I Became the Master of the Empress

36 – Episode 36

Time passes like that.

“Then, from now on, we will hold a trial for the defendant Hans.”

Let me shout like that while sitting in the courtroom.

Guards roughly drag out a chained man.

The man had black bruises on his face, as if he had been severely beaten, and his lips were all swollen.

“Ugh!…”

A middle-aged woman sheds tears in a corner of the audience at the sight of her son’s tragic death.

“Defendant Hans. Do you admit to the charge of killing her wife Milina?”

Hans slowly raises his head at my words.

“Keuheuk… Keuheuk…”

I’m talking to Hans, who can’t speak properly.

“Then what did you do on the day Milina died?”

In a corner of the audience, a handsome brown-haired man stands up and shouts.

“Your Highness!, This trial is meaningless!”

I was a little offended that a man who wasn’t given the right to speak came forward, so I asked him a sharp question.

“Who are you?”

“My name is Leopard Equines, heir to the estate where Hans and Milina live.”

I remember him as an important witness I read in the court records.

“Leopard, I never gave you a say. “Do you know that if you interrupt the proceedings one more time, you will be punished for contempt of court?”

After giving that warning, he looks at Hans and says.

“Now, at this moment, you are not a criminal. Tell me about what you did that day.”

Let me speak in a good way.

Hans grabs his neck with both hands and then draws an X with his fingers.

Are you possibly mute?

With that thought in mind, I look at Hans’ mother and say.

“Is it possible that Hans can’t speak?”

He shook his head harshly at my words.

“Huh… No.”

With those words, I look at the guard and say.

“Check if your neck has been damaged due to torture.”

Hearing my words, the guard looks at Hans’ physical condition and says.

“Well… Your Highness, there is a large stab wound on your vocal cords.”

-Wiggle.

I speak loudly in unexpected situations.

“Who is it? Who tortured the accused?!”

I scream loudly, but there is no answer anywhere.

“Bring a torture technician right now.”

After seeing the guard hurriedly leaving the courtroom at my words, I looked at Hans and said.

“Does the defendant know how to write?”

I suppress my sigh as I see Hans shaking his head at my words.

“Call a priest right now, we will adjourn until then.”

He says so and strikes the hammer.

-Tang, tang, tang.

After declaring a break, I looked to the side and saw Theodora with a sullen expression on her face.

“Do you really think that person is not the culprit?”

I say that in a nonchalant tone.

“You don’t know that, do you?”

I say this, but it’s true that I feel uncomfortable, so I’m just confirming.

Because that is the duty of those in power.

“After you said that, I looked at it again. I think Hans is the culprit. “So many testimonies all agree, right?”

I nod my head and say those words.

“That’s right, that’s why I feel uncomfortable.”

Theodora asks me with a puzzled look.

“Why is that?”

I answer that question.

“The trial process is strangely clean.”

The most puzzling part is.

Even if he is a cruel murderer, he may have his own excuses or excuses.

According to the trial records, defendant Hans easily acknowledged his charges and reflected on his actions.

But…

His mother came all the way to Romania and petitioned the emperor, claiming that Hans was innocent.

She truly thinks Hans is innocent.

In that case, I asked if Hans’ mother actually observed Hans’ trial.

She said she couldn’t attend. She said it was because of the lord’s son who had presumptuously interrupted the proceedings.

This is suspicious, right?

And another significant thing.

To submit a petition to the emperor, you need 100 signatures.

If 100 people were needed to petition the emperor, it could be considered extremely small.

I’m usually hesitant to lend my name because if a problem arises, it could spark a fire among those 100 people.

Hans After hearing about her mother’s situation, she willingly lent her name to her, which can be seen as a sign that she is well-liked by those around her.

It is not easy to understand that the son of such a person would kill his wife who had just been married.

Isn’t it true that we can’t live without each other when we’re newlyweds?

“What are you… doing?”

Let Theodora call me in a low voice. I come to my senses and look straight ahead.

The torture technician arrived before we knew it, right?

The court resumes after seeing the torture technician sitting in the witness box.

“Hmm. Torture Technician. We were informed that Hans’ vocal cords were severed. “Isn’t the torture too harsh on the defendant who was retried?”

The torture technician, shaking at my words, speaks.

“Your Highness!, No. The defendant’s vocal cords were severed before he arrived at Roman. “When I took over from him, it was already disconnected.”

“What?”

I hear the torture technician’s words in my head and think about ways to advance this situation.

Hans can neither speak nor write.

-His Royal Highness the Grand Duke. The priest arrived.

“Hurry up and stop by.”

At my words, a priest enters the court.

“First, take Hans and examine him.”

And after a while.

The priest who was trying to restore him with divine power opens his mouth as if embarrassed.

“Your Majesty… Your Majesty? “This is a big deal!”

Hearing the priest’s urgent words, I stand up from the judgment seat and approach the priest.

“What’s going on?”

As I approach, it whispers in my ear.

“There is a curse on the wounded area.”

“What?”

I am surprised by this unexpected story and ask.

“A curse?”

When I said that, the priest showed me the area near the wound and said,

“If you look at the torn scar here, it looks like the wound was torn with engravings on the top and bottom. “This is definitely a sign of a curse.”

