As soon as we arrived in the capital, our knights were immediately sent back, and I was immediately taken into custody by Kairak's private soldiers.
With both wrists bound, 8 was placed in a barred carriage for the transport of the vicious criminals. Kairak's men covered me with a dirty blanket.
I soon realized that the blanket was the most considerate thing they could show me.
The streets were filled with imperial citizens, as if rumors had spread that I had been captured. If the carriage had not been covered with a blanket, I would have been hit by stones and eggs thrown by the crowd.
My method of escorting was overly forceful. Prisoners of the imperial family, or of noble families, are not treated in this way.
Whatever it was, the judging ceremony hadn't been held yet, and I still hadn't been stripped of my status as Princess.
But Duke Kairak reminded all the people of the empire again by sending me a vicious general escort carriage and having me ride in it through the middle of the capital.
This woman is nothing but a fraud, a liar of the same status as you. A shameless woman who impersonated the already dead Princess for her own personal glory.
Judging from the fact that the cries of the imperial people seeping in from under the blanket were not much different from that content, it seemed that Duke Kairak's plan had worked quite well. He was truly a well-planned man from start to finish.
“Please get down.”
The carriage suddenly stopped, and the rustle of the blanket sounded even more sudden.
As I hesitated in the sudden light, one of the soldiers grabbed my arm and dragged me out of the carriage. I staggered and barely managed to keep my balance.
“Follow me.”
The private spoke stiffly, as if he didn't care whether I sat down on the floor or not.
Given the shape of the carriage, I thought the prison would be even worse... If I remember correctly, this was the west spire of the palace. It was a prison primarily used to imprison high-ranking political prisoners.
It was probably intended to be a way to show me some courtesy while also blocking any sympathy that might be directed at me.
Unlike ordinary political prisoners, whose families pay for their stay here, my expenses, as a Princess, will come from the national treasury.
It was a good picture to keep the citizens angry. The fact that the fraudster was lying in a fancy prison and wasting taxpayers' money.
As I was blankly staring up at the spire, a private gave me a pat on the back.
I walked slowly. I climbed the circular staircase and was led to a prison. It looked more like an overly old nobleman’s room than a prison.
“If you have any luggage to leave, please give it to me.”
The guard who habitually said that nodded when he saw me with nothing in my hand.
“I’ll prepare water and clothes for you to wash in.”
I nodded. It felt unreal, like I was listening to someone else's schedule and not my own.
As the guard prepared to lock the door, I quickly approached the iron bars.
“When does my trial start?”
The guard looked a little worried, then opened his mouth as if he was reluctantly answering.
“It will start as early as tomorrow morning.”
I quickly caught the guard turning around.
“Just one more.”
He glanced at me without answering. Encouraged by that gaze, I asked cautiously.
“I heard that His Majesty has collapsed.”
“...”
For a moment, the guard looked at me with an indecipherable, hostile gaze.
“Has His Majesty regained consciousness? How is he feeling now...”
“I don’t know.”
He cut me off sharply. Soon, the iron bars slammed shut in front of my nose.
“You look happy.”
“Ah, after Batistan.”
Duke Kairak lowered the newspaper he was reading and pretended to know. Dmitry asked gently with a joking smile.
“Can I join you?”
“There are so many seats, why bother?”
Duke Kairak looked around slowly and asked.
It was as he said. The inside of the social club, which should have been bustling with heads of prestigious families, was too quiet. Even those who occupied the few seats here and there were not direct blood relatives of the head of the family.
After all, in a situation where the Emperor's life is in danger and a trial is being held regarding a fake Princess... If there is a man who is lucky enough to pour drinks at a social club, he would be disqualified as the head of the family.
Dmitry moved his lips calmly, a cold smile forming inside his mouth.
“Wouldn’t the best place here be next to Your Majesty?”
Kairak let out a short laugh at the blatant flattery. Soon, he nodded and offered Dmitry a seat.
“Sit down. I owe you something.”
Dmitry sat cross-legged elegantly across from the Duke. A servant came over and offered him a drink, and Dmitry ordered whiskey with large ice cubes.
He was keenly aware that the Duke of Kairak was looking at him suspiciously over the newspaper.
Dmitry asked, turning his head gracefully.
“What will Your Majesty do?”
“It's a wreck.”
As the attendant withdrew, the Duke of Kairak smiled and asked back.
“You seem to lack loyalty.”
“His Majesty has collapsed, and yet you are talking so loftily about having a drinking party.”
“As I mentioned before, it’s too direct.”
Dmitry smiled brightly.
“I don’t like talking indirectly.”
“Is it enough to be criticized as being un-noble?”
