It was a closed trial, so the courtroom was quiet.
The courtroom was the same. Ines took a seat as far away as possible with only one escort.
In front were Count Graham’s wife, his son, and his red-haired daughter. She looked around just in case, but Joseph was nowhere to be seen.
Soon, Count Graham, with a pale complexion, stood as the defendant. He looked like the man who had raised his neck in front of Carson with his venomous eyes.
Soon, the sound of his wife sobbing filled the room.
The first person to stand as a witness was, of course, Lena Mariere. She was already serving her sentence, having been sentenced before Graham’s sentencing, and was wearing a prison uniform.
Even if she had committed the act under orders, she would not have been able to avoid the punishment. However, that prison uniform was not Romfield’s.
The murder had not been successful, and since she had confessed to the crime and stood as a witness, her sentence would probably have been greatly reduced. And above all, isn’t Jason alive?
Carson must be protecting the child properly.
As if to prove that fact, Lena testified to what Count Graham had done without hesitation.
Ines was convinced that Lena, who spoke clearly with clear eyes, would not lose her mind on her own.
After that, witnesses poured out. The man who had hidden Lena’s child and the person who had drugged Lena before instigating the work also testified. And those who had been ordered by Graham to kill Viscount Swenden also appeared one after another.
The trial ended so quickly that it was absurd.
Countess Graham eventually fainted at the judge’s declaration confirming his hanging.
“Empress, let me see Her Majesty the Empress!”
Count Graham jumped up from his seat and shouted, and the security guards standing nearby grabbed his arm and made him fall back to his seat.
“No, no. Call Prince Carson. This is a different promise. This is a different promise!”
But no one listened to his vain cries. Count Graham’s son collapsed in his seat in bewilderment, and his daughter hugged her mother and cried. No one came near to comfort her.
Ines got up before the crowd left.
Tomorrow, the local newspapers would report that Count Graham was to be hanged for attempting to murder the royal family.
Joseph’s title of Baron, which he was to receive for saving the Count’s daughter, would not be safe. So how would Joseph, who would not receive the title, come out?
Ines’ eyes, as she climbed onto the carriage, shone colder than ever.
It was already late at night when Carson arrived at the palace. However, he headed to the palace to meet the Empress without delay.
The audience room for the Empress was as large and splendid as the Emperor’s. No Empress in history had wielded such power.
The Empress did not invite Carson into her intimate space, even though it was clear that the conversation she would have with him would not be so open.
He thought it was a very Empress-like choice.
The Empress appeared from behind the curtain and sat down on the highest seat, looking down at him. When she had first been called here as a child, Carson had been very afraid of her.
“Prince, it has been a long time.”
In front were Count Graham’s wife, his son, and his red-haired daughter. She looked around just in case, but Joseph was nowhere to be seen.
Soon, Count Graham, with a pale complexion, stood as the defendant. He looked like the man who had raised his neck in front of Carson with his venomous eyes.
Soon, the sound of his wife sobbing filled the room.
The first person to stand as a witness was, of course, Lena Mariere. She was already serving her sentence, having been sentenced before Graham’s sentencing, and was wearing a prison uniform.
Even if she had committed the act under orders, she would not have been able to avoid the punishment. However, that prison uniform was not Romfield’s.
The murder had not been successful, and since she had confessed to the crime and stood as a witness, her sentence would probably have been greatly reduced. And above all, isn’t Jason alive?
Carson must be protecting the child properly.
As if to prove that fact, Lena testified to what Count Graham had done without hesitation.
Ines was convinced that Lena, who spoke clearly with clear eyes, would not lose her mind on her own.
After that, witnesses poured out. The man who had hidden Lena’s child and the person who had drugged Lena before instigating the work also testified. And those who had been ordered by Graham to kill Viscount Swenden also appeared one after another.
The trial ended so quickly that it was absurd.
Countess Graham eventually fainted at the judge’s declaration confirming his hanging.
“Empress, let me see Her Majesty the Empress!”
Count Graham jumped up from his seat and shouted, and the security guards standing nearby grabbed his arm and made him fall back to his seat.
