Rita sat on the sofa in the small reception room, feeling uneasy as Angus and an elderly man she had never seen before fixed their gaze on her.
So awkward.
I just want to leave.
Rita glanced at the heavily guarded door Angus had locked behind her, then cautiously shifted her eyes back.
Thankfully, she hadn’t acted rashly when Angus was watching her earlier—otherwise, she’d probably be lying flat on the ground by now.
“Lord of the Tragic City… what… do you want to say?”
“Rita, let me introduce you first. This is my former strategist, Old Johnny. He’s retired now and holds no position within the city. Don’t feel restrained around him; he has the right to hear everything we discuss.”
Angus introduced the white-haired old man to Rita, then turned to introduce Rita.
“And this is the Fourth Princess Cecilia Julius’s…”
Angus suddenly hesitated, unable to figure out exactly what the relationship between Rita and Cecilia was, especially since they had grown so close after that assassination attempt.
“A maid, a bodyguard, or a mercenary,” Rita answered for Angus.
“Also considered one of the Fourth Princess’s closest confidants—Her Highness’s most trusted subordinate in Solus City,” Angus added, subtly reminding Johnny of Rita’s special status in Cecilia’s eyes.
“Heh heh heh, Miss Rita, a pleasure,” Old Johnny chuckled, the wrinkles on his face bunching up like a kindly grandfather’s.
“Mr. Johnny, it’s an honor to meet you.”
After some small talk, Angus began to recount what had happened in the city during the two days Rita was unconscious.
The general outline was much the same as what Rita had heard from Cross: Mel had conspired with two demon clans to assassinate the princess and seize the lordship, followed by the public assassination attempt in the square, the conspiracy involving Rita and Cecilia, and finally the large-scale riot a few days ago.
Mel’s true identity had gradually come to light.
On the surface, she was a wealthy merchant dealing in gemstones, but in truth, she monopolized much of the city’s gray market industries—black markets, brothels, casinos.
She also maintained a large force of mercenaries and informants, though the recent battle had nearly wiped out these forces.
Beyond that, Mel had constructed an extensive underground tunnel network for illicit street dealings and smuggling, hiding criminals within.
It was through these tunnels that vagrants and mercenaries had entered the city.
Now that Mel and the two demon clans were all dead, this faction had been completely uprooted from Solus City.
Even if anyone tried to investigate, there’d be nothing left to find.
This matter should be considered closed.
However, the death of the Succubus remained an unsolved mystery for nearly everyone.
Apparently, Cecilia hadn’t told anyone about Valfis.
It should have been a happy ending.
But after hearing all this, Rita grew even more confused. “But… isn’t that good?”
“Yes, that’s true. But the problem is that Mel alone couldn’t have reached this level. I’m not talking about the assassination attempts—she was a fool in that regard. I mean the expansion of her power and building of the tunnels,” Johnny spoke up on Angus’s behalf.
“Alright, I’ll be straightforward.” Angus slammed his thigh heavily. “If she wasn’t protected by others, she couldn’t have done it. And not just a few—there were so many, I can’t even count.”
“Here, Miss Rita, take a look.” Johnny handed over a ledger filled with dense transaction records.
And this wasn’t the only book—there was a thick stack of similar ledgers in front of Angus.
Rita didn’t recognize any of the names, but from their sheer volume, she could guess most of them.
Angus’s words confirmed her suspicions. “Yes—Chief Engineer, Quartermaster, the Finance Officer you caught returning from the brothel, and the late Guard Captain—all of these people were helping Mel cover up her crimes. Individually, none of these actions might seem serious, but combined with what Mel’s done recently…”
“These people will all be implicated,” Rita quickly understood and added.
Angus slapped his forehead. “Exactly! Actually, Mel once approached me over a trivial matter, but I refused her. I knew some were connected to her, but the gray market in the city is impossible to clean out, so I didn’t intervene. But I never expected her influence to grow so large in secret—and to cause such a mess! That’s why I invited the retired Johnny back tonight—to help me figure this out.”
