Chapter 80: A Lie Detector

A table was carried into the center of the throne room.

It was a plain wooden thing with two chairs, and it looked completely out of place on the polished marble. The nobles leaned forward in their seats anyway as not one of them wanted to miss this.

The Fifth Prince was about to be humbled, and they wanted front row seats.

What bothered them was that the Fifth Prince himself looked perfectly calm. A few of the older lords began to murmur that only an innocent man could be that relaxed.

[But many aren’t convinced, a man so beautiful and innocent is nothing short of a liar] was something many heartbroken ladies would say if they saw him.

Adonis wasn’t thinking about innocence, rather, he’s bothered about something much more... bothersome? Well, if you were from the 21st century that is.

’Where did they even get a lie detector from?’

He raised his cuffed, slightly bruised hands and gave the court a polite, puzzled smile.

"Forgive me, but there’s no way you actually have a lie detector right? You’re just jok—"

"Enough!"

King Aldrius’s voice thundered down from the throne.

"Go through with it. And spare me your excuses. How foolish can you be, being accused of a crime like this and acting so, so... so nonchalant—?! You wastrel! When will you stop being a pariah to the royal name?!"

Adonis shut his mouth.

Honestly, that was a fair amount of passion for a man who’d been lounging five minutes ago.

Count Vesta strode over, grinning from ear to ear. He took Adonis’s slender wrists himself and unlocked the shackles with at very slow pace, wanting to enjoy his time.

"Today, I’m going to disgrace you in front of everyone you love. And you’ll sink into despair."

The cuffs fell away.

Adonis flexed his wrists in the air and enjoyed what he could only call a moment of freedom. Considering the vicious looks coming from the benches, it probably wouldn’t last long.

"Queen Minerva," the king said. "Perform the detection."

Minerva looked away her seat, frowning childishly.

"Your Majesty, there’s really no need to do this—"

The king’s eyes narrowed.

"This is not the time for you to defy me."

"Defy you? Ha! I’ll do whatever I want, whenever I—"

"Oh, Erva please."

Adonis waved his hands lightly in the air, smiling angelically like it was a tea party.

"There’s no need for all that. Besides, I wouldn’t miss the chance to be touched by sweet mother."

The throne room gasped in horror.

The king looked ready to boil over, but before he could open his mouth, Minerva let out a soft sigh. She had been against this from the start, but now she just turned and walked down from the highest dais, obedient as a lamb.

Obedient? The Fourth Queen? Just thinking about it was bothersome to especially the members of the royal court.

In fact, the King now felt like so much less of a man he could’ve sworn the cassava between his legs shrunk.

Huuu, it’s a potato now.

Her arms were folded beneath her motherly chest, which sat high and proud, as if it wanted to match the Fifth Prince’s height.

The whispers started right away.

"Pssst! Pssst! What is really going on between the Fifth Prince and the Fourth Queen?"

"He’s too worthless to charm someone like her."

"Worthless doesn’t mean ugly. He’s quite handsome, you know, Let’s at least be honest... even my six daughters at home are all hungry to marry him! It’s disgraceful!"

"Hm, he does attract older women, though."

"How can you be sure?"

"Because I’m attracted to the Fifth Prince."

Nobody had a good answer to all that.

The servants finished their preparations. Soon Adonis was seated across from Minerva, the two of them smiling at each other while the King fumed on his throne.

Adonis tilted his head.

"So. How does this work?"

"To a blood witch, blood is a person’s essence. Through it, I can physiological tells like the rhythm of your heartbeat, adrenaline, blood pressure... humuu, tell the body gives."

...Mhmm, Adonis nodded like he didn’t understand, but to him the idea was much easier.

’Oh. So it’s basically a magical polygraph.’

Which meant it wasn’t a problem for him.

There was already a smile on his face.

Minerva noticed it, and some of the tension left her shoulders. She had been deeply worried. Adonis was the type to wander into trouble like this, and she’d been right there when he talked about buying seasonings for the orphanage. But with how confident he looked now, maybe things would be fine.

Perhaps, maybe he didn’t commit this crime.

