《The Retribution of the Ice Cold Maiden》40 - What's that about my reputation?
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"WHHHhhaatt....?!" Zane cried out in shock at the sudden accusation.
"W-What nonsense are you spouting...!!" Wilfred exclaimed in shock as he almost had a heart attack.
"I-I..." Nurse Ursula was taken aback by Wilfred's reaction. 'Didn't you tell me via the communication ring to tell them I was hired by Zane? Why are you acting surprised?'
Seeing her reaction, Wilfred had a thought that maybe he sent the message wrong. So he tapped the communication ring in his pocket once again and sent another message to her.
'Tell them you are hired by Selena Booker...!! Not Zane...!!'
"Ohhh... What an interesting message..." Soul snickered inside Selena's head as he intercepted it just like he did previously and once before when Selena was facing the Underground Gang Boss, Urak Blade.
"I hope you don't mind that I change a few words, do you?" Soul said naughtily as he used his radar to alter the message and sent it to Nurse Ursula.
'Tell them to search us, I am acting surprised on purpose. It is all a part of the plan.'
Meanwhile, Selena looked at a corner to check on Guard Rhys who was dressed as a guard from the Venbella Manor guarding the front door which is where both Wilfred and Zane were standing. She signaled him and he used his military training to pickpocket Wilfred.
Nurse Ursula nodded again, though a bit conflicted, nevertheless she clenched her teeth and said while pointing at the Wyatt Duo, "Captain...!! I am telling the truth...!! If you don't believe me...!! Check their pockets...!! They are carrying proof of it."
"You...!!" Wilfred's body froze in fright. He and Zane had a terrified look on their faces which made Captain Hamett even more suspicious. But before he could order his men to search them, Wilfred managed to recover and shouted loudly.
"Captain Hamett...!! Surely you are not thinking of searching us with just a criminal's testimony, right? Don't forget, I am the brother of Marquis Hendrix Wyatt and Zane is their future heir."
"Th-That's right...!!" Zane hurriedly agreed. He was aware that the communication ring was with his Granduncle and it was definitive proof of their connection with Nurse Ursula. Even if they did manage to avoid punishment, they would lose Old Man Finn's trust forever and they might just as well say goodbye to the fortune.
Captain Hamett frowned at that. Wilfred was right. He can't just search them without permission from above as the aristocrat families are protected by Royalty. One cannot lay a hand on them easily. The only reason he dared to do so in Selena's case was because he was almost sure that Selena had killed Finn Venbella. In only cases involving murder can a Captain like him detain an aristocrat or their family members. But this was attempted murder and he did not have enough proof to follow up on it.
"C-Cousin Zane... aren't you innocent?" Selena's soft voice suddenly rang through the silent hall which sent shivers down Zane's spine at the sudden retort.
"O-Of Course...!! I am...!!" He quickly replied back.
"Then... why are you not allowing them to search you?" Selena asked with a tilted head and an innocent look.
"Y-You...!!" Alarms started going on inside Zane's head. He was not the prodigy of the Wyatts for nothing. Her actions made him realize that they were all along playing in the hands of this seemingly innocent looking girl.
Zane's blood froze at the thought. The timing of everything was just too perfect. Along with her half-truth's and incomplete sentences, one would have to be a real fool to not see through the facade. To think, this girl was this scheming and vicious. Zane could no longer see Selena as a frail and innocent beauty anymore. All he could see was an ice-cold demon who can devour everything without a shred of mercy.
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Wilfred also managed to come to the same conclusion. However, his image of Selena was of a monster from the depth of hell, and the reason he felt that way was because of... Peter Wyatt.
Peter Wyatt had hired an assassin to kill Selena Booker. However, due to unknown circumstances, he ended up dead instead and his death was made to look like the work of a known serial killer. Wilfred and his brother, Marquis Hendrix were under the assumption that it was Selena's father, Marquis Will Booker who arranged all of this. But after having the tables turned on them and being accused of attempted murder, a thought was creeping on him that it was Selena who planned everything from the beginning. They thought that taking down a little girl was going to be easy, but who knew that they had provoked such a huge monster.