“I was born with a low class, so please be generous and understand that.”
Duke Kairak, who had been staring blankly at Dmitry, suddenly burst into laughter. The pleasant-sounding laughter suddenly stopped at some point.
“What on earth is your plan?”
“...”
“There’s no one who doesn’t know that you’re obsessed with that woman.”
“What did you wish for?”
“I thought you would run away together.”
“There is no grand scheme.”
Dmitry added with a straight smile.
“I just realized that she was a woman who couldn’t be my woman.”
“How wise.”
“I just chose it.”
“...”
“The one who will continue to lead the glory of the empire.”
With the right amount of flattery and even the right understanding of the topic, Duke Kairak shook his head as if he could not stand it at all.
“If your family had been a little more attractive, I would have given Veronica to you without hesitation.”
“It is an honor just to hear your words.”
Dmitry dismissed the Duke's remarks with a smile. It was something that every man in high society who was about to reach marriageable age had heard at least once.
It was a well-known fact in the capital's social circles that the Duke of Kairak treated his daughter as if she were an object that could be sold at will.
In fact, given the Duke's cunning nature, even this might have been a plan planned several steps ahead.
Even if Veronica were to wear the crown of the Emperor and ascend to a high position, the perception that has been built up over the years would not change easily. The nobles would remember her as the daughter of the Duke of Kairak and would not hold her in high esteem as the Emperor.
“Didn’t Batistan say he would guard the gates leading south tomorrow?”
Dmitry answered half a beat late, as if lost in thought.
“Yes, that’s right. When His Majesty was unconscious, the security of Southern Osmungand was always our responsibility.”
Duke Kairak tapped his fingers on the armrest and spoke softly, as if he was doing a great favor.
“Leave such troublesome matters to the Imperial Army, and you sit down with me in the courtroom first.”
At first glance, it seemed like a gentle suggestion, but Duke Kairak's eyes were filled with suspicion.
Dmitry accepted the gaze without batting an eyelash. He was truly a fox-like man. He wanted him to prove his loyalty by defeating the knights of Batistan.
From the beginning, he didn't believe a word he said. Not that he let go of Asha, nor that he would be loyal to Kairak.
Dmitry was being overly cautious, to the point of being unfair, considering how cooperative he had been with the Duke of Kairak in the past. But he smiled before it was too late.
“If only I could do that, it would be my ultimate honor.”
The next morning, I barely managed to wash my face in the cold water the guard had prepared for me and had a meal.
The only food I could think of was dried rye bread and water. I had no appetite at all, but I forced myself to eat and drink a few bites.
If I don't eat, I'll lose energy, and if I lose energy, I won't be able to make a proper defense at today's trial.
I thought I would be taken straight to the courtroom, but two maids came in.
They lightly powdered my cheeks and even dyed my lips. Perhaps my appearance was too pale. It was enough to arouse pity in people just by looking at me.
As soon as the preparations were complete, I was dragged into the courtroom by the guards. The commotion that had been going on for a while stopped, but then spread out of control like a fire spreading through dry leaves.
“It appeared!”
“There’s a fake Princess over there!”
“Impostor!”
From the moment I walked through the long corridor, I felt that it was particularly noisy...
Behind the jury box, the Imperial Court was packed with clenched fists and shouting. Despite the principle that the trials of the Imperial Family are not open to the public, it seemed that the Imperial Court had allowed the public to attend.
Most of them were heckling me from the moment I stepped into the courtroom.
I stood in the middle of the courtroom with my head held high as if I couldn't hear or see any of it.
“I, I, I shameless...!”
“Bad year!”
An egg slid down and burst at my feet. As soon as one began to fly in, dozens of them soon formed.
Most of them didn't even reach me, but one small tomato hit my elbow hard. I flinched more in surprise than in pain.
Soon, the knights identified the rioters and dragged them out of the courtroom.
“It’s a mess.”
The voice was particularly loud. I calmly turned my head and looked at who dared to sit on the Emperor's throne.
There was no way such a foolish act could exist in the world. Duke Kairak, and standing behind him was...
Surprisingly, it was Zachary.
As I narrowed my eyes at the unexpected combination, Zachary turned his head to the right, avoiding my gaze.
“Count Osbord.”
As the Duke of Kairak raised one hand, Count Osbord struck the floor with his baton.
The commotion that had been going on began to die down. He smiled with the corners of his mouth wide open, as if he was very satisfied with the influence that his every move had on the court.
And then he rested his chin on his hand with an arrogant attitude.
“I will now begin reporting the person impersonating the Princess.”
“Yes, Your Excellency.”
Count Osbord bowed his head politely and took out a rolled-up piece of parchment from his bosom. Then he began to read aloud.
