58. The first meeting

'Why do they ask the same question?' Thyra could say her thoughts out loud. Even without the presence of the king, Thyra knew there was no way she could be disrespectful here.

"This subject is unaware of why this subject is being called here."

"So, you are denying colluding with the Eder empire and conspiring against the kingdom?"

"Huh!" Thyra looked at the person who was speaking. It was the chief royal courtier. Although his rank was just a count, he was the person who would conduct the royal court.

Count Borg Daman. He was a childhood friend of the king. He was from a neutral faction, not supporting any of the heirs of the king. However, he was the king's most trusted person.

"Lord Daman, can you explain what you mean by that?"

"How dare you ask for an explanation from the royal courtier?"

This was the first time Thyra saw the first person in Duke Dent's family. Although this person had yet to receive the title, no one could question the fact that this man would be the future Duke of the kingdom.

Thyra smiled at him before turning towards the royal courtier, asking, "Lord Daman, I can help you if you already have a story and just need a pawn to fit. If that is the case, nobody is a better fit for the position than me."

"Lady Hoax, you should choose the words wisely." The Royal courtier warned.

"Yes," Thyra answered.

"Sorry?" The royal courtier frowned, not understanding what Thyra meant by that.

"I deny colluding with the Eder empire and conspiring against the kingdom."

"How dare you lie in the royal court?" Stam, the firstborn of Duke Dent, screamed.

"Sorry, Lord Daman, can you confirm whether you or Lord Dent are the Royal courtiers?"

"You…"

Before Stam could say anything, Borg said, "Lord Dent, please behave yourself."

"But, that bi…"

"Lord Dent," Borg's voice was one pitch higher than Stam's. He looked at Borg before sitting down. Still, he continued to glare at Thyra.

"What proof do you have that proves your innocence?"

"Forgive me for the disrespect, but shouldn't the proof that accuses me of my wrongdoings be put forward first?"

"Guard…" As soon as Borg called, the guard came with a tray. Borg grabbed something and showed it to Thyra.

'It's an emblem of the Eder empire.' Thyra has no problem identifying it. Thyra could somewhat guess where the story was going.

"This is an emblem of the Eder empire," Borg said. "It was recovered from the mansion of Viscount Hoax."

Thyra suppressed her smile, asking, "And?"

"We have also recovered a letter from a former royal knight who is also working under the lady."

"What does that letter say?" Thyra had no problem understanding who they were talking about.

"Shouldn't you know?"

"How could I know if I didn't write it?"

"You didn't write it?" Borg pulled out a paper. "But it has your name on it."

"Please wait a moment." Thyra couldn't stop herself from smiling. "Before anything, I would like to ask where my father and Jullia are."

"So you are accepting the fact you are colluding with the empire?"

"Why? Because I asked where my father is. Isn't it normal for the children to look for their father? If my familial ties make me a suspect, why do you not go after my mom and brothers?"

"They didn't write the letter. You did." Stam said.

Thyra looked at Stam before looking at Borg, asking, "Does Lord Stam know about the letter's content?"

"It was Lord Stam's knights who had intercepted the letter." When Thyra looked at him, she felt there was a smile at the edge of his lips, while Borg added, "He is also the one who recovered the proof from the Viscount mansion."

"Sorry, Lord Daman, let me ask again, where are my father and knight?"

Borg looked at Thyra, sighed, and said, "Viscount Hoax has been arrested. He was injured during the fight with the knights of Duke Dent's house and hadn't woken up yet. Julia had escaped."

Thyra stopped, took a deep breath, and stood there without moving. She knew money and power could transform a lie into truth. Her previous world was no exception, nor was this one.

However, the absurdity of the logic dumbfounded her. She looked at Borg, saying, "Forgive me one last time, but my lord, if you're carrying an important letter, where are you carrying it?"

"Stop wasting the time of the royal court!" Stam shouted. Although Thyra didn't notice if Stam signalled them to do so or if they were doing it independently, some nobles also voiced their dissatisfaction.

"Lady Hoax, please…"

"If it were me," Thyra didn't let Borg finish, "I would be carrying an important document inside my dress or somewhere safe. I wouldn't be carrying it in hand while fighting the enemy and escaping, leaving only the letter behind."

There was a momentary silence in court. Expectedly, Stam was the first one to open their mouth, "That's because our knights had heavily injured her, and she couldn't get the chance to recover it."

"She was fighting and heavily injured." Thyra smiled, asking, "Then why was there not a single mark of blood or dirt on the letter? It is like the letter was written and delivered here directly."

"What are you saying? Are you accusing me of conspiring against someone like you?" Stam didn't try to control his voice, "If you are not trying to harm our kingdom, do you think a fly like you would have had the ability to come into the eye of my ducal family?"

"That is also what I am saying." Thyra turned back at Borg and said, "Even the duke of our kingdom wouldn't care for a fly like us, yet one of the empires decided to join hands with us, a viscounty with neither a prosperous domain nor a strong military."

Nobody answered her question. Thyra looked at Stam, adding, "If I were the empire, I wouldn't have joined hands with a viscount family. Instead, I would have joined hands with a ducal family."

"What are you trying to say?" Stam's voice was louder.

Borg also warned Thyra, "Lady Hoax, choose your words wisely. You can't accuse others of treason without any proof."

Thyra smiled, saying, "Let's forget that only Lord Stam knew we were connected with the empire but didn't report it to the Majesty. Also, they could beat a grade five knight but couldn't arrest a grade seven knight."

"That knight had special abilities to escape."

Thyra looked at Borg and said, "Does not my lord find it amusing that she had a special escape skill but escaped after she dropped the letter?"

"What are you trying to say? My Ducal family is conspiring against you?"

"I am not saying that." Thyra paused, adding, "I am not denying either."

"You…" Borg jumped out of his seat. He glared at Thyra, asking, "Where is the proof?"

Thyra smiled and threw away three pieces of armour with the mark of the ducal family on them. Thyra didn't know what happened to the two pieces she had given to Jullia, but she could guess when she saw a smile on Stam's face.

"What is that? Those armours? Those were stolen from the main house over a month ago. We have also reported it. They couldn't find it." Stam laughed, asking, "So you have joined hands with the thief and are trying to blame it on us?"

"Funny how the 'great' Ducal family can beat a fifth-grade knight, find the information of us conspiring with the empire, but couldn't stop a thief from stealing from their home and had needed the kingdom's help to find them."

"How dare you?" Stam came running to slap Thyra.

"Silence!" The thunderous voice shook the entire court. The door behind the throne opened, and a man with a crown walked into the hall.

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