Third Arc (Fallen Heart) - 255. Rage IV
The room fell into an intense hush as King Gervis fired his questions like arrows of accusation, aimed directly at Angel and Rose. The pressure was palpable, but Angel stood his ground, undeterred.
"I was drinking wine with my wife in my chamber," Angel replied, his voice calm and unwavering. He had anticipated this very scenario, knowing that his actions and whereabouts during the fateful hours had to be beyond reproach.
But King Gervis was relentless. His eyes, burning with frustration and anger, shifted to Rose. "So it's just the two of you there?" he asked, suspicion dripping from every word. After all, Rose, too, had a motive given the events of the previous day.
Rose's response cut through the tension. "On the balcony," she clarified. Her voice was steady, her expression resolute.
The room's silence deepened as her revelation sank in. A collective realization dawned on the witnesses, understanding the implications of Angel and Rose's alibi.
Rose wasn't willing to leave any room for doubt. She stood her ground, her determination unwavering. "We drank until almost dawn on the balcony," she reiterated, her tone firm and resolute. "The guards and patrols should have seen us. We drank and chatted for a long time there."
King Gervis could hardly contain his frustration. He knew that the weight of their alibi had just intensified. Still, unwilling to admit defeat, he turned his attention to the soldiers who patrolled the palace grounds. He had to find some crack in this seemingly solid alibi. "Did you see them?" he asked.
"We don't know, Your Majesty. We have to ask the night guards to find out," replied the soldier chief, his tone reflecting the mounting pressure of the situation.
King Gervis's patience was running thin. "Then call them here," he ordered, his voice edged with impatience. He needed answers, something to cling to in this sea of chaos and confusion.
In the hushed anticipation that followed, the soldiers quickly dispatched to locate the night guards who had been on duty.
Ophelia found herself in a perplexing dilemma, caught between her loyalty to her father, King Gervis, and her knowledge of the truth. Her heart was heavy with the weight of the situation. As she stood in the hall, a silent witness to the tense exchange between her father and Angel, she couldn't help but replay the events of the previous night in her mind.
She had watched from the palace garden as Angel and Rose enjoyed their late-night gathering on the balcony. The two of them, framed by the backdrop of the night sky and the moon's gentle glow, had appeared genuinely at ease.
Ophelia's thoughts shifted to her father. She knew how devastated King Gervis was by Ilex's death. The pain in his eyes had been evident, and his wrath had been palpable. Ophelia couldn't bear to oppose her father at such a time, and she understood the depth of his grief.
But what surprised her was Artheur.
"I saw them, Your Majesty," Artheur's voice cut through the room like a blade, a statement that made the chamber fall into a stunned silence. Artheur didn't hidden his disdain for Ilex's cunning tactics at the previous day's party. And now, the turn of events was a bitter twist of fate. Ilex, who had plotted to kill Angel, was the one who lay lifeless, while Angel and Rose appeared to be exonerated.
Ophelia couldn't ignore the irony in all of this. Not because of Ilex who had ultimately met his end by his own hand. But it was the fact that Artheur had been a witness to these events that intrigued her the most.
King Gervis turned his gaze from the guards to Artheur. His eyes locked onto the guest who had been an unexpected statement at the palace during these turbulent times.
Artheur, showing a deep bow to the king as a sign of respect, spoke with unwavering determination. "Pardon my impudence, Your Majesty. But I took a walk in the yard to cool down my head last night, and I saw them." His gaze shifted to Rose, who met his eyes with a grateful nod. "King Angelus and Princess Rose were indeed on the balcony."
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