CH 10

Trial Hearing

Translated by KaiesV

Edited by KaiesV

It is mid-September in the royal capital when a cool breeze begins to blow. The night the hearing was to be held tomorrow, Osby was having a final meeting with Edmond in the Count’s villa away from the house. Osby’s gestures today, in giving Edmond a cautionary tale of accusations, are somewhat louder than they always have been.

「Count-sama. I will not be able to attend tomorrow’s hearing. Only the Count and your faction will be required to hunt down Clanetta. Do you understand the flow of the meeting?」

「You don’t need to say it again. I know, so don’t worry. One little girl from Clanetta is something I can handle.」

Osby curses vehemently in his mind at the weakness of the big dark-haired man’s diaper, who already feels like he has won. No matter how many arrangements are made, if the person making the accusation is not solid, there is a possibility that he or she will be successfully evaded. In addition, instructions from his home country were making him impatient.

——Alcohol and gunpowder are similar to the chemicals that are secreted in his country. Be on his guard against the Duchess of Clanetta. If the hearing is unsuccessful, destroy the evidence and withdraw to his home country as quickly as possible.

This is the answer that came back to him when he reported his investigation into Clanetta. I could not tell him about the secrets of his home country, and all he could do now was to warn him. Osby had no choice but to grit his teeth at the situation caused by his poor estimation of his opponent.

「Clanetta’s handlers are probably probing here by now. I’ll leave you now, so as not to disturb the Count, and go into hiding until the matter is finished.」

「Leave it to me. It’ll all be cleared up tomorrow.」

「I am relieved to hear that. Now then…」

After bowing so deeply that he could not see his face, Osby immediately turned on his heel and left the room. When he bowed his head, his expression turned inorganic, devoid of emotion.

Considering the surveillance of the Clanetta family, Osby slipped out through a hidden passage known only to the head of the Jungk family to the meadow outside the walls of the Royal Capital. He had previously brought a bottle of fine liquor containing drugs and had secretly asked about it from Edmond. A shadow suddenly rose beside him as he stood in the meadow, illuminated by starlight and fluttering in the autumn breeze.

Osby, however, did not move an inch. He knew from the signs that they were his own loyal subordinates.

「Sweep the Count’s territory and return to our home country.」

Osby muttered a few words, and in the blink of an eye, the shadow was scratched away. For a while he stared at the starry sky, but then the sky clouded over again, and when it cleared again, he was nowhere to be seen.

◆

Early afternoon the next day. Edmond led his faction and drove a carriage to the royal castle where the hearing was to be held. The number of vehicles was a whopping 38. Eighty percent of the nobles of his faction had gathered at the royal castle.

The only ones who did not attend were those who were unable to leave to guard the border with Carrhs and the head of the Oberle family, who sent word of his sudden illness before leaving for the royal capital. Hearing that his life is uncertain tomorrow, his wife Cecille has returned to her parents’ home.

「Those two were both disappointing parent and child.」

As Edmond swore in his mouth and got out of the carriage, contemplating begging for a new wife after welcoming the Carrhs, a soldier in the uniform of the blue Kingsguard came trotting up to him.

「Count Jungk! Welcome to our home! I see you arrived early.」

「Umu. I was distracted by the fact that I had to expose the sin of the wicked one to the light of day. And they are also those who have come all the way here, driven by righteous indignation, not to allow Clanetta to plot treason. Let’s show them to their seats in the audience.」

Edmond said, stroking his unusually well-groomed black hair and turning his chin to his own faction, which was standing behind him. Of course, there is a reason he brought his faction with him. The purpose was to have the entire Eastern Knights territory testify to the rumors of the Clanetta rebellion, and to dominate the air of the inquisition. They agree with Edmond’s accusations and condemns Eliza’s defenses. This was another way for Osby to manipulate the other nobles present to gain favor in the prosecution of Eliza. This was also Osby’s idea.

「These are the people who were jointly named in the accusation. You will all be informed separately. Count, please come this way!」

The Kingsguard informed the others of the faction’s response in a clear voice and began to guide Edmond with crisp movements.

