Ivan looked shocked by the fact that Amelia had no intention of accepting him, even though he had swallowed his pride and tried to persuade her again.
"I don't want to go into detail about what the problem was. You know further discussion is pointless."
Amelia, seeing Ivan like that, calmly declared that there was nothing left for their future. The woman who once lived under the name Amelia was a woman who could be so honest and cold.
“...”
Ivan only realized it after he was pushed over the wall.
The Emperor had gathered all the evidence. The moment the trial date for the rebels who had dared to assassinate the Emperor was set, everyone in Escliff was alerted to the fact.
Of course, the harbingers of bloodshed had been there since Ian's coronation as Crown Prince, so no one was surprised. They simply rushed to raise their hands to attend the trial. It was none other than the three noble families who had held Escliff in their hands and the downfall of the temple. People were eager to see how dramatic the predetermined conclusion would be.
“Bring in the sinners!”
At the command, the door opened, and a line of bound criminals was dragged out: the Duke of Russell, the Count of Skipper, Viscount Brown, Aaron, and Amelia.
“...”
As soon as Amelia entered the courtroom, she looked up at Ivan, who was sitting at the head of the courtroom. It was the first time she'd seen him since she'd told him not to see her again. He looked thinner and more sensitive than the last time she'd seen him.
“Let the trial begin.”
“Yes, then let us begin the trial.”
Ivan deliberately avoided eye contact with Amelia. He simply ordered the trial to begin. The judge, watching the low-key Ivan, announced the start of the trial.
“Today’s trial is to punish those who have deceived the nation by falsely claiming to be Priestesses. Those present will be witnesses in today’s trial.”
The trial was intended to spread rumors among the neighborhood. Everyone hurriedly urged the judge to begin the trial, their eyes glaring.
“Sir Rodan.”
The judge finally found Rodan, wiping away the sweat with a handkerchief. It was to expedite the proceedings. Rodan nodded and stepped onto the stage.
"For a long time, they have been working to create a fake Priestess to oppose the imperial family and expand their influence. And finally, at this Crown Prince's investiture ceremony, they revealed their ambition to devour the imperial family."
Five culprits were at the end of the chin-tapping gesture. Duke Russell glared at Rodan with a furious expression, but even so, he was nothing more than a toothless tiger. Considering how his greed for the throne had led to such a futile defeat, it's questionable whether he was truly a tiger.
“They tried to kill His Majesty the Emperor by using a fake Priestess, and they tried to take the throne based on the Crown Prince who had put forth an oracle.”
“...”
“The evidence is overwhelming. I don’t know where to begin.”
Rodan looked up at the judge with a blank expression.
“Why do you say the Priestess is fake?”
"The first Amelia was an ordinary, foreign woman who washed ashore with a wrecked ship. Except for her black hair and dark eyes."
Then the judge asked a question, as if in sync with the question. His tone was more like that of an actor than a judge.
“The former Priestess confessed the secret of her lineage along with evidence.”
“Bring the evidence here.”
After turning over the old diary among the evidence Rodan was holding, he turned back to face the front.
"What I've submitted is a diary left by a woman who was the daughter of the first Amelia. It details how her father, the Duke of Russell, ruined both her mother's life and her own."
“...”
“That horrible man even forced his son to rape his daughter, just to have a girl with black hair and black eyes.”
"It's just a diary. Who knows if it's a lie?"
It was the most provocative story in the diary. Everyone in the courtroom stared at the Duke of Russell in shock. But the Duke calmly lifted his chin, claiming the diary was false evidence.
“If you need more evidence, I can show you.”
Rodan ordered the guard guarding the side door to open it. The guard immediately opened it.
"Oh my god..."
At that moment, there was a great stir in the courtroom.
“He has black hair and black eyes.”
“There are some who don’t have black hair. And their eye colors are the same.”
There were several black-haired people who were barely dressed, but whose appearance was shabby and shabby.
“These are the ones who were imprisoned in the basement of a castle in a cursed land, forced to raise their children like animals.”
“...”
"To create a man who will sow seeds so that the Priestess will give birth to a girl with black hair and black eyes. And to use those who do not fit that description in the immortality experiment, the basis of the sacred legend."
From the very beginning of the trial, Rodan exposed the Russell family's wrongful greed and ugly truths one by one.
“They say that blood is drawn every day, and at least two or three people die every year?”
The skinny man, who looked as if he was about to die, nodded hurriedly. The child standing behind him trembled with fear at the sight of the Duke of Russell and even wet his pants.
“They scalped the dead, gouged out their eyes, and threw them away.”
It was a horrific story. The ladies retched, their faces pale, as if they had heard something disgusting.
"The body floated down the river that connected to Rechton. Residents of Rechton often witnessed such horrific corpses, but they assumed it was because they were near a cursed land."
“The owner of the cursed land is Baron Jasper!”
The Duke of Russell shouted with a grim expression. He seemed determined to resist until the very end.
"Baron Jasper testified that he received money from Viscount Brown every month. This was also the case during His Majesty's recent visit to the Cursed Lands."
