Chapter 12

Finally, the day of the trial.

The courtroom was packed with a multitude of people.

It was a case where the Empress herself accused her father, who was also the head of the most prestigious house in the empire, Count François.

Regardless of social status, everyone's attention was inevitably focused.

After the audience took their seats, the defendant and plaintiff, along with their lawyers, appeared, except for the Empress.

Lastly, Emperor Henri, Empress Ermedillin, and Vallière took their seats in turn.

Vallière sat right next to the Emperor. Of course, it was one level lower, but it was the same distance from Empress Ermedillin.

Daring to show his face next to the Emperor at such a public event was highly unusual and insulting to the Empress, but Ermedillin tried hard not to pay attention to Vallière.

'Right. They were lovers since they were young. Childhood sweethearts. They'll divorce soon, so they won't have anything to do with me. Why bother?'

Meanwhile, Vallière was struggling to suppress a constant smile.

He had heard about Ermedillin's illegitimate child from Count François a few days ago.

Vallière had no intention of letting this trial go in favor of the Empress.

It was highly unlikely, but if they really settled the debt and donated, it would be a big problem.

Thinking of his miserable life, sacrificing and enduring for the position of Empress so far, he thought that the witch must fall.

'The Count should do it right.'

In Tribian, the royal family receives different treatment from other people.

The Emperor is considered a divine being who especially loves humans among the many gods worshiped in Tribian.

Therefore, Ermedillin was sitting separately in the Empress's seat as the plaintiff of this trial, and only Pellio was standing in the plaintiff's seat, showing no emotion on his face.

Ermedillin glanced at Pellio, but his face showed no emotion, so she could not figure him out.

The trial was not supposed to be difficult, but suddenly a variable named Ferdinand appeared.

Ermedillin felt uneasy, not knowing how the Count would use that variable.

She looked around the courtroom and glanced at her father, Count François, sitting in the defendant's seat.

His face, which was pale when he threatened her just yesterday, was strangely full of anxiety.

He seemed to be trying to remain calm, but his wandering eyes seemed to well represent his feelings.

'He must be anxious about what he has done.'

From the beginning, she was only a possessed person and had no affection or family memory for Count François.

The only memories she had were unforgivable actions, barely human.

Having laid hands on the royal family, it was certain that he would receive severe punishment if found guilty, but she felt neither sympathy nor guilt.

He had abused his daughter, killed maids, and used his grandson for threats.

From a modern perspective, he was the worst of the worst, deserving of the death penalty.

So the trial proceeded as expected.

No matter how immoral she was, receiving the hatred of all the people, Ermedillin was still a royal.

Maidens and the guards who were dismissed by Henri, even Luize, the royal palace's exclusive priest, nobody was on the side of the Count of Fransoir when testimonies were being given about his assault.

The Duke of Fransoir, thinking the trial was turning against him, suddenly stood up and began to shout at the Emperor, despite his defense team's attempts to restrain him.

"It's a conspiracy! Your Majesty! That bitch, no, Queen Ermedillin is a woman who lies every time she opens her mouth! The witnesses must all have been bribed! That woman never even deserved to be a queen in the first place!"

'Ah, it seems like he's about to explode now.'

I resolved to deal with it as calmly as possible, but I couldn't help feeling nervous when it actually came.

Even though it was said that there would be no death penalty for having a child out of wedlock since it was born before the marriage, there still would be punishment.

'I expected some punishment, after all. Given this woman's history, I can't just let it go.'

Ermedillin slyly glanced at Henri, who would decide her life or death.

He was looking at the Duke of Fransoir with an interesting expression, but that was all; I could not read his thoughts.

'Why are all the people so hard to understand? At least Vallier seems to be the easiest to deal with.'

It's only natural to find it easier to deal with someone who clearly shows their intentions.

Sure enough, as soon as the Duke of Fransoir began to speak, a triumphant smile appeared on Vallier's face that he couldn't hide.

"What do you mean, she's not qualified?"

At Henri's question, the Duke, pleased with himself, began to spill everything about Ferdant.

"She has a bastard! A son born before she became the queen!"

The hall began to buzz at this shocking statement.

But the spectators didn't seem too surprised.

After all, it was the immoral queen, the worst witch of the empire, Ermedillin. Adding the fact that she had a child out of wedlock wouldn't further tarnish her image.

So, everyone's reaction was merely, 'I thought as much.'

'Wow, being a villain isn't necessarily a bad thing. It's actually comfortable in times like this.'

"Where is this… bastard child now?"

At Henri's question, the Duke of Fransoir glared at Ermedillin and replied in a sharp voice.

"He's very safe and well under my protection."

Ermedillin knew, despite the content, that his words were a threat.

But a chill suddenly ran through her body as she wondered why he had brought the child all the way to the capital but hadn't brought him into the courtroom.

'Did he render the child unable to be brought into the courtroom? Barely breathing, perhaps?…'

Based on what I've seen so far, that man could do something like that to his own bloodline.

A wave of anxiety enveloped her at the grim thoughts, and Ermedillin suddenly felt as if her heart was being squeezed.

Unable to breathe properly, she coughed, and Henri casually turned to her and asked.

