NOVEL NEXT Chapter 180: A confession.
"Let's talk about those legal rights."
Despite the Governor wincing in agonizing pain from his hand being sliced clean off, he still managed to raise his head.
Tears streamed down his face, mixing with the sweat of shock as he uttered, "W-what legal rights are you talking about, my lord?"
Blood dripped steadily onto the expensive rug and the mahogany table, a rhythmic tap-tap-tap that filled the silence.
Losing any more would make him go unconscious; in order to avoid that, Alabaster had to hold his arm firmly, squeezing the stump to stymie the bleeding.
But Dorian didn't care.
He watched the blood pool with an air of detachment.
"Ah, right. It's no surprise you're confused; no one has dared to question your authority in years. No problem, I'll do the honors of explaining…"
Dorian reached into his inner pocket and pulled out a folded parchment.
He snapped it open and gently placed the contract on the table, right next to the severed hand, clearly for the Governor to see.
"This contract contains two main stipulations." Dorian dropped a single gloved finger onto the first paragraph. "First: Your immediate resignation and your binding agreement to hand over your title and all executive power to the lady standing behind you. Her name is of no concern to you, only her authority."
Dread etched itself onto the Governor's pale face as Dorian moved his finger down the page to list the second item.
"The second is that you agree to transfer ownership of all personal and state-seized assets to me, Dorian Aurelian. This includes the oil mine, the refining equipment, and every single copper of the funding you received from the Crown to carry out this 'plan.'"
The physical pain the Governor felt from his severed hand suddenly seemed to dull, replaced by a far colder sensation. It felt as though the very foundation of his life was crumbling to dust around him.
"O-ownership… w-why? I thought you were here to just have a word with me. Why this? Is the King alright with this? I need to speak to her! I demand an audience with Her Majesty at once!"
Dorian sighed, a sound of profound boredom. "I figured you would play that card. It's almost insulting how predictable you are."
Maria, standing like a statue of judgment, uttered right after, "Should I?"
"Yes, please."
Maria reached into the bag held by another soldier and pulled out a spherical crystal orb. She placed it on the table, right next to the blood-spattered contract. Seeing it, Alabaster immediately recognized it to be a high-grade communication orb.
The question burned in his mind: why was Dorian placing a communication orb before him?
Then, the mana within the orb flared. A hologram suddenly materialized in the air, projecting the image of the King herself, Revina Lumberg, seated on the edge of her bed.
The Governor froze in shock at her appearance. "Your Majesty!"
Despite his injury and the shock, ingrained instinct took over. He struggled to stand upright, bowing his head in respect. From the hologram, he could clearly see the deep frown on Revina's face. She was dressed in her usual maid outfit, but her aura was unmistakably regal.
"Governor Alabaster," Revina's voice was cold, transmitted clearly through the magic. "Is it true what I have heard? That you are the one funding the criminal activities in the Red District? That you are scamming me out of the funds I have been sending you for infrastructure?"
Each question she asked felt like a physical stab to the chest. Even his assistant, pinned against the wall, had to hide his face in shame from the King's projected gaze.
Before Alabaster could answer, he first looked at Dorian. The Baron was practically smirking at him, his eyes narrowing as if to say, 'Lie, and see what happens.'
Alabaster's mind raced. How was this man able to get the King—of all people—on a call that easily? Not even the Dukes could summon her presence so casually.
After thinking hard and long about it, the Governor decided to try one last gambit.
"Uhm, it's not really like that, Your Majesty. You see, the funds were being allocated to the Yins as you requested, but then—"
Cough.
Dorian didn't even let him finish the sentence. He cleared his throat loudly, pointing a finger at Emily, who was standing right behind the Governor, twirling a knife.
Alabaster understood right away. The game was up.
From a desperate liar, he crumbled. He began to spout nothing but the entire, unvarnished truth. He confessed to funding the Yaima group to create chaos, stopping anyone from the outside from discovering the oil. He admitted to hiding the resource from Revina to hoard the profits.
"And the buyers?" Dorian prompted coldly.
"Foreign… foreign nations," Alabaster wept. "The Tairan Kingdom and the Fiona Kingdom. They are my prominent regular customers. They pay in gold bars that are untraceable."
Listening to everything he had to say, Revina could only sigh, a look of weary disappointment on her face. She subtly looked at Dorian through the projection.
"Lord Dorian, does everything he said align with your speculation on the matter, or do you feel he is still leaving something out?"
"Oh, definitely. He is leaving something out for sure. The question, though, is what." Dorian shrugged his shoulders casually. "Nah, I am sure we'll discover that later once we go through his private ledgers. For now, we got a confession on our hands, do we not?"
Revina smiled, the frown on her face melting away into relief. "I never doubted you for a second. I'll be taking my leave. Be sure you let me know if you need me. I'll leave everything behind and head there right away."
Maria scowled at the comment, knowing it was Revina making another subtle attempt to take her spot by Dorian's side.
"It's fine. I can handle it all from here." Dorian waved a bit.
"I see. Alright then. I'll be going."
With that, the call went off, and the hologram fizzled out of existence.
"Now that the King has heard your confession, Governor Alabaster," Dorian said, his smirking face losing none of its confidence. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on the bloodied table. "We return to the contract."