Read Novel Full Chapter 1076: Jason’s Confession (1)
Chapter 1076: Jason’s Confession (1)
Hearing Orlan’s cold, blunt words, Jason didn’t get angry. He simply smiled and took a sip of his tea.
"An explanation? What do you mean?"
"Don’t play dumb!" The fat Count had had enough. He slammed his palm on the table and shouted, "You’ve been working with the Holy Empire of Valtanir and the rebels, haven’t you!? Just admit it!"
The Viscount sitting to Orlan’s left also lost his temper and hurled insults at Jason.
"I never expected you to turn out like this, Duke Malvain. You’re truly disgusting!"
The respect they once had for Jason was gone. All that remained was disgust and anger.
Millions of people along the border had lost their lives to the rebels. Many nobles who had defended the fallen towns had also perished, and only a few had survived.
As fellow nobles from the southern region, they had repeatedly urged Jason to take action and put an end to the crisis.
They didn’t want the imperial court to get involved. That would only bring shame upon them in front of nobles from the other three regions.
But what had happened?
Jason had refused to even meet with them. Then, a few days ago, they received news from Orlan that Jason himself was the mastermind behind the rebel attacks.
The news hit them like a cannonball. They felt utterly deceived, as if Jason himself had trampled on their loyalty to the Malvain family.
Orlan didn’t try to stop the two men. He knew it was pointless. Their anger had reached its limit.
He looked up and stared at Jason.
Surprisingly, Jason remained as calm as ever. His expression was blank, as if he hadn’t even heard the accusations the two men had just thrown at him.
"Duke Malvain," Orlan said calmly. "I respect you from the bottom of my heart. You’re an extraordinary leader of the southern region. And it’s not just me. All the nobles in the south respect you, whether for your status or your abilities. But..."
His gaze turned cold.
"Why did you betray our trust? Why did you collaborate with the rebels to attack the southern border? Please, give us an explanation!"
His voice rose with anger and disappointment.
Feeling the piercing gazes of the three men, Jason merely smiled.
"So, you already know, then?"
The three were taken aback. They had expected Jason to evade the question, but instead, he simply admitted it.
"It doesn’t matter how we found out," the Count said in a cold, threatening tone. "Give us a reasonable explanation, or we won’t hesitate to tear this building down!"
Orlan and the Viscount nodded in agreement. They felt the same way as the Count.
Jason didn’t look the least bit afraid. He leaned back on the sofa, crossed his legs, and took another sip of tea.
A smile appeared on his face as he said, "You dare to threaten me, huh? You’re just a Count, after all."
He glanced at the Viscount and Orlan indifferently.
"Is it the one hundred and fifty armed soldiers outside that give you the courage?"
All three men flinched. Before they could respond, Jason spoke again, his voice now cold and piercing.
"The Malvain family has a special unit that’s always ready to act whenever our family is threatened. Do you want to test it?"
The hair on the backs of Orlan’s, the Count’s, and the Viscount’s necks stood on end. Their faces paled as they recalled the unit Jason was referring to.
It was the Black Veil, one of the empire’s most secretive intelligence networks.
Few people knew of their existence because they were so well-hidden. It was even said that the Black Veil was kept far more secret than the imperial family’s Phantom Chain.
Seeing how tense they were, Jason’s cold expression instantly disappeared.
"Pfft! I was just joking," he chuckled. "As long as you don’t cause any trouble, I won’t deploy them."
A meaningful smile spread across his lips.
Orlan gritted his teeth and clenched his right fist. He’d let his guard down and even forgotten about the Black Veil.
If only he’d remembered them from the start, he would’ve brought more troops. But there was no point regretting it now.
Their trump card was useless now.
’This is really annoying,’ Orlan muttered irritably.
"You came here demanding an explanation, didn’t you? All right, I’ll tell you."
Jason’s relaxed tone eased the tension in the room.
He took a sip of tea, closing his eyes as he savored it.
"Where should I start? Oh, right. I was indeed the mastermind behind the rebellion. The deaths of those millions of people along the border are also my responsibility," he said bluntly.
The fat Count gritted his teeth in anger.
"How could you be so heartless!? They’re your people too!" he shouted.
Jason opened his eyes and looked at him calmly.
"Who says they aren’t my people?"
The Count was caught off guard by his response.
"T-Then—"
"For the sake of my cause," Jason cut in indifferently.
He twirled his teacup as he continued, "Do the three of you know? Back when the Emperor first ascended the throne, the Malvain family was his strongest supporter. We provided him with vast resources and protected him from the other princes, who were far more powerful than he was at the time."
The three nobles were stunned to hear Jason bring up that part of the past.
"Does your betrayal have anything to do with that?" Orlan asked coldly.
"That’s right."
Jason didn’t deny it. He merely nodded.
"Orlan, as the head of the Caltheron family, you must know some important secrets that aren’t widely known among lower-ranking nobles. One of them is... the death of my fiancée, Eleyna Rodhard."
Orlan’s eyes widened, and his heart began to race.
Eleyna Rodhard... He recognized that name. She was Jason Malvain’s fiancée.
Not many people knew about their engagement because the previous head of the Malvain family had disapproved of their relationship.
Eleyna came from a noble family that held the title of Baron. Her status was too low, and she was considered unworthy of being with Jason.
But Jason and Eleyna had been childhood friends, and they’d loved each other for a long time.
For some unknown reason, Eleyna had suddenly died on her way to the imperial capital.
A massive investigation was launched to find the culprit, but it ultimately led nowhere.
The culprit remained hidden in the shadows, and no matter how hard they searched, they couldn’t find them.
In the end, the case was quietly closed. Only nobles with the rank of Marquis or higher knew the truth.
"And do you know who was behind Eleyna’s death?"
Jason’s sudden question startled Orlan.
"W-Who?" he asked, his voice trembling.
Jason smiled faintly.
"The Emperor himself... Ragan Lorian."