"What shall we do?"

Embedded in Henri's simple question was this meaning:

Will you continue the trial with your child's safety at stake?

Understanding his meaning, Ermedillin wanted to shake her head with her mind, but her heart kept sending the opposite signal.

For a witch who used other people's babies as ingredients for curses, she seemed sincere when it came to her own child.

Now I understand why the original Ermedillin accepted her fate so willingly, even with the long list of customers and evidence of the Duke's crimes.

She was an evil woman with no excuse, but at the same time, she was also an ordinary mother.

The child's safety had not been confirmed, so the trial could not continue.

"I'm not the child's parent, but an innocent child is being abused nonetheless."

Finally, the painful tug- of- war between the mind and the heart had ended.

The time had come to file a lawsuit against the Count and accept the fate of the villain with a balance of zero won.

"I, I did everything… rigged…"

A faint voice leaked from Ermedillin's lips, as she clutched her heart.

At that moment, as everyone concentrated to hear her voice, a creepy smile appeared on Vallier's face.

"I did it."

"I can't hear you, Your Majesty the Empress. Speak up!"

At the judge's request, Ermedillin tried to stand up to speak properly, but just then, Henri whispered to her.

"I'm taking care of it."

"??"

Not knowing what happened, Ermedillin looked confused as Henri slowly stood up and looked down at the crowd.

Although it was a simple gesture, the courtroom was quickly silenced by the imperial aura emanating from his entire body.

"I knew about it already. The Empress confided in me before our marriage."

"??"

Startled by Henri's words, Ermedillin turned her head and met Vallier's eyes, who had been looking at Henri too.

Vallier's pale- colored eyes were burning with unbelievable hatred.

That delicate hatred was clearly directed not at himself, but at Henri.

'Weren't they sworn enemies? In the novel, Vallier is an angel itself. He couldn't possibly make such a face…'

Whether the two women were looking at each other or not, Henri's words continued.

"Moreover, the child is not illegitimate. There was definite confirmation from the priest that it was a child born to a husband with whom she had officially married."

At Henri's words, Count François's eyes bulged out.

"That can't be! Ferdant is definitely a bastard born from the Empress's affair with the stableman…"

"Whether it's a stableman or a farmer, weren't they officially married in front of the priest? How could a child from them be illegitimate?"

"No! You are mistaken! There was no possibility of a marriage. That wretched woman, as soon as she knew about the pregnancy, I had her killed…"

"What do you mean?"

"She was trampled to death by a horse."

"Couldn't they have married before she got pregnant?"

"That's absolutely impossible."

"Why?"

At Henri's question, Count François's lips trembled, but he couldn't say a word.

What could he say about the fact that he had cruelly killed her as soon as he found out about the affair, and even before that, Ermedillin had been virtually imprisoned in the castle and couldn't meet a priest?

"Didn't I say I had confirmation from the priest? Are you saying I am lying?"

No matter how much he hated the Empress, the scandal of an illegitimate child would not benefit the Trevian Empire.

Moreover, it could be a weakness exploited by the enemies coveting the borders of the empire.

The nobles, understanding the situation, unanimously jeered at Count François.

As Henri listened to the jeers with a satisfied expression, he signaled to the judge, who declared a brief recess before the verdict.

"Your family doesn't seem to be very harmonious either?"

Henri sat down next to Ermedillin, who was still clutching her heart, in an elegant posture and asked calmly.

"Is the child safe?"

Ermedillin was now more curious about the child's wellbeing than the direction of the trial.

To her desperate question, Henri displayed a merciful smile, truly fitting for the emperor called the incarnation of God.

"Safe and sound. If you wish, I can show it to you."

"Is that true?"

"If you, as the empress, show the love you have for your child to the people."

For a moment, she was elated at the thought of meeting the child, but Ermedillin soon realized.

The weakness that could imprison her had simply passed into the hands of another.

The verdict was as follows.

Daring to lay hands on the royalty, most of the entire fortune of the Duke of Fransuar was confiscated and given to Empress Ermedillin.

Though considering that she was his daughter- in- law, the title was not taken away, but a title without land or soldiers to command was nothing more than a facade.

By principle, the punishment for the crime of daring to insult the royalty should have been execution, but Henri could not completely cut off the duke's life because of the crimes committed during the competition for the throne.

The sight of the duke walking out of the courtroom on two good legs despite having dared to wound the body of the incarnate God appeared to those who did not know the inside story to be a generous disposition.

But the duke, even as he was dragged out of the courtroom, cursed his daughter to the end.

The duchess and her brother Ermond also did not forget to send a gaze full of hatred toward Henri and Ermedillin.

It seemed that they planned to take refuge in the Countess of Eshulan's house for a while.

Pellio, the empress's side lawyer, naturally argued for the confiscation of the title and execution, but Henri did not accept it, of course.

Having defended to the best of his ability, but annoyed that the verdict did not meet his expectations, Pellio approached Ermedillin and sneered.

"A reasonable compromise. You must be satisfied finally having the money you wanted in your hands?"

He seemed to specialize in sneering with an expressionless face, for sure.

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This novel has been translated up to chapter 96.

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