Chapter 122
The nobles sat in a circle, with Nella standing at the center.
Though she had spent just one night in the imperial palace, she looked terribly haggard.
I wondered what expression she wore. Wasn’t she the same arrogant, high-nosed Balkyrino ducal lady?
“Over here.”
Hadel, seated on the imperial throne, beckoned to me. I gave a light bow and quickly moved to the seat beside him.
From this elevated position, I could clearly see Nella’s face as she stood on the floor below.
As expected, Nella was biting her lips in agitation.
The way she glanced around nervously showed she was at the peak of anxiety.
Her uniquely brilliant purple eyes no longer looked beautiful. I could plainly see her mind working, calculating how to escape this situation.
‘But there won’t be any escape for you, Lady Balkyrino.’
After briefly examining Nella’s state, I turned my attention to the nobles.
Most were from families whose daughters had attended the tea party I hosted.
In other words, these were people who had heard through their family members about what Nella had freely confessed with her own mouth.
She must be aware of this, which would explain her increasing anxiety.
Did she still believe her father would come to save her?
I naturally scanned the room, looking for Duke Balkyrino.
‘…He’s not here. Did he not attend? Even though his daughter might be sentenced to death?’
Attempted assassination of imperial family.
This wasn’t a crime that would end with demotion of status or confiscation of property.
It was an extremely serious matter where not only would the criminal face execution, but her entire family would be held accountable.
Today I had planned to detain not just Nella but the entire Balkyrino ducal family, but the Duke’s absence seemed to disrupt those plans.
“The Duke hasn’t come,” Hadel murmured quietly, apparently sharing my thoughts.
Hearing Hadel’s words, several nobles frowned and looked around.
“I don’t understand what Duke Balkyrino is thinking!”
“Does he truly intend to stay away until the end?”
“I heard he cherished his daughter, but it seems he’s abandoning her.”
“Even for Duke Balkyrino, this is…”
The courtroom grew somewhat noisy with the nobles’ murmurs.
Nella, too, kept staring at the door, starting to bite her nails.
It seemed that biting something when anxious and nervous was the ducal lady’s habit.
“We still have a little time left, so let’s wait,” Hadel said in a languid voice, gradually quieting the nobles’ restlessness.
In the silence that settled again, Nella’s expression grew increasingly vicious.
Finally, when the time came.
“…Let the trial begin.”
The Duke never appeared, and Hadel announced the start of the trial.
* * *
I had expected the trial to be a long battle. I even anticipated the worst-case scenario that it might not conclude in a single day.
Even with evidence against the Balkyrino ducal family, their power was formidable, making victory far from easy.
Moreover, nobles connected to the incident from ten years ago would obviously stand up to defend the Balkyrino ducal family.
However, unexpectedly, the Duke did not attend the trial, and perhaps because of this, no one openly defended Nella.
It seemed the nobles were intent on observing the situation first. Perhaps thinking that Duke Balkyrino might have abandoned his daughter Nella.
“Lady Balkyrino, so your claim is that while researching treatments for a rare disease, you came across various herbs and learned about the Crea flower?”
“Y-yes, that’s correct…”
“What exactly is this rare disease?”
“That’s…”
“Who was afflicted, that made you personally undertake this investigation?”
“W-well… no one was actually afflicted.”
“So you researched treatments when no one was even sick.”
As Hadel’s interrogation continued, Nella’s answers became increasingly inconsistent.
Several nobles narrowed their eyes, showing their discomfort. Some even clicked their tongues in disapproval.
“Lady Balkyrino, you must be well aware of how unconvincing your words are.”
“Y-Your Majesty…!”
Was it because her father whom she had trusted hadn’t come?
Or was there another reason?
Nella couldn’t respond properly and just chewed on her lips.
Hadel looked down at her, then twisted his lips into a sneer.
“If you continue failing to prove your innocence, you will become a criminal, Lady Balkyrino. You will no longer be treated as a ducal lady.”
“Ack…! This is unjust! I, I never…!”
At Hadel’s mocking words, Nella cried out through gritted teeth. Her trembling purple eyelashes looked pitiful, but madness lurked in the eyes beneath them.
“But there is no evidence of my guilt either! How can I be a criminal without evidence? The Balkyrino ducal family will not stay silent about this!”
“Oh? Then where is the Duke of Balkyrino who supposedly won’t stay silent?”
“…!”
Nella’s pupils dilated, and her gaze wavered. Before that trembling subsided, Hadel continued.
