Work Prophet
Chapter 552 - 170: The Impudent Ones

Chapter 552: Chapter 170: The Impudent Ones

"You will become a great monarch," Gars said to the person in the mirror, "surpassing your father, you can do better than him."

Having said this, Gars took the noble’s hat and the cane from the maid, and strode towards the door.

He had made all the preparations and was eager to embark on a new era.

Gars first left Junlin Tower through the side door, then circled around to the front, and re-entered with the Imperial Guards escorting him, proclaiming his ownership of the castle.

As his figure appeared outside the palace, the guests who had been invited began to applaud and cheer.

Gars’s gaze swept across the hall, taking in everyone’s expressions, paying particular attention to his two younger brothers.

Claudio and Allister stood at the forefront of the crowd, bowing their heads upon seeing him, as a show of submission.

Gars also noticed his wife shedding tears of excitement.

Gars smiled at her then shifted his gaze; this time, it landed on the Skeleton Throne at the other end of the hall.

A look of eagerness flashed in his eyes, after which he hesitated no longer and stepped towards it.

Gars still remembered when he was a child, playing with Claudio in front of that chair, being egged on by Claudio to climb up for a look, only to be caught by Duren outside, who then told Edward II, and he was beaten for it.

Back then, Gars didn’t think the chair, which looked somewhat sinister, meant much of anything, and even found it uncomfortable to sit on.

But of course, he no longer thought this way, and he also understood why he had been beaten as a child.

This was his seat, belonging only to him, untouchable by anyone else until the moment of his death, even if they shared the same blood as his closest kin.

Thinking this, Gars had already reached the throne.

Under the watchful eyes of all, he sat upon it.

Time seemed to freeze at that moment, then the cheering in the great hall grew even more fervent.

Gars sat on the Skeleton Throne with a straight and dignified posture, like a young lion, every move filled with authority.

Miss Rabbit also felt an inexplicable pressure, not as suffocating as when facing the Earth Bear, but even more daunting.

The Lady experienced for the first time the vast change that power could bring to a person’s demeanor.

Just a few days ago, when she had met Gars, she hadn’t felt much; the Empire’s first in line to inherit had been respectful in front of his own father, so much so that he seemed almost inconspicuous.

But now he seemed like a completely different person.

The eldest in the Vespasian Family now was "Lucky" Jerome, who was three hundred and twelve years old, with failing eyesight and hard of hearing, likely needing assistance to walk just last year.

He started to gasp after standing for just a little while, and Gars feared he would suddenly collapse and pass away during the ceremony.

The Finance Minister Sirren supported him, moving step by step towards the stone steps; it was only a dozen or so steps, but it took Jerome quite a while to get there, making many guests impatient.

Gars also thought his great-uncle was moving too slowly and considered calling for more help.

Just then, a commotion arose from outside the great hall, and soon after, the Imperial Forest Guard Captain, Duren, entered from the doorway.

Gars frowned, somewhat displeased, and said, "You are late, Sir Duren."

"Apologies, Your Highness, I have been busy investigating the assassination attempt on His Majesty these past days."

The words of the Imperial Forest Guard Captain made Gars somewhat uncomfortable, especially the way Duren addressed him. Technically, Gars wouldn’t be considered the New Emperor of the Empire until he had put on the crown and taken over the ancestral sword.

But he was already seated on the Skeleton Throne, and by that time, no one was calling him "Your Highness" anymore.

Yet today was the auspicious day of his coronation, and Gars didn’t want to make a scene over such a trivial issue. So he simply nodded and said, "Then find a place to stand."

However, upon hearing his words, Duren didn’t step aside but instead took two steps forward.

"Your Highness, I have urgent news to report."

Gars almost blurted out, Could anything be more important than my coronation today, can’t you see that?

But he held back in the end, simply replying coldly, "You wait."

"I don’t mean to interrupt your ceremony, but this matter really is very urgent, and I must speak now," Duren continued.

Gars’s face grew dark.

At the same time, the other guests around also sensed an unusual atmosphere.

"Guard, throw this insolent fool out of my castle!"

Gars decided not to waste any more words and directly ordered the annoying man before him to be thrown out.

However, the guards by his side hesitated upon hearing the order. Duren had been the Guard Commander for decades, and these guards were his subordinates.

If Gars had already become the New Emperor, they naturally wouldn’t dare to defy his orders. But now the coronation wasn’t over yet, and Duren hadn’t resigned from his position either.

Faced with Duren’s remaining authority, they didn’t know what to do for a moment.

Gars was furious and resolved to replace the Imperial Guards with new ones afterwards.

"Your Highness, please hear me out before you send me away," Duren said before Gars could respond, his voice heavy, "I have found the murderer who poisoned His Majesty."

His last words caused a stir.

Although the coronation of the New Emperor had been the primary concern of the nobility in the Royal Capital, Edward II’s death had not been forgotten.

As the Empire’s only Emperor to be poisoned in hundreds of years, his death could not be left unexplained.

Finding the killer was what everyone wanted, but most thought the investigation would take some time. They were unprepared for Duren to have found the murderer so quickly.

Since the Imperial Forest Guard Captain brought up this issue, Gars could no longer dismiss him, lest it appeared he was only focused on becoming Emperor and indifferent to his father’s death, which would damage his reputation.

So Gars could only follow Duren’s lead and ask, "Who is the murderer?"

But Duren didn’t answer right away, instead saying, "When I started the investigation, I first questioned His Majesty’s wine pourer Wade, but the poison wasn’t his doing. Moreover, he was certain he saw no suspicious persons nearby that day.

"Not just him, many on the podium that day could testify that they didn’t see anyone strange approaching the wine jug."

"Get to the point," Gars said impatiently.

Duren raised his head, "That means, the poison must have been administered by someone close to His Majesty. Wade couldn’t possibly hold the wine jug in his hand all the time. Actually, for most of the time, that jug was on the table beside him.

"And Wade’s eyes wouldn’t be glued to the jug all the time. He would only become alert when someone he perceived as threatening approached the jug."