The Right Verdict

Author's Note: Unedited Chapter

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Gustav paused briefly, allowing his words to sink in. The spectators, still on their knees, listened with rapt attention, unable to tear their eyes away from the figure before them.

"I care little for the rest of the world, but for those few, I would move mountains. It is for them that I have fought, bled, and sacrificed. Not for the applause or the accolades. Not to be branded a hero."

Gustav's eyes scanned the faces before him which were mostly filled with fear before he continued.

"The allegations against me are false. The crimes you claim I committed are fabrications. I am no saint, but neither am I the monster you make me out to be. My deeds, whether good or bad, were driven by my own motives, not by a desire to bring harm to the innocent."