◆

「This is the venue for this hearing.」

「Here?」

「Yes. The original plan was to use the Council Chamber, but they changed it to this room, considering the large number of nobles who will be in attendance.」

After proceeding through the long and wide corridors of the castle, the soldiers leading the way stopped at an amphitheater that boasted the most magnificent splendor in the kingdom. Edmond once attended a royal banquet here. He could tell by the door in front of him that it was extravagant.

The high, double-door, which takes two people to open, is carved with large lions facing each other, representing the kingship of Rynegard. The exquisite workmanship of the selected craftsmen made Edmond feel as if it were alive.

When Edmond’s arrival was announced and the door was pushed open with a clang, he squinted against the glare of the hall. Unlike the night he was here before, the large windows leading to the terrace and the spacious interior with precious transparent glass, even on some ceilings, let in plenty of daytime sunlight. The reflections on the huge chandeliers and gold-leafed marble walls and pillars gave off an indescribable luminous glow. There is a beauty that leaves even Edmond, who despises the kingdom, speechless.

「Count. This way please.」

Edmond regains his composure at the words of his kinsman and turns his eyes to the center of the hall where the soldier had pointed out. There, a two-tiered podium was set up, with Edmond and Eliza’s seats in front of it, facing each other across the witness stand. The chairs of the audience fan out around it. Edmond gloats at the number of people who could sit there, at least a hundred. If this many seats are filled, it will be a considerable pressure for the little girl who will receive the hearing. Elizabeth was going to be unable to even utter a word, not to mention using a factionalist.

She strode with great strides down the center aisle that divided the audience into two sections and took her seat on the left side of the accuser’s table. The front of the room was still empty, but Edmond could see Elizabeth’s face turning blue, and he was anxiously awaiting the start of the inquisition.

◆

The time for the hearing approaches, and the nobles in attendance enter the hall one after another. However, Edmond was growing frustrated with his own faction, which was not showing up at all. Undeterred, he turned to the Kingsguard who was standing behind him.

「You over there. Where did the noblemans who came with me lead you?」

「Hah! I will check with you, sir.」

With agile movements, the imperial guard headed for the exit and returned after a while with an apologetic look on its face.

「I am sorry Edmond-sama. Due to the number of people who wish to attend the meeting, priority will be given to those in high positions.」

「Muh, well, I guess that’s that then…」

Edmond’s factions are numerous, but the nobility of those who belong to them is low. Most of them are chevaliers at the lowest level, with a few barons and viscounts. The only count were the Jungks. In these cases, his faction would be turned last. Bitterly but inevitably, he waited for the other participating nobles to break off. In the end, however, most of the seats were filled by high-ranking nobles, and only a few nobles from the Jungk clique were able to take their seats.

Just as Edmond was about to call out to the Kingsguard to ask for more seats and invite his factions, a high pitched voice announced the arrival of King Philip and Prime Minister Roger.

「His Majesty the King, Your Excellency the Prime Minister!」

The nobles instantly stopped their banter, rose from their seats and bowed their heads to greet both men. Edmond bows his head as well. Philip, the king, who is over fifty, steps to the center with a relaxed motion, followed by the tall Roger. The king sat on the upper step of the podium and Roger sat on the lower step. The king nodded toward the lower step, and Roger took the opening oath in a firm voice that resonated in his belly, not unlike that of an old man.

「The Duchy of Clanetta will now hold an inquest against her eldest daughter, Elizabeth Clanetta! By the grace of God, His Majesty the King, I, Roger, your Vizier, will conduct the hearing in a fair manner. Anyone with an objection, raise your head and step forward!」

The atmosphere was such that it was no longer possible to say anything about adding seats, and Edmond, like the other nobles, was forced to bow his head more deeply.

「Well, then. Everyone, raise your heads. Now then, the hearing will now be held. Miss Elizabeth here!」

Edmond struggled to keep his cheeks from twitching with the joy that the moment had finally arrived. He looks at the closed hall door and waits anxiously for the girl who has been summoned to the inquisition. He could look despair-stricken, or he could look jaded and desperate. Either way, he thought, it would be a sight to behold. The nobles in the audience seemed to do the same, staring at the door and waiting for the king and the prime minister to arrive.

When the doors were finally opened, all sound disappeared from the hall that had been buzzing. And Edmond, too, was momentarily captivated by the girl who emerged from there.