'This girl... is nothing like her mother.' Wilfred compared the two in his mind. The Wyatts were under the assumption that Selena was just like her mother. It was further cemented when Selena tried to kill herself after her fiance broke their engagement. They assumed that everything that happened after that was the skillful Will Booker's arrangements and Selena simply put on a brave front. 'But this girl...' Wilfred shivered in fright at the horrible mistake they did in calculating Selena's true nature.' ...is too vicious.'
"Yes, Little Zane..." Grandfather Finn also narrowed his eyes.
"Why do you not allow them to search you?"
"I-I..." Zane stuttered for a second. But he managed to compose himself and replied.
"Grandfather, don't get me wrong. The reason we are not allowing them to search us is because it is a matter of principle." Zane replied proudly.
"Captain Hamett is not an Aristocrat nor does he bear the orders from Royalty to search us. If we allow it, then wouldn't it mean anyone can demand to search an Aristocrat. So, we cannot allow it on the grounds that it will affect Aristocrats as a whole."
"That's..." Grandfather Finn's brows furrowed. A part of him still did not believe his grandson was a part of the plan to murder him in cold blood. He was hesitating to reply when Selena's soft voice rang out again.
"I see... it is a matter of principle." Selena spoke with a thoughtful look. She then stood up and looked at the Wyatt duo.
"Then, it's okay as long as it is commanded from a Royal Authorative figure, right?"
"Eh? Umm... Yes." Zane replied after carefully looking at Selena. It was like being in a sealed cage with a tigress. If he loses concentration even for a moment, then he might just become her lunch. Besides, it will take them at least a day to get the orders which would get them enough time to dispose of the communication ring... and Nurse Ursula.
"I see..." Selena nodded and went to speak with Captain Hamett with a pitiful face.
"Uncle Captain..." Selena spoke like a puppy which made Captain Hamett feel horrible for the way he acted towards this "kind and innocent" young lady.
"Y-Yes?"
"I know my cousin is innocent. He would never do something like murdering our Grandfather." Selena's soft words seemingly pierced through Zane's guilty heart as his face distorted with conflict.
"But... I also know the law won't change just because of my words, and if this gets out, it will affect my cousin's family badly as it will sprout doubt in the other aristocrat's mind that the only reason they got away from an attempted murder was because they were not searched. So..."
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Selena took out the Coin from the Royal Family out once again and continued.
"...will it help if I order you to search them with the Coin given to me by the Royal Family?"
*SLAAMMM...!!*
Wilfred and Zane crashed on the floor next to each other as their feet gave out in despair.
"Yes..!! YES...!! Of Course...!!" Captain Hamett, on the other hand, was dancing with joy. He was already angry at the Wyatts for using him for their despicable plans and it frustrated him further when they were getting away with it. But Selena's roundabout method saved him a lot of trouble. He turned to the duo and asked with an evil grin on his angry red face.
"You don't have a problem with that, do you?!"
"I-I..." Wilfred and Zane stuttered.
"Search them...!!!"
"Wait...!!" Selena called out.
"Please only search my cousin."
"What? Why?" Captain Hamett felt surprised by her response.
"That nurse only accused my cousin, not his Granduncle..." Selena blinked innocently.
"This..." Wilfred was surprised and happy at that. The Communication Ring was with him and not Zane. As long as they search Zane only, they won't find anything. But he also understood the reason why she took this approach.
'This bitch is too clever.' Wilfred thought. Since the Nurse accused Zane only, even if they had found it on Wilfred, they could fight in the Royal Court for mishandling him as it was not appropriate to check him since he wasn't accused.
He started to think that the Nurse's identity as a spy was exposed to Selena and she had the Nurse reveal everything to her. Since Zane was the one who brought her to the manor, she must have assumed that the ring was with Zane, and to avoid complicating the scene by searching Wilfred, she decided to only search the grandson.
"I... Very well." Captain Hamett obeyed as it was through Selena's authority that he could search Zane.
"Men...!!" he commanded the soldiers who came along with him and two of them stepped forward and approached Zane.
"Please stand up and spread your hands." a soldier asked Zane who had recovered a bit thanks to only him being searched.
He quickly stood up and obeyed the instructions while the two soldiers checked his belongings. He looked at his Granduncle who simply nodded affirmatively. Zane relaxed at that and didn't hinder the soldiers from searching him.
...
...
...
"..!"
