Chapter 232 (2): Royal Family’s Internal Strife

Wayne’s pat on her rear immediately told Mona what she should do. She sat down beside Juno and picked up the newspaper that had been used for the meeting. “Mona, ace detective of Wayne’s Detective Agency. How may I help you?”

Juno was taken aback for a moment, but quickly said with a smile, “I have a commission for your agency. Time is of the essence. The sooner you complete it, the better.”

“Certainly.”

The two women chatted for a while, with Mona establishing a telepathic chat with Wayne to pose the questions he wanted to ask. Five minutes later, Wayne returned from his tree-watching.

Mona stood up and adjusted her glasses, saying with a grave expression, “Boss, the client’s in a thorny situation. I can’t complete the investigation on my own, so I hope we can work on the case together.”

“I suppose it can’t be helped. I’ll assist you...”

Wayne took the envelope and carefully reviewed the information. Moments later, he returned the envelope to Mona and said, “Start with the investigation first. I’ll seek you out tonight. Bring Miss Juno with you. She must be present at all times, or don’t start investigating.”

Juno shook her head with a bitter smile. He was so cautious that he had to be Auston’s illegitimate son.

The two women immediately got to work. Instead of following them, Wayne headed straight to the luxury hotel west of the park, putting on white gloves before expertly picking the lock to the suite the Princess had been in. It was empty. Only a faint scent of perfume lingered in the air.

Wayne sniffed, committing Princess Elizabeth’s smell to memory. “There was a similar scent in the elevator, and the seat is still warm. There are also smells of other men and women, probably her bodyguards...”

There were many possibilities. Since he hadn’t been able to confirm with his own eyes, he made deductions but refrained from drawing hasty conclusions.

***

“Based on the smells at the scene, I’m quite certain that the Princess is pure and didn’t throw an orgy there.”

𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

At the Lando Estate, Wayne went through his analysis logically, while Auston listened with an increasingly impassive expression.

That’s all you got after all the trouble?

“I would like to find out more, but there was no hair left at the scene, and no one used the bathroom. Forget toilet paper, there wasn’t even a fingerprint.”

Wayne then said curiously, “I can’t say if she is the real Princess, but the intelligence Knight Juno provided is quite interesting. One of the investigation targets is Prince Edward. We might boldly assume that he is the Princess’s only target, and all others are red herrings.”

“Her Majesty...”

“I asked, and Juno said that the Queen may or may not know.” Wayne blinked, getting excited. “Suppose that the Queen knows and has authorized the Princess to investigate. Perhaps the Princess is worried about leaving a stain on her reputation on her path to the throne, so she didn’t go through the standard procedures.”

“Auston, we’ve been waiting and waiting. Finally, the royal family is undergoing an internal strife!”

(눈_눈)

Don’t say ‘we’. I never hoped for an internal strife within the royal family.

Besides, this is barely infighting. With Prince Edward being the way he is, the Princess will still become the next monarch as long as the Queen doesn’t lose her mind.

Auston could see it now. The heir his wife and daughter had chosen had a rebellious streak and little to no respect for the royal family. Although Auston wasn’t particularly devoted, either, placing the family above the crown, he was good at acting loyal, and he never enjoyed the royal family’s plight like a drama.

“Don’t say such things in the future. With your acting skills, is it really that hard to pretend to be a loyal and patriotic knight?”

“There is no one else—” Wayne stopped himself, looking at the door outside the soundproofing barrier. “Megan isn’t an outsider. We’re all family here. Be honest with me: is Princess Elizabeth Veronica’s sister?”

“Of course not.”

“How are you so sure? They look so similar, almost identical.”

“Huh?”

“The hairstyles, I mean.”

Auston couldn’t be bothered with Wayne’s nonsense. He said simply, “Have your secretary investigate and don’t get involved yourself. This is a complicated issue. Stay out of it as much as you can, and even if you have to step in, don’t use your current identity.”

“Then the Darkness Knight?”

“...”

“Fine. I get your drift.” Wayne shrugged after getting rebuffed, tackling the same question from another angle. “Suppose the Queen has authorized the Princess to investigate whether Prince Edward has connections to the demons secretly. Why would the Princess come to me? Aren’t you going to explain that?”

Wayne’s question was simple: why would the Princess specifically seek out the Lando family? Had she guessed who her biological father was?

“I’ll say this one last time. I have nothing to do with the Princess or the Queen!” Auston glared at Wayne, determined not to give him any chance to spread rumors. Then he frowned, puzzled by the same question.

