Everyone went quiet after what Calista said. Each of them had different opinions about the lady's suggestion. Some agreed without a second thought, while others believed it was the lady's way to avert their attention from hers…and maybe to cover up her mess.
"Are you suggesting that my son had something to do with the lady's death?" Count Hayes asked, staring coldly at Calista who seemed unbothered by him at all.
"Why not? Lady Evangeline said they were lovers. When Lord Edmund rejected me, he also admitted that he had someone he loved," Calista blurted out, surprising everyone, including her father.
"You were rejected?" The emperor couldn't believe his ears. If not for their blood relation, he would have already ordered his son to marry Calista.
"Uh-huh. It's no big deal. Besides, thanks to that. I found the perfect partner," Calista said with a blank expression on her face. She didn't want to further drag the conversation into her relationship. "Now, why don't we ask for Lord Edmund here?"
"Edmund is also a victim. He lost his lover and now you're trying to point a finger at him. I would say, that's mean, Lady Calista." Count Hayes clenched his jaw. Getting Edmund involved was the least he wanted.
"I don't see any problem with that, Count Hayes. I'm not saying he did it, but if someone like me who only met the victim once was a suspect, why not Lord Edmund, who probably met with the victim multiple times in secret, couldn't be considered one?"
Count Hayes was usually quiet and calm until he realized the huge possibility that would put his name and family in danger. "Why not? Because he loved Lady Evangeline. What man in a right mind would even think of hurting the woman he loved?"
"Hmm…" Calista shook her head. She could barely hold back herself after what the count said, the same man who abandoned his lover — a commoner — and married the countess to secure his title.
"You aren't Lord Edmund, Count. You couldn't possibly know what exactly is going on in your son's mind," the emperor said. "Wally, send a summon letter to Lord Edmund Hayes," he ordered his aide.
A few minutes later, the door opened, revealing Edmund.
"That was fast. I'm impressed," the emperor commented with a straight face. "Were you already waiting outside?"
Edmund bowed his head to greet the emperor. "Pardon my intrusion, Your Majesty. I came to give the side of my story," he said in earnest.
The emperor granted his request and signaled him to join them. As Edmund sat on the empty chair, Calista tilted her head as she watched him.
"Isn't it being rude to stare so much, Lady Calista?" Edmund showed the lady his displeased for watching him intently.
"Maybe. It's not like I'm the only one staring," Calista replied nonchalantly. "Of course, you wouldn't say that if you weren't paying attention to me, too. Duke Pazelle is staring at you as well, you know."
Edmund clenched his fists. He could not stand Calista's sharp tongue at all. "That's because he's figuring out whether I'm telling the truth. It's part of the process," he reasoned.
"Well," Calista shrugged. "Let's say I'm doing the same…figuring out why I became the suspect for a crime I did not and will never commit," she retorted.
"That's enough. Let's hear him out," Duke La Forte said, not as the lady's father but as the high official who wanted to resolve the matter as soon as possible.
A murder case would usually get solved within a week and people in the capital would go back to their normal lives, but with Evangeline Zara's death and the involvement of Calista La Forte as the main suspect, the whole empire couldn't stop talking about it that even the farthest village in the territory knew about the case.
Edmund cleared his throat before speaking. He was determined to find out the person behind his lover's death. As much as he wanted to blame Calista, he realized she couldn't be the culprit in the past few days. However, it didn't mean she knew nothing about Evangeline's death, thus; he came to find out what Calista was hiding.
Except that she wasn't hiding anything…at all.
"When I rejected the marriage proposal from Lady Calista, I told her that it was because I already have a lover. I didn't mention who it was, nor did the lady ask for her name," Edmund said, setting his eyes to Calista, who was surprisingly calm as she listened.
"Instead, Lady Calista asked about what I feel for my lover. I answered her truthfully. After that, the lady left with her knight," he continued.
"And your point is?" Calista met Edmund's gaze. "You're not going to make up a story that would make me guilty of the crime with the narrative you shared, are you?"
Edmund released a deep sigh. He was right on one thing about Calista…she was impatient.
"That is not what I'm trying to say, my lady."
"Then what? You have no idea how you and your lover's father wanted to kill me right now, so you're taking your time spilling the tea, no?" Calista scanned the people in the room. She stopped her gaze at Edmund, who was still looking at her. "Go ahead," she blurted.
Edmund smiled. It was genuine and probably the first time Calista had seen him with that kind of smile. The latter than wondered what made him do it.
"As you can see, Lady Calista isn't all that interested in me. This is a wild guess but, if I agreed to marry her, she's probably just going to make me her trophy. Isn't that right, my lady?" Edmund smiled at Calista, expecting her to do the same.
"Unfortunately," Calista muttered, holding back the urge to burn Edmund alive. "I was looking for a suitable groom for me and after searching, you were the best among everyone else. Well, that was only in terms of beauty. I realized later on that without your pretty face, you're just a son of a count."
Not a single soul in the empire knew how blunt and mostly mean Calista's words were. She was always like that, talking about things that may hurt other's pride. She was always mean and rude and yet, people still adore her—calling her 'Saintess'.
'How the fuck up is that?' Calista rolled her eyes.
"Oh, let's not talk about that now. I already found the most suitable partner," Calista continued, waving her hand. "Go ahead. Time is running, Lord Edmund. We should get over this as soon as we can."
Edmund's smile faded. He was once again reminded why he couldn't grow to like the lady. If Calista wasn't like that, he might have considered marrying her despite his relationship with Evangeline. It would be a great opportunity for a count's son to marry the duke's daughter, after all.
"You heard the lady, young man. Why don't we talk about the things related to your lover's death? I don't see why you keep bringing up your poor choices in the past," Count Livnov stated. He had been quiet since the discussion started. He may be old, but he was called the empire's 'mad dog' in his prime, leading his men on the battlefield to wipe out the monsters attacking the borders.
"The count was right," Duke Pazelle agreed. "We wanted you here to share useful details that may help find the culprit behind your lover's death."
"I understand," Edmund nodded his head. "But before that, I would like to apologize to Lady Calista."
Calista's eyes widened in shock. She didn't expect him to apologize. Most importantly, she didn't know why he was sorry.
"I hope this isn't too late, my lady. I apologize for blaming you in the first place. I know the damage is already done, but I want you to know I believe you. I don't know how it happened, but right now, I'm convinced that you didn't kill Evangeline." Edmund looked toward the door as if waiting for someone to arrive.
In the next minute, the door opened just like how he expected. Samuel Pazelle walked in with a thick stack of documents in his hand.
"Pardon me for being late, Your Majesty," Samuel greeted. "I've returned with all the gathered evidence for Lady Evangeline's murder."
The room was filled with murmurs as Samuel walked toward the emperor. He handed him the documents and after checking them briefly; the emperor passed them to Duke Pazelle.
"It looks like you need to change your way of doing things with this case," the emperor said in a serious voice. "It looks like we're done with this discussion. Everyone can leave except for Duke La Forte and the Pazelles. Wally, show Lord Edmund the way to the waiting area. We're not done talking to him, so it would be great if he could wait for a while."
Calista said nothing and was the first to leave her seat, followed by Count Livnov. She turned her head and glanced toward her father. When the duke noticed his daughter's gesture, he smiled at her.
"Take care," Duke La Forte mouthed as he watched his daughter nod and leave the room.