Chapter 173.

“His Majesty the Emperor’s headwaiter, and here comes His Royal Highness the Crown Prince to make things like that!”

The Duke was furious.

Derrick had been very stable since he was a child. Without needing to be told he had accomplished what he had to do on his own. Therefore, unlike Leonard, the Duke chose him personally.

A trail of blood ran down the corner of his mouth. Derrick found the taste of blood all over his mouth unfamiliar. Facing Leonard or an angry father.

He turned his head slowly and then spoke.

“If Iben’s presence hadn’t been hidden in the first place, none of this would have happened. To make Penelope’s acceptance, the announcement of Ibn’s return …… was postponed.”

“Still can’t fight it!”

Again the Duke raised his hand violently. But the hand never fell, shivering in the air.

“The …… postponement of the announcement, the concealment of Ibn, was purely my intention, not Penelope’s request!” The family that had been a little violated was now unable to revive itself, and was in a quandary. The Duke cried out in a voice full of despair.

“Isn’t this a bar mitzvah that comes only once in a lifetime, a moment that concerns more than anyone else!”

“I don’t want to hear from the two daughters that the superficial guy who likes to make a lot of noise is about to launch, so I’m ordering it myself!”

“But! But it wasn’t until this morning that she told me to please cancel the bar mitzvah since Ibn is back ……!”

The rambling Duke gasped and closed his mouth. Derek’s blue eyes stung for a moment. But the Duke couldn’t see the subtle change due to the confusion obscuring his eyes. The steady and proud first son had lost his young sister, and his words had dwindled drastically. He’d had his share of those days, so to think that accepting Penelope as family to some degree. It’s an illusion. Derek doesn’t accept Penelope. Just valued my position over personal feelings and acted accordingly. Using busyness as an excuse to let the children’s past go and regret it.

The Duke rubbed his eyes with his hand and muttered.

“…… You hated Ikris or Penelope before I had a chance to know.”

“I… I’ve done bad things. To all of you …….” Derrick’s expression became subtle.

Dad’s words were rarely understood.” It’s not about hating.”

He never wanted to hate Penelope. Just.” Not because such childish feelings were being punished, but because the coming of age ceremony had delayed the announcement of the rumor that the real daughter had been found, and if the rumor was spread incorrectly, then Eckhardt’s prestige …….”

“Enough. Stop talking about that.” The Duke held up a hand to stop him. He may have gotten a little agitated and flopped down in his chair. And, somewhat coldly, he spoke.

“Today’s matter is not a simple matter that happened at the coming-of-age ceremony of the Duke’s daughter, but a case of poisoning against Duke Eckhardt’s daughter.”

“Poisoning …… is the word?” Derrick’s blue eyes bulged at that moment.

The boy who had laughed openly, raised his golden cup, and suddenly collapsed with a spray of blood.

He couldn’t quite remember everything that had just happened . It was as if the whole memory had been carved and pasted on, when things were rarely interrupted. Only the true pink hair, like the flowers that withered in between, surfaced occasionally.

It was as if the Duke’s words had turned out to be duds and suddenly jumped wildly. I, why is that.

In order to take the posture, back-to-back hands sweat. Derek struggles to regain his composure as much as his father.

He reviewed it carefully with an objective eye. Immediately after the wine, he vomited blood and fell to the ground, enough to suspect poison.

But no one but the Marquis de Belldandy could be easily certain. For the Duke and Leonard, who had drunk the same sherry, were well. Besides, who would dare to do that kind of ungodly thing to Eckhardt, of all people.

Derrick’s lips burned hotly as he looked into the sunken Duke’s face. How was the boy now, was he mentally alert, what kind of poison was it. The words that wanted to be asked hovered on the tip of his tongue, “Is it certain that the poison …… was eaten?”

But the words that actually came out were of an entirely different sort. The duke briefly answered such a son.

“The attending physician confirmed the diagnosis just now.”

Derek felt that moment, the palms of his hands became moist.” Who dares to Eckhardt ……”

To cover it up, clasping his hands even harder, he racked his brain.

“Lock the maid named Becky in the dungeon and put Eben under house arrest in her room.” The Duke answered briefly. Derrick snapped his head up in question.” Why is Ibn ……”

“Because it was Ibn’s temporary maid who held the cup.”

“Papa.”

“Penelope’s exclusive maid testified. Not long ago, Ibn’s temporary maid secretly asked her for directions to Top Street.”