“I’ve heard enough of your absurd claims. Now it’s time to hear from a witness. Ashaella.”
Hadel called my name softly. I nodded and began speaking toward Nella.
“Actually, the person who gave me the Crea flower was Lady Helin of the Viscount Gael family. She said it was a gift from the Baron Gizel household.”
“T-then what does this have to do with me?!”
“I thought the same. So I sent knights to apprehend Baron Gizel, but…”
I paused briefly and shifted my gaze toward the nobles. They were all focused on my lips, waiting for my next words.
I continued:
“He was found dead, from a sudden illness. Just a few days ago, in fact.”
As I said this, I could see some nobles drawing in deep breaths. They seemed quite shocked.
“So we thoroughly searched Baron Gizel’s residence. There was a possibility he had intentionally gifted the Crea flower.”
Even while testifying, I carefully observed Nella’s expression. Though she remained anxious throughout, she showed little reaction to my mention of searching Gizel’s manor.
She must have been confident nothing would be found there.
But how long would that composure last?
“Abiil, hand that to me.”
I gestured to the maid standing quietly behind me, who passed me some documents.
Doubt and anxiety clouded Nella’s eyes as she watched.
“And we discovered this secret agreement.”
“Secret agreement…? I don’t know anything about that!”
I threw the documents toward the bewildered Nella.
The papers fell to the floor and spread open, revealing the seals of both the Balkyrino ducal family and the Gizel barony side by side.
It had a distinctly suspicious appearance that anyone would notice.
Nella picked up the documents with trembling hands.
Her eyes quickly scanned the contents, and her trembling grew more violent as she read.
“T-this… this can’t be! T-this couldn’t possibly exist! T-there’s no way…!”
Nella’s face, now pale white, seemed genuinely shocked.
She read the document over and over, blinking her eyes. But no matter how many times she looked, the words on the paper wouldn’t change.
“Lady Balkyrino, it seems this document is the evidence you’ve been crying out for.”
Nella appeared too distressed to even register Hadel’s words. Her purple eyes were wide open, as if she had seen something impossible.
“T-this can’t be. This can’t be real, Your Majesty! No! T-this is fake!”
Nella prostrated herself on the floor and cried out desperately, tears moistening her eyes.
“Silver Lily! What kind of trick are you playing? Do you think the nobles will be fooled by such a false document? This is a lie!”
In truth, it was indeed a forged document.
Nella had truly left no evidence behind. Of course, if we had searched more thoroughly, we might have found some clues, but I didn’t have much time left.
[How do you plan to handle this, Asha?]
Baron Gizel was dead, the Baron’s son claimed to know nothing, and searching the Baron’s residence turned up nothing suspicious.
Looking at Hadel, who asked worriedly, I smiled slightly.
[Ten years ago, when the Deache viscounty stood trial for treason. Do you remember what evidence Duke Balkyrino presented?]
[Fabricated… documents.]
[I’ll return exactly what they did, no, twice as much.]
Hadel’s pink eyes sparkled as he understood my question.
[But it’s not easy, Asha. Family seals have unique characteristics embedded in them. When special solutions are applied, they reveal… If examined, the forgery would be immediately exposed.]
[Hadel, where is that solution kept?]
[Of course, with the family seal… Oh, could it be?]
I nodded and stroked Hadel’s head.
[Yes. To verify the authenticity of this document, the Duke must visit where the seal is kept.]
To determine whether a seal was forged, one needed to check the hidden mark within it.
The solution that revealed these marks differed for each family, and the heads of families typically kept this solution with their seals.
To prevent potential theft, family heads usually hid their seals and solutions in secret places.
If we had enough time, Hadel could have thoroughly searched the Duke’s residence to find it secretly, but with the trial approaching, that was impossible.
So I used document forgery to make the Duke go to that location himself.
[Once the Duke moves, can you secretly obtain it?]
To my question, Hadel confidently curled his lips. A languid yet gentle smile graced his fine lips.
[Of course, Asha.]
Everything moved swiftly after that.
Since we already had Baron Gizel’s seal, we quickly forged the Duke’s seal and created the false agreement.
“V-verification! We need verification, Your Majesty! This is wrong! It’s not real! T-this seal can’t possibly be here!”
Nella cried out desperately. She looked truly desperate. It was understandable since everything she said was the truth.
The document was now in the hands of several high-ranking nobles who had requested to examine its contents themselves.
After reading everything, they all frowned deeply.
