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Published at 22nd of November 2022 04:56:24 AM


Chapter 98

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The next day after discussing how to succeed to the throne with Rosena.

Yerhan summoned the nobles in the capital and announced in front of them that he would ascend to the throne.

At the same time that the faces of the nobility were colored, he set the conditions.

First, the throne will not be hereditary, but will be passed on to a suitable person.

Second, he doesn’t want to neglect his family, so he will make his business hours clear.

The nobles, who heard the conditions, turned over once again, but Yerhan did not back down any longer.

“If not, then I will consider this to never happen.”

The nobles had no choice but to accept the conditions with tears in their eyes when he said that he would quit if they didn’t like it.

So, three days after Yerhan decided to ascend to the throne.

Finally, a trial was held to dispose of the crown prince and Duke of Eloa.

Rosena wore calm clothes to attend the trial. Dresses and accessories were kept to a minimum, and her makeup was lightened to look as if she was not wearing makeup.

Yerhan wanted Rosena not to attend the trial. But Rosena wanted to see the crown prince pay the price with her own eyes.

Yerhan, unable to dissuade Rosena, came to pick her up before the trial. The two left the palace side by side and got into the carriage.

Rosena looked out the window and realized that the scenery was not unfamiliar. It was the same road that she had passed before when it was Yerhan’s trial.

The feeling was new, but strangely calm.

She was neither happy nor angry, either.

Now, Zigrit has become meaningless to Rosena.

When they arrived in front of the court, a large number of people had gathered.

Most of them were commoners, but they left their jobs because they were curious about the outcome even though they could not enter the courtroom.

As Rosena and Yerhan got off the carriage, loud cheers filled the surroundings.

“His Majesty the Emperor!! Her Majesty the Empress!!”

Rosena looked around in surprise. What did they mean with the emperor and empress…

However, everyone had a face that did not doubt that the third prince and princess would become the new emperor and empress.

She heard that the people’s perception of Yerhan had changed a lot, but she didn’t expect it to be this much.

Rosena and Yerhan entered the building amidst cheers from the crowd.

Rosena walked down the hallway and stood in front of the courtroom’s door, unable to enter.

The moment they had arrived, various thoughts flooded her mind. Then Yerhan reached out and took Rosena’s hand.

The hand that was clenched was tight, and all useless thoughts were scattered.

The two entered the courtroom side by side. Then, attention was drawn at once, and the people who were sitting got up from their seats at once.

Rosena and Yerhan, who walked proudly, sat in the front row.

After the two of them sat down, the back door was sealed and the judge entered.

The judge was Duke Dustin, who had previously presided over Yerhan’s trial.

The audience and the judges remained the same, but what changed was the plaintiff and the defendant.

When Duke Dustin sat down, everyone in the courtroom became quiet.

Except for one person.

“Let go! Don’t you know who I am?!!”

With a loud shout, someone was pulled out from the inside. The man who was forcibly placed on the defendant’s seat was the Duke of Eloa.

The gray hair that formed from the period he had not been seen seemed to tell of his hardships.

His face was very haggard, but the poison didn’t go away completely.

Duke Eloa looked around hastily.

Most of his supporters were not in the courtroom, and if they did, they were now against him.

“Then I will start the trial against Duke Eloa first.”

Originally, he would recite a brief summary of the charges before the trial began, but it was difficult to do so because there were so many crimes.

“I’m falsely accused!”

“It is noisy. Be quiet.”

At Duke Eloa’s cry, Duke Dustin frowned and tapped with the wooden hammer.

When he said that he would not give him a chance to defend himself if he continued to riot, Duke Eloa shut his mouth.

“Defendant, Denverson Eloa. Do you swear to God that you will only tell the truth?”

“Swear or whatever it is! I can do more than that!”

The judge pressed down onto his forehead. If he kept pointing it out one by one, today’s trial might not end.

The judge silently scanned the paper with the charges written on it.

“….There were too many crimes. Actually, I haven’t finished reading it either.”

Whenever he was about to finish reading Duke Eloa’s numerous sins, new documents came in.

Even if he stayed up all night for a week or so, it did not end.

“I’ll summarize it for now.”

The judge began to recite the summary of the charges.

Tax evasion, embezzlement, bribery, extortion, bribery, etcetera…. As he listed more and more of his sins, Duke Eloa’s face hardened.

In particular, Duke Eloa jumped up from his seat when he was accused of forcibly seizing and evading tax while claiming interest in the gold mine.

