CH 155

Following King Wilhelm and Prime Minister Dietrich’s appearances, an uproar ripped through the venue. No one can understand what is going on. Even though it was a trial of Duke Bayen’s for the alleged crimes of Patent Infringement and Property Theft committed against him, these two unrelated parties showed up and stimulated the curiosity of the audience and observers.

On the contrary Duke Bayen’s judge gasped and the prosecution cannot hide their panic. The original plan was to have the witnesses testify that the culprit had admitted to the crime without conducting an interrogation, convincing the audience, and then handing down the verdict immediately. Yet with Dietrich acting as defense counsel, they had to go through the normal procedure.

At this point, the judge and prosecutors are in a very bad position. In the first place, the three suspects have not been questioned and have not admitted to the crimes. After all, commoners and small companies probably don’t even know the procedures of a trial, and even if they knew it, they would not be able to go against the nobles and judges, so they intended to force their way through.

Even so, if Dietrich became their lawyer, it would soon come to light that they’d lied about the results of an interrogation that never happened. It is certain that the prosecution’s heads will fly with just that crime alone. Even if the judge excused himself by saying he was merely reading out the prosecution’s report, he would still be in an overwhelmingly terrible position compared to them.

It was so unexpected that Duke Alto Bayen couldn’t even think of what to do. However, there is no reason not to go to trial now. If the trial was stopped because the two of them came out here, they would be investigated even more. In order to prevent this, they have no choice but to push through the trial and win it.

It should be fine. They have the evidence and the witnesses. Even if there is some clumsiness by the prosecution, it has nothing to do with Alto. It’s just that the prosecution’s investigation was the problem, so it’s a good story to cut off the prosecution. There is already no way to save them, but Alto and the judge should proceed with the trial normally and win. The thought lifts their spirits.

“If I could please have a moment?” the young lady sitting next to Alto, Helene, said.

Alto had no idea what his daughter was going to say but he had no reason to stop her. As the judge urged her to continue, Helene said,

“If someone like Prime Minister Dietrich is used as counsel for the defendants, wouldn’t it be difficult for the prosecution and the judge to give fair and impartial opinions? I believe it goes against the principle of a fair and impartial trial.”

Alto, the judge, and the prosecutor all shouted, “Yes! What the young lady said!” From the audience, the mutterings of “I see.” and “That’s certainly true.” spread.

“You’ve got quite the clever child, Duke Bayen,” Wilhelm said.

“Sire, thank you very much,” Alto said as he and his collaborators were convinced of their victory.

However…

“Unfortunately, it seems that you do not understand,” Wilhelm said. “Judges are those to whom I have entrusted the judicial power of my royal authority. In other words, the judge’s words are my words. There is no judge who would destroy a fair trial just because Dietrich is the attorney. Don’t you agree, Your Honor?” Wilhelm said, glaring at him.

“Y-Yes…!” the judge replied, his back straightening.

That was that. As long as the judge agrees, it’s a decision. Alto put his hand on his forehead and shook his head, but it was too late.

Helene clenched her teeth, just barely controlling herself. The way she took it, the King himself told her she didn’t know anything. She openly glares at Wilhelm, but Wilhelm silently dismisses it as something a child would do.

“Then I am allowed to be the defense attorney here,” Dietrich said. “I’ll proceed as soon as possible. First of all, let’s get the timeline of events straight. The case begins with Lady Helene’s evening party, so we’ll use its date as the starting point.”

Dietrich begins to lay the events out in reverse chronological order:

“Am I correct to say this is your claim, members of House Bayen, the prosecution, and the judge?” Dietrich said.

“……Yes,” Alto said as he and the judge nodded.

It’s written in the records he forged, so there’s no need to change it now. However, he’s caught off guard by Dietrich saying “your claim” but there is no point in pursuing it, so he will remain silent.

“That these two cases, which should have been tried separately, are being tried simultaneously is because they are closely related,” Dietrich said. “The Trading Firm which is accused of selling of a product without permission is also accused of having infiltrated House Bayen’s evening party and stealing a large amount of Hexen White Porcelain…”

The way Dietrich is phrasing it seems laden with a trap, but there’s no reason to object here, either, so Alto will listen quietly. With Alto’s claim and the timeline laid out, Dietrich moves on to the next step.

“Then, please present House Bayen’s claims and their grounds for making them, as well as their evidence,” Dietrich said to the judge.

And so both evidence and witnesses are prepared. The first to be brought out is the Patent Office documents.

“Here are the patent documents issued to Duke Bayen,” a Patent Office employee said, bringing forth a sealed document.

The first thing that came to Alto’s mind is that it wasn’t Viscount Hermann Herlitz.

“And this would be the document regarding Duke Bayen’s ‘Pudding’ Patent, as submitted to the Patent Office?” Dietrich asked.

“There is no mistake……” Alto said.

He had no choice but to say it. The sealed letter is certainly signed by Alto von Bayen and Hermann Herlitz and sealed with wax. It was impossible for him to pretend he didn’t know this.

“Signed by Duke Alto von Bayen in his hand, signed also by Viscount Hermann Herlitz, a Patent Office official, and the wax has been sealed by both House Bayen and the Patent Office,” Dietrich said. “And now Duke Bayen has also confirmed it is his. Please, everyone, examine it.”

As it was now clear with the judge, the prosecution, and the audience, Dietrich has the exhibit put on a table in the center of the courtroom. With this, it is not possible for someone to arbitrarily touch it during the trial.

“Well then, shall we listen to the witnesses next?” Dietrich asked.