◆

There she was, a beautiful lady. Dressed in a pure white, but not extravagant dress that attests to her unblemished body, she approaches the podium with her face slightly downcast, her blonde hair reaching down to her neckline, her steps so quiet that they do not sway. Everyone present could not take their eyes off the girl, whose beauty was as ladylike as a single white lily. And only when the girl stopped in front of the chair in front of Edmond and bowed to the king and vizier did Edmond realize that it was Elizabeth, and he gaped in astonishment.

「Now, then, once both parties are present, the oath of office is administered. Do you swear by the Lord God Pastia and the Guardian God Rynegard that you will testify only to the truth in this hearing?」

「I swear!」

「I swear.」

Impatient that the atmosphere of the place had been stolen from him, Edmond took the oath loudly in an effort to attract attention. Most of those in the audience, however, remained transfixed by Eliza. This again irritated Edmond and made him look at Eliza with hatred. Then she opened her eyes wide and let out a large tear, her shoulders shaking. The aristocrats, watching the scene, cast a reproachful glance at the grand old count who had threatened the helpless girl.

「E–Everyone. Do not be deceived! This girl is a traitor! Prime Minister. If you start the inquisition, this vixen will be unmasked.」

「Well then. Then take the stand and give evidence of her treason.」

Realizing that his own flag has been shaken, Edmond rushes the Prime Minister. Finally, he stood confidently on the center podium, occasionally looking at the audience behind him as he began to cite『evidence』that Eliza was a rebel.

「Some of you, may still remember it. I am referring to the ball held this spring at the residence of the Prime Minister. It was this Elizabeth who harmed the Crown Prince in that place. Although His Highness has forgiven her for her kindness, she despises the royal family to the point that she doesn’t even know their faces.」

Some nobles who were not present at the scene looked at Eliza and Edmond with a look of disbelief at what they had just heard. However, when the Prime Minister does not deny Edmond’s statement, some people begin to look at Eliza with suspicion. Edmond, who had overheard this, realized that the plan had begun to run.

「Then suspicious activity in the Clanetta territory began to be rumored in our Eastern Knights territory. At first, I too thought that the Clanetta family had rebelled against the government and that it was just a malicious bluff. However, a merchant who had come to the kingdom told me that there were rumors throughout Rynegard. As a nobleman of the kingdom who loved peace and order, I could not dismiss the people’s appeal, so I conducted my own investigation. Then that happened!」

Edmond spreads his hands wide, attracting the attention of the nobles in the audience. His own performance was absolutely necessary, as he could not let his accusations go unheard because of Eliza’s eye-catching presence. Edmond is not pleased with this strategy, which Osby devised to make him gesture like a clown. Still, he went because of his single-minded hatred of Eliza.

「I have received a number of findings that appear to be evidence of rebellion. For example, I know from the testimonies of young people who fled to our Jungk territory that they had military training for the city’s youth. In fact, many are reported to be conducting military training in the vicinity of Amyn, the Clanetta family’s stronghold.」

Edmond insists that the reason they are spending all their time training now, when there are no wars with neighboring states, is to turn their power inward, which makes the lords uneasy. The crap about the young men running away was a complete lie, but it was true that self-defense training was taking place in the Clanetta territory. The aristocrats’ gazes began to turn wary as he conveyed this to them in a needle-and-stick manner. If a civil war were to break out, his own territory would be threatened. The eyes of suspicion begin to focus on Eliza.

How much can she defend herself under the pressure of the gaze? Eliza took the witness stand in place of Edmond, who returned to his seat with a small grin on his face. Then, in a young but dignified voice, she proudly declared.

「Count Jungk’s accusations are complete horseshit. The training is to ensure the security of our territory.」

Some of the nobles let out a breath of admiration for Eliza, who, in a complete turnaround from her earlier tears, refuted the slander against her own house, unperturbed by the stares of those around her. Edmond was stunned for a moment, and then his blood rushed to his head and he repeated his question.

「Don’t lie to us! What are you going to do with all these young people!」

「It seems that you don’t believe me when I say that it is for the security of the territory. Let me begin by telling you why I brought these young people together.」

No one saw her golden eyes light up as if to say, “I’ve got him,” at Edmond’s questioning, except for the old man at the altar, who was smiling in his white beard.