Organization

The Duke's tone also shifted slightly, from solemn to somewhat aggressively dark, with apparent hidden rage.

"I thought our life would be safe as long as I stayed quiet. Over the past years, God knows how I wanted to take revenge and bring justice for my wife... but I can't. I... still have my son. I just wanted Arren to live safely and freely. My son shouldn't be involved in this. I needed to protect him. But..." the eyes shone with hatred and remorse,

"They really dare to harm my son after all these years. All these years I just wanted to live quietly and provide a safe environment for my son, but I guess things would necessarily bide with your wishes. Your Majesty..." The Duke stared straight at Spade. Spade could see the resolve in his eyes. He nodded and motioned for the Duke to proceed.

"I thought I'd just bury everything I know in my death," the Duke sighed heavily, "but I also knew it was impossible because Your Majesty was bound to question me about what I knew. The late Emperor... your father also told me about this. That at some point in time, Your Majesty would investigate what really happened that bloody year. But... I didn't expect it to be too soon, and the trigger was my own son."

"My father?" Spade couldn't stop himself from asking.

"Yes, Your Majesty. It wasn't difficult to see that what happened that year was the reason His Majesty's health deteriorated. Everything was chaotic. His Majesty at the time also investigated the people behind the incident, only to be disappointed and the evidence was at a dead end. The people behind didn't leave anything suspicious, they were very careful, and His Majesty suspected... they were also a higher ranking noble in the Empire," the Duke said.

When Spade heard this, he was surprised but quickly accepted it as logical. To be able to infiltrate the Empire so thoroughly and deeply... The only reason for this was that they held a high position in the Empire.

Spade was curious about one thing... Why did they stop the investigation and delete all the information in the database? Even he himself didn't get a lot of information when he delve deeper into that incident when he was investigating the case for Arren.

"What did you all learn from the investigation, and what are the duchess's connections to them?" Spade inquired directly. He was especially intrigued by the duchess's involvement in all of this. The person behind all of this would never want to kill the duchess unless... She knew way too much about them.

"My wife... was once a chief researcher in their laboratory," the Duke admitted. Spade remained silent and waited for the Duke to continue.

"Before I met my wife... I didn't know anything about her past at all. All I know is she was once a professor in the Kingdom of West. Her background also confirmed everything about her. Only... it was months before the incident. She often spaced out and appeared worried. Other than that, she still appears normal especially if she was with Arren. One night... she waited for me in our bedroom. She just sat there in our bed and looked at me seriously. I got scared and asked her what was wrong. Then... she told me, she had something very important to tell me. She also said sorry." The Duke paused again and calmed his emotions. His gaze became distant.

"She told me that she wasn't just a professor from an affiliated kingdom, but she was once a researcher for a forbidden drug," he continued under Spade's solemn gaze.

"Forbidden drug?" he inquired, cutting the Duke.

The Duke nodded, taking a deep breath. "Yes, Your Majesty, the drug that was forbidden in our land. The heat-inducer drugs were one of the results of their experiments. She said that because she thought everything was going wrong and she was guilty... she chose to retire and live peacefully. Along with some of her colleagues, they escaped from the laboratory and lived here in the Empire." he paused once more, laughed a little bit without any humor, and continued.

"It was just... how could it be easy? My wife was part of the core experiments. Escaping wasn't easy and could be considered a dream. The one behind wouldn't let them go. My wife also said she had a feeling they would find her soon, and she told me the organization would do anything to silence her."

Spade's expression became solemn as well, as he listened through it all intently.

"The organization was bigger and more dangerous than everyone thought them. Over the years, the scale came from drugs and ecstasies to slaveries. The black market under them became the super giant in the whole world. She was scared to implicate me and our son that's why she didn't inform me anything about them."

"... Your Majesty, this was also the reason why, in your father's later years, he didn't continue to investigate further; the influence of the organization is so great that he didn't have a choice but to tread cautiously. Perhaps, His Majesty had some regrets. I met him when he was bedridden." As his voice became lower, Spade's expression became solemn. Even his emotions became tense as he heard things about his father.

"His Majesty... apologized to me and that... he could only leave without bringing justice to the victims. And he also blamed himself for not noticing such a behemoth take form under his nose. His Majesty also placed all his hopes on his son... to you, Your Majesty." Spade stayed silent but his eyelids drooped as his pupils loomed darker. The dangerous cloud above the imperial palace was beginning to take form at this moment.

It had been an hour since the Duke left. Spade maintained his position, leaning back in his seat and closing his eyes. His mind was digesting all the information the Duke gave him. In that silent room, only the tapping sounds of his fingers in his seat resounded. The low rhythm seemed as though gave off a solemn impression.

The organization that had quietly rooted itself in the Empire had become the world's nightmare. Spade deduced from his royal father's reaction that the organization's influence in the Empire was not insignificant; otherwise, he wouldn't be so cautious. Their vast network should not be underestimated.

Spade frowned as he recalled the details of their earlier conversation.

Before she died, the late Duchess told the Duke about the organization. She knew how important her knowledge was, and even if she were cooped up in Duke Katz's mansion, the organization would haunt her forever. She had no intention of further implicating her husband and son. Spade deduced from these that some details were deliberately left unsaid.

The Duchess did not reveal who the mastermind behind the organization was, or perhaps she did not know herself. She only stated that they frequently referred to him as Excellency. Despite having worked there for years, the Duchess had no idea. The Duchess also told the Duke that she had never met the master in person, but had only heard his voice, which she didn't know if she could still recognize.

Based on this, Spade could tell how cautious and careful the man behind all of this was. With an opponent like this, he knew the investigation would be difficult and tricky. The master was not an ordinary person to be able to form such a massive organization.

The organization was mostly active in the southwest kingdoms, with a growing influence on the other kingdoms and republics, but they were mostly involved in the black market, selling forbidden drugs, slaves, and even antique auctions. She wasn't sure because she was always in the underground laboratory and not involved in the business side of the organization.

She only learned a few things from other people's conversations. She was also aware that the organization had begun to spread its tentacles in the Present Empire in recent years; however, they were unable to make major moves because the Empire was more powerful than other countries.

Furthermore, because the Emperor's power is more concentrated than in other countries, the organization had to be more cautious. Even so, the master didn't seem surprised and seemed intent on establishing himself in the Empire as slowly but firmly as possible.

The organization grew so large that even the Duchess was caught off guard, and the sense of urgency and guilt began to overwhelm her. She started to begin feeling nauseous that what she was doing could ruin a lot of lives and she couldn't sleep peacefully once her conscience began haunting her. And after deliberating all the pros and cons, she decides to run and escape from the organization and live peacefully. Together with some of her colleagues, they successfully escape. Some of them, including the duchess, chose to hide and live within the empire because the organization's claw could not penetrate deeply enough here, while others fled to various capitals and kingdoms.

But, as they said, even if one could escape, they couldn't in the end. On that bloody day, the fate of the duchess and many of the members who escaped from the organization was sealed. The disturbance that event made was great, but even now, 18 years later, it was still an unsolved case. The incident was quickly forgotten, and the data was erased. The mastermind, however, was still in the dark, with their organization becoming more prosperous with each passing year.

So ridiculous, Spade thought to himself.