Chester drew a ragged breath, his shoulders tensing. “Later, the Ruiz family accused the King of being responsible for their youngest daughter’s disappearance. Over time, the seeds of suspicion between them grew into something poisonous.”
So this wasn’t merely about power struggles and political maneuvering—it was entangled with personal vendettas and matters of the heart.
Reflecting on past events, a shadow of regret crossed Chester’s face. “The Ruiz family enjoyed the former king’s complete trust, allowing them to flourish beyond what other noble houses could achieve.”
Chester’s discomfort intensified visibly, yet he dared not cease his confession. The specter of Katelyn ordering her men to continue stripping flesh from his body loomed too large.
“Moreover, the Ruiz family, being outsiders thriving so well in Yata, was seen as an insult to our noble families. How could everyone tolerate it?”
So they had struck against the Ruiz family as a unified force? From Chester’s words, Katelyn pieced together what must have happened back then. The reality was likely even darker than she had imagined.
Chester noticed the shift in Katelyn’s demeanor and continued without pause. “Later, after fire consumed the former king’s palace and took his life, the Ruiz family lost their protection, so…”
Chester left the grim conclusion unspoken, though its meaning was clear.
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Katelyn had heard murmurs about the palace fire during her last visit to Yata. But she hadn’t known the true catalyst behind these events. Now she realized—the Ruiz family’s…
The Ruiz family’s disappearance was inextricably bound to the former king’s death. So, the Ruiz family had been loyal supporters of the former king?
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Despite all the information Katelyn had gathered, the one thing she desperately needed to know—the whereabouts of the youngest Ruiz daughter—remained frustratingly elusive.
She drew a deep breath, forcing herself to compartmentalize this flood of revelations, buying time to process all she’d learned. She lifted her gaze to Chester. “Have you finished?”
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Chester nodded frantically. “Yes, Miss Bailey, please let me go. I’ve truly told you everything I know. If you require evidence, it’s quite straightforward. There must be archives within the palace.”
Such records indeed existed in the palace. Not even the King himself possessed the authority to destroy them. These archives chronicled a nation’s history, containing everything intimately connected to royal affairs and palace matters.
Yet accessing them posed a formidable challenge. Katelyn would need to collect keys from several families. Otherwise, the current king would have erased those damning documents long ago.
Chester even revealed to Katelyn the precise location where these records were stored.
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