“No, no. Call Prince Carson. This is a different promise. This is a different promise!”
But no one listened to his vain cries. Count Graham’s son collapsed in his seat in bewilderment, and his daughter hugged her mother and cried. No one came near to comfort her.
Ines got up before the crowd left.
Tomorrow, the local newspapers would report that Count Graham was to be hanged for attempting to murder the royal family.
Joseph’s title of Baron, which he was to receive for saving the Count’s daughter, would not be safe. So how would Joseph, who would not receive the title, come out?
Ines’ eyes, as she climbed onto the carriage, shone colder than ever.
***
It was already late at night when Carson arrived at the palace. However, he headed to the palace to meet the Empress without delay.
The audience room for the Empress was as large and splendid as the Emperor’s. No Empress in history had wielded such power.
The Empress did not invite Carson into her intimate space, even though it was clear that the conversation she would have with him would not be so open.
He thought it was a very Empress-like choice.
The Empress appeared from behind the curtain and sat down on the highest seat, looking down at him. When she had first been called here as a child, Carson had been very afraid of her.
“Prince, it has been a long time.”
“Why don’t you just call me Count?”
“Yes, what would be so difficult about that, Count Raymond?”
She tapped her red-painted lips with her ornate nails. Her ageless appearance as if by magic, was creepy.
“Why have you come to see me this late at night?”
“I believe Count Graham’s trial was held in Lesonia today.”
“I know.”
Carson smirked at the Empress’s expression, which did not change at all. Did she have a glass orb that could see into the distance? Of course, he also guessed that the Empress knew everything.
“So you must have gotten your hands on something great. You came here in the middle of the night with such a swagger...”
She raised her hand, and a young servant with a beautiful face poured red wine into the Empress’s cup.
“How could the Empress have planned something great with someone like that?”
She narrowed her eyes at Carson. Of course, she knew that he was more outstanding than the other Emperor’s children. She also knew that his mother and younger sibling had been leaning over him for safety.
She thought he was a cat hiding its claws, but he was actually a very clever young beast.
The Empress thought that she had pushed him into the position of Lord of Landhill, but judging by his recent behavior, it seemed that Carson had volunteered for the position.
“However, even if you are the Empress, you will not be able to quietly let it go if it becomes known that you conspired with someone who tried to kill the Emperor’s daughter.”
The Empress scratched the handle she was holding with her fingernails. Carson continued talking in the meantime. It was clear that he was not looking up to her even though he was clearly staying below that platform.
“You wouldn’t expect loyalty from someone like that, would you?”
She raised her head a little more so as not to reveal her agitation. No matter how high the top position, if you were to stay inside the palace, your field of vision and reach would narrow.
That’s why that little rat Graham would have hidden the fact about the gold mine.
That smart eighth Prince would have already figured out how to act here, so it was almost as if it had already been decided.
“When did that child who wasn’t born from my stomach grow so big?”
“Of course, I know that it wouldn’t be strange if Count Graham, who is in prison, were hanged tomorrow.”
“What am I doing? After all, everything in his head would have been in Count Raymond’s hands anyway. Besides, since he was hanged, his head will soon be cut off from Graham’s neck.”
“It’s a shame. Your Majesty has never had a hunting dog as good as that.”
“A dog is just a dog.”
The Empress tapped the handle.
“But, Carson. My son. That won’t bring me down.”
“Your Majesty, how can you make me so disloyal and unfaithful as a son?”
The countless crimes the Empress committed while using Graham to amass her wealth were too numerous to list.
However, she didn’t think he could bring her down with just a few pieces of paper containing statements from Graham. However, there were many things he could do with it.
“I only came to ask Your Majesty a favor, this late at night.”
“Yes, what would be so difficult about that, Count Raymond?”
She tapped her red-painted lips with her ornate nails. Her ageless appearance as if by magic, was creepy.
“Why have you come to see me this late at night?”
“I believe Count Graham’s trial was held in Lesonia today.”
“I know.”
Carson smirked at the Empress’s expression, which did not change at all. Did she have a glass orb that could see into the distance? Of course, he also guessed that the Empress knew everything.