With both wrists bound, 8 was placed in a barred carriage for the transport of the vicious criminals. Kairak's men covered me with a dirty blanket.
I soon realized that the blanket was the most considerate thing they could show me.
The streets were filled with imperial citizens, as if rumors had spread that I had been captured. If the carriage had not been covered with a blanket, I would have been hit by stones and eggs thrown by the crowd.
My method of escorting was overly forceful. Prisoners of the imperial family, or of noble families, are not treated in this way.
Whatever it was, the judging ceremony hadn't been held yet, and I still hadn't been stripped of my status as Princess.
But Duke Kairak reminded all the people of the empire again by sending me a vicious general escort carriage and having me ride in it through the middle of the capital.
This woman is nothing but a fraud, a liar of the same status as you. A shameless woman who impersonated the already dead Princess for her own personal glory.
Judging from the fact that the cries of the imperial people seeping in from under the blanket were not much different from that content, it seemed that Duke Kairak's plan had worked quite well. He was truly a well-planned man from start to finish.
“Please get down.”
The carriage suddenly stopped, and the rustle of the blanket sounded even more sudden.
As I hesitated in the sudden light, one of the soldiers grabbed my arm and dragged me out of the carriage. I staggered and barely managed to keep my balance.
“Follow me.”
The private spoke stiffly, as if he didn't care whether I sat down on the floor or not.
Given the shape of the carriage, I thought the prison would be even worse... If I remember correctly, this was the west spire of the palace. It was a prison primarily used to imprison high-ranking political prisoners.
It was probably intended to be a way to show me some courtesy while also blocking any sympathy that might be directed at me.
Unlike ordinary political prisoners, whose families pay for their stay here, my expenses, as a Princess, will come from the national treasury.
It was a good picture to keep the citizens angry. The fact that the fraudster was lying in a fancy prison and wasting taxpayers' money.
As I was blankly staring up at the spire, a private gave me a pat on the back.
I walked slowly. I climbed the circular staircase and was led to a prison. It looked more like an overly old nobleman’s room than a prison.
“If you have any luggage to leave, please give it to me.”
The guard who habitually said that nodded when he saw me with nothing in my hand.
“I’ll prepare water and clothes for you to wash in.”
I nodded. It felt unreal, like I was listening to someone else's schedule and not my own.
As the guard prepared to lock the door, I quickly approached the iron bars.
“When does my trial start?”
The guard looked a little worried, then opened his mouth as if he was reluctantly answering.
“It will start as early as tomorrow morning.”
I quickly caught the guard turning around.
“Just one more.”
He glanced at me without answering. Encouraged by that gaze, I asked cautiously.
“I heard that His Majesty has collapsed.”
“...”
For a moment, the guard looked at me with an indecipherable, hostile gaze.
“Has His Majesty regained consciousness? How is he feeling now...”
“I don’t know.”
He cut me off sharply. Soon, the iron bars slammed shut in front of my nose.
***
“You look happy.”
“Ah, after Batistan.”
Duke Kairak lowered the newspaper he was reading and pretended to know. Dmitry asked gently with a joking smile.
“Can I join you?”
“There are so many seats, why bother?”
Duke Kairak looked around slowly and asked.
It was as he said. The inside of the social club, which should have been bustling with heads of prestigious families, was too quiet. Even those who occupied the few seats here and there were not direct blood relatives of the head of the family.
After all, in a situation where the Emperor's life is in danger and a trial is being held regarding a fake Princess... If there is a man who is lucky enough to pour drinks at a social club, he would be disqualified as the head of the family.
Dmitry moved his lips calmly, a cold smile forming inside his mouth.
“Wouldn’t the best place here be next to Your Majesty?”
Kairak let out a short laugh at the blatant flattery. Soon, he nodded and offered Dmitry a seat.
“Sit down. I owe you something.”
Dmitry sat cross-legged elegantly across from the Duke. A servant came over and offered him a drink, and Dmitry ordered whiskey with large ice cubes.
He was keenly aware that the Duke of Kairak was looking at him suspiciously over the newspaper.
Dmitry asked, turning his head gracefully.
“What will Your Majesty do?”
“It's a wreck.”
As the attendant withdrew, the Duke of Kairak smiled and asked back.
“You seem to lack loyalty.”
“His Majesty has collapsed, and yet you are talking so loftily about having a drinking party.”
“As I mentioned before, it’s too direct.”
Dmitry smiled brightly.
“I don’t like talking indirectly.”
“Is it enough to be criticized as being un-noble?”
“I was born with a low class, so please be generous and understand that.”
