* * *
“Sir Timothy Cavern, it’s time for your statement.”
Several days passed before a group of knights entered in the evening to escort him.
He recognized some of them, had even partied with a few—but while Timothy seemed relieved, they wore stiff expressions and ignored him.
“You guys… you don’t actually believe that crap, do you? I swear I didn’t do it! I’m being framed!”
“Sir, please remain silent.”
The eyes that addressed him as “sir” were full of contempt.
Funny, when they used to beg him to take them to the clubs.
‘Spit.’
Timothy spat on the floor.
Once this misunderstanding was cleared, he’d make sure his father had these bastards kicked from the order.
“Are you Sir Timothy Cavern?”
“Yes.”
“Is it true that you attempted to rape Sir Martius Nertian in the Cavern family carriage?”
“T-that’s a misunderstanding. Why would I ever do that to another Alpha?”
“Strange. You’ve done it to plenty of other Alphas already.”
The investigator laid out Timothy’s long list of past crimes.
It had taken days to gather this much.
The Cavern family cried defamation, but with the Duke’s family behind Martius, they were no match.
They were likely afraid too—afraid of losing favor with Duke Graham.
Martius, after sending Timothy to the knights that day, had come in himself later—bruised, clothes torn, and demanded a medical exam.
The investigators confirmed Timothy’s DNA on Martius’s body and clothing.
‘The Duchess fainted, didn’t she?’
Rumor had it she’d stopped eating and drinking after hearing what happened to her younger brother.
Viscount Nertian had tried to visit the Duchess, but the Duke reportedly refused to open the door.
“This… this was all consensual…”
Timothy’s eyes trembled as he hastily flipped through the files the investigator tossed at him.
‘Who the hell dug all this up?’
He’d even been caught using banned narcotics at a club.
Not to mention turning people he liked into sex slaves—some of whom had died.
“The Empire has outlawed slavery. You, of all people, should know that. We can’t overlook this.”
“It’s all lies. Someone’s obviously framing me.”
People had turned a blind eye before for the sake of fun.
Plenty of others had taken part. He couldn’t accept being the only one who got caught.
“It’s not just me—others were involved—”
“Oh, don’t worry about that. We’ve arrested them all. His Majesty’s cracking down on drugs lately, and a knight from the Royal Order being involved? That’s a big deal.”
‘Shit.’
The unspoken words from the investigator rang in Timothy’s ears.
‘Where did this all go wrong?’
Was that bastard actually an undercover investigator?
Timothy, panicking over the fear of losing everything, completely forgot that he was the one who’d first approached the Nertian family.
“This is nonsense! I wouldn’t do something like this! I was drugged too—forced to move—!”
“We don’t have time to listen to your nonsense, but go on.”
The investigator’s smug expression made Timothy bite his lip hard.
“Let me see the Count—my father.”
“Oh, the Count? He won’t be able to help you either. His Majesty found out the truth and is furious.”
Timothy fell silent at the aide’s words.
No point saying anything more to people who already saw him as a criminal.
His only hope was to meet his father.
“Father!”
Slap!
His plea was answered the next morning, when Count Cavern himself arrived.
“What the hell have you been doing?! I gave you money so you’d stay out of trouble, not ruin the family!”
With a roar, the Count slapped his son across the face.
“F-Father!”
“Useless bastard! The Royal Order tore through the estate looking for evidence! Your mother begged them to stop, convinced you couldn’t possibly—but when the truth came out, she collapsed!”
The Count had always known his son was trash.
Still, he hadn’t discarded him—he gave him hush money, cleaned up after him.
Sometimes Timothy was even useful to the family.
And this time, the target had been none other than Viscount Nertian.
The Count had backed everything Timothy asked for, thinking just one good word to the Duke could bring in investment after investment.
“I didn’t do anything! I swear! I’m being framed!”
“Really?”
“I didn’t even lay a hand on him!”
If he’d at least gotten somewhere with that brat who looked like the Duchess, he wouldn’t be this frustrated.
That brat—sharp, uptilted eyes like the Duchess, biting down, flushed red…
“You’re insane.”
“Wait, wait! That’s not what I meant—augh! Father!”
The Count looked down and, seeing the state of his son’s pants, recoiled and punched him.
“Please… believe me…”
“Sigh. There’s no avoiding your punishment anymore.”
“Father, please not the death penalty! Don’t let them kill me!”
Earl Cavern looked down at the son clinging to his legs.
He may have been a constant source of trouble since childhood—but still, he was his son.
And even if he hated him… he couldn’t just watch him die.
“If I help you escape, you’ll have to give up your name and your family. Do you think you can survive like that? I won’t be able to support you with our family name or money anymore.”
The count, after much hesitation, finally whispered with firm resolve in his eyes.
Timothy realized from his father’s reaction that there was no other way for him to survive, and he gave a small nod.
From that moment on, Timothy answered the investigators’ questions sincerely.
People sneered, saying it was just a desperate attempt to reduce his sentence, but he silently waited for the final day, sharpening the blade in his heart.
“Silvian, please wake up.”
Zeroth kissed Silvian’s cheek, who was lying limp in bed, unable to move.
“Zeroth…?”
Thin fingers brushed Zeroth’s cheek as Silvian leaned weakly against him.
“Timothy will pay for what he’s done. The death sentence has been confirmed.”
At his words, large tears began to fall from Silvian’s eyes.
“What about Marti?”
“He’s waiting for you to recover.”
The moment Silvian heard that something had happened to Martius, he collapsed as if he’d been waiting for an excuse.
He had heard the news by chance on his way to Zeroth’s office, and the entire Ducal household was thrown into chaos when he fainted.
His fever didn’t subside for days, and the entire staff had to walk on eggshells.
“Is he… is he at the Ducal residence?”
“Yes. I thought you’d worry, so I’ve kept him here since the incident. Paul examined him—he’s fine. Very healthy.”
Zeroth quickly recounted everything that had happened so Silvian, who was just barely regaining his strength, could feel reassured.
As expected, the soft-hearted Silvian had collapsed from just hearing his younger brother had been assaulted by another knight.
If he were to later hear rumors that the viscount and his wife were at fault, he might faint again.
“I want to see my brother.”
At the faint request, the Duke shook his head.
“Once your body is fully recovered and you’re calm, I’ll allow it. Paul said you need more rest.”
“B-but…”
Drip. Drip.
At the sound of his tears hitting the sheets, Zeroth gently kissed him.
It still felt like a waste to let Timothy Cavern die so easily.
He’d heard from Martius that Timothy had been targeting Silvian.
“What about our parents?”
“They felt relieved when I told them the Ducal house would protect Lord Martius.”
Though Zeroth couldn’t be sure of their true feelings, the moment they heard the Ducal family would take in Martius after the incident, they rushed over immediately.
When Martius had confronted the viscount directly, there’d been a huge handprint on his cheek.
No one knew why, but the viscount, who had hit his own son, knelt and begged before him to spare the boy’s life.
Not once, throughout the whole exchange, had he mentioned Silvian—and that made Zeroth’s heart go cold.
* * *
