If the two had approached Chenille without a disguise, they would have never found out about the pillars and the black hound. Erna subtly signaled Kalion with her eyes. They had not set a secret code before entering, but he got the message. Erna checked Kalion fixing his stance and asked what she was most suspicious about.
“I’m contemplating over this because the murder of the candidates is not a light crime.”
Her heart pounded as she spoke. They said she and Kalion were chess pieces. The two were not the dukes of Hessenguard from the start. The two came to Hessenguard after the death of four royal family members from two kingdoms.
Then… could the black hounds have killed them? Could they have killed and killed until they found the right chess piece, which were…
“You talk as if you have nothing to do with this. Don’t forget that you are behind all of this. You are the one who raised all the black hounds…”
Erna became upset at what Chenille had said. She wanted Chenille to be shocked. She wanted her to yell, “What are you talking about?!” and become suspicious of Erna. But Chenille’s reply made Erna certain. Vanessa Schulz has killed the royals of Haband and Aether. The current dukes could only be in position under her permission.
Right then, Chenille suddenly stood up.
“Who are you?”
She quickly drew out the sword displayed on the wall. But Kalion had moved faster than her. Kalion quickly ran towards Chenille and grabbed her arms behind her back. He then pulled on the tablecloth and shoved it in her mouth. The books fell from the table and Chenille squirmed and screamed under Kalion. Fortunately, no one could hear the noise as the noise from the village festival buried it.
They could not understand what Chenille was saying as her mouth was filled with tablecloth. But it did not matter. Erna sighed and stood up. She then drew a spell in the air and she and Kalion returned to their true form.
“Good to see you, Alexia. My bad, Chenille Regis.”
Erna called her by her real and fake name on purpose. She wanted her to know that the of them knew about everything. Chenille shifted her surprised eyes from Kalion and Erna continuously. Then her eyes stopped.
Kalion scanned Chenille and said to Erna, “I don’t think she’ll kill herself but wouldn’t it be better to put a spell on her to confess?”
“It’s not impossible but…”
Chenille’s body shook as Erna replied. Erna noticed her reaction. Then she moved close to her and looked straight in her eyes.
“It seems you know well what will happen if I make you confess through the spell.”
“What happens?”
As Kalion asked, Erna placed her hand on Chenille’s forehead. Fear filled Chenille’s face. Erna looked at her face and answered bluntly.
“It’s difficult to use magic over someone’s mind. Think of it like trying to pick something out of pudding. No matter the size of the thing, the pudding would end up irrecoverable afterwards. It goes the same for mind control… The mind of that person becomes ruined.”
One disadvantage was that there were only a few wizards who could cast such a spell. But for Erna, it was not a big deal. Erna silently looked at Chenille.
“Can you tell who I am, Chenille Regis?”
Chenille slowly nodded her head. Erna then said to Kalion, “After I cast the spell, remove the cloth so she can speak, Kalion.”
After hearing his name, Chenille looked at Kalion again and made a face as if she had now recognized him. Erna then casted a noise-canceling spell and Kalion pulled out the tablecloth from Chenille’s mouth.
Chenille coughed several times as the cloth had been choking her. She struggled to catch her breath as she kneeled on the ground. She then looked up.
“…We meet for the first time, Your Grace.”
“Not that nice to meet you though,” Erna replied coldly. “I order you in the name of the duke of Hessenguard. Confess all that you and Vanessa Schulz have conspired.”
“What if I refuse?” asked Chenille.
“I know your child lives in the nearby village. I heard they recently gave birth to your granddaughter.”
“How cruel.”
As Chenille led out an anxious laughter, the cold smile on Erna’s face disappeared.
“What’s the matter? Are you upset because your puppets countered you?” Erna’s voice became hoarse while she spoke. “Since we’re not the ideal chess piece anymore, I guess you’re going to kill us and find a new duke, just like before.”
Erna grabbed Chenille by the collar and said, “I have lots to ask but I should ask this first.”
“What is it?”
“Why,” Erna’s voice cracked, “did you pick us?”