“No, that’s ridiculous. How could I have sinned so much by myself!”

At his plea, the judge raised his glasses. Then he turned over a piece of paper and said calmly.

“I’m sorry, but I’ve only read one out of ten pages.”

Duke Eloa’s face was pale. 

His trial took much longer than expected.

The judge said he summarized the charges by a lot, but there was no sign of it ending.

At the beginning of the trial, Duke Eloa denied his sins. But clear evidence was laid out, and witnesses popped out like sweet potato stalks.

All lies that were cleverly hidden in the truth were accepted as truth.

Even if he shouted that it was not him, no one believed the Duke of Eloa.

“Lastly, do you plead guilty to enslaving foreigners by illegally bringing them into the country?”

The tattered Duke of Eloa did not have the strength to speak anymore.

As he drooped and bowed his head, the judge put the papers down.

“Denverson Eloa. Since the circumstances of all these sins are clear… I will deprive you of your title and confiscate your property.”

At the judge’s words, Duke Eloa lifted his head. Title and property. That was everything for Duke Eloa.

It was for the sake of his ambition that his only daughter, Tersia, was raised as an empress from birth. But he was in danger of losing it all.

“It’s not over yet.”

That isn’t the end? Duke Eloa’s eyelids fluttered.

“The family members will be expelled abroad, and the House of Duke Eloa will be erased from the history books.”

Everyone gasped. The sentence that was just imposed was a punishment worse than the death penalty.

It was to erase not only the future of the ducal house but also the past.

“I will also sentence the accused, Denverson Eloa, to be deported outside the border after painting his forehead and driving him around the capital.”

“Tha, that’s ridiculous!!”

Duke Eloa howled. He rushed to appeal, but was quickly caught by the knights.

When Duke Eloa was dragged out of the courtroom, the surroundings became as quiet as death.

Everyone was busy watching Yerhan sitting in the front seat. But Yerhan was just concerned about Rosena.

Contrary to the bloody trial atmosphere, the way he cared for Rosena was truly foreign.

After a brief break, everyone was seated again.

Not long after, the knights dragged Zigrit out from the inside.

He, who had lost his limbs, his face was so miserable that his eyes were constantly in a frown.

His shiny blonde hair was messy with dust, and his attire was no different from a straw mat.

It was unbelievable that he was a crown prince who was popular for his beautiful appearance.

The knights forced Zigrit to sit on the chair. Those who watched it held their breath.

Most of the audience once admired Zigrit. No one expected that the crown prince, who they believed would become the greatest emperor in history, would be prosecuted.

“From now on, I will start the trial of the Crown Prince Zigrit Herbet.”

At the judge’s words, everyone let out the breath they had been holding back.

Rosena looked at Zigrit, who had his head bowed.

Although time had passed, she could not forget his face, which seemed to be possessed by a monster.

Zigrit continued to flirt with Rosena in order to claim the power of divinity, and even threatened her when things didn’t go his way.

And finally, in order to survive on his own, he threw Rosena at the monster.

Rosena’s fingertips trembled a little. It was because she remembered the moment when she was cut by a monster.

Yerhan, who was sitting next to her, held her hand tightly. As she held his hand, the trembling stopped.

Unlike then, Yerhan was by her side now. That alone made Rosena reassured.

“Defendant, Zigrit Herbet, do you swear to the God to speak only the truth?”

Zigrit, who had his head bowed at the judge’s question, slowly raised his chin. There was madness in his blue eyes.

Seeing his eyes, the judge flinched, then read the document in front of him.

“You tried to harm people by secretly bringing in a monster during the founding ceremony. And you blamed the Third Prince, Yerhan Herbet. Is that true?”

Then, Zigrit lowered his head and chuckled. His shaking shoulders and creepy laughter sent shivers down the audience’s spines.

The judge glanced at Zigrit with a displeased expression before continuing.

“When the Third Prince, Yerhan Herbet, was exiled to Haylor, you instigated the assassination. Is that true?”

Gradually the truth was coming out. What the nobles knew was only the tip of the iceberg.

Zigrit used whatever was available to maintain power.

His crimes were not as numerous as the Duke of Eloa, but every one of them was a felony.

After stating the charges, the judge asked again.

“Are you admitting all these sins?”

Zigrit, who was lying on his chair, looked straight at the judge. It was as if a viper was living in the glistening eyes.

“What if it’s true?”

At Zigrit’s answer, the nobles roared, saying, “Oh my God.”