Derrick was inwardly surprised at the Duke’s words that followed. How much of the investigation had gone on without realizing it. So what happened to that child now, wanted to ask at once.

“But Ibn …… Ibn won’t be, Dad.”

But now was the time to review calmly the events that had taken place over that private feeling. Because that’s what the Duke of Eckhardt was going to do. Derrick put the confused thoughts aside and pointed out the doubt in the duke’s words.

“Not taking sides, but not having enough time to do so. What good would it do to poison Penelope?”

“I don’t believe the target was Penelope or her. Maybe it was aimed at Dad or me.”

“Or the maid, paid off. Not a party to Ellen’s backstabbing. Although recently continue to receive silent reports, but also because of the hunting competition during the incident harboring a grudge, the possibility of secret …….”

Derrick, who had voiced the babbling thoughts in the face of a serious face, jerked his head up.

“I’ll go underground now and interrogate the maid myself. In time, it will come off …….”

“Derrick.”

The Duke called out to Derrick as if he was about to leave the office. Then quietly informed.

“You’re out of this incident.”

“…… Yes?”

Derrick asked fumblingly, not answering .” Dad, misheard ……”

“You’ll see, said don’t move.”

No mishearing. The Duke ordered the youngest Duke in a clear voice. Stay out of this incident.

Derrick recognized him and thought darkly.” …… Am I a suspect because I brought Ibn?”

“It’s not like that.”

“If that’s not the case, what’s the reason?”

With a puzzled look on his face, he pressed the question again and again.

“Not only did you have to confirm the bottles and glasses, but you also had to secretly investigate everyone who was invited today. Do you realize that it’s unreasonable for a butler to manage these things.”

“In the opinion of the Marquis of Bedandi.” Derrick laughed dryly at the Duke’s backtalk.

“He’s the head of another family. But why should he be entrusted with the hidden weight of the family.”

“Besides, he’s the most likely suspect in terms of calculations. No one noticed immediately that Penelope had taken the poison, only the Marquis …….” (If not the Marquis de Belldandy!)

Clang! The Duke who was listening to his son in silence suddenly slammed his fist on the table.

“If it wasn’t for the Marquis’ first aid, it would probably be preparing the funeral right now!”

“Why did the child vomit blood, why did he faint! Taking poison right, like you don’t even suspect ……!”

The shaken Duke could not bear to continue and closed his mouth. Just didn’t suspect the poison, himself. Let alone suspecting, he could do nothing when he saw his fallen daughter. Nothing but stand frozen. The rite of passage, advanced with his own desires in order to do the best for the hated child, ended with the worst possible outcome.

The Duke slammed the table with a violent fist, sweeping his bloodshot eyes roughly down. A deep sense of fatigue ran down his face covered by his hand.

“…… It’s not a violent poison that breaks in a single breath, but if you don’t take the antidote on time, the bleeding won’t stop, and it’s a rare poison that kills.”

The Marquis of Belldandy saved the dead Penelope.”

“…… dead?”

At that moment. The trembling voice that came from the Duke released the hand that pressed his eyes and raised his head. Derrick’s teeth showed an unfamiliar expression as he stood frozen.

Unfocused, randomly swinging blue pupils, pale face. It was the first time he had seen his son’s face.

“No way. …… No way.”

“Derrick, boy.”

The Duke looked with eyes that feigned surprise and called him. But, as if he could not hear the summons, he reached forward to extend his hand behind him. Derrick slowly lowered his head and looked at the sweating hands.

“That boy is going to die ……”

In that moment, forgetfulness swept through his mind. It was a scene from a dream he had last night. Iben who was bleeding red and dying in his arms.

“…… Derrick?”

It was strange. The dream was upside down. Memories were confused, as if someone was sleeping in their head. But even if it wasn’t one of those ominous bad luck dreams ……. Shouldn’t you take poison? If it was Penelope, who prepared the poison herself, it would have been prepared, definitely not the woman who ate the poison, fell to the ground and died.

The hand is also not enough, the back by cold sweat Xingjian. Derrick shook his head again, pulling east.

“…… That child won’t die. That child, that is to say, direct poisoning …….”

“Derrick, you ……”

The Duke stared at such a Derrick in surprise, and advised him in a low voice.

“…… You had better go to your room and rest.”

“But interrogate.”

“That’s an order.”

It took Derrick a moment to shut his mouth.” …… I know.”

He finished his short answer after a while and walked out of the Duke’s office.