George chimed in, “Angus’s negligence deserves punishment, but these others can’t be dealt with so lightly. Even if unintentional, they effectively aided Mel in the assassination attempt on the princess. Some should lose their positions; others might even deserve capital punishment!”
“Yes, accepting bribes and providing protection might look minor, but the responsibility is far from light. Especially when this web entangles most of Solus City’s personnel, the consequences are clear.” Rita understood perfectly.
Solus City would be completely paralyzed, doomed to decline.
Even if there was a future recovery, the city would never regain its former glory.
“Miss Rita, this is the source of the Lord’s worries. The princess doesn’t know about this list yet. To prevent Solus City’s downfall…”
“So…” Johnny’s voice grew earnest, “we must go against Her Highness’s wishes and hide these ledgers. Punish a few of the worst offenders, and suppress the matter before more names are revealed and the situation worsens.”
“Lord, you plan to hide this list? That’s deceiving justice, and if found out, you won’t escape blame,” Rita asked.
This was no small matter; Solus City was unstable, and if Angus truly did this, he was shouldering much of the responsibility.
If exposed, it’d be at least harboring a crime.
“I… do want to do that.” Angus pinched his brow, conflicted but speaking honestly.
“Then aren’t you afraid I’ll tell Princess Cecilia?”
Johnny retorted, “Lord Angus invited Miss Rita here to tell her. Isn’t that right?”
“Yes, exactly. The more who know, the better I feel. I know it’s wrong, but we must have an explanation for Her Highness.” Angus rubbed his temples harder, his tone irritable.
“So… after I know, what then…”
“Nothing more, Rita. That’s it. If you want to tell Her Highness, then do so.” Angus sighed heavily.
The whole night, Rita wrestled with the dilemma: should she fulfill a duty she felt no real obligation toward and reveal everything to Cecilia, or keep the secret for Angus and Solus City’s sake?
Maybe pretending ignorance was best.
This was a classic trolley problem: some things, if not confronted, seem insignificant; but once weighed, they carry immense burden.
She was only an examinee, not the switch operator—no need to agonize over this.
Still, Rita couldn’t bear to watch Solus City fall into ruin.
As Johnny had said, Solus City couldn’t withstand another storm.
The next morning.
Summoned by Cecilia, Rita was still torn over whether to share the previous night’s conversation when she saw Angus sitting opposite them.
After a few words, Rita immediately understood the situation.
Without needing her, Angus had already explained the matter to Cecilia and was about to make arrests.
He’s straightforward, Lord Angus.
So why even bother telling Cecilia anything?
But Rita was certain Angus hadn’t told Cecilia about the consequences of these arrests.
Because Cecilia had already asked the question.
“Lord Angus, this list involves so many people. If we punish them all, Solus City will have no one left to operate. The entire city’s systems will collapse.”
“Princess, the criminals must be punished. Besides, I’ve prepared contingencies. Solus City won’t fall into chaos,” Angus respectfully reported.
“Then, Lord Angus, what contingencies do you speak of?” Cecilia asked.
Angus was momentarily speechless. “Ah, well…”
“Actually, there aren’t any. Lord Angus wants to enforce the law fairly and give me an explanation; but he doesn’t want the burden of this choice on me. He wants me to make the decision. Your intentions are understood.”
Only after everything ended did Rita grasp Angus’s reasoning.
If he told Cecilia the full scope of the dilemma, he’d be forcing her to sacrifice her own chance for justice to save Solus City.
If the situation escalated further, having shifted responsibility to Cecilia, he’d bear minimal blame, while Cecilia would face more pressure.
Therefore, Angus never intended to give Cecilia that trolley problem to face.
This might be legally correct, but it was far from the right choice for a city lord.
But now, Rita’s only reaction was: What, what does that mean?
“Forget it, Lord Angus. I have my own judgment on this matter. Even if it doesn’t have to be done the way you say, I have a perfect solution.”
Cecilia spoke first.
“While there’s still time, summon all city officials.”
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