SMITTEN

Meanwhile, Emilio was interrogating one of the royal kitchen servants who were assigned to prepare the food during the wedding ceremony.

The servant was sweating profusely as he wiped his hands in his apron unconsciously. Emilio could hear his heart beat at a fast rate while his eyes darted from left to right. 

Emilio was also tense as he narrowed his eyes at him. His feet were spread apart in a wide stance as he observed him.

He learned that this man was supposed to be present during that time. But he was absent, and another man filled him in. 

"I swear to the Great Theos, my lord. I didn't know that the man had a fake identity. I thought he was part of the royal kitchen staff," he stuttered before biting his bloodless lips.

His feet were slowly scuffling backward, as if he was looking for a way out. But the royal guards at his back pointed their spear at him.

"Being replaced on duty unknowingly is already a grave offense. But allowing a stranger inside the royal kitchen? That is capital punishment," Emilio reminded him in case he forgot the rules of the Castle.

"Please have mercy on me, my lord!" the servant fled to his knees and bowed down before him. "I only wanted to be present on my son's birthday. I didn't know that things would end this way," he put his palms together and rubbed them as he pleaded for his pity.

But Emilio wasn't affected. How many absences did his father do during his birthday because he was not neglectful of his duties? 

When he was young, he didn't understand. But now that he was in the governmental position, he finally appreciated it. And he wanted to be the same as his father, honorable and dutiful until his last breath.

"You may not know his actual name. But you surely must have seen his face. Describe him to our men, so they can draw his face," Emilio commanded him. 

"But, my lord. All of us are wearing masks during that time. I was not really planning to be absent during the preparation. I was already in my uniform when he said he would cover for me, so I can attend my son's birthday,"  the man continued to explain with his head still bowed down.

Emilio's eyes glared at the begging man in front of him. 

The bell in the royal kitchen signaled that the afternoon meal was ready. And to be honest, Emilio was starving even before his confrontation with the man. 

But he was oblivious of all that right now.

His temperature was shooting up to the highest degree, he could feel his blood pulsating within his veins.

"How could you be so clueless? That was a major event in the Castle, and almost all the nobles in Gaea are there! It was definitely an opportune time for an enemy to attack," Lord Emilio gritted his teeth as he clenched his fist. 

He wanted to slash the servant with his feathers, but he controlled himself. He was the only witness to the person who disguised himself as a kitchen servant. 

There might not be evidence that he was the culprit. But he was the oddest one out of the story.

"I apologize, my lord. I should have thought about that since we have a female human in the Castle. It has been decades that we live in peace. It didn't occur in my simple mind that anyone would be in trouble by my attending my son's birthday," the man continued to reason out, making Emilio draw out his sword and put it on his neck.

"If you don't stop spitting unreasonable excuses, I'm going to cut your tongue for good!" Emilio snarled at him, making him clamp his lips hard while beating his head to the ground. 

"You might have not seen his face. But you heard his voice, you saw his height, his stance, his complexion, his species. Tell it to the guards now!" Emilio bellowed before walking away.

"Wait, my lord! Where are they taking me?" The man shouted behind his back as the guards dragged both his arms away.

"You will stay in the dungeons until the culprit has been found!" Emilio answered him immediately.

Then he stormed out to the guard house. As he did so, he inhaled a lungful of air. "I shouldn't have been lenient with the Castle's security," he pressed his lips as he also blamed himself that a trespasser had entered and exited the Castle.

He was focused on dealing with a possible physical war, and he neglected that there could be an internal one as well.

"But who could be the instigator of it?" He contemplated before reaching his next plan of action.

"Have you traced the whereabouts of the man with the fake identity, inside the Castle?"

"Yes, my lord," the head of the royal guards immediately answered. "He was not seen anywhere around the Castle except the royal kitchen and the storage house for grains."

Emilio nodded as he thought that the Riso was their only target in the Castle. That means that the sickness that was prevailing was intentional. 

'But what could be the purpose behind it? If this is a war, the nobles must be dead already. But it was only a temporary case. They have already gotten better after drinking Gingiberi tea,' Emilio continued to ponder. 

"However, my lord, we weren't able to know where he went after he left the Castle," he added. 

Emilio nodded as he replied. "I will take care of that."

Immediately, his wings shot up. He flew to the headquarters of the Nephilus watchmen and gave them the information that the man gave him. 

"Find this man and bring him to me alive," Emilio ordered. 

Actions All the Nephilus watchmen bowed their heads and immediately complied. 

As he watched them fly, that's the only time that he could somehow breathe normally. 

He was about to return to the Castle when he saw Rosalia on the ground, gazing at him.

As soon as their eyes met, she gave him a warm smile. 

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When solving problems, dig at the roots instead of just hacking at the leaves.