◇ Chapter 78 Regular Meeting
Two hours ago, the lady was dragged out of her home on Xike Street by the Duke's guards and taken to the dungeon.
The guards threw the documents they had searched from the lady's home onto the interrogation table. Among them were letters exchanged with the Black Robe Society. Then, in front of the lady's trembling gaze, the guards used a red-hot dagger to pry open her veil. The blade was less than two centimeters away from her fair cheek. The scorching temperature burned her skin. The lady's pupils contracted sharply, revealing a look of horror.
The guard warned coldly: "If you don't tell me everything you know, I will use this dagger to leave a scar on your cheek that will never heal."
The lady was just an ordinary member of the Black Robe Society, not a core member. She was neither very loyal nor had she received any anti-torture training. Her eyes were filled with tears, and without much interrogation, she sobbed and told everything.
The Black Robe Society was a single-line contact, and the lady didn't know much about it, but she knew several important members of the Sick Block. One was the deceased Hammerhead Shark, and the other was the Duke's most beloved butler, Bai Yu.
The lady also explained that the Black Robe Society would issue instructions through her, asking Bai Yu to mix a kind of medicinal powder into the Duke's tea, and the agreed time was before the regular meeting.
And now, Bai Yu is accompanying the Grand Duke and attending the regular meeting.
The guards did not dare to delay and immediately went to the regular meeting, whispering in the Duke's ear, explaining the whole story.
Then, Bai Yu discovered that Imur beside him suddenly tensed up.
The Grand Duke's face was as pale as gold paper, and his lake-blue eyes first showed disbelief, then anger, and finally turned into silent sadness.
...The doctor is from the Black Robe Society?
The Black Robe Society is the most notorious Black //D gang in the local area. On the surface, it is just a low-profile gang, no different from the large and small gangs in the streets of Illia. But in fact, the person in power behind it is Imur's uncle, the culprit who caused the Duke to be injured and fall off the cliff. The two factions are mortal enemies and there is no possibility of reconciliation.
The doctor comes from such a gang.
The news was too sudden and unexpected. Imur closed his eyes tightly, clenched his fingers, and his nails almost sank into his palms. However, he could not even feel the pain. He just thought blankly:
——In this way, many things can be explained.
For example, why did the cold and indifferent doctor come to select a male servant? Why did the dromedary and his wife choose to talk at the doctor's door? Why did the doctor tear up the note and throw it into the sewer? And why... why was the doctor so nice to him?
The doctor was aloof in person, but when it came to the Duke, he started to care about his health, intervened in his food and lodging, and was concerned about his staying up late and not eating vegetarian food, and so on... At first, Imur was quite complacent, thinking that he was different and that the doctor was more partial to him, but he now discovered that this was not the case.
Those kind treatments are just part of undercover work.
Imur lowered his eyes, and suddenly curled the corners of his lips in self-mockery, revealing an expression that seemed to be sarcastic. He thought indifferently that he might have made a mistake.
What Bai Yu likes is the kitten, but the kitten has never been Imur.
To Imur, the kitten and the Duke are one and the same. At the doctor's, they both felt loved for the first time, were kissed for the first time, were hugged for the first time, were taken care of when they were sick for the first time... and were loved purely for the first time.
At the same time, they are also attached to and dependent on the doctor's body temperature, and also eager to ask the doctor for more love, but this is only for Imur. For Bai Yu, they are two completely different things.
The kitten is the doctor's pet. It has a cute and adorable appearance and can be picked up by the doctor with one hand, placed on the doctor's shoulder, and tucked into the quilt. The kitten that Bai Yu has hugged, kissed, and loved has always been the fluffy platinum kitten, and the one he has taken good care of is also the platinum kitten.
But what is a duke?
The Duke is the supreme ruler of Yelia, a brutal tyrant, an enemy of the Black Robe Society, and a target that the doctor needs to lurk carefully and wait for an opportunity to assassinate.
During these days, the Duke had dressed up in front of the doctor countless times. He had the brightest face and the most luxurious robes in the entire city, but the doctor had never shown the slightest interest.
He had never been interested in Ymur.
The doctor was only cold, indifferent and perfunctory towards the Duke. The few times he showed closeness to him were before the regular meetings.
