Chapter 12: The Patient Hunter.
A day passed just like that and when I opened my eyes again, I was pulled out of a rather pleasant dream.
Without wasting any time, I pushed myself up from the soft mattress and went through my usual morning routine. Today was an important day after all.
Only after taking a cold shower and changing into a set of pristine clothes did I finally leave my room but before doing so, I made sure to place one final item on the table.
Something I would soon have a use for.
The moment I stepped outside, two servants were already waiting for me.
My personal attendants.
The same personal attendants who had miraculously disappeared the moment they learned about my trial.
Mina and Vance.
"Good morning, Young Master!"
The two greeted me in unison before bowing respectfully.
I simply nodded. Looking at the pair, I couldn’t help but feel disgust. Especially that bitch, Mina. And no, I wasn’t hating her without reason.
I was hating on her because she was one of the people most responsible for my misery. The one who had planted the fabricated evidence inside my room for the crime I never committed.
Just remembering how blindly I had trusted her in my previous life felt pathetic.
I looked directly at her.
"Mina."
"Yes, Young Master?"
"Come into my room." A small smile appeared on my face. "I would like to have a little chat."
Then I turned toward Vance.
"As for you, prepare my breakfast and bring it to my room in ten minutes."
"Understood, Young Master!"
The two immediately bowed and as always, they looked every bit the picture of loyal servants, almost convincing enough to fool someone who didn’t already know the truth.
With that settled, I entered my room while Mina followed behind me. Despite being a maid, she wore a formal suit similar to what her little brother Vance preferred.
The moment she stepped inside, I closed the door and then walked over to my bed and sat down, a calm smile resting on my face.
"Why did you do it, Mina?" I didn’t bother dancing around the topic. "Did Cedric promise you that much? Or was the reward worth betraying me?"
My smile weakened slightly.
"We have been together since I was five years old. Do you know how heartbreaking it was to learn that you were responsible for my misery?"
Her eyes trembled for a brief moment but she didn’t break.
"What are you talking about, Young Master?"
I sighed.
"You know exactly what I am talking about, Mina."
My voice remained gentle as I deliberately made my expressions sorrowful.
"Why did you plant those undergarments in my room? It pains me to know that you, of all people, would betray me."
"Why would I do something so vile, Young Master?"
She immediately shot back, her voice sounded sincere and convincing, almost enough to make me doubt myself.
If she hadn’t confessed everything during my previous timeline while I was tearing the Ruinbringer Family apart, I might have actually believed her.
"You have probably heard by now about how I survived Sir Gerald’s attack through the grace of our Great Goddess... but saving me wasn’t the only thing she did."
I continued calmly.
"She showed me a vision, a vision of that night when you met my stepmother, Isolde and how she handed you the evidence."
"And how you placed it inside my drawer."
Mina’s pupils contracted ever so slightly but her expression remained composed. She was one tough nut to crack but the beads of sweat slowly forming on her forehead told a different story.
I leaned forward slightly, deciding to push further.
"But I know you, Mina. You are practically family to me. You are the one who has taken care of me since childhood and wouldn’t do something like this without a reason. I know Cedric and Isolde must have forced you. I know in my heart that you are innocent."
For the first time since she entered the room, a trace of uncertainty appeared in her eyes.
"So please... just tell me it was them. Tell me it wasn’t your choice. Tell me it wasn’t you who ruined my life."
I lowered my gaze.
"Because if you don’t... According to the authority granted to me by His Eternal Radiance, I will have no choice but to hand you over to the Inquisition and you know just as well as I do what happens to people who end up there, especially to someone like you."
I sighed once more, giving one final push.
"I don’t want that. I won’t even mention your involvement and will find another way but I just need to know one thing..."
"... Was it truly Cedric and Isolde as I saw in my vision? Or was it truly you who chose to destroy me?"
Silence engulfed the room for a few moments and then as if the last of her resolve had finally shattered, Mina broke down. She collapsed to her knees as tears streamed down her face.
"I am sorry, Young Master..."
Her voice trembled.
"I am so sorry. I never wanted to do something like this." She lowered her head. "Mistress Isolde threatened to kill my brother if I didn’t listen to her and plant the undergarments of the Queen in your room. I was scared. I am sorry..."
I looked down at her quietly.
Of course, I knew she was lying.
This woman hadn’t betrayed me out of fear. She had done it for money and yet I allowed the act to continue. Hell, I even walked forward and placed a hand on her shoulder to help her to her feet.
"That’s all I needed to know."
I gave her a reassuring smile and gave her a small note.
"I promise I will bring them to justice and until then, remain silent. Don’t speak about this to anyone and go to the Church and give this note to my Aunt Althia. Alright?"
She nodded repeatedly, still wiping tears from her eyes.
Watching her performance, I couldn’t help but wonder where she had learned such convincing acting or maybe she was simply born with a talent for deception.
Either way, it was quite impressive.
"You may leave now."
I stepped back.
"Thank you, Young Master." She bowed deeply and hurried out of the room, closing the door behind her.
The moment she left, the tears vanished from my thoughts entirely because I was finally done with everything I needed to do for now.
I walked toward the table beside my bed where I had prepared something beforehand and picked it up.
Two small red gemstones.
They were the Video recording artifacts I had activated and placed there before I called Mina in. They functioned much like portable cameras, storing images and sounds within themselves.
Fortunately, I owned quite a few of them.
Photography had been one of the hobbies I carried over from my previous life on Earth, so collecting recording artifacts had become a habit of mine.
I activated the gems and quickly checked their contents. After skimming through it, I removed the useless parts and kept only the section I needed as a satisfied smile appeared on my face.
I put one of the gems into my pocket while throwing the other into the small tear Amyra had made in my mattress yesterday while trying to stab me.
A surprisingly convenient hiding place.
Honestly, I could have handed Mina over to Solarius immediately after her confession as this evidence was already more than sufficient but I had other plans and for those plans to work, allowing her to walk away was the better option.
Just then, a knock echoed from the door.
Right on cue, Vance entered the room carrying a tray filled with an extravagant breakfast as the aroma immediately filled the room and yet as my eyes landed on the food, my thoughts drifted elsewhere.
Compared to my Lily’s cooking, even this lavish breakfast looked painfully ordinary.
A sigh escaped my lips.
But there was nothing I could do about that for now. Hell, I didn’t even know where Lily was wandering around at this point in time. She was never fond of sharing her past before entering the academy.
Vance in the meantime placed the food on the table without asking about Mina even once. Whether it was out of loyalty, indifference or simple self-preservation, he did his job before leaving the room politely.
I ate in silence, taking my time to enjoy every bite and only once I was finished, I called Vance back in to clear the table.
And as if waiting for my breakfast to be over, immediately after a few minutes, the Head Butler of the Ruinbringer Family finally arrived. He entered the room with his usual rigid posture and expressionless face.
"Young Master Zenith." He bowed slightly. "The Duke has requested your presence immediately."
A smile slowly spread across my face.
There it is.
I rose from my chair without hesitation.
After all... It had been a very long time since I had spoken to that man, the cold-hearted bastard whom I called my father.