Duke Kairak, who had been staring blankly at Dmitry, suddenly burst into laughter. The pleasant-sounding laughter suddenly stopped at some point.
“What on earth is your plan?”
“...”
“There’s no one who doesn’t know that you’re obsessed with that woman.”
“What did you wish for?”
“I thought you would run away together.”
“There is no grand scheme.”
Dmitry added with a straight smile.
“I just realized that she was a woman who couldn’t be my woman.”
“How wise.”
“I just chose it.”
“...”
“The one who will continue to lead the glory of the empire.”
With the right amount of flattery and even the right understanding of the topic, Duke Kairak shook his head as if he could not stand it at all.
“If your family had been a little more attractive, I would have given Veronica to you without hesitation.”
“It is an honor just to hear your words.”
Dmitry dismissed the Duke's remarks with a smile. It was something that every man in high society who was about to reach marriageable age had heard at least once.
It was a well-known fact in the capital's social circles that the Duke of Kairak treated his daughter as if she were an object that could be sold at will.
In fact, given the Duke's cunning nature, even this might have been a plan planned several steps ahead.
Even if Veronica were to wear the crown of the Emperor and ascend to a high position, the perception that has been built up over the years would not change easily. The nobles would remember her as the daughter of the Duke of Kairak and would not hold her in high esteem as the Emperor.
“Didn’t Batistan say he would guard the gates leading south tomorrow?”
Dmitry answered half a beat late, as if lost in thought.
“Yes, that’s right. When His Majesty was unconscious, the security of Southern Osmungand was always our responsibility.”
Duke Kairak tapped his fingers on the armrest and spoke softly, as if he was doing a great favor.
“Leave such troublesome matters to the Imperial Army, and you sit down with me in the courtroom first.”
At first glance, it seemed like a gentle suggestion, but Duke Kairak's eyes were filled with suspicion.
Dmitry accepted the gaze without batting an eyelash. He was truly a fox-like man. He wanted him to prove his loyalty by defeating the knights of Batistan.
From the beginning, he didn't believe a word he said. Not that he let go of Asha, nor that he would be loyal to Kairak.
Dmitry was being overly cautious, to the point of being unfair, considering how cooperative he had been with the Duke of Kairak in the past. But he smiled before it was too late.
“If only I could do that, it would be my ultimate honor.”
***
The next morning, I barely managed to wash my face in the cold water the guard had prepared for me and had a meal.
The only food I could think of was dried rye bread and water. I had no appetite at all, but I forced myself to eat and drink a few bites.
If I don't eat, I'll lose energy, and if I lose energy, I won't be able to make a proper defense at today's trial.
I thought I would be taken straight to the courtroom, but two maids came in.
They lightly powdered my cheeks and even dyed my lips. Perhaps my appearance was too pale. It was enough to arouse pity in people just by looking at me.
As soon as the preparations were complete, I was dragged into the courtroom by the guards. The commotion that had been going on for a while stopped, but then spread out of control like a fire spreading through dry leaves.
“It appeared!”
“There’s a fake Princess over there!”
“Impostor!”
From the moment I walked through the long corridor, I felt that it was particularly noisy...
Behind the jury box, the Imperial Court was packed with clenched fists and shouting. Despite the principle that the trials of the Imperial Family are not open to the public, it seemed that the Imperial Court had allowed the public to attend.
Most of them were heckling me from the moment I stepped into the courtroom.
I stood in the middle of the courtroom with my head held high as if I couldn't hear or see any of it.
“I, I, I shameless...!”
“Bad year!”
An egg slid down and burst at my feet. As soon as one began to fly in, dozens of them soon formed.
Most of them didn't even reach me, but one small tomato hit my elbow hard. I flinched more in surprise than in pain.
Soon, the knights identified the rioters and dragged them out of the courtroom.
“It’s a mess.”
The voice was particularly loud. I calmly turned my head and looked at who dared to sit on the Emperor's throne.
There was no way such a foolish act could exist in the world. Duke Kairak, and standing behind him was...
Surprisingly, it was Zachary.
As I narrowed my eyes at the unexpected combination, Zachary turned his head to the right, avoiding my gaze.
“Count Osbord.”
As the Duke of Kairak raised one hand, Count Osbord struck the floor with his baton.
The commotion that had been going on began to die down. He smiled with the corners of his mouth wide open, as if he was very satisfied with the influence that his every move had on the court.
And then he rested his chin on his hand with an arrogant attitude.
“I will now begin reporting the person impersonating the Princess.”
“Yes, Your Excellency.”
Count Osbord bowed his head politely and took out a rolled-up piece of parchment from his bosom. Then he began to read aloud.
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