"Really, the Chancellor's daughter is in that carriage?"

"Didn't you hear from the Boss, and today Miss Rand is going to Mass in the church herself, so that we have the privilege of seeing her. I heard that Miss Rand is a great beauty. ”

"Hide in such a tight carriage, you see a ghost. ”

"And what's the use of seeing it? Can a good-looking face be eaten?"

"The Boss said he would let us go to Miss Rand and ask for a good meal. ”

"But how do we get close?"

......

In a small alley a little farther away from the church, a group of little beggars hid behind a pile of broken wooden boxes, pointing and chattering at a carriage of extravagant springs parked in front of the church and surrounded by a large crowd of guards. Although their hearts were full of ardent hope, the little beggars felt their scalps tingle at the mention of practical difficulties in implementation.

"Who said he was going to take you to that young lady to beg for a meal?"

Behind this group of little beggars, a slightly childish voice suddenly came. The little beggars obediently shut their mouths, and although they were disappointed by this sentence, the little beggars invariably turned their heads and looked at them with a little fear in reverence.

The "boss" of the beggar was younger than any of his beggars, in fact only a little over thirteen years old. But his eyes were full of tenacity, sophistication, coldness and deceit that did not match his age.

"I heard you clearly, I meant to take you to Miss Lanter's house for a feast, don't be mistaken. ”

"Hey--hooray!"

With the promise made by the "boss" himself, the little beggars cheered again.

"However, her father, the Duke of Rand, was a notoriously bitter 'ghost' who hated us poor, and two of my companions had their legs broken when they were walking down the street outside his house. How could it be that he would let us go to the house for dinner?" a little beggar with pale skin and obvious albinism expressed his worries, and before he could finish speaking, he shuddered to himself, which showed what a terrible shadow that "evil ghost" had left in his heart.

But as soon as he finished speaking, the albinistic beggar was slapped on the back of the head with a slap. He turned his head, and was about to get angry, only to find that his companions were glaring at him.

"Listen clearly, new here!" said the tall beggar who had just hit him on the back of the head, lifting the albino beggar's collar and threatening, "Don't doubt the boss's decision! ”

The albino beggar nodded submissively, either in agreement or in fear, probably even he himself was confused.

The expression on the face of the young "boss" did not fluctuate in the slightest. He only waved his hand slightly, and ordered in a tone of no hurry or hurry: "Okay, brothers, let's take our places and act according to the plan arranged in advance." ”

"Oh......"

A dozen little beggars scattered in an instant, leaving only the "boss" alone in the dark alley.

Marn did not have the slightest sense of joy or accomplishment at the fact that he had established absolute authority in this small organization, because being the leader of a group of beggars was not his ultimate pursuit.

When there was no one around, Marn, who had never been moody, had a frightening sneer on the corner of his mouth, staring at the luxurious carriage heavily guarded by the public guards in front of him, and the flames of hatred instantly ignited in his small eyes, as if he was not allowed to vent, the flames of revenge would burn him.

"Rand, you dog thief. Reckoning starts with you. ”

......

On the night of that year, a bloody murder that shocked the capital of the Kingdom of Agulema was staged at the home of the Duke of Lanter, the Minister of Finance. Fifty-two members of the house, including the housekeepers, servants, and guards, were killed. Most of the dead died of water poisoning, and the seven members of the Rand family, including the Duke himself, the three ladies, the eldest lady, and the two young masters, were stabbed to death by the same dagger, and this dagger was as sharp as clay, because when the Duke of Rand was killed, the sword in his hand was cut off, and the armor he wore was pierced. The murderer did not leave the murder weapon at the scene, but the foul of foul blood that flowed from the Duke of Rand left half of his shoe print on the carpet.

Seeing this, Owen couldn't help but gasp.

It is already shocking to be so cold-blooded and unscrupulous at such a young age, but what touches Owen's heart the most is the farsightedness and precision of his gaze hidden under the mask of his youth. Choosing the Duke of Rand as the starting point for his overall plan, the subsequent development of events proved that this choice was the most accurate, but accurate does not mean correct.

"One day, he will be the new overlord of Olopa. ”

If it weren't for the fact that he had known the course of history, Owen would have almost made the above judgment.

The Duke of Rand and His Majesty the King are small. The two have played together, grown together, studied together, went to war together, chased power together, gained power together, and shared power together since childhood. In addition to the most basic relationship between the king and the minister, there is also a deep personal friendship between them. After the king ascended the throne, the relationship between the king and the rand was somewhat estranged because of the concern of maintaining the balance of the factions, but when every time his majesty had a troubled question and needed someone to talk to, the first person who came to mind was always the Duke of Rand.

Therefore, upon learning of the murder of the Duke of Lante, His Majesty insisted on getting up from his hospital bed, went to the scene to understand the situation, and appointed the king's most trusted cronies to conduct an investigation as an independent investigator.

The condition at the scene was so bad that it was hard to understand, and the only clue left was the half of the shoe print. It is this incomplete evidence that points all suspicions to another high-ranking nobleman, the prime minister of the kingdom. The Prime Minister and the Duke of Rand belonged to different factions, and they supported the two powerful princes to participate in the succession, and their political positions were opposed to each other, and the two ministers in the court even openly choked each other in front of the king and civil and military officials, regardless of their status; of course, these were not the only reasons why the Prime Minister was suspected, and the half of the shoe prints left on the scene were very similar to the soles on the military boots that the Prime Minister had issued to his guards, which had to make a connection between the two.

Would the prime minister of a dignified kingdom brazenly wipe out his entire family of political enemies within the royal capital? It sounds ridiculous, but it is not impossible to think about it, because such things have happened in history.

In the days that followed, the independent investigators discovered that the guards around the prime minister were missing a number of people for no reason, and soon after, through the continuous clues obtained by the civilian forces, the independent investigators found several bodies of the guards in the prime minister's palace in many different locations outside the city. Judging from the autopsy, they were all murdered in an unsuspecting situation, which shows that the person who did it is very likely to be an acquaintance. What is even more suspicious is that the Prime Minister's Mansion has been quite low-key about the disappearance of the guards

At this point, the facts of the case have become clear, but it has also reached a dead end. Because although it is well known that the murderer behind the scenes is most likely the Prime Minister, those who may have been involved in the murder have been killed, so that the progress of the case has been interrupted - this is the main content of the report that the independent investigator gave to His Majesty.

Now, because the case involves another high-ranking member of the kingdom, the death of the Duke of Rand has caused an earthquake in the kingdom's political arena, and if the prime minister is investigated, the kingdom's politics will inevitably collapse. Considering the overall situation, the investigation into the Duke of Rand's murder tragedy was vigorously launched, and then quietly and silently, and it will eventually be over.

But the incident did not end there. Because of the "civil force" mentioned by the independent investigator in the report, intentionally or unintentionally, who have provided key clues many times: a group of little beggars who have difficulty solving the problem of food and clothing, but are a little abnormally enthusiastic, have entered the king's field of vision, and at the same time, the king's field of vision, the dagger that is unique in the world......