Chapter 639: Unexpected Reveal

The moment the notification sounded on everyone’s phone, the atmosphere inside the Grand Royal Hall changed.

One after another, people reached for their Starlix devices, Zphones, and Paras to check what had appeared on their screens. Some glanced at their notifications in confusion, while others opened them immediately, curious about the sudden alert that had reached so many people at once.

The sounds continued for a few seconds as guests handled their devices.

"Did your phone receive the same notification?"

A Noblewoman turned towards her son, seeking confirmation that the sound she had heard was related to the message on her device.

"Yes, Mother."

Her son nodded as he read the notification on his Starlix.

His brows drew together slightly, and he tapped the screen to open the message.

"What is this?"

A Nobleman spoke a little louder than he intended.

Several people nearby looked up from their phones.

The same question was being asked throughout the hall, and even those who had yet to open the notification began checking their devices.

The music stopped.

The Golden Matching Order Band had resumed playing after Queen Althea took her seat, but the musicians had received the same notification as everyone else.

One of them lowered his instrument to look at his screen, while another exchanged a confused glance with the person beside him.

The melody faded.

Soon, the hall was filled with the sounds of people talking and the occasional notification from a phone that had yet to be checked.

"What is happening?"

Queen Althea Aethelmont leaned towards the woman seated near her.

It was Camila Mayer, the leader of the Nebula Royal Alchemist Branch.

Camila glanced at the notification on her device before leaning closer to the Queen’s ear.

"The message is an article about revealing the hidden truth behind the loss of the previous Baron of the Sterling House and his family."

Her voice was low enough that only the Queen and those closest to them could hear.

Queen Althea’s eyebrows drew together.

"Who leaked that information?"

A faint frown appeared on her face as she looked across the hall.

Several of her children had already opened the announcement on Linsta.

Their reactions varied, but some had been visibly stunned by what they were reading.

The Queen shifted her attention towards them, trying to understand what had caused such a response.

"Oh, my scholars..."

Princess Stella raised a hand to cover her mouth.

Her eyes moved across the words on her screen, reading the details again as though she expected them to change.

"It’s not possible, right?"

Her voice carried disbelief.

She could hardly accept what she was reading.

The information was too serious to dismiss as ordinary gossip, yet the details were shocking enough to make her question whether the announcement could be true.

Prince Aldric, on the other hand, showed little visible surprise.

His eyes moved across the screen as he read through the information quickly. He did not interrupt anyone or ask questions. He simply continued reading, taking in the details without displaying the same reaction as his sister.

Princess Victoria had a different response.

She turned towards Daniel with an amused smile.

"Oh, my. This is quite interesting, don’t you think, Daniel?"

Prince Daniel’s expression remained displeased.

"I always knew something smelled wrong with that Ashenlocke brat."

His words were cold.

He continued looking at the information on his screen, apparently finding the revelation consistent with his existing opinion of Ezra.

Prince Charles, however, was still struggling to accept what he had read.

"But from what Veda said about him, this should be impossible."

He looked at the screen again, hoping that another reading might help him make sense of the situation.

Daniel turned towards him.

"This backwater Prince, use your brain. The answer is already there. What else do you need to know the truth? Would a broadcasting company like the Fair Tellers Broadcasting Group lie?"

He pointed towards the news displayed on his Zphone, directing Charles’s attention to the announcement.

His tone was harsh, and he seemed irritated that his younger brother was still questioning what had been revealed.

Charles did not answer immediately.

His eyes remained fixed on the screen.

He had heard what Daniel said, but he was not yet ready to accept the conclusion his brother had reached.

He slowly turned his head towards the other side of the hall.

Many people were already looking in the same direction.

"So, then..."

Charles’s voice dropped.

"He killed his own family."

He muttered the words almost to himself.

His golden eyes settled on Ezra Ashenlocke.

Ezra was still standing where he had been with Cyrus and Veda. The three of them had been talking before the notification arrived, but the conversation had now been forgotten.

The attention of the entire hall had shifted.

People who had been discussing the party, the Royal Academy, or their own family affairs were now looking towards Ezra.

Some stared openly, while others whispered to the people standing beside them.

The change had happened so quickly that it was difficult to ignore.

One moment, the guests had been enjoying the gathering.

The next, the same people were looking at a young Alchemist as though he had become the center of a crime that had remained hidden for years.

"That child killed his own parents?"

"The parents who gave birth to him?"

"Isn’t that the kind of thing only a Rogue Alchemist would do?"

"Wait, does that mean the Ashenlockes have kept this secret hidden all this time?"

"Aren’t we jumping to conclusions too quickly?"