"Captain...!! We found something...!!" One of the soldiers reported as he fished something out from Zane's pocket and raised his hand with it for everyone to see.
"Hooohhh...!!" Almost everyone took a deep breath at the item at hand.
It was... a communication ring.
"W-What...?!" Zane felt a jolt of electricity passing through his skull as he was horribly scared and surprised at the ring in his pocket.
"Th-That's the one...!!" Nurse Ursula cried out and fished out a similar looking ring from her pocket.
"This is how we communicated. I-I have heard that communication rings come in pairs as they can only communicate with each other. So if you ask a mage to check them out, I am sure they can confirm that they belong together and---- Eek...!!"
Nurse Ursula's testimony was cut short by a strong gust of wind approaching her.
"Wilfred...!! You dare...!!" Captain Hamett was furious as he saw the old man using wind magic to approach Nurse Ursula with a sword in hand.
'Kill her...!! I must kill her and nab that ring...!! I must save Zane...!!' Wilfred had let go of all pretenses as he raced towards the trembling Nurse Ursula.
Wilfred had a dark secret. Since his family was a nest of snakes, there was bound to be some unsavory history around them, and in Wilfred's case... it was a betrayal to his own brother.
Marquis Hendrix's elder son, Ralnor Wyatt... was actually, his son.
It was a momentary lapse of judgment on his and his sister-in-law's part. Thankfully, it was never uncovered and his sister-in-law took that secret to her grave. However, he always felt a need to bond with his son but could never reveal it. He also felt horrible for doing such a thing to his elder brother who he admired.
So, he took himself out from the family inheritance which allowed Hendrix to become the next head. He also never married as he always felt like Ralnor and his family were his true family. So it could be understood how it greatly upset him when Zane, his own grandson will be imprisoned and probably executed for attempted murder. He could not allow it, even if it meant he had to end up taking the blame for everything.
*SSwwwwiissshh....!!*
The wind sliced as Wilfred approached Nurse Ursula with neck break speed. He was by now within an arm's distance of her as he raised the sword in order to slice her neck and the ring in one go. He forcefully brought down the sword with a heavy move of his hand.
*Swwiisshhh..... Clang....!!!*
"Clang?" Wilfred was momentarily confused as he heard a metallic clang instead of the sound of flesh being torn apart.
He focused his eyes to see... a maid. She was wielding a sword as well and blocked Wilfred's slash with ease.
"You...!!" Wilfred was surprised at how a maid had easily stopped his force filled blow. She looked at him with fierce eyes which made him realize that the maid was probably a trained expert.
"Get lost...!!" Ellyn, who was dressed as a maid, yelled out as she threw a punch at Wilfred's face which sent him flying.
*Thraassshhh....!! Slam...!!*
Wilfred crashed heavily on the ground near the front door as the force from the punch had knocked him several feet away.
Everyone was shocked and looked at Ellyn with awe. Realizing that a lot of attention was on her, Ellyn looked at her master for a second before turning to the crowd and said.
"I... er... I have been working out alongside My Lady." she said with a straight face imitating her master.
Everyone "..."
'What kind of environment does the Booker Manor have for the ladies in there to turn out like this?' Butler Lennox thought who came late and was standing alongside Finn Venbella.
"AArrghhh...!!" Wilfred cried out as the pain finally set in after the numbness went away.
"Y-Y-You attacked an Aristocrat...!!" Zane yelled while pointing at Ellyn.
"No... I defended a person from a sword-wielding maniac." Ellyn replied casually as she cleaned her ears. She had learned by now that as long as Lady Selena was around, not even the devil would dare to hurt her, which is why she was being cocky.
"N-Nevertheless, someone should arrest her...!! O-Otherwise the reputation of the Royal Family will be sullied if anyone can attack an---"
"Hmm... What's that about my reputation?" a heavy and sturdy voice came from the door which attracted everyone's attention.
"Wh-What...?!" Everyone yelled out in shock at the identity of the person who came in through the door. Even Selena raised her eyebrows.
"Y-Y-Your Majesty, The First Prince?" Zane almost blacked out as the red-haired First Prince, Oliver Valentinus barged right in through the front door. He looked down to see old man Wilfred on the floor writhing in pain and then turned to look at Selena and said.
"There's an old man on the floor... clean it up."
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