Rodan submitted to the judge the monthly income journal Baron Jasper kept. He said the sum was sufficient for the family to build a townhouse, so there was no need to consider hiring a fiefdom.
“And the women who were called Priestesses grew up in that city and gave birth to children.”
“Is it true?”
The judge asked a question. Amelia simply nodded in response. Her face showed no sign of denial.
“You must not lie out of immediate fear or personal comfort.”
Suddenly, Aaron intervened. Amelia paused and turned to look at him. It was the same face that had once gnawed at Amelia's wounds.
“...”
But she was prepared to die anyway, so she was scared of that kind of face.
“It’s all true.”
Amelia looked straight ahead, her face composed. She looked away from Aaron. Ivan's gaze slowly shifted from Aaron to Amelia.
"They threatened to kill me if I didn't listen. Fearful, I made a false oracle and followed their orders."
“...”
“That was why I dared to kill the most noble person in this land. I didn't want to die.”
His face was expressionless, but his eyes were carefully studying Amelia's face, as if searching for even a shred of regret.
“Since even the private soldiers of the three families were hidden in the imperial palace, pretending to be commoner knights, I thought success was inevitable.”
“It’s a lie.”
As soon as Amelia finished speaking, Aaron stepped forward.
"The temple has been saving orphans and running a relief center to keep the poor from starving. But how could we have so cruelly ruined and harmed someone's life?"
If she were just standing still, her face would be beautiful and sincere, but her earnest pleas seemed pitiful at first glance. Sure enough, those sitting in the seats stirred.
"Is there anyone here who attended the Crown Prince's investiture ceremony? If so, you probably remember the color of his hair and eyes."
“...”
"The Priestess gave birth to Ian by consorting with the Emperor, and lost her divine powers. She was worried about being rebuked by the people of the empire. Perhaps she intended to help the Emperor destroy the temple and save her life..."
Aaron denounced Amelia as a prostitute, a cowardly woman who cast out everyone in the temple for her own survival. He was also trying to drag Ian down and ruin his reputation.
“How could I, who was imprisoned in the temple all this time, have met His Majesty the Emperor, had sexual relations with Him, and given birth to His child?”
"How dare you?"
"I don't want to go into detail about what the problem was. You know further discussion is pointless."
Amelia, seeing Ivan like that, calmly declared that there was nothing left for their future. The woman who once lived under the name Amelia was a woman who could be so honest and cold.
“...”
Ivan only realized it after he was pushed over the wall.
***
The Emperor had gathered all the evidence. The moment the trial date for the rebels who had dared to assassinate the Emperor was set, everyone in Escliff was alerted to the fact.
Of course, the harbingers of bloodshed had been there since Ian's coronation as Crown Prince, so no one was surprised. They simply rushed to raise their hands to attend the trial. It was none other than the three noble families who had held Escliff in their hands and the downfall of the temple. People were eager to see how dramatic the predetermined conclusion would be.
“Bring in the sinners!”
At the command, the door opened, and a line of bound criminals was dragged out: the Duke of Russell, the Count of Skipper, Viscount Brown, Aaron, and Amelia.
“...”
As soon as Amelia entered the courtroom, she looked up at Ivan, who was sitting at the head of the courtroom. It was the first time she'd seen him since she'd told him not to see her again. He looked thinner and more sensitive than the last time she'd seen him.
“Let the trial begin.”
“Yes, then let us begin the trial.”
Ivan deliberately avoided eye contact with Amelia. He simply ordered the trial to begin. The judge, watching the low-key Ivan, announced the start of the trial.
“Today’s trial is to punish those who have deceived the nation by falsely claiming to be Priestesses. Those present will be witnesses in today’s trial.”
The trial was intended to spread rumors among the neighborhood. Everyone hurriedly urged the judge to begin the trial, their eyes glaring.
“Sir Rodan.”
The judge finally found Rodan, wiping away the sweat with a handkerchief. It was to expedite the proceedings. Rodan nodded and stepped onto the stage.
"For a long time, they have been working to create a fake Priestess to oppose the imperial family and expand their influence. And finally, at this Crown Prince's investiture ceremony, they revealed their ambition to devour the imperial family."
Five culprits were at the end of the chin-tapping gesture. Duke Russell glared at Rodan with a furious expression, but even so, he was nothing more than a toothless tiger. Considering how his greed for the throne had led to such a futile defeat, it's questionable whether he was truly a tiger.
“They tried to kill His Majesty the Emperor by using a fake Priestess, and they tried to take the throne based on the Crown Prince who had put forth an oracle.”
“...”
“The evidence is overwhelming. I don’t know where to begin.”
Rodan looked up at the judge with a blank expression.
“Why do you say the Priestess is fake?”
"The first Amelia was an ordinary, foreign woman who washed ashore with a wrecked ship. Except for her black hair and dark eyes."
Then the judge asked a question, as if in sync with the question. His tone was more like that of an actor than a judge.
“The former Priestess confessed the secret of her lineage along with evidence.”
“Bring the evidence here.”