The original crime was splendid, and they thought there was some exaggeration mixed in.

But, unlike Duke Eloa, Zigrit was acknowledging everything neatly.

The judge looked a little perplexed. It was a face that he didn’t expect Zigrit to admit so easily.

The judge quickly and skillfully hid his expression and opened his mouth to conclude.

Then Zigrit staggered, grabbed the handle of the chair, and got up from his seat.

“And one more truth that you guys love so much.”

Zigrit quickly turned his head and looked at the audience. Among the multitudes, his eyes immediately found Rosena.

“Rosena Estarot.”

As the name of Rosena came out of Zigrit’s mouth, Yerhan immediately wrapped his arms around her.

Yerhan glared at Zigrit as if he was about to slaughter at any moment. But he didn’t stop fluttering his mouth.

“That bitch is a witch!”

At Zigrit’s words, the crowd instantly became quiet as if they had been hit by cold water.

Zigrit shouted, pointing at Rosena with his other arm.

“That bitch was the one who summoned the monster to the Imperial Palace!”

Rosena, who had been half-wrapped in Yerhan’s arms at the thunderous shout, suddenly raised her head.

“Every time that bitch was there, a monster appeared, so she must have ordered the monsters!”

“Be quiet!!”

The judge knocked on the wooden hammer, but the noise did not stop.

As the nobles in the audience chatted, Yerhan spoke up for the first time.

“Does everyone believe the madman?”

…As the voices of the nobles entered, Yerhan smiled coldly.

Rosena looked up at Yerhan and removed the hand that held her.

“…Rosena?”

Yerhan carefully called out to Rosena. Rosena looked at Yerhan for a moment and then stood up.

When everyone’s eyes were fixed on them, Rosena looked around once and said, looking straight at Zigrit.

“What do you mean I’m a witch?”

Rosena continued speaking with a slight sneer tugging the corners of her mouth.

“If I were a witch, I would have killed you right away.”

In silence, Rosena saw Zigrit’s face wrinkled. The trembling lips opened and closed over and over again.

“Yeah, that’s nonsense.”

“As expected, the Crown Prince is crazy and talking nonsense…”

“If the Princess was a witch, the Crown Prince would have been killed by monsters on the spot.”

Soon the nobles treated Zigrit’s words as nonsense.

When the last murmurs trailed off, Zigrit trembled.

In an instant, he ran towards Rosena. The Tiriad knights who had been waiting quietly came out.

In the blink of an eye, Isaac threw his fist into Zigrit’s stomach and sat him down.

“Ugghh…”

Feeling the pain of being unable to breathe, Zigrit let out a silent moan.

A commotion broke out, and when it calmed down, the judge sighed and opened his mouth.

“There has been some commotion, but we will proceed with the trial again.”

The judge tapped the wad of paper on the desk and said,

“…Now that he has pleaded guilty to all these charges, Crown Prince Zigrit Herbet will be deprived of his title from today.”

Originally, the judge did not have the authority to deprive the royal family, but it was possible because the matter had already been decided by the nobility council.

“Also, as all the charges carry a heavy sentence, so I sentence you to death.”

This was the outcome most expected, but everyone clenched their fists when the judge sentenced him to death.

Although an imperial family member who failed in his rebellion was often executed, the death of a crown prince was the first in the history of the empire.

This event will be a landmark in history.

“And before the execution, I also sentence you to be hanged in the square for all to see, as one who has broken the discipline of the empire.”

After the judge finished the sentence, he struck the podium three times with a wooden hammer.

As soon as the sound was over, a person sitting in the audience got up and jumped out. And he raised his voice and shouted.

“The Crown Prince has been sentenced to death!”

Those who were waiting outside for the trial result all cheered in unison.

Shouts echoed through the sky and shook the building.

Someone shed tears and hugged their family members. Because the imperial family did not provide support, there were also many people here who lost their families to the monsters.

Rosena closed her eyes and exhaled deeply as everyone shared the joy.

Everything is now over. She was able to shake off the bitter affair without any regrets.

Yerhan hugged Rosena tightly.

“Thank you for trusting me and holding out so far.”

She felt like crying for some reason at the small whisper. She had been waiting for the day when this would happen.

She remembered that she had to go through all sorts of hardships after breaking up with Yerhan due to him being framed.

How hard must it have been for Yerhan to come this far?

Rosena raised her arms and hugged Yerhan.

Now all that remains is to be happy together.





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