“So you must have gotten your hands on something great. You came here in the middle of the night with such a swagger...”
She raised her hand, and a young servant with a beautiful face poured red wine into the Empress’s cup.
“How could the Empress have planned something great with someone like that?”
She narrowed her eyes at Carson. Of course, she knew that he was more outstanding than the other Emperor’s children. She also knew that his mother and younger sibling had been leaning over him for safety.
She thought he was a cat hiding its claws, but he was actually a very clever young beast.
The Empress thought that she had pushed him into the position of Lord of Landhill, but judging by his recent behavior, it seemed that Carson had volunteered for the position.
“However, even if you are the Empress, you will not be able to quietly let it go if it becomes known that you conspired with someone who tried to kill the Emperor’s daughter.”
The Empress scratched the handle she was holding with her fingernails. Carson continued talking in the meantime. It was clear that he was not looking up to her even though he was clearly staying below that platform.
“You wouldn’t expect loyalty from someone like that, would you?”
She raised her head a little more so as not to reveal her agitation. No matter how high the top position, if you were to stay inside the palace, your field of vision and reach would narrow.
That’s why that little rat Graham would have hidden the fact about the gold mine.
That smart eighth Prince would have already figured out how to act here, so it was almost as if it had already been decided.
“When did that child who wasn’t born from my stomach grow so big?”
“Of course, I know that it wouldn’t be strange if Count Graham, who is in prison, were hanged tomorrow.”
“What am I doing? After all, everything in his head would have been in Count Raymond’s hands anyway. Besides, since he was hanged, his head will soon be cut off from Graham’s neck.”
“It’s a shame. Your Majesty has never had a hunting dog as good as that.”
“A dog is just a dog.”
The Empress tapped the handle.
“But, Carson. My son. That won’t bring me down.”
“Your Majesty, how can you make me so disloyal and unfaithful as a son?”
The countless crimes the Empress committed while using Graham to amass her wealth were too numerous to list.
However, she didn’t think he could bring her down with just a few pieces of paper containing statements from Graham. However, there were many things he could do with it.
“I only came to ask Your Majesty a favor, this late at night.”
He couldn’t deliver a fatal blow, but he could always create an opening.
There were nobles whose businesses had gone under because of the Empress without their knowledge, and there was also evidence that commoner children had been captured and sold as slaves abroad.
The biggest gap was the complete razing of a slum to build a casino. Once something is cracked, it will break even with a small impact.
All the imperial families that have fallen in vain throughout history have collapsed because they could not fill that small gap. The Empress knew this best.
“Go ahead. Let me come in.”
So today, it was her turn to grant his request.
“Please give me Lesonia.”
In the end, the Empress laughed out loud. However, she could not readily say so. Lesonia was a territory bordering the sea. It was a land of military, economic, and even political significance.
“Why are you hesitating? Isn’t it just a son’s whining about wanting a little more land?”
No matter how powerful someone was, he could not ignore the opinions of the nobles and the people.
Sometimes, the empress hated that fact so much that she was consumed by the desire to burn everything down. On days when people gathered in the square, her mouth was dry and she could not taste anything he ate.
“Let’s do that. Compared to what the Prince had done for the imperial family, Landhill was too small.”
“I am grateful for your words.”
It was late at night, but Carson hurried to meet the Emperor. If the Empress found out that Carson was trying to take the railroad construction rights and the monopoly on its management, she would try to nullify the unification with Lesonia.
So while Noah was coming back with a definite answer about the end of the world, he had to get the Emperor’s seal on Lesonia.
Carson looked at the imperial palace with new eyes.
He had never once asked to see his father in person during his time as Prince.
When the Emperor called him to his office and gave him instructions on work, the Empress was always with him.
However, his mother was dead, and Louis was in his hands. He had no intention of paying attention any longer.
Unlike the Empress, the Emperor called him into his bedroom. He was in his pajamas, probably thinking of going to bed. If it had been the case, he would have postponed his son’s audience until tomorrow. However, the Emperor accepted his son’s request right away.
“It’s been a long time, Carson.”
