Reborn as a Mind-Reading Empress
Chapter 119: Findings

Chapter 119: Findings

To the Head Butler and other palace personnel, Arabella was just a new Empress who barely knew anything about the Empire yet. Except for her maids who were directly under her, Arabella’s words have no power over them.

Moreover, they were not yet sure if they could trust her words or rely on her.

They knew Ferdinand cherished her since he slept in her room for a month and always visited her chambers every time he returned from the borders.

Thus, they would obey her to some degree. They would obey whatever she said as long as it was something minor.

But if she asked them to do something of great importance, they would not obey her immediately and ask for Raymond or Ferdinand’s approval first.

Thus, if it was just her saying things, they would likely tell her to wait until Ferdinand or Raymond approves.

Arabella needed achievements and allies in order to be trusted and obeyed as the Empress.

In the meantime, since she had no achievements yet for them to trust and respect her, she needed Ferdinand’s words for them to obey her in important matters.

As such, in order to be an effective Empress, achieving this was one of her goals. Arabella needed to gain their trust and respect so they would move even without words from Ferdinand or Raymond. She had to put in some effort so her words would at least be obeyed immediately in the palace without the two having to say something.

With Ferdinand’s edict, the Head Butler obeyed her and had posters about the job circulated around the city.

Those who were interested could begin instantly after just a bit of qualification and security check to ensure they didn’t enter the palace for other reasons.

. . .

Within two hours after Alwin left, he returned to make his report about their findings.

They gathered at Ferdinand’s office this time and Arabella was glad her husband summoned her to be with them. He understood she wanted to be part of it.

Alwin found out that Count Dempsey was indeed the one who planned for Safiro’s demise.

The forest fire was his magician’s doing. It wasn’t his intention to cause drought but he didn’t expect the forest would not grow back or that the fertile lands would also dry up.

But with the magic ore mine, he was assured of the profits even without the fertile lands.

Moreover, the Count was even the one who had been triggering conflict between Arno and Safiro for the past three decades.

It was all because Count Dempsey lost his first wife and son in Mt. Esme thirty years ago.

According to the elders in Dempsey Alwin was able to speak with, there was a time when Safiro was pushed back to retreat to Mt. Esme after a battle with the Arno Kingdom.

Dempsey’s wife was a doctor and loved collecting medicinal herbs. She sneaked to Mt. Esme with her eldest son to gather some medicinal herbs only found in the said mountain while the Safiro tribe was known to be having festivities in honor of their guardian deity.

But Dempsey’s wife and son were attacked by wild beasts and both died in the forest.

They were found by Nadia’s father and some warriors and were returned to Dempsey.

The elders said it was clear from the claw marks and bites that the mother and son were indeed attacked and killed by beasts.

However, Count Dempsey never believed it. He insisted that his wife and son were caught by Safiro warriors and were punished to death for entering the forest.

Count Dempsey insisted to believe that they were killed and almost fed to beasts to show an example to the people of Arno not to encroach ever again.

The elders said Count Dempsey loved his wife and son so much and vowed revenge. Even when he remarried and had more children, he never forgot about them though the people thought he did.

But when the opportunity came, Count Dempsey grabbed it and exacted his revenge.

It was then that everyone knew that Dempsey never forgot about his first wife and first son. It was especially evident when he even captured Safiro’s Chief and first son through false charges.

’He’s just like me?!!’ Arabella’s stomach churned as she recalled what she had done in her past life.

She ruined Valeria and poisoned Ferdinand because she thought he truly had their son killed. But he was innocent of the crime she had pinned on him just as Safiro was innocent of the crime Count Dempsey blamed on them and made him ruin them.

’So a few years later after Ferdinand was killed, all the people of Valeria could have been suffering the way Safiro did?!! All because of what I did?!!’

Arabella was horrified at the thought.

’Valeria will never fall,’ she recalled Alwin’s words when he was speaking to Renee.

’Right. Valeria would never fall. Alwin and Ferdinand’s people would have done something to save Valeria from ruin,’ Arabella assured herself.

Still, what if Alwin and his comrades were not present and Valeria had truly fallen? Icarus had died so leading Valeria would have fallen to the hands of their still unknown enemy and who knows how they would have treated the citizens.

The thought that they would suffer the way Safiro did, made her shiver.

It would have been all her fault if the citizens of Valeria experienced it.

"Arabella? What’s wrong? You are shivering," Ferdinand touched her shoulder and she flinched.

"I’m fine. It just felt cold all of a sudden," Arabella reasoned. "Please don’t mind me and continue."

Ferdinand took off his coat and wrapped it around her.

His coat felt warm but it made Arabella feel even more dread and guilt.

"How’s the condition of Nadia’s father and eldest brother?" Arabella asked to divert the attention away from her.

And she got slapped with the cold hard truth.

"Unfortunately, they are no longer of this world, Your Majesty," Alwin replied and Arabella froze.

’They are dead?!’

How would they inform Nadia and Safiro about this? They have already gone through so much only to be greeted by this news?