’That’s still unlikely...’

The witch frowned internally, that innocent smile and calm of his felt mischievous.

Count Vesta noticed it too.

For him, that smile was a slap.

’Why isn’t he bothered? Is this what the others meant? That he stays confident even when he can’t win? What is he planning?!’

He gnashed his teeth.

’From the bottom of my heart... I hate this bastard!’

His fists tightened until his knuckles made noises.

Adonis pulled a toothpick out of his pocket. He’d made it himself from a meat skewer; it could pick out food particles but also tasted like well grilled meat. He stuck it between his teeth while Minerva prepared the ritual, looking even more unbothered than before.

...

Meanwhile, in the village of Rensfell, Prussia was putting on her armor.

Alpis sat on the edge of the bed, swinging her legs, though her face was a little worried.

"Prussia. I’m worried about the Fifth Prince. Don’t you think we should go see him?"

"No. He asked me to watch over the villagers, so Vesta’s soldiers can’t take their seasonings. And knowing him, he can handle himself."

Prussia said it firmly, pulling a strap tight.

But Alpis could see her hands.

They were shaking.

Prussia kept fumbling with the buckles, missing them twice and cussing under her breath. For a warrior who found comfort in slaying dragons, it was a very strange sight.

You could say this was the first time she was scared.

Or more, the first time she this cared deeply for a man.

Alpis nodded slowly.

’Mmm. She must really love Master.’

She floated over and set a hand on Prussia’s shoulder.

The Marsofian princess jumped.

"H-, Huh?"

"Don’t worry..." Alpis said softly. "Everything will be fine."

Prussia stared at her for a moment.

Then she nodded, quietly, and went back to her buckles.

...

Back at the Emerald Palace, the table between Adonis and Minerva was no longer just a table.

A magic circle had been drawn across it in blood. A thin red thread ran from Minerva’s chest to Adonis’s, linking their hearts together. It pulsed faintly in the air like a third heartbeat between their now connected hearts.

Adonis kept his hands under the table and smiled coolly, waiting for the questions.

The count held his stomach to stifle a laugh.

"Since the Fifth Prince has suddenly come to love the Church so much, he should know that day four is Confession Day, correct? I BELIEVE you believers love that so much. So speak the truth and nothing but the truth! Bwahaha—"

"Can you shut up?"

The order and glare came from an annoyed Adonis.

Count Vesta froze.

"I—you—!"

He turned red as a boiled crab and started shouting insults and waving his arms like a madman.

Adonis yawned through all of them.

"But it’s true. Nobody here wants to hear you talk. Besides, we all know the real reason you’re mad is because I get more maidens than you."

He smiled to himself.

’I’d have said I get more hoes, but that would include Minerva, Mariella, and Alpis... they’re angels~’

He was already blushing at the thought of them.

Minerva cleared her throat. "Can we proceed?"

The entire throne room nodded as one.

She adjusted in her seat.

"If you tell a lie, the thread will read your heart and send a sharp jolt all through your body. If you tell the truth, nothing happens."

Adonis nodded cheerfully.

"I don’t find you attractive."

...Zzzt! His whole body jerked in the chair.

"What was that?! Be careful!"

Minerva leaned forward and grabbed his handsome face like it was mush to inspect it.

Adonis shrugged off the pain and rubbed his shoulder.

"Sorry. I just felt like telling a lie."

The throne room gasped.

It wasn’t because of his shameless, sleazy attempt.

No, no, it’s because the ice cold Fourth Queen was blushing like a highschool girl right in front of everyone.

King Aldrius stood up from his throne and pointed a finger at Adonis.

"You ungrateful, ba—worthless child! You—raaah! I hereby make this order! If the Fifth Prince, Adonis Falsbane, is found guilty, he will be executed for the theft of state secrets!"

Adonis tilted with the toothpick still in his mouth.

"Now that’s just unfair."

The flustered look on the Fourth Queen’s face had turned into the worries of a mother. In cases like this, a mother must support her son by holding his hands and advising him.

’EXCEPT THIS IDIOT! WHY IS HE MAKING HIS CASE WORSE!’