He held Carson in his arms. His son had grown so much that he could no longer fit in his arms. The Emperor took him out of his arms and looked at his most beloved child with affectionate eyes. It was an emotion he had never been able to show before.
It was something he could only do after sending him off, keeping an eye on everyone’s reactions.
“How have you been, Your Majesty?”
“Yes, yes.”
He waved his hands vigorously and guided Carson to the table in the bedroom.
“Is life outside the palace enjoyable?”
Even though he was an emperor who had lost his power to the Empress, the Emperor was still an Emperor. He was not completely unaware of what his son had done in his territory.
“Yes.”
“Your sister, so Louisianne is doing well too, right?”
The Emperor always referred to Louis as Carson’s sister, not his daughter.
“We are all fine. I thank you for allowing the trial of the conspirators of the imperial family to be held within the territory.”
“It is only natural since the person in question is here.”
He nodded and immediately changed the subject.
“Your Majesty, I came to see you today because I have a few requests.”
The Emperor poured Carson’s glass himself. He also filled his own glass. He knew that his son had no affection for his father in his eyes. It was something he had brought upon himself, but he could not help but feel bitter.
There were nobles whose businesses had gone under because of the Empress without their knowledge, and there was also evidence that commoner children had been captured and sold as slaves abroad.
The biggest gap was the complete razing of a slum to build a casino. Once something is cracked, it will break even with a small impact.
All the imperial families that have fallen in vain throughout history have collapsed because they could not fill that small gap. The Empress knew this best.
“Go ahead. Let me come in.”
So today, it was her turn to grant his request.
“Please give me Lesonia.”
In the end, the Empress laughed out loud. However, she could not readily say so. Lesonia was a territory bordering the sea. It was a land of military, economic, and even political significance.
“Why are you hesitating? Isn’t it just a son’s whining about wanting a little more land?”
No matter how powerful someone was, he could not ignore the opinions of the nobles and the people.
Sometimes, the empress hated that fact so much that she was consumed by the desire to burn everything down. On days when people gathered in the square, her mouth was dry and she could not taste anything he ate.
“Let’s do that. Compared to what the Prince had done for the imperial family, Landhill was too small.”
“I am grateful for your words.”
***
It was late at night, but Carson hurried to meet the Emperor. If the Empress found out that Carson was trying to take the railroad construction rights and the monopoly on its management, she would try to nullify the unification with Lesonia.
So while Noah was coming back with a definite answer about the end of the world, he had to get the Emperor’s seal on Lesonia.
Carson looked at the imperial palace with new eyes.
He had never once asked to see his father in person during his time as Prince.
When the Emperor called him to his office and gave him instructions on work, the Empress was always with him.
However, his mother was dead, and Louis was in his hands. He had no intention of paying attention any longer.
Unlike the Empress, the Emperor called him into his bedroom. He was in his pajamas, probably thinking of going to bed. If it had been the case, he would have postponed his son’s audience until tomorrow. However, the Emperor accepted his son’s request right away.
“It’s been a long time, Carson.”
He held Carson in his arms. His son had grown so much that he could no longer fit in his arms. The Emperor took him out of his arms and looked at his most beloved child with affectionate eyes. It was an emotion he had never been able to show before.
It was something he could only do after sending him off, keeping an eye on everyone’s reactions.
“How have you been, Your Majesty?”
“Yes, yes.”
He waved his hands vigorously and guided Carson to the table in the bedroom.
“Is life outside the palace enjoyable?”
Even though he was an emperor who had lost his power to the Empress, the Emperor was still an Emperor. He was not completely unaware of what his son had done in his territory.
“Yes.”
“Your sister, so Louisianne is doing well too, right?”
The Emperor always referred to Louis as Carson’s sister, not his daughter.
“We are all fine. I thank you for allowing the trial of the conspirators of the imperial family to be held within the territory.”
“It is only natural since the person in question is here.”
He nodded and immediately changed the subject.
“Your Majesty, I came to see you today because I have a few requests.”
The Emperor poured Carson’s glass himself. He also filled his own glass. He knew that his son had no affection for his father in his eyes. It was something he had brought upon himself, but he could not help but feel bitter.
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