74. I miss you
After the purge, the imperial knights scoured the duke's office to claim all supporting evidence while all the servants and the duchess were captured for interrogation. The king had gone back to the palace already, but the second prince remained to supervise the clean-up which lasted until dawn.
The sun was already peeking its magnificent morning hues in the east when everything was finally settled. The visible darkness that covered the duchy was slowly hiding away from the breaking dawn, yet a gloomy atmosphere still loomed over the entire place.
Corpses were carried out, along with the knights pushing the captives to a wagon outside the gates. Onlookers gawked at the wagons carrying the dead and the traitors, while they shuddered at the figure mounted on a horse at the end of the line.