Zion cursed the guard in a helmet standing at the center of the hall and then glanced at the dark expression on the king's face. Then the latter raised his head and said, "Is there a possibility that both the ghost and half-minotaur Dhampir are related?"
He just knew that they would be able to connect the dots. The king was smart enough. If he wasn't, how would he be able to handle a kingdom this big?
Zion was just a simple detective who was hiding his identity. So it wouldn't be a surprise if others would figure out a connection between him and other identities he had taken.
He continued to stare at the two of them from a distance.
The guard frowned and nodded after thinking for a while. "It's possible, Your Majesty."
Rhesus's expressions fell. If that human ghost were to be one of the murderer's people, he was sure that a deeper scheme was there that was clearly meant to destroy him entirely! The enemy not only killed his son and sent his daughter behind bars but also tried desperately to create hurdles in the investigation!
He had been trying to find a clue for so many days already, and now when so many days had passed already, the ordinary residents were getting anxious. He received many letters urging him to punish the murderer locked in the jail.
The common Dhampirs still considered Princess Lia to be the chief instigator behind the murder, and they were angry. For them, the princess had killed a gentle and caring prince who could have been their king someday. Some of the residents were even holding public protests to demand a swift execution.
The king had also thought like this when he still doubted her, but he didn't expect to make so many discoveries that proved his daughter innocent. The worse thing was, he didn't even have solid proof that could stop everyone from cursing his daughter.
Should he instead go ahead and say, "My daughter is innocent because an assassin attacked her?" No one would believe his excuse. To be honest, when he found out Princess Lia was attacked, he was reluctant to blame his daughter and wanted to prove that she didn't do anything.
Rhesus pursed his lips and looked at the guard with a hint of urgency in his eyes. "Did you find the half-minotaur?"
"Not yet, Your Majesty."
Zion saw the king's gloomy face and thought that the king was already feeling a sense of defeat. He knew that the Dhampir couldn't find any evidence to prove Princess Lia's innocence, and now the king was feeling unlucky and helpless.
The guard then bowed before the king and said, "If that's all, I will leave."
Rhesus waved and leaned back on his chair while he stared at the ceiling in a daze. That was why he failed to see Oswin's expressions that changed all of a sudden and darted toward the direction where Zion was hiding.
The latter's heartbeat rose, and he instantly hid behind the pillar properly. He knew that the other man couldn't have seen him, but that person could at least be suspicious. The guard must have sensed someone's presence here. Zion's body shrank even more as he tried to calm himself.
He knew that if he were caught here, no one would spare him. So he could only try his best to stay silent. He even held his breath and waited for the guard to move away.
Thankfully, Oswin didn't move and glanced at the floor while strolling away from the palace's main hall.
The detective released a breath of relief and continued to stick around the hall, but after a while, Rhesus didn't receive any guests and went back to his living quarters. After that, Zion also left the hall in the shadows.
Now that the king left the main hall, he knew that the former wouldn't be receiving anyone and would rest in his place guarded by many soldiers. Since Zion was only a servant, he couldn't get a chance to enter the king's room quickly. So he could only use this chance to find out more about the knife.
He went for a stroll in the palace to see if he could find anything and happened to see a half-minotaur Dhampir planting a rose flower outside the palace. It was a beautiful garden, and the person tending the plants had very delicate facial features.
Zion was about to go there and converse with that person when he saw a fellow half-minotaur servant walking over with a watering can. The latter's face was sturdy and completely opposite to the gardener.
The person with a sturdy face huffed and said, "Aren't you done, little girl?"
The delicate-faced Dhampir sighed after hearing that sentence. He knew that his fellow servant was just mocking him. So he ignored that guy and continued planting the flower.
The sturdy guy snorted seeing this but didn't say anything else. He watered the plants and kept the can back before heading inside the palace.
Zion could tell that this delicate-faced gardener's situation shouldn't be that good here. Of course, having a face like a girl's despite being a half-minotaur man could make it even worse.
He walked out of the shadows skillfully and strolled inside the garden.
At present, he was himself acting like a half-minotaur servant with make-up on his face to change his identity from that of a brothel senior servant to someone who had just joined this palace.
After stopping behind the person who was planting the flower, he asked in a naive tone, "Why did that person talk to you like that?"
The gardener looked up and smiled. "It's because of my face."
"But that's bullying."
The gardener shook his head and got up before dusting off the mud from his pants. Then he bent to take the watering can, and he used it on the rose plant he just rooted on the ground. "So what? No one cares even if I complain."
Zion frowned and made a face that showed he was highly disappointed by this.
When the gardener saw this, he said while waving his hand, "Don't worry about it. I'm accustomed to it. I don't mind." Then he paused and said, "You must be new here, aren't you?"
Zion nodded. "Grant. Joined today, and I was just taking a stroll to get to know the palace."
Then they continued talking before Zion figured out a few more things. This garden was unique because the previous Emperor enjoyed wandering through it. But ever since Rhesus became the king a decade ago, this place was isolated until the king finally appointed this gardener, Lang, to take care of this place. Even though the previous king liked all the flowers planted here, his favorite was rose. So even at present, the majority part of the garden was decorated with rose plants.
No wonder there was a rose carved in the knife.
Before Zion could say another word, he heard Lang asking all of a sudden in a serious tone, "You're not here to see the flowers, are you?"