In fact, given the doctor's personality, he probably wouldn't let Imur sleep on his knees, wouldn't carefully fix Imur's waist and tie, wouldn't interfere with Imur's food and lodging, and certainly wouldn't let Imur... have the illusion of being favored.
All of this was done just to get Imur to bring him to the regular meeting and sprinkle unknown medicine powder in his tea.
What Imur thought was preference was just wishful self-deception.
The Duke's face was really ugly, and his mood was extremely low. The guards were trembling, not daring to say much. They only whispered to the Duke: "Then, Duke, the regular meeting is about to be held. Can I take Bai Yu away first?"
“…”
silence.
Yimuer pinched the teacup with his fingertips and asked awkwardly, "Where are you taking it?"
Guard: "...Uh, dungeon?"
This question is really strange. Where else can a spy from the Black Robe Society go if not taken to the dungeon for strict interrogation?
“…”
A deeper silence.
The Grand Duke pursed his lips into a straight line and closed his eyes with a hint of fatigue. He opened his mouth to speak, but finally said weakly: "…This matter has not been investigated yet, so there is no rush. Let's hold off for now."
The guard was stunned: "Grand Duke, the woman has confessed everything, the evidence is irrefutable, we have already investigated it——"
Before he finished speaking, he heard the Duke scolding with a hint of anger: "Shut up."
He raised his fingers wearily and rubbed his brows: "I said it has not been clarified yet, it has not been clarified yet, there are many doubts, let's discuss it after the banquet."
Exposing the undercover identity in front of everyone is tantamount to a final conviction, and there will be no room for turning around.
The two of them deliberately kept a distance from Bai Yu when they were talking, so Bai Yu couldn't hear anything.
After Imur sat down, Bai Yu poured tea as usual, but two tall and strong guards with swords on their belts came out from the corner. One was in front and one was behind, and one was on the left and one on the right, blocking Bai Yu in the middle and completely cutting off the possibility of him having contact with Duke Imur.
Bai Yu paused.
66 leaned over his shoulder and peeked: "Have our undercover identities been discovered?"
Bai Yu: “Maybe.”
The change in the ecumenical attitude was so great that only identity could be found as an explanation.
66 put a small salute on the screen: "Then can we go home now?"
The main system carefully selected and chose the simplest task for him. Bai Yu in the original book was just a pure NPC with a simple role and a stereotyped character. But he ended up like this. If it goes on any further, 66 will cry.
Bai Yu did not comment.
He looked calm, as if he knew nothing. He sat down on his own, neither panicked nor asked any questions. He allowed several bodyguards to surround him, creating a vacuum zone.
The dishes at the Grand Duke's Mansion were exquisite and tasted great. Bai Yu raised his hand to eat the food, but suddenly he felt two pairs of eyes under the table, looking at him.
At the end of the banquet, there was a voice from Miller. Although he had incurred the Grand Duke's dislike, he was still of noble birth and had not been stripped of his title. He was staring at Bai Yu with a serious look.
The other person sitting at the top, one table below Grand Duke Imur, was an old man with drooping eye bags, a hooked nose, and gray hair. He also looked at Bai Yu with a bad expression.
66: "It was the old man you met in the black robe that day, the one who drugged you."
Bai Yu withdrew his gaze.
If he guessed correctly, this man was Imur's uncle and the culprit who caused the Duke to fall into the water.
The meeting went smoothly and he finished it without making a fuss. The bag of white powder was placed close to Bai Yu's chest pocket and never moved.
The nobles left one after another, and the waiters came forward to clean up the mess of cups and plates on the floor. Soon, the hall was empty.
But Imur still sat in the middle.
The Duke had no intention of moving. There were several guards between him and Bai Yu.
As soon as the banquet was over, the guards searched Bai Yu's body and found white powder in his pocket. Now the powder was placed in front of the Grand Duke, and the pure white crystals were flashing with a faint light.
Imur lowered his eyes, his fingers pressed firmly on the table, his face extremely gloomy. A silent storm seemed to be brewing in the hall. The guards all lowered their heads and no one dared to look up.
