99 – Evidence
“Alan Kye, my step-sisters have started to move.”
As soon as I received Victoria’s notification, I quickly left the institution with the team I had prepared in advance.
The destination was a tobacco factory on the outskirts of the island.
It was a factory that produced and supplied tobacco favored by officers.
In the Imperial Army, it was said that chewing tobacco and snuff were more consumed than pipes or cigarettes. Enlisted soldiers used chewing tobacco, while officers preferred snuff.
It wasn’t suddenly entering the tobacco market. I came here because it was the location where evidence of the Wolpul family’s misconduct was stored.
“Alan Kye, what’s going on here all of a sudden…!”
As soon as we crossed paths, there was a middle-aged man who blatantly freaked out.
He was Fraser Jajak, the owner of this place.
A retired army general, a member of the Victoria faction, and an entrepreneur living comfortably by supplying luxury goods to the military.
“This was the rendezvous point.”
“What?”
And he was also the one who distributed the morphine that the Wolfall family had overlooked.
When the Wolfall family threw the morphine they had stolen here, the factory employees either cashed it or distributed it as gifts, so they said.
It wasn’t entirely clever to steal, but the way it was utilized was appropriate. It must have been quite helpful in managing a large-scale cartel.
“Where is the morphine stored? And the ledger?”
“What?”
“I already know everything. I heard you haven’t cleared it all out yet.”
Frazer Jazak just stammered.
Was he caught off guard while trying to destroy evidence as per Wolfall’s orders?
It didn’t seem like that. The factory was too quiet. Employees were staring blankly, and even Frazer Jazak had a glass of alcohol. If he had received any orders, he wouldn’t be this relaxed.
‘Victoria’s uncles didn’t share information.’
They didn’t mention to their subordinates that they were going to destroy evidence.
The Wolfall family might have judged, “Right now, no one can be trusted except for close family.” They might have hidden it even from their confidants.
They would soon send their cronies or even come themselves to clear everything. Even when investigating from the royal family, they wouldn’t leave any evidence.
Anyway, it was a fortunate situation for me.
“Frazer Jazak. General Hayden Wolfall of the 5th Infantry Division has betrayed you.”
Because I could lie for smooth progress.
“What?”
“He has accused you as the mastermind behind the morphine leak. He claims that you have consistently stolen supplies since the early days of military provisions. They only realized it recently.”
“……”
“I came to confirm the truth. I’m here to see if you’re really the mastermind or if you just followed Hayden Wolff and Ian Wolff’s instructions and moved your pawns. I’m here to verify. It’s not wise to continue feigning ignorance.”
Fraser Jajak, with a blank expression, only managed to twitch his mouth in response to the sudden disaster.
He remained silent for a while before finally mustering the strength to speak.
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“I don’t believe you.”
“You can think it’s a lie. But whether it’s a lie or not, your situation won’t change. As a servant of the Wolff family, you’ll either be oppressed, or you’ll have their crimes covered up and die alone.”
“……”
“It’s better for you to cooperate with me.”
Finally, Fraser Jajak stuttered and complied with my instructions.
Still, he had the look of a lost soul.
He probably thought that even if there were any problems, he could live comfortably by relying on the Wolff family. But now, I suddenly appeared with a group of people to interrogate him.
But his feelings didn’t matter.
The feelings of the Wolff family members who would soon be running as if being chased didn’t matter either.
Because soon, feelings wouldn’t matter in this situation.
“Now I have the evidence in my hands.”
The estimated 50 grams of morphine that hadn’t been disposed of yet, and the ledger recording how much morphine had been secretly distributed, were now in my possession.
Of course, I wasn’t the only one who had verified the evidence.
“…It was all true?”
There was someone here looking at me with a vacant expression.
The Emperor’s Prime Minister.
He was the chief minister who commanded all the palace servants and worked closest to the emperor. He was a human who had been brought along by the princesses’ power.
This was no different from what the emperor himself had witnessed.
“If Your Majesty finds out about this, if you find out… Ah, it’s already been tough for you lately.”
Even the Prime Minister, who knew the true nature of the Warpole family, was astonished.
It was natural to be surprised. After all, the Warpole family was Victoria’s maternal relatives. Victoria’s uncles were the emperor’s brothers-in-law, and her grandfather was his father-in-law. Although being related to the emperor did not grant any leniency for committing grave crimes, it would still be burdensome.
But he knew that the situation was irreversible.
So there was only one thing left to do.
It was to capture someone who would clear the evidence.
**
In the end, the only thing to trust was bloodline.
Hayden Warpole, the next head of the Warpole family, muttered with composure.
“We have to clear it today.”
The personnel he mobilized for the destruction of evidence were all family members.
Only the most trustworthy ones.