At that, a witness of House Bayen was brought to the stand. He was one of the nobles who had just been invited to the event but wasn’t particularly interested in having a connection with Bayen.

“Then, let me ask you a question,” Dietrich said. “You learned, touched, and ate pudding for the first time at Lady Helene’s evening party. Are you certain the tableware used then was Hexen White Porcelain?”

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“Yes,” the witness said. “I learned about pudding for the first time in my life at Duke Bayen’s evening party and ate it then. The tableware then was definitely Hexen White Porcelain.”

There is nothing the judge and prosecution haven’t already heard because Dietrich has already heard everything,

“Then… is that piece you saw at the party the same as this one?” Dietrich said.

The court was abuzz as Dietrich produced a plate as another exhibit.

“Yes! That’s right! I can’t mistake this pattern!” the witness said. “I remember it well, it was such a finely crafted plate!”

The plate is very finely made and has an equally intricate pattern. In the first place, since Hexen White Porcelain is rare and valuable, nobles who are interested in such things oftentimes had an eye for tableware in general. Thus, they could count on his never forgetting or mistaking such a distinctive piece.

“Thank you very much,” Dietrich said. “Now, let’s move on to the next.”

The witnesses were kept waiting in a separate room to avoid loss of impartiality due to prior information and were unaware of the exchange just now. All the witnesses who came one after another answered in the same way, looking at the plate Dietrich served, they answered that it was definitely the same design as the tableware then.

Alto and the others felt a bad premonition. No, rather, they only had bad feelings feeling since King Wilhelm was found sitting in the audience. But the trial cannot be stopped now.

There is no omission. No failures. All the evidence is ready. It shouldn’t matter if the plate that Dietrich showed was really the plate that day or if it happened to be another plate that happened to be similar. Where did that plate come from? If it was prepared by the company in question, it would only be possible to supplement the claim that they stole it from House Bayen.

Alto, the judge, and the prosecutor calmed down by thinking that.

“Moving on…” Dietrich said, “this is the evidence and witnesses prepared by House Bayen and the prosecution. It is true that most of the guests who attended the event only learned of pudding then. And this same plate was used as a vessel for the pudding. Furthermore, after that event, all of these plates went missing from Duke Bayen’s residence.”

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From the point of view of the audience, it seemed as if the answer had already been given. In the midst of all the hustle and the bustle at the party, a company with whom House Bayen does not have a contract colludes with someone inside the manor and invades the event, pretending to be making a delivery. They stole the recipe for the pudding served at the evening party, and then took out the Hexen White Porcelain they were served in, and then escaped with both. From the next day, they started selling pudding with impunity at their store.

Everything seems consistent. Normally, the company would be found guilty.

“House Bayen, the prosecution, and the judge have no objections or opinions, do they?” Dietrich asked.

““”…………””

The three looked at each other. There should be nothing in particular. So far everything is going as planned. If Wilhelm and Dietrich weren’t in the way, they were just going to hand down the verdict and close the trial. So far, everything is going according to House Bayen’s expectations.

“There is no doubt,” Alto said.

The judge and the prosecution nodded at Alto’s words. Dietrich nodded as if satisfied with that, as well.

“Then, let’s start with the time-consuming tasks first,” Dietrich said. “Lord Bayen, there are still some Hexen White Porcelain pieces left in your home, aren’t there?”

“Huh…? There are..?” Alto started, accidentally answering straight away.

By the time he realized his carelessness in answering honestly without knowing what the other person was thinking, it was already too late. Above all, he didn’t have time to think carefully about Dietrich’s thoughts. The delay in replying makes the answer appear unreliable to those around them. He told himself there was no time to hesitate.

“Then let’s have them bring them out first,” Dietrich said. “Of course, for the sake of fairness, it’s out of the question for House Bayen to bring them on. Let’s have a group that everyone can agree has no stake in the proceedings.”

With a terrible premonition about Dietrich’s words, Alto tried to hurriedly send a messenger to tell the House Servants to hide all Hexen White Porcelain remaining in his home. But, it does not come to pass.

“No one will move!” Wilhelm cried. “I will not allow anyone to leave this place without my permission. I will also decide who will travel to Duke Bayen’s home. Is that clear?”

Everyone froze. Wilhelm indifferently selects the personnel. He does not, however, directly name an individual.

A court official, a member of the prosecution, a witness for the defendant, and two people sitting in the spectators’ stands who had nothing to do with either side of the trial were selected. No one openly complains about the reasonable selection. In addition, it is decided that a member of House Bayen will be present at the site.

If anyone has trouble with this selection, it’s only House Bayen. The judge in charge and the prosecutor in charge of this trial had Bayen breathing down their necks, but the other court and prosecution staff had nothing to do with it. They couldn’t even tell them to move ahead and hide the dishes, and among the people who headed to the Bayen Residence to secure the evidence, there wasn’t a single person on Alto’s side.

It should still be fine. The Hexen White Porcelain originally owned by House Bayen certainly remains in the mansion, but what is the problem even if they seized them?

Alto took a deep breath to calm his pounding heart.

“Well… it will take some time before we can Duke Bayen’s Hexen White Porcelain from his home, so let’s get a few more things done in the meanwhile,” Dietrich said. “First of all, let’s get these two documents out there. Make sure no one lays a finger on them from now on.”

Dietrich lays down two documents at the same table as House Bayen’s patent documents. As Alto sees one of them, he could not stop his heart from racing once more.

He didn’t know what one of the documents was. But the other one looks very familiar. After all, it had the same seal of the Patent Office, just like the one addressed to House Bayen beside it. Alto could not help but fear what was about to happen.