"But I remember this case. The BNC Group reported it, but they didn’t give any details about the people responsible for the massacre."

"It wasn’t only the Baron and his family who lost their lives. The Guards of Sterling were killed too."

"What kind of child would kill his own parents?"

"He should be arrested, shouldn’t he?"

The questions spread from one group to another.

Some people spoke in disbelief.

Others sounded angry, while a few seemed more interested in discussing the revelation than determining whether the information was true.

The name Ezra Ashenlocke passed through the hall again and again.

Whispers became louder as more people read the announcement.

A few guests looked at Ezra directly, while others continued reading their screens, searching for details that might support what they had just heard.

The Royal Guards and servants were not spared from the sudden change in atmosphere. Even among those who had been attending to their duties, several had paused to check their devices.

The party had come to a standstill.

Veda remained beside Ezra, holding his phone in one hand.

He had read the announcement, but for a moment, he seemed unable to decide what to say or do. His expression had gone blank, and his eyes shifted between the screen and the people now gathering their attention around Ezra.

The news had caught him off guard.

He had been talking with Ezra and Cyrus only moments earlier. Now, the people around them were treating Ezra as though the announcement had already proven everything.

Veda did not know how to respond.

Ezra, meanwhile, had finished reading the news.

His expression remained unchanged, but his eyes stayed on the screen for another moment.

The information had twisted many details. However, it had also retained some facts that were already known to the public, making the revelation appear more natural.

The person behind the announcement had not simply invented an entirely new story. They had used existing information and arranged it in a way that encouraged people to accept the accusations.

Ezra understood that much.

They twisted a lot, but still kept some already known facts to make the reveal natural.

He continued studying the message.

The details of his alleged involvement in the killings were enough to narrow down the possibilities. Whoever had arranged the announcement had not merely wanted to spread a rumor. They had wanted people to believe it.

And the timing was deliberate.

The Royal Academy’s First Semester Ending Ball Party had gathered some of the most important families in Britannia.

The Queen was present, along with the Duke Houses, other Noble families, notable Non-Nobles, and representatives of broadcasting groups.

There could hardly have been a better place to spread such a revelation.

Ezra’s black dull eyes moved over the information one last time.

He already had a guess about who was responsible.

Before he could examine it further, a man in an elegant suit approached him.

The suit followed the colour theme of the Fair Tellers Broadcasting Group.

Several other broadcasting representatives accompanied him, each carrying recording equipment.

They pushed through the gathering and moved towards Ezra.

Some held voice recorders in their hands, while others raised their devices to capture his reaction. Their attention was fixed on the young Alchemist, and none appeared willing to waste the opportunity to question him.

"Mr. Ezra Ashenlocke."

The journalist from the Fair Tellers Broadcasting Group addressed him.

"Is it true that you killed all the members of your family?"

He asked the question without showing any concern for the tension spreading through the hall.

Ezra did not look at him.

His attention remained on the announcement as he continued analyzing its contents.

He was more interested in tracing the person responsible than responding to a question based on information he already knew had been twisted.

The journalist waited for a moment.

Ezra still did not answer.

The man raised his voice so that the people nearby could hear him.

"You’re not going to answer? Then that means it’s true."

Several guests turned towards them.

The journalist noticed the attention and continued pressing his advantage.

"You killed your own family and don’t even show any guilt. I guess this isn’t the first time you might have murdered someone?"

The question came from another journalist representing a different broadcasting group.

He had moved closer, his recording device held up as he tried to capture Ezra’s response.

A third journalist quickly followed.

"How do you feel knowing that while you were enjoying your Academy life and creating things that made the whole Kingdom love you, you were doing it with the blood of numerous people on your hands? Not to even mention your own parents."

His words carried across the nearby crowd.

Some of the guests looked towards Ezra again, waiting to see whether he would finally respond. Others exchanged uneasy glances, unsure whether to believe the accusation or the young Alchemist they had seen receiving recognition for his achievements.

The journalists did not give him much time to answer.

They continued crowding around him, each looking for a chance to ask another question.

Some leaned forward to bring their recording devices closer, while others tried to move around those standing in front of them.

The space around Ezra grew smaller.

"Hey!"

Cyrus stepped forward.

He raised his hand and blocked a journalist who was moving too close to Ezra.

The man had been trying to push his recording device forward until it was almost touching Ezra’s cheek.

Cyrus’s expression hardened.

"Don’t cross your boundary."

He held his arm in place, preventing the journalist from coming any closer.

The journalist glanced at Cyrus’s hand, then looked up at him.

You think I’m scared of you, Wax Light of Burn?