“Can’t figure it out, can you?”

“Hm.”

“Let me give you a hint. Think about the day the princess was conceived. Did you fail to use protection that night?”

Are you done?!

Auston clenched his fist around his antique silver coin. “Enough. Have your secretary investigate and don’t get involved. The inspectors of the Church of Nature are still in Londan. Don’t get too close to the royal family.”

Wayne was disappointed that he didn’t get what he wanted, but he didn’t care. He would go straight to Master later to reveal Auston’s paternal relationship with the princess.

***

Wayne left the study, intending to head straight home, but he encountered a lost Monica and followed her around until Veronica caught him.

Thanks to the crystal ball’s test, Veronica was in such a good mood that she rewarded Wayne for two hours.

The dragon-blooded girl’s way of rewarding people was rather unconventional. Unlike ordinary girls, she expressed intimacy with her fists, and she dragged Wayne to the underground training base for two hours of sparring.

Since they were drenched in sweat afterwards, they took a bath in the young lady’s mansion.

By the time Wayne left the Lando Estate, it was already six o’clock in the evening. He took the sewers to Mona’s neighborhood and entered with a key, finding his way to the second floor easily.

He heard sounds coming from the bathroom. Looking at his refreshed state, he decided to take another bath.

“Boss.”

Just as he began to undo his buttons, he heard Mona’s voice from beside him. His expression turned confused. He pointed at the bathroom as a silent question: Who was in there? Her good friend Nancy?

“It’s Miss Juno.”

“Why did you bring her home?” Wayne asked.

“You said that Miss Juno had to be present throughout the investigation.” Mona blinked, pointing at the adjacent room.

Unsure what she wanted, Wayne followed her curiously. As soon as he stepped through the door, he found a soundproofing barrier inside.

Hiss.

“So, did you find anything today?”

“Investigation is progressing quickly. We’ve eliminated all other suspects, leaving only Prince Edward,” Mona spoke unclearly around a mouthful.

“I knew it...”

Wayne frowned. The Princess was using the investigation into demons as a pretext to drag the Lando family into the mess. Whatever her intention was, she had to be up to something. This was bad. The Death Knight wouldn’t earn extra benefits, and the Darkness Knight wouldn’t get any kickbacks.

Perhaps he should investigate as the Death Knight.

“Mona, don’t be too proactive in investigating the Prince. You’re an excellent detective. If you discover any leads or suspicious parts, leave Juno to do the deduction. If she’s an idiot, mislead her in the process.” Wayne made concise instructions, telling Mona not to take the lead.

“What if she’s playing dumb?”

“Then stall. She’s definitely more anxious than you.”

Mona couldn’t say yes to that. Demons were involved in the investigation, so she was definitely more anxious.

“Don’t worry. I’ll investigate under a different identity. When you encounter me, remember to pretend you don’t know me.” Wayne patted her on the head. “Look into the Prince’s schedule and find out where he’s been spending his time lately, as well as who he’s been with. Try to make Juno talk and hand the information to me.”

“Understood.”

***

Meanwhile, Prince Edward, whom Wayne considered a fellow pervert, was chatting up a beautiful lady in a mansion. The black-haired beauty was Chante, Mayor Angelo’s distant relative. Through shameless persistence, Prince Edward had finally won the beauty’s heart, allowing Chante to ride on his coattails.

After a passionate wrestle, Edward held Chante in his arms, feeling like he had reached the peak of his life. He was utterly infatuated with her and had even told her that if he weren’t engaged, he would’ve made Chante the princess consort. Or he would’ve broken the engagement off were his fiancée’s family not this formidable.

Then, Edward expressed his desire to give his true love what she deserved, arguing that his fiancée would understand his dilemma.

Put simply, he wanted both the spouse and the mistress.

Edward promised Chante that his fiancée would turn a blind eye to their relationship. Since their marriage was a political one with little real feelings involved, his fiancée’s purposeful ignorance would benefit all parties involved.

“Edward, my birthday is in a few days,” Chante said with half-closed eyes. “I know you’ve prepared a surprise for me. I appreciate the thought and will cherish your love, but you don’t have to make such a big fuss... She’ll get angry if she finds out. I don’t want to get between you.”

“Chante, I promise that I’m not throwing a birthday banquet, nor am I inviting many guests. It’s just a small gathering with close friends. You should meet them.”

“Really?”

“Of course. Would I lie to you?”