The Swordswoman’s Revenge Story after Rebirth

Chapter 274: Harper’s Complaint

Doug and Kolton, standing nearby, felt slightly reassured by the King’s words. At the very least, the death penalty had been avoided. Escaping the death penalty was already a considerable act of leniency.

As for whether Geoffrey could retain his official position and title, that was secondary. The most important thing was that his life had been spared.

However, before they could fully relax, a eunuch announced from outside that Minister Harper was requesting an audience. Harper, the Minister of Personnel and younger brother of Layla, was summoned inside.

Yang Baron strode in and knelt on one knee. “Honored to meet you, Your Majesty!”

“Rise,” the King said, noticing Harper’s flushed face, which indicated he had rushed to the palace. Without waiting for Harper to speak, the King asked, “What urgent matter brings you here?”

Harper stood up and reported, “Your Majesty, I have received news that Geoffrey of the Inspector High Court of Parliament requested leave on the grounds of attending to his seriously ill mother. However, he secretly left Argentum to join the army heading to Zloimond. His intentions are suspicious. I implore Your Majesty to thoroughly investigate this matter. If Geoffrey colluded with Kamari, then the sacrifices made by our Northern Camp soldiers would be in vain.”

It was widely known in the court that Kamari had conspirators within Argentum. Geoffrey’s departure without orders and in secret suggested ulterior motives. If he had no ill intentions, why would he act in such a manner?

Doug and Kolton, who had just begun to relax, felt their hearts tighten again. It seemed their worst fears were coming true. Geoffrey’s journey to Zloimond was indeed a serious crime, but the gravest accusation would be that of collusion. Although the court had achieved a great victory in the Zloimond campaign, the Northern Camp had also suffered significant losses.

The King’s expression darkened. “Where did you hear this?”

Harper replied, “Your Majesty, this month coincides with the officials’ evaluation period. Geoffrey requested leave, and the Inspector High Court of Parliament has already documented the reason. However, yesterday, while I was at the military camp evaluating officers, I heard soldiers mention that Geoffrey had appeared on the battlefield. I questioned several people and confirmed this. I recalled that the army had returned to Argentum some time ago, and even Doug and Kolton had returned. Yet, Geoffrey has not. If he is innocent, why did he not return with the others and instead chose to hide? After careful consideration, I became deeply concerned and hurried to the palace to report this to Your Majesty.”

“Aside from you, who else knows about this?” the King asked sternly.

“You learned of this yesterday but only came to report it today. During that time, you did not tell anyone?” the King pressed.

Harper hesitated. In truth, he had discussed this with his father. It was his father’s idea to come to the palace and file a complaint. His father had said that since the King was investigating Kamari’s conspirators, reporting such matters would be meritorious. It was well known that Geoffrey and his daughter had a strained relationship, so it was unlikely he had gone to protect her. The only possibility was that he had gone to relay information to Kamari. However, he could not say this in front of the King.

After a moment of hesitation, he shook his head. “Your Majesty, I did not inform anyone.”

Unbeknownst to him, his sister, Layla, had already mentioned during lunch that Geoffrey and Isolde had both contributed to the victory in Zloimond. When the King asked how she knew, she said that her eunuch had heard it from the common folk while out purchasing supplies. After Layla left, the King sent someone to investigate and learned that Margaret had entered the palace earlier today.

However, such matters were supposed to be highly confidential. How could the common folk know about it? And how did Margaret find out?

Initially, the King had thought that Pablo had informed Margaret and was displeased that Pablo had not reported it. Now, with Harper rushing to file a complaint, the King suspected that Harper had informed Margaret, who then told Layla. The King detested collusion between the court and the inner palace. Now that the three siblings—Harper, Margaret, and Layla—had orchestrated this charade, the King was furious.

“You claim you did not inform anyone, so how did Layla know?” the King asked coldly.

Harper was stunned. “Layla knows? How could Layla know? I… I did not enter the palace. I do not know how she learned of this.”

“You don’t know? Let me tell you. Early this morning, your sister Margaret entered the palace to visit Layla. Layla then reported to me, and what she said matches your account exactly.”

When Harper heard this, his legs went weak. He cursed inwardly, wondering how Layla could have known about this.

“Your Majesty, I truly did not inform Layla or Margaret. Please investigate this thoroughly!” Harper kowtowed, his face pale.

“Whether you did or not, I will investigate,” the King said coldly.

Harper, though shaken, tried to steer the conversation back to the main issue. “Your Majesty, even if Layla knew, the fact remains that Geoffrey left Argentum without permission. I implore Your Majesty to investigate this thoroughly to honor the spirits of the fallen Northern Camp soldiers.”

As long as Geoffrey’s guilt was confirmed, Harper’s report would be considered meritorious, and his faults might be overlooked.

At that moment, a eunuch entered and reported, “Your Majesty, Isolde has brought Geoffrey to the palace to bear thorns and seek forgiveness. They are now kneeling outside, awaiting Your Majesty’s judgment.”

Doug and Kolton breathed a sigh of relief. Had Geoffrey finally come to his senses? He had actually come to the palace to bear thorns and seek forgiveness. Thankfully, he had arrived in time. Otherwise, Harper’s complaint would have caused serious trouble.

Isolde and Geoffrey knelt outside the hall, with Harlan standing nearby. The King stepped out and was shocked by Geoffrey’s appearance. Geoffrey was a military man. In the past, even if he rarely spoke during court sessions, his imposing stature commanded respect. But now, he was emaciated, his face unshaven, pale with a bluish tint, and his lips purple from the cold. His bare upper body revealed how much weight he had lost.

When he saw the King, he kowtowed. The King, standing on the corridor, saw the thorny branches tied to Geoffrey’s back. The thorns had pierced his skin, and blood had spread across his back. His entire body trembled, whether from the cold or exhaustion.

“I, Geoffrey Langley, have fabricated a lie. I left my post and hid my identity to infiltrate the army. I beg Your Majesty to punish me!”

Geoffrey’s voice was hoarse and barely intelligible. He spoke while prostrating, and his trembling made his words even more unclear.

Seeing this, the King’s anger subsided significantly, but he still spoke sternly. “You have served in the military for many years. How could you not know the rules? Knowing full well that this was a capital offense, you still abandoned your post and joined the army. What explanation do you have? I will give you one chance. If you can provide a convincing reason, I may spare your life. Lift your head and speak!”

Harper, who had followed the King out, was still shaken. He stared intently at Geoffrey. He had no personal grudge against Geoffrey, but today, he wished for Geoffrey’s death. If Geoffrey was not accused of colluding with Kamari, Harper himself would be in serious trouble.