Chapter 514 Conspiracy
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With no additional clues being exposed over the next few days even after what seemed like extremely thorough investigation from the detectives of Phoenix, the murder case of Alexander Gray soon began to lose its hype.
Regardless of his status as one of the world’s most privileged, it remained true that he wasn’t very well-known before his death, and not many people cared much about him except for some passing curiosity.
Instead, the intense scrutiny of the events at the Golden Crown led them to discover other more interesting details.
A video clip of the interaction between Amos Black and Lady Dimitrescu was soon reposted on one of the more popular discussion boards, instantly sparking furious debate.
“Did you see that little bitch Amos bump into lady Dimitrescu and then pretend like nothing happened?”
“That’s nothing. What really pisses me off was how he then acted as if his ankle had been sprained to lean on her… What a scheming little bitch!”
Although it was possible for the original poster to have cut and edited the video in a way that emphasized the negativity in the boy’s behavior, not many people on the board cared about being ‘fair’, and instead relied on their gut feelings to pass judgment.
“Man, seeing him act like that gave me goosebumps. What a fucking creep.”
“Hey, at least you have to admire his courage. I wouldn’t even have the guts to walk up to her, let alone make such an intricate plot to get her attention. Still a fucking creep, though.”
“Bah, I just feel sorry for lady Dimitrescu for falling for this guy’s petty little schemes. How can someone like this even deserve to receive the invitation to such a prestigious event?”
“He’s really rich, I guess?”
“Must be used to getting his way, eh?”
Some of them couldn’t help but sympathize with the boy’s ‘victim’.
“Hopefully the lady saw through his schemes and didn’t get swindled!”
“I mean, given how the bastard flew away to his home country the very next day, I don’t think he could have done much.”
“Right? Lady Dimitrescu can probably make his head explode like a rotten watermelon by squeezing it lightly between her thighs.”
“Hey, she can make my head explode, and she won’t even need to squeeze!”
“Pervert, we have a pervert over here!”
“I agree with the one above.”
“Thank you.”
“No, I meant the one above you. She can make me explode at any time.”
“A whole bunch of perverts!!!”
Of course, some people with a certain agenda weren’t very pleased. “Hey, let’s not get distracted by Lady Dimitrescu’s thighs!”
“You really can’t blame us though, right?”
The man thought about it for a while, and despite the generous payment from the Gray Wolfe, he couldn’t help but agree. “… True.”
Fortunately, the thought of a fat bank balance quickly restored his sanity as he quickly shook off all his strange thoughts. “A-Anyway, am I the one who noticed how quickly Amos got out of Phoenix? Isn’t that strange? I mean, why would he make such an intricate scheme and then not make the most out of it? I was thinking he must be plotting to assimilate her fortune after somehow making lady Dimitrescu fall in love, but clearly…”
“Could he have panicked after hearing about Alexander’s murder and ran away?”
The man almost screamed in delight, but continued to pretend being ‘confused’ as he steered the topic further down the hole he had dug for the ‘enemy’ of his boss. “Why would he panic, though? Did he think he would be the murderer’s next target?”
“Unless you believe he was the murderer, which is a bit far-fetched if you ask me. I mean, just look at his face. Does he look like someone who can accomplish anything?”
“Hey, that’s harsh!”
“Well, you can’t deny that his face looks good though.”
“Brainless.”
“At least I have eyes!”
“Bah, whatever. I don’t care if he looks good in your eyes, but just imagining his scared expression at that time makes me giggle for some reason.”
The man couldn’t help but lament how easily distracted some people were as he once against steered them back to where they ‘should be’.”No no, how is that possible? Didn’t the news say Amos was already in Oriana when the murder came to light?”
“So what are you saying, that he ran away for some other reason?”
“Not at all. What I meant was… isn’t it possible for Amos to have known about the murder before anyone else? It would explain why he was the first to flee.”
“Hey, I guess you aren’t so brainless after all. But wouldn’t that mean—?!”
The direction of the argument suddenly took a ‘very strange’ turn, and people quickly started ‘noticing’ some very strange inconsistencies in Amos Black’s statements and actions.
By the time the public relations team at the Black Tiger Corporation discovered it, the flames of suspicion against Amos were once again burning sky high.