His son, who was in his third year at the military academy, his daughter who had just been promoted to lieutenant, and one nephew.
He entrusted his younger brother Ian with a different mission. It was to investigate the infiltration into the family that had been receiving morphine (or the activities made with morphine).
Hayden himself planned to clear the evidence with his family.
“Father, just order the others to do it.”
“No one can be trusted right now. Hasn’t that bastard Timothy already persuaded Alan Maydoff to betray the family?”
“Timothy, that son of a b*tch.”
“Do not curse in front of me. …The only thing we can trust is each other here. His Majesty might soon order an investigation after hearing the words of the Second Princess, so we must be prepared for any situation. It’s better for us to act directly.”
“His Majesty might dismiss it as baseless slander and ignore it….”
“Do not pry into the Emperor’s thoughts.”
After giving these instructions, Hayden Wolfol headed to the tobacco factory.
Instead of a luxurious carriage with the family crest engraved, he disembarked near the factory riding a regular carriage and walked from there.
“To go to such lengths…”
A miserable situation where he had to sell even his wits.
But now was not the time to be concerned about dignity.
It was the most significant crisis since the founding of the Wolfol family. The crazy Second Princess Siena was targeting the Wolfol family, and equally mad Alan Maydof, without any clear motive, was conducting political maneuvers under the surface.
“Someday, I’ll repay this, for sure.”
Once he overcame the current crisis, he could seek revenge as much as he wanted.
After all, the position of the Imperial Princess was already destined for his niece Victoria, the daughter of Wolfol.
If the Emperor was in his right mind, he wouldn’t hand over the throne to Second Princess Siena. There was no need to hand it over to the Third Princess, who gardens and weaves lace in the convent. Then, the only option left was Victoria, the precious niece raised in the Wolfol family.
Of course, the entire Wolfol family would have to endure a tough time for a while.
But once Victoria became the Imperial Princess, recovery would be swift.
From then on, he planned to quietly embark on his revenge.
The target was undoubtedly Alan Maydof.
An evil human who used all sorts of tricks to elevate his lady Siena to the throne. A guy who, while beating up ordinary people, suddenly started boasting about his talent in pharmacology and began making a tremendous amount of money.
The crisis faced by Hayden and his family was also due to Alan Maydof.
To prevent such incidents from happening again in the future, he had to send that guy away. Without a doubt.
But now was not the time.
All evidence had to be cleared away and the investigation initiated as quickly as possible. The crisis that had befallen the family now was akin to smallpox… smallpox was too severe, so it had to be thoroughly dealt with to end like a simple fever. No traces should be left behind, everything had to be clean.
“Let’s move.”
The tobacco factory they had finally arrived at.
In his family, this place was referred to as the stayover or layover site. Morphine, previously pilfered, would pass through here to be converted into cash or distributed as gifts.
The owner of this place, Fraser Jajak, was a very reliable confidant. He was also a distant cousin to Hayden Wolfpol himself.
However, there was no prior notice of the visit. He planned to arrive unexpectedly, clear everything, and firmly warn Fraser Jajak after that.
Now was the time for the actual cleanup.
Although the plan was to visit unexpectedly, clear swiftly, and leave,
“Have you arrived?”
Fraser Jajak, the owner of this place, greeted Hayden Wolfpol as if he had been waiting.
But something about his demeanor seemed suspicious. A pale face with subtly trembling hands. And for some reason, he couldn’t make eye contact.
Hayden Wolfpol thought something was off and tried to observe Fraser Jajak, but
He didn’t get the chance.
It was because of the individuals who appeared behind Fraser Jajak.
At the forefront was a familiar face.
“I thought you’d come yourself because entrusting it to someone else would be uneasy. At this point, it would be difficult for anyone to trust anyone else. …But haven’t you considered the possibility that the owner of this place, Fraser Jajak, might have already surrendered?”
In uniform, neatly arranged ash-colored hair, a fatigue-laden expressionless face.
It was Alan Medov, the president of Medov Pharmaceuticals.
“Alan Medov?”
Hayden Wolf’s expression gradually became puzzled in Timothy’s presence.
Did Timothy, that nonchalant guy, inform him about this place? It’s possible.
But there’s no reason for Alan to come this far. Sienna, his lord, personally informed the emperor that he would submit, so why would he act first? It could be a political dispute rather than a criminal exposure.
At that moment, doubt brushed through Hayden Wolf’s mind.
“Perhaps, even in the royal court?”
Instead of answering the question, Alan Maydof nodded his head. Now, behind Alan, the imperial prime minister stood with a face souring in discontent.
It meant that they already knew everything even in the palace. And perhaps.
“I’ve been sent here by Victoria.”
Without waiting for Alan Maydof to ask, he slowly approached.
The faces of the Wolf family distorted horribly.