He sneered inwardly.

The journalist did not intend to show fear simply because Cyrus had stepped in. He was working for a broadcasting group, and this was the kind of opportunity his profession could provide.

Besides, he had no reason to believe that a few young Nobles could stop him.

Even if you children are from Duke Houses, you’re still disposable. Especially you, Ezra Ashenlocke.

His gaze shifted towards Ezra.

The Raising Craftsman, my foot.

Silent Architect my foot.

The title did not impress him.

Whether the information about the Sterling case was true or not, Ezra’s silence had already given him something to use.

The moment you refused to speak was already your downfall.

The journalist’s thoughts grew colder.

Of course, even if you speak, we’ll still end you with our questions.

He had no intention of accepting a simple denial.

They could keep asking questions, twisting the wording and exaggerating the information in the announcement until the crowd began to consider possibilities that had never been proven.

They did not need to establish the truth at that moment. They only needed to make people doubt Ezra.

We’ll keep asking twisted questions that exaggerate what’s written in the news, making people think more about the possibility.

The journalist glanced at the people gathered around them.

This was the Royal Academy’s First Semester Ending Ball Party. Many powerful Alchemists were present, along with the Queen and members of the Royal Family.

The gathering was full of influential people.

That made the situation even more useful.

There’s no way he’ll be able to act if you provoke him, is there?

The journalist believed that Ezra’s position would become more difficult the longer the questioning continued. If he lost his temper, the broadcasting groups could use his reaction against him. If he remained silent, they could continue presenting his silence as suspicious.

Either way, they intended to keep pressing him.

A familiar voice suddenly cut through the noisy questions.

"Keep your head straight, or I’ll break it for disobedience."

The journalist stopped.

"Huh?"

He turned towards the voice, but immediately stopped himself.

His body was shaking violently.

He was afraid of the person standing there, but he couldn’t explain why?

Vera Ashenlocke stood nearby with her arms folded.

Her expression was cold as she looked at the crowd surrounding Ezra.

She did not appear impressed by the number of people gathered there, nor did she seem concerned about the attention her words might attract.

She simply stared at them.

The guests near her began to recognize who had spoken.

"It’s Lady Vera Ashenlocke."

People shifted aside.

Some turned their heads to look at her, while others moved out of her way to give her room. Her name alone was enough to make several guests reconsider whether they wanted to remain between her and Ezra.

Diane Bergwyn was with her.

She was holding Vera’s shoulders while sleeping peacefully behind her, seemingly undisturbed by the commotion around them.

Vera did not bother to look back at Diane. Her attention remained on the journalists, who had gathered around Ezra as though they had already decided he was guilty.

The coldness in her eyes did not change.

She had no intention of allowing them to continue crowding him without challenge.

Before the journalists could respond, another girl stepped out from behind Vera.

Willow Derlis walked forward, visibly annoyed.

Her crimson eyes went straight to Ezra.

"And you."

She spoke sharply.

"Why aren’t you defending yourself?"

Ezra finally lifted his gaze from the screen.

"Because I signed a no-disclosure contract."

His answer was plain.

Willow froze.

"Ehn?"

The sound escaped her mouth before she could stop herself.

She stared at Ezra, apparently caught off guard by his response.

Several other people reacted in the same way.

Some had been thinking along the same lines as Willow, wondering why Ezra had not simply explained what happened during the Sterling massacre.

Now, they had received an answer.

He had signed a contract that prevented him from disclosing certain information.

The revelation left many of them at a loss for words.

However, the journalist from the Fair Tellers Broadcasting Group was not willing to accept it.

"Who cares about an NDC?! We’re talking about the deaths of—"

He shouted aggressively, trying to force his way back into the conversation.

He had barely begun his next accusation when Ezra spoke.

"Seal your mouth."

His voice was flat.

The journalist stopped for a moment, caught off guard by the bluntness of the response.

Ezra looked directly at him with his plain black eyes.

"Is it ignorance or stupidity that’s affecting your reasoning?"

He did not raise his voice.

There was no anger on his face, nor did he show any sign of pressure from the crowd surrounding him.

He simply looked at the journalist as though the man’s behaviour had become tiresome.

"Pick either one. Or perhaps it’s both."

Ezra paused briefly, allowing the words to settle.

"Don’t you realize where we are?"

He asked the question with the same straight face.

The crowd remained gathered around him, and the journalists still held their recording devices. Yet Ezra showed no sign of being intimidated by their numbers.

He did not retreat.

He did not try to explain himself.

He merely waited, his expression unchanged.

It was then that the journalists around Ezra began to realize what was truly happening around them.