“W-What do we do, chief?”
The man paced back and forth in distress for a while before he finally couldn’t help but slam his fist on the desk. “Goddammit…! I know some motherfucker must be fanning the flames against us!”
Unfortunately, they simply had no idea who it could be, and thus had no way to strike back.
“Okay, I’ve decided! Let’s do our best to steer the discussions away from the boss as best as we can! As long as it’s not the hottest topic, with some luck it shouldn’t reach the ears of our boss.”
“W-Wait, so we’re not gonna let him know?!”
“Of course not! Do you want all of us to get fired?! Now let’s see, where can I find a topic that will easily suppress all this curiosity about our boss—!” The chief suddenly gasped in realization. “Holy fuck! I never thought she would one day be the one to help us out!”
His juniors couldn’t help but stare at each other in confusion. “Who is he talking about?”
“No idea.”
The chief chuckled. “Alright, no need to panic or be confused. Remember our biggest opponent in the past? That’s right, it’s that annoying little princess! Let’s use her to wipe the table clean for us this time!”
Just thinking about how frustrated that girl would be if she discovered how ‘helpful’ her existence had been for them, the chief felt like all his previous frustrations against her had been soothed.
Under his enthusiastic guidance, the rest of the public relations department quickly consolidated its strength before they started jumping into all the public discussions defaming Amos and steering them ‘subtly’ towards Emilia.
Naturally, a certain subsection of ‘observers’ wasn’t very interested in anything unrelated to their beloved princess, and completely ignored all the other intrigue and drama to focus solely on her before they even arrived.
With their unwitting help, even the disastrously clumsy attempts of the incompetent public relations department Amos had put together after destroying the one his father usually kept was able to ‘accomplish’ their goals almost perfectly.
“Whoa, did anyone else see how beautiful that choker looked on our princess? I can’t believe she just gave it away!”
“Right? That deep, royal blue sapphire gem matched so perfectly with her gorgeous dress that it has to be criminal to separate them anyhow.”
“Am I the only one who thinks it’s strange for the prime minister of Phoenix to be the one who took it?”
The fact that Emilia hadn’t left the country of Phoenix even now only added to their worries. After all, while they believed that their princess was strong and wise, they would still rather she never be in a situation where harm might befall her again.
As far as they were concerned, she’d already done all she needed to do after ‘liberating’ the Empire of Blue Dawn, and she should be able to enjoy a safe and comfortable life, free of any trouble or danger.
Unfortunately, no matter how worried they were about their princess, there was simply no way for most of them to even get a glimpse of her from within the prime minister’s private residence.
Even the lucky few who happened to be close enough to look out for her were routinely chased away!
Under the combination of their frustrated complaints and worried inquiries, it was naturally easy to wash out the strange arguments that had previously been focusing on Amos.
Just as the Black Tiger Corporation’s public relations department was about to celebrate, however, an official announcement from the office of the prime minister of Phoenix completely tore their hopes apart.
“Our investigations have led us to another witness, whose statements lead us to believe that Mr. Amos Black was deeply involved in the case of Mr. Alexander’s unfortunate demise. In order to proceed with the investigation, we are awaiting a response from the government of Oriana. Moreover—”
The statement went on to explain how they would be proceeding with the official process, but no one was really paying any attention to that.
After all, what really caught their eye was the ‘witness testimony’ released alongside the statement.
Her face might be blurred, and voice morphed, but the contents of her statements made her identity more than clear.
In the video, a female investigator was sitting across her table. “You said you knew things that would help us solve the case. Can you please confirm your name and relationship with the victim?”
“I’m not related to the ‘victim’, but someone else. My name is Kristie, and I used to be the girlfriend of Amos Black. Well… a stand-in girlfriend, as I’m sure many people have noticed.” The girl chuckled.
The self-deprecation in her tone was obvious, but the investigator simply nodded professionally. “Can you please elaborate on your previous statement? How is Mr. Black related to the incident in your knowledge?”
Kristie sighed. “I haven’t been by his side for very long, but over the past few months, I’ve seen and experienced many, many disturbing things that would make even the strongest of stomachs churn in disgust. Amos… he…”
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