Chapter 36 -

"You've suspected Boyd? And for a long time?"

Inside the rattling carriage, Eloise nodded in response to Amon’s question.

“There were a few suspicious behaviors. Nothing concrete enough to report, so I kept it to myself, feeling uneasy…”

She glanced at Carlyle before continuing.

“That day, just hours before Hayden Bolev was found dead, I witnessed Boyd delivering a glass of water.”

“You mean the poisoned water,” I interrupted, unable to contain myself.

“Correct. At the time, I didn’t know it was poisoned, but I had the impression that something was mixed into it.”

Poison. I turned to Amon, seated beside me, who wore the same grim expression.

Amon’s parents, Russell’s case… The key reason the culprit had managed to stay hidden was that the existence of poison hadn’t been confirmed. Eloise claimed to have been the first to witness it.

“Did you see what it was exactly? Was it powder, or liquid? And where did Boyd keep it? If we could confirm that, it would greatly aid in convincing the council.”

“Unfortunately…” Eloise shook her head at my eager questioning. “I did not manage to confirm that.”

“Why didn’t you report it immediately? If you had mentioned something was mixed into the water, things could have gone smoother,” Amon asked bluntly.

Carlyle spoke up in her defense. “She didn’t know there was a traitor. Even if Boyd killed Hayden, how could she be certain it was to betray the Blue Order, frame the Lady, and align with the true culprit? For all she knew, Boyd might have been acting on a secret order from you, perhaps mixing in a sedative or truth serum.”

“Even so, shouldn’t it have been reported immediately after Hayden’s death?"

“I intended to report it soon after. I just needed… one night,” Eloise added defensively.

“As you know, Boyd and I have been comrades since our training days. I couldn’t fathom he’d betray the Order. I thought it might be personal vengeance… I’m sorry.”

Eloise bowed her head deeply, guilt written all over her face—a rare sight, given her usual resolute demeanor.

It was only one night. She couldn’t have anticipated Boyd would flee in that brief time, nor was it easy to suspect a close comrade.

I nudged Amon with my elbow. He seemed poised to rebuke her further, but my expression stopped him. Instead, he shifted to a different question.

“What drove Boyd to flee?”

This time, Carlyle answered.

“He likely realized you had contacted the mortuary and guessed you were investigating the arsonist’s corpse. He must have thought his cover was blown.”

Carlyle added more details about Boyd's current whereabouts. His family had already left the empire, and no trace of him could be found—evidence of long-laid plans.

‘Had he always anticipated the possibility of being exposed?’

I recalled the times we shared drinks and conversation. If I felt this conflicted, how much more painful must it be for his fellow knights?

“Perhaps he noticed I was onto him,” Eloise said quietly, breaking the silence. She hesitated, then pulled something from her coat and handed it to Amon.

“Actually… this.”

“What is it?”

“A letter. I intercepted it from Boyd.”

“A letter?” I leaned closer as Amon opened the envelope. Its contents appeared to be mundane greetings at first glance.

“Why intercept this? It doesn’t seem significant,” I asked.

Eloise nodded. “This letter made me suspicious of him in the first place. I noticed he sent letters to the same place on the same day every week—a location he had no known connections to.”

“You thought he might be making regular reports to someone?”

“Exactly. Moreover, he didn’t use ordinary routes but private ones. Suspicious, isn’t it?”

“Very,” I agreed.

“And this address,” Carlyle added, snatching the envelope from Amon and showing it to me.

“We investigated it. It doesn’t exist.”

“What?”

“It’s a barren plot of land. Sending letters to such a place? Nonsense!”

Carlyle jabbed a finger at the address, visibly agitated. I couldn’t make sense of it but nodded to show agreement.

“That is suspicious. I see why you intercepted it, Deputy Commander.”

Carlyle seemed determined to support Eloise.

“So? Did anything come from investigating the location?” Amon asked coldly, still not fully forgiving Eloise.

“The letter’s content seems trivial, and it might have only raised Boyd's guard,” he remarked.

“No, that’s not true!” Carlyle interjected hastily.

“While there’s no direct evidence of poison, this letter could be a key piece to convince the council. Besides, some phrases in the letter seem oddly phrased—it might be in code.”

“A code?”

“Yes, a secret language known only to him and the culprit. Makes sense, doesn’t it?”

“Hm…” Amon handed the letter back to Carlyle. “Decrypt it as soon as possible. Also, look into the route it traveled and whether the address has any hidden significance.”

“Of course. Leave it to me. We might need to act as if we’ve made progress on the decryption before the council—it could help clear the Lady’s name.”

Amon’s expression softened slightly at the conciliatory tone. He nodded and turned his gaze to the window.

“Still a long way to go,” he murmured.

Hearing this, I also looked out. The rugged mountain path outside seemed far harsher than the roads to Hayden’s estate or any hideout.

‘At least four more hours to the council’s residence,’ I thought.

We were on our way to confront the council—to reveal Boyd as both an arsonist and a traitorous accomplice to the true culprit, and to clear my name.

Seated in a line before the council’s circular table, we faced an intense atmosphere. Carlyle, Eloise, I, and Amon sat in sequence.

Around the dimly lit table, the council members gazed at us with piercing scrutiny.

“This is incomprehensible!”

Their first reaction, after hearing our case, was an outburst.

Voices whispered and muttered among themselves, accompanied by disapproving looks.

“Ahem.”

The head councilor tapped the table twice, silencing the murmurs.

“Amon Spencer, if we summarize your claim, Boyd Huron is both the arsonist’s murderer and a spy colluding with the true culprit?”

“That is correct. You must already know this—Boyd used false reports to implicate the Lady in this conspiracy,” Amon said firmly.

The councilor’s face twisted, but he didn’t deny the accusation.

“Let’s assume your claim is true…”

“It’s not an assumption; it’s the truth.”

“Even so, what guarantees that the Lady is not also guilty?”

The councilor’s gaze shifted to me, and others followed, their stares heavy with doubt.

“If she manipulated Boyd or worked with him to frame others, the logic holds just as well, doesn’t it?”

I couldn’t hold back a laugh at the absurdity. Ignoring Amon’s warning look, I retorted.

“So my alleged accomplice framed me? Conveniently forgetting I’m the one who suggested investigating the arsonist’s corpse?”

“Silence. I did not give you permission to open your mouth, nor are you a knight."

“So I’m to remain silent while being falsely accused of crimes I didn’t commit?”

“How dare you—”

Before the councilor could finish, Amon rose abruptly, placing himself between me and the council.

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