Chapter 730 (+25 Bonus)
The Supreme Court was busier than ever. At Rafael's command, all leave was canceled. Even Assistant Minister Peter Salter, who was at home mourning a loss, was worried about his position. When the major conspiracy case arose and Rafael summoned him, Peter quickly donned his uniform and returned.
Eleanor and Henry were brought to the Supreme Court. Rafael would personally interrogate his aunt, while Matthew would question Henry. Peter and Jared Lynch, the Supreme Court's associate chief, would interrogate the remaining officials, servants, household physicians, and other staff.
Rafael didn't rush to interrogate Eleanor. Instead, he ordered that all weapons from Harmony Palace be transported to the Supreme Court as evidence. Meanwhile, the rest of the team began their questioning.
Despite working tirelessly until nightfall, they interrogated only a handful of people. Rafael then instituted shift work, eliminating any rest. Matthew began organizing the interrogation reports and statements to present to Rafael.
Rafael glanced at the few statements. He pulled out Henry's reports, filled with questions but few answers, as Henry frequently deflected with claims of ignorance.
Matthew sighed in frustration. "Lord Henry claims to know nothing. He only admits that the women in the dungeon and those in the courtyard are his concubines. Regarding the weapons or Grand Princess Eleanor's involvement in treason, he claims ignorance."
"Without concrete evidence, why would he confess?" Rafael set aside Henry's statement and pulled out those from Florence and Kurt. "Florence has been by Grand Princess Eleanor's side for a long time; she's her trusted confidante. Kurt heads the household soldiers. What did they reveal?"
Matthew replied, "Florence seems shocked. She kept muttering 'impossible,' and we couldn't get much from her. Kurt provided considerable information, but mostly trivial details. He mentioned Grand Princess Eleanor's frequent interactions with certain families, the cruel treatment of the concubines in the inner palace, and the various ways those concubines died—drowning, strangulation, and being thrown to their deaths. Each story was more tragic than the last. But regarding the weapons, he claimed ignorance."
"When did he start working at Harmony Palace?" Rafael asked.
"Five years ago. He mentioned the well in Harmony Palace's back courtyard hides numerous corpses—mostly newborn boys and some concubines tossed in after death. That well is usually sealed; when opened, it signifies an impending death," Matthew replied, still shuddering.
"Have you determined how many people died? We need to trace the origins of those women," Rafael asked. The treason case was significant, but the tragic deaths at Eleanor's hands demanded justice.
Chapter 730 (+25 Bonus)
"We haven't compiled the figures yet. Harmony Palace servants were rotated frequently, including trusted ones. No one knows if anyone died before their arrival. Also, not everyone knew how the Grand Princess dealt with people. Only a few trusted individuals handled it, and I suspect the old confidantes may have been eliminated as well. I've also dispatched someone to retrieve the bones from the well, but they haven't returned," Matthew explained.
"In other words, we haven't uncovered much information," Rafael noted, picking up and glancing at a statement from a household physician.
Matthew sighed. "We've been busy all day, but many people need to be brought in, and even more accommodated. The interrogations only started a couple of hours ago. Since they're not yet afraid, we haven't gotten much from them. I'll focus solely on questioning tomorrow."
Rafael nodded, scrutinizing the statement. This household physician, Billy, has been at the estate for ten years, meaning he knows quite a lot, but…"
Matthew interjected, "Peter conducted the interrogation, and his questioning style is always sharp. I didn't expect him to uncover such details. Grand Princess Eleanor strictly forbade the physicians from treating the concubines in the courtyard or the dungeon, but she granted permission for Melanie Lester's treatment. After two days of treatment, Celeste—Henry's concubine's daughter—sought Billy out and seduced him. She got him to use a potent drug on her mother, intending to worsen Melanie's condition and kill her."