Chapter 660  Investigation Order (1)

Silence enveloped the throne room. Melody's breathing grew heavy, and her eyes reddened with tears.

"How is this possible!? How could my son… be dead?" she screamed hysterically.

She collapsed and burst into tears. Aldrian was her only son, and she loved him more than anything in the world.

But now, he was gone. Reluctance, anger, and hatred surged together, merging into one overwhelming emotion.

"I want the culprits found! I want them dead!" Melody growled in a hoarse, terrifying voice.

Gulvar snapped out of his trance. His face turned pale, filled with deep sorrow.

His fists clenched tightly as he called out, "Alex, Eldrin, come here at once!"

Whoosh!

Two figures appeared beside him. Both bowed respectfully and asked, "What are your orders, Your Majesty?"

Gulvar turned to face them and spoke in a heavy voice, "My son is dead."

Those words struck them like a bomb. Their eyes widened, and disbelief flooded their faces.

"Prince Aldrian… is dead? How is that possible?" Alex cried out in shock.

"I don't know either," Gulvar replied through gritted teeth. "But one thing is certain—he was with Seira. Find her immediately and make her tell you what really happened."

He was still reluctant to suspect Seira as the culprit. After all, killing Aldrian would be the same as declaring war on the Ancient Kingdom of Eron.

He was convinced Seira wouldn't be foolish enough to do something like that.

Neither of them dared to ask further questions and immediately vanished from where they stood.

Gulvar turned toward the old man and waved his hand.

The man understood at once and quickly rushed out of the throne room.

Gulvar then helped Melody to her feet and said in a soothing voice, "Don't worry. Maybe Aldrian is still alive."

"Still alive? How is that possible?" Melody sobbed. "His soul light has gone out! That can only mean one thing—he really is dead! Argh! Gulvar, I want you to get to the bottom of this! I want my son's killer to burn in hell!"

Her cries grew louder, echoing throughout the throne room.

Gulvar could only remain silent as he continued trying to calm her down.

However, he had already considered the worst-case scenario—and the steps that would need to be taken.

What they didn't know was that outside the throne room, a man was leaning against the wall near the door.

He wore a faint smile as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"It seems Nolan has succeeded. That means it's my turn," he muttered softly.

…

"Where's Nolan? Why can't I find him anywhere?"

Alina rushed out of the restaurant, panic written all over her face. Several servers ran back and forth, helping her search for the missing man.

Suddenly, the manager, Rugard, hurried toward her with a pale expression.

"I'm sorry, Your Highness. I couldn't find any trace of Prince Nolan inside the restaurant. He's not outside either," he said in a trembling voice.

"Nowhere?" Alina's eyes widened. "How is that possible!? I clearly remember him going to the restroom. Could he have been kidnapped?"

The thought made her blood run cold. Nolan was a prince of the Great Velmora Empire.

If he were injured—or worse, killed—the Ancient Kingdom of Eron would be ruthlessly attacked by the empire.

Rugard could only remain silent. He didn't know whether Nolan had been kidnapped or not.

But one thing was certain: Nolan's disappearance would throw the restaurant into chaos. And he, as the manager, would be held accountable by the royal family.

As he imagined his peaceful days coming to an end, Rugard's face turned even paler. His stomach twisted, and his heart pounded wildly.

Just then, two burly figures appeared from behind.

"Your Highness," one of them called out.

Alina turned and saw Alex and Eldrin. Her eyes lit up, and she hurried toward them.

"Alex, Eldrin, you're just in time! Can you help me find Nolan? He disappeared after going to the restroom. I'm worried he's been kidnapped," Alina said anxiously.

Both men were startled and exchanged glances.

Noticing their strange reaction, Alina frowned and asked without thinking, "What's wrong?"

Alex took a deep breath before explaining, "We came here on His Majesty Gulvar's orders. We're searching for Prince Aldrian."

"Brother Aldrian?" Alina froze. "What happened? Was he having dinner here too?"

Alex's expression darkened as he gave a slight nod.

"Yes. He and Princess Seira had dinner at this restaurant. And Prince Aldrian appears to have been murdered."

The moment those words reached Alina's ears, her body went stiff.

Her eyes widened, and her breathing turned ragged.

"Brother Aldrian… is dead!?" she cried out in horror.

Alex nodded. "Yes. Eldrin and I need to investigate this matter further."

He turned to Rugard and ordered, "Take us to the place where Prince Aldrian and Princess Seira ate earlier. Quickly!"

Rugard didn't dare to argue. He immediately led them toward the private room.

Alina remained rooted in place, her mind blank. She still couldn't believe her older brother had died so close to her.

A few moments later, she snapped back to her senses, her face deathly pale.

'Brother Aldrian is dead… and Nolan has disappeared. Could the two be connected?'

Her fists clenched tightly as a terrifying thought surfaced in her mind.

But she was too afraid to dwell on it and quickly forced it away.

"No… that's impossible," she muttered shakily. "I must be wrong. Yes, I must be wrong."

After steadying herself, she rushed back inside to find out what had really happened.

***

Inside the private room where Seira and Aldrian had been, Alex, Eldrin, Alina, Rugard, and several staff members stood with somber expressions.

Their eyes were fixed on the dirty plates, some of which still held untouched food.

"Did Prince Aldrian and Princess Seira really eat here?" Eldrin asked in a heavy voice.

"Y-Yes, Sir. Both of them ate here. I personally escorted them to this room," Rugard replied, trying to sound confident despite his nervous expression.

Eldrin furrowed his brow. By all logic, this room should have been chaotic and in disarray.

Yet it looked unusually neat and clean. That could only mean one thing—Aldrian's death didn't happen here, but somewhere else.

While Eldrin questioned Rugard and the staff, Alex stepped closer to the dining table and examined everything carefully.

The portion on the right side was larger than the one on the left. That meant Aldrian had been seated on the right, while Seira sat on the left.

Alex leaned closer to Aldrian's plate and sniffed it.

Nothing seemed strange. Everything smelled normal.

He then checked Aldrian's wine glass. It was still a quarter full, but there was nothing unusual about it either.

His gaze shifted to Seira's plate. He sniffed it and found no strange scent.

Finally, he brought his nose close to Seira's wine glass.

Just as he thought he wouldn't find anything, his eyes widened.

"There's something in here!"