After turning over the old diary among the evidence Rodan was holding, he turned back to face the front.
"What I've submitted is a diary left by a woman who was the daughter of the first Amelia. It details how her father, the Duke of Russell, ruined both her mother's life and her own."
“...”
“That horrible man even forced his son to rape his daughter, just to have a girl with black hair and black eyes.”
"It's just a diary. Who knows if it's a lie?"
It was the most provocative story in the diary. Everyone in the courtroom stared at the Duke of Russell in shock. But the Duke calmly lifted his chin, claiming the diary was false evidence.
“If you need more evidence, I can show you.”
Rodan ordered the guard guarding the side door to open it. The guard immediately opened it.
"Oh my god..."
At that moment, there was a great stir in the courtroom.
“He has black hair and black eyes.”
“There are some who don’t have black hair. And their eye colors are the same.”
There were several black-haired people who were barely dressed, but whose appearance was shabby and shabby.
“These are the ones who were imprisoned in the basement of a castle in a cursed land, forced to raise their children like animals.”
“...”
"To create a man who will sow seeds so that the Priestess will give birth to a girl with black hair and black eyes. And to use those who do not fit that description in the immortality experiment, the basis of the sacred legend."
From the very beginning of the trial, Rodan exposed the Russell family's wrongful greed and ugly truths one by one.
“They say that blood is drawn every day, and at least two or three people die every year?”
The skinny man, who looked as if he was about to die, nodded hurriedly. The child standing behind him trembled with fear at the sight of the Duke of Russell and even wet his pants.
“They scalped the dead, gouged out their eyes, and threw them away.”
It was a horrific story. The ladies retched, their faces pale, as if they had heard something disgusting.
"The body floated down the river that connected to Rechton. Residents of Rechton often witnessed such horrific corpses, but they assumed it was because they were near a cursed land."
“The owner of the cursed land is Baron Jasper!”
The Duke of Russell shouted with a grim expression. He seemed determined to resist until the very end.
"Baron Jasper testified that he received money from Viscount Brown every month. This was also the case during His Majesty's recent visit to the Cursed Lands."
Rodan submitted to the judge the monthly income journal Baron Jasper kept. He said the sum was sufficient for the family to build a townhouse, so there was no need to consider hiring a fiefdom.
“And the women who were called Priestesses grew up in that city and gave birth to children.”
“Is it true?”
The judge asked a question. Amelia simply nodded in response. Her face showed no sign of denial.
“You must not lie out of immediate fear or personal comfort.”
Suddenly, Aaron intervened. Amelia paused and turned to look at him. It was the same face that had once gnawed at Amelia's wounds.
“...”
But she was prepared to die anyway, so she was scared of that kind of face.
“It’s all true.”
Amelia looked straight ahead, her face composed. She looked away from Aaron. Ivan's gaze slowly shifted from Aaron to Amelia.
"They threatened to kill me if I didn't listen. Fearful, I made a false oracle and followed their orders."
“...”
“That was why I dared to kill the most noble person in this land. I didn't want to die.”
His face was expressionless, but his eyes were carefully studying Amelia's face, as if searching for even a shred of regret.
“Since even the private soldiers of the three families were hidden in the imperial palace, pretending to be commoner knights, I thought success was inevitable.”
“It’s a lie.”
As soon as Amelia finished speaking, Aaron stepped forward.
"The temple has been saving orphans and running a relief center to keep the poor from starving. But how could we have so cruelly ruined and harmed someone's life?"
If she were just standing still, her face would be beautiful and sincere, but her earnest pleas seemed pitiful at first glance. Sure enough, those sitting in the seats stirred.
"Is there anyone here who attended the Crown Prince's investiture ceremony? If so, you probably remember the color of his hair and eyes."
“...”
"The Priestess gave birth to Ian by consorting with the Emperor, and lost her divine powers. She was worried about being rebuked by the people of the empire. Perhaps she intended to help the Emperor destroy the temple and save her life..."
Aaron denounced Amelia as a prostitute, a cowardly woman who cast out everyone in the temple for her own survival. He was also trying to drag Ian down and ruin his reputation.
“How could I, who was imprisoned in the temple all this time, have met His Majesty the Emperor, had sexual relations with Him, and given birth to His child?”
"How dare you?"
Amelia asked, laughing at Aaron.
“Unless it was Aaron Skipper, who always had a crush on me.”
And he mocked Aaron, who had never had sex with Amelia. But the fact that it was Amelia who said it caused quite a stir. Everyone in the courtroom assumed Amelia had slept with Aaron.
“...”
It happened before Ivan could even think of intervening. Amelia was so disgraced that he couldn't even think of keeping her alive by his side.
“Unless it was Aaron Skipper, who always had a crush on me.”
And he mocked Aaron, who had never had sex with Amelia. But the fact that it was Amelia who said it caused quite a stir. Everyone in the courtroom assumed Amelia had slept with Aaron.
“...”
It happened before Ivan could even think of intervening. Amelia was so disgraced that he couldn't even think of keeping her alive by his side.
Comments
Post a Comment