Chapter 79: Litany of Lies

HAR! HAR! HAR! HAR!

Lord Boetus' jovial laughter filled the audience room, plunging everyone into confusion.

Williem took a step back, bewildered, he opened his mouth to speak but Lord Boetus cut him off,

"Have you gone mad?"

What?

In my confusion, I caught a shadow of even greater bewilderment on Williem's face.

Williem opened his mouth again but just like before, Lord Boetus cut him off,

"How did he know?"

Williem's eyes were so wide, they seemed like they were about to pop out of their sockets.

Lord Boetus who was sitting in his throne, threw his head back and broke into another bout of laughter.

HAR! HAR! HAR! HAR!

I stared at him wide-eyed.

Lord Boetus is laughing?! How?!

My gaze turned to survey his men, except his jester who was trying to stifle a laugh, the rest seemed impassive... like his actions were usual.

I was star-struck.

Since when was the act of Lord Boetus laughing normal?!

HAR! HAR! HAR! HAR...

Soon his laughter subsided and he spoke, "You need not ask such questions, in fact, you need not ask any questions at all."

FWUMP!

Lord Boetus leaned back in his throne, his hands resting on its armrests as he opened his mouth,

"Why?", he posed a rhetorical question before sweeping his gaze from Williem to me.

"Because I know."

Suddenly, the audience hall grew silent.

Just as I thought...his artifact...

I stared at him silently.

Lord Boetus raised the white envelope in his hand and looked at it with an impassive gaze, "Lady Madeleine didn't need to send a letter. It's only normal that you'd come."

The white envelope in his hand suddenly ascended on its own and began floating mid-air, suspended in the space above his palm. It hovered for a few moments before suddenly vanishing with a snap of his finger.

"After all, an attempt was just made on your life, right, Nightingale?", he said, turning to Williem with narrowed eyes.

Williem wore a gentle smile, "That's right. Marta and I believe you'd have an idea on it."

Lord Boetus stared at him for a moment before turning his head to meet my gaze – my eyes were calm.

"Indeed, you are right.", he chuckled, "It's only normal that I'd be suspected."

The moment those words left his mouth, the atmosphere turned tense.

The jester stopped smiling, the herald's stern gaze became even sterner and the guards gripped their weapons tighter.

Williem's expression grew dark and my eyes grew cold.

In the room, it was only Lord Boetus who showed no visible reaction.

Yet, I was undeterred,

"Lord Boetus.", I opened my mouth and spoke.

Immediately, the gazes of everyone snapped to me.

"During our encounter with the three assassins, we discovered that one of them heralded from the Crescent Moon Sect, a woman named Elise...", I trailed off, staring the Lord deep in the eye,

"But of course, it makes no sense. Why would an assassin give out their name and contractor, especially if they knew the odds weren't on their side?"

My eyes narrowed, "Although, it is well known that the Crescent Moon Sect harbors hostile tendencies towards other factions but I believe that fact only cements my theory."

The herald and the jester looked at me with wide eyes.

Lord Boetus' expression finally cracked, showing a cold expression, "Marta Madeleine, what are you getting at?"

I remained unfazed, "Why don't you drop the act, Lord Boetus."

"You were the one who sent assassins to kill Williem Nightingale, weren't you?"

That's right.

I finished, panting heavily as my finger pointed straight at the man on the throne.

It was you, Lord Boetus. It was you who tried to ki-

Suddenly, a sound interrupted my thoughts.

CLAP! CLAP!

Huh?

Instantly, I turned to the source of the sound and my eyes widened.

Galter Droet!

CLAP! CLAP!

Indeed.

Dressed in his usual attire and leaning on the wall of the hall was the man, Galter Droet. His gaze was fixated on me as his hands struck against each other in a clapping motion.

"Wow...am impressed. I didn't expect this from you, clumsy woman. Am truly impressed."

CLAP! CLAP!

He kept clapping for a few moments before stopping, he got off the wall and stepped forward, "But let me pose a question."

"Did you stop to think what if the Lord was also being framed?", he asked with his gaze locked to mine.

If Lord Boetus was being framed?

I made a face, "That's absurd."

"Is it?", he asked again.

I frowned.

No...I...

I was at a lost.

The thought had never crossed my mind.

I was about to fall into deep thought when a voice suddenly cut my thoughts.

"Stop feeding her venom, you commoner!", Williem yelled, his voice filled with rage.

"Oh, you crass bastard, you were the one who led her to this."

Williem's face turned to one of rage, "What do you mean by that?"

Galter stepped forward, "Oh am sure you know what I mean by that."

Williem's eyes flashed as he roared, "DON'T TOY WITH ME COMMONER! WHAT ARE YOU SAYING?!"

Galter went silent, simply staring at Williem before suddenly,

He smiled.

"I see...so that's how it is."

What? What's going on?

My face turned to one of stark confusion and bewilderment.

The herald and the jester too seemed extremely confused, even the guards were staring at Galter with tilted heads.

Lord Boetus' eyes narrowed and he spoke, "Galter, what is 'how it is'?"

Galter turned to Lord Boetus with a smile on his face and said,

"Lord, the matter is rather simple."

He turned to meet Williem's gaze, "You see...Williem Nightingale here, is actually the one who staged the assassination attempt."

"WHAT?!"

Everyone in the hall, uttered the same word of confusion.

Wh-what?! What is he saying?!

Instantly, my face flushed with fury and I screamed.

"Have you gone mad?! What nonsense are you saying?!"

"I assure you that I haven't gone mad and that I am not speaking nonsense but this is indeed the case."

This...this...what nonsense is this man spouting?

My gaze turned over to the accused Nightingale, "Williem, are you just going to let his crass words slide?"

Williem remained still, his gaze dark and fixated on the ground, he was silent.

My eyes began to flicker.

N-no...it can't be...no...

I stepped forward towards him,

"Williem, what his saying isn't true right?"

I grabbed his hand and squeezed it, forcing out a shaky smile.

"He's lying, right?"

Williem remained silent.

Please...Williem...say som-

"Am sorry, Marta."

Williem spoke before his flower halberd manifested in his hands and plunged through my chest.