A small imprint is clearly visible on the torn wound area.

“So it can’t be fixed?”

At my words, the priest shakes his head from side to side and says,

“No, but it will probably take quite some time.”

If you think of the situation in reverse…

Can this be seen as an action to silence Hans?

Thinking like that, I sit in the courtroom.

I thought it was just a simple incident. It was just something I felt uncomfortable about, so I wanted to process the retrial and clear my doubts.

It’s not as serious as you think.

According to my intuition… The real culprit is in the audience over there.

And he put a curse on Hans to buy time.

If you miss this point, you won’t be able to catch the real culprit.

Because it is obvious that the real culprit will escape.

I guess they put a curse on Hans’ neck to escape.

Then… What is it?

As a person in power, I have an obligation to respect the law and conduct a fair trial according to the law, but I ponder and ponder whether it is right to use deception to catch the real culprit.

I can’t help it.

Rather than an innocent person being punished. The only way is to use deception to find the real culprit and arrest him.

I proceed with the trial, thinking about the plan I had prepared in advance.

“Hans cannot speak at the moment, but the trial will continue. “Defendant Hans, was the person who injured your neck present in this court?”

Nod your head at what I say.

“Then who is that person? Point your finger at him.”

When I said that, Hans pointed his finger at Leopard Equines.

“Leopard, come to the witness stand.”

I say this while looking at Leopard sitting in the witness stand, looking relaxed at my words.

“Did you hurt Hans’ neck?”

“Yes, that’s right. His Majesty the Grand Duke. He had already been sentenced to death by the court and allowed torture to pay for his crimes. “I think I probably hurt my neck at that time.”

“Hmm…”

Torture of people sentenced to death is common here. It’s not a big problem.

– Crash! Slam!

When I turn my head to the harsh sound of chains, Hans glares at the leopard with an angry expression.

I open my mouth with the thought of what might happen under his gaze.

“Hans, do you think Leopard is the real culprit?”

Hans nods his head at what I say…

“Your Highness! How can you accuse me, a sacred nobleman, of being a murderer? “No matter how much you call yourself a grand duke, you can’t turn a good nobleman into a criminal!”

Leopard protests against me.

This is certainly true.

It is ridiculous to make someone a criminal in court without any evidence or witnesses.

Especially in the Empire, a country governed by the rule of law, there is a strong feeling of extreme aversion to such judicial manipulation.

“Indeed, are you innocent or guilty? “I will consider every single thing.”

There are several witnesses here.

However, all of those witnesses are fiefdoms living in the Equines family’s fiefdom.

“Under imperial law, there is no history of framing a witness as a criminal! Your Majesty, please tell His Highness the Archduke what to say!”

Leopard complains to Theodora as if it is unfair, but…

“Jim wasn’t interested in this trial, but at this point, I’m starting to have some doubts. “Why did the defendant Hans admit his crime until now, but then point out you as the culprit in this situation?”

Theodora also seems to feel that this situation is not normal.

Hans suffered damage to his vocal cords due to torture.

There is a curse placed on him to prevent him from repairing his neck.

And coincidentally, I injured my vocal cords at the Equines family before coming here.

You probably feel suspicious about that part.

Because she’s not stupid either.

“Of course, I will not judge you without evidence or witnesses. “Then, Mirine, the witness who witnessed the scene where the defendant Hans murdered the victim Milina, please come forward.”

Leopard enters the audience as if he is upset by my words, and a girl with blonde hair and freckles sits in the witness stand with an anxious expression.

I say this while looking at the girl trembling with fear.

“I now declare to the witnesses. If you testified falsely in the previous trial, I will forgive you. However, if you testify falsely in front of His Majesty the Emperor now, you will also be subject to the crime of insulting the Imperial Family.”

“I… I…”

I say this as I look at the girl trying to open her mouth.

“Wait! Wait. Secretary, please bring the crystal that will reveal the lie I told you last time.”

As I spoke, an employee from the Grand Duke’s Department came with a crystal about 30cm in diameter.

“Now, this crystal is an artifact developed by the Magic Tower that lets you know the lies.”

My words make the surroundings noisy.

-I… Really? Is there such a thing?

-Uh… How?

-That… Really?

At that time, Leopard stands up and shouts.

“Don’t lie! Don’t lie. Grandee! “This is the first time I’ve ever heard of such an artifact in my life!”

He shakes his head and says that it is not me.

“Where are you shouting now, the son of the Baron? Guard! Take the author to jail for contempt of court and contempt for the royal family!”

At my words, the guard begins to subdue the leopard.

“Let go!, You lowly people! Do you know who I am?!”

He struggles and struggles with the guards, but the court guards easily subdue Leopard and begin to drag him out of the court, as if this has happened many times.

“Now then, activate the crystal that detects lies.”

The secretary nods his head at my words and touches the crystal… And it begins to emit a bright light.

“Miri. “Tell me what happened that day.”

Miri just trembles with a puzzled expression on my face.

“If you lied before, I will forgive you. So just tell the truth here and now.”

What I said…

“I was actually threatened to lie…”

Mirene begins to confess softly.