even less forgivable."
Elijah's smile vanished, her gaze turning cold and sharp as it fell on Grind. "Everyone knows how ingenious the witches' methods are. What if that witch uses Lex to attack my Severi?"
Although Elia utterly loathed Lex, who occupied the throne that should rightfully belong to her son, it was undeniable that Lex and her beloved Severi were brothers, sharing half the same blood.
If the witch were to threaten her little Riel with this half of her bloodline...
"We are willing to atone for our mistakes and return to the Dark Forest! This time, we will definitely return to you with evidence that Prince Lex can no longer threaten Prince Sevier!"
Sensing a dangerous glint of murderous intent flashing in Elia's beautiful golden eyes, Grining was shocked and quickly interrupted, attempting a final struggle.
He knelt on the ground with his head down, cold sweat pouring down his back.
If Elijah refuses to give them this chance... at least, at least the people he instructed could still escape the royal city with the others and save their lives.
"Fine. I'll give you a month. If you can't finish, bring me your own heads."
The woman sitting at the head of the table, for some unknown reason, suddenly changed her mind and casually uttered these words.
This prompted Grinning to look up excitedly.
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