CHAPTER 317: JACOB AND ADOLFO [BONUS CHAPTER]

’What’s with that blush on her face? Does she actually have some feelings for Samuel without realizing it?’ Arabella wondered. But then again, maybe Lucille was just embarrassed.

"Your Majesty, did you expect things to turn out like this?" Alwin broke her thoughts.

"Ah, no. Not at all. There was a high chance she would get even more furious at me. But it seems, Lucille simply had no one to speak with about what she was going through. She likely did not talk with anyone about it since her mother had power even over her maids and knights. Thus, she kept it all to herself and ended up almost getting swallowed," Arabella explained.

[Then how did she know Princess Lucille told no one?] Alwin wondered.

"I have felt the same in the past so I saw the signs and understood the feeling," Arabella quickly reasoned.

Lucille was her friend for years so she could pretend to have noticed things long ago but kept silent about it until now.

[I didn’t even ask. She’s getting better at reading people. I was sure I maintained a neutral expression. It’s like she can read my mind. She always answers what I am wondering about.]

Arabella flinched at Alwin’s thoughts.

’Oops. Should I pretend to misunderstand things now and then? Alwin is too sharp. He was already suspicious of me last time.’

"Then, Your Majesty took the risk of speaking with her even though she had already plotted to harm you? What if she had a dagger and stabbed you?" Alwin scolded. He became a mother-hen.

"I know Rendell would be able to protect me. And I trust in your abilities," Arabella smiled and Alwin grimaced.

Alwin scolded her not to go hugging her enemies since even if he could teleport, he might not be able to stop a stab or something like that if it was hidden from his line of sight and did not notice immediately.

He pointed out that Rendell may be strong but in case the other party was highly skilled, he may not be able to stop it either.

Ferdinand simply remained silent. He wanted to scold Arabella too but didn’t want her to be displeased with him so he let Alwin do the scolding.

"Yes, I’m sorry. It simply felt right at that moment since she looked like a lost child. And I was sure she wasn’t trying to kill me so I did that," Arabella reasoned.

"It did turn out well so I guess it’s alright. But please be more careful next time," Alwin finally relented.

"Your Majesty, I will begin investigating the magicians of other nations," Alwin spoke with Ferdinand this time. "But before that, may I ask for some of my limiters to be lifted?"

"Lifted?" Ferdinand frowned. "Are you saying someone here might have been able to get past your senses?"

"I’m ashamed and displeased to admit it, but someone may be using abilities I cannot sense in my current state. Since their goal was likely to divide Eliora and prevent Your Majesty from working with the Council, they must have hired a skilled magician or two," Alwin explained.

[And such a dangerous bastard targeted my wife?! I have to triple the security around her.]

Ferdinand agreed and allowed some of Alwin’s limiters to be lifted.

Investigating the magicians went quickly with Alwin regaining the original level of some of his abilities.

After just a few hours, Alwin returned and reported that the culprit for the poisoning of Arabella’s wine was a magician called Jacob. But he wasn’t acting on his own.

Jacob was a magician for hire in Crux. He was the kind that learned magic for profit, not due to interest in magic itself. He poisoned Arabella’s wine and framed Lucille as the mastermind, under the instructions of his master Adolfo, a noble from Crux.

Adolfo was the owner of the largest slave trading company in the Crux Kingdom.

Adolfo’s company had sold a lot of Valerian slaves (the people from Prundencia). He hated Arabella for triggering Ferdinand to find out about the slave procurement in Prudencia. Thus, he decided to eliminate her due to all the trouble and money she had cost him.

Valeria taking back its people took a huge toll on Adolfo’s business since he usually sold the people from Prudencia at skyrocketing prices. And there were still a lot of these people in his base and could no longer be sold because Ferdinand declared he would wage war against Crux if his people were not returned. No one was willing to buy due to it.

Adolfo could go bankrupt at this rate since he spent a lot of money acquiring the people from Prudencia as slaves, expecting high returns.

Likewise, the slave trade would no longer be possible in Crux and all of Eliora probably after five to ten years due to the ban and abolishment of slavery in the continent getting approved during the Council Assembly.

Adolfo would become a criminal hunted by the Council if he insisted to push through. It was either he moved to another continent or look for another business.

Thus, Adolfo decided to eliminate Arabella for triggering the ruin of his precious business. He knew that it was because of Arabella’s visit that the situation in Prudencia got disclosed. He was also furious that Arabella advocated the abolishment of slavery during tea parties with other royals.

Further, he was getting back at Ferdinand for making the votes turn towards abolishing slavery completely because he voted on it.

Alwin collected pieces of evidence and recorded Adolfo and Jacob’s conversations with magic. He gathered enough proof and even he headed to Adolfo’s base in Crux.

Alwin returned to ask permission to catch Adolfo and Jacob and likewise rescue the Prudencians they were hiding in Adolfo’s base here in Medeus and in Crux.

The cruel truth was that the slave trade secretly flourished in Medeus.

This was the place where Dimo was caught by slave traders after all.

According to Alwin’s investigations, Adolfo’s slave trading company was the largest not only in Crux. He was also the main supplier of slaves in all of Eliora.