The rumors among the people of Ilria that the Grand Duke was cruel and brutal were not groundless. Imur had killed his five brothers with his own hands, and his methods were quick and decisive. He was also ruthless when it came to cleaning up the traitors. He killed so many people that the soil in the training ground west of the city was dyed blood red.
If you become a traitor here, you can imagine what the consequences will be.
Bai Yu had just put down his knife and fork, his face calm.
They remained in silence for a long time - perhaps it was because Imur was the only one in the stalemate, and Bai Yu was calm and content.
Imur held the tin cutlery in his hand, squeezing it tighter and tighter, and the metal bent and collided, making a teeth-grinding sound.
Finally, the Grand Duke spoke first, breaking the silence, his tone strange: "Bai Yu, looking at your expression, do you already know why I sent people to surround you?"
Bai Yu nodded: "I know."
Imur laughed in anger: "You know? Then do you know what will happen if you become a traitor to me?"
The voice is deep and oppressive, but upon closer listening, it is a bit hoarse.
Bai Yu: “I know that, too.”
Imur sneered: "You know that too? From the look on your face, it seems like you don't know."
The torture in the Duke's Mansion is enough to break anyone and make the toughest man kneel down and beg for mercy.
Yimuer stood up suddenly and said, "Butler, come and talk to Mr. Bai. How did we deal with the last member of the Black Robe Society?"
The Archduke was at his calmest when he was furious. There was almost no expression on his face, but the tin tableware could not bear the weight, leaving deep fingerprints on the surface.
The butler dared not even breathe, lowering his eyebrows and saying, "Last time, a member of the Black Robe Society tried to create a terrorist attack during the celebration. He brought *** into the center of the celebration. After being discovered by the guards, he was detained on the spot and sent to the dungeon. Our guards broke his fingers one by one, poured boiling wax into his skin, mouth, and ears, and then put him on the rack and tortured him with a barbed whip for three days. Only then did he confess the source of the gunpowder and his accomplices. Afterwards, we arrested all the people involved in the case."
Imur's cold gaze fell ahead, looking at somewhere unknown in the hall. His eyes were unfocused and had no purpose. He just avoided eye contact with the doctor.
Where the doctor couldn't see, the Duke's nails dug into the tabletop, removing large chunks of varnish.
Imur: "Do you know what that man looks like when he is carried out?"
Steward: "When the man was carried out, his voice was hoarse, there was no healthy skin on his body, he was breathing out more than breathing in, and he died before we could carry him to the execution ground."
“…”
Bai Yu's cold eyes finally wavered slightly, and he sighed imperceptibly: "What does the Grand Duke want me to do by telling me this?"
The torture is for interrogation, but the Black Robe Society has a single line of communication, and Bai Yu does not have any extra information.
“…”
Deathly silence.
Ymur curled his fingers silently.
Why did he tell the doctor this?
Is it to scare doctors and make them fearful? Is it to prepare to implement these punishments and make doctors fearful?
No, neither.
There was only a faint hope in Imur's heart. He hoped that Bai Yu would explain something, even if it was just some useless nonsense.
They said he was not an undercover agent and that he was framed; they said he didn't know what the white powder was and that he didn't mean to put the powder in the tea. They said all these nonsense that no one believed... In short, they said anything.
But Bai Yu said nothing.
He admitted the crime openly and honestly, without any hesitation or resistance, as if to say, "Yes, it's just as you think. I'm an undercover agent and I'm here to kill you. Everything I said before was to better kill you on this day."
…
Imur's body trembled slightly, and then he supported himself on the table.
After the assassination, his health has been poor, he was prone to dizziness and tinnitus. Bai Yu adjusted the diet for him and took good care of him for some time. Recently, Imur no longer has these symptoms.
But now, the feeling of blood loss and dizziness came back, and he had to hold on to the dining table and stand up straight.
The housekeeper probed: "Grand Duke, is this Bai Yu?"
According to common sense, they should have locked him up in a dungeon, tortured him and extracted as much information as possible. However, seeing the Archduke's condition, they really didn't dare to act on their own.
Imur took a deep breath.
His soul seemed to have been pulled out of his body. He said in a cold and calm voice, "Take him away."
Butler: "Where are you taking it?"
Yi Muerton paused for a long time, gritted his teeth and said:
"...Dungeon."
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