Chapter 286 (2/2)

Oh, I was forgetting about the case of Sir Spia.

I recalled the man laughing like crazy while his shoulder was bleeding. Considering the situation at the time, he must have colluded with Duke to lure me out from the beginning.

Why did he do that? Although the Spia family was only a small baron in the border area, they were closer to the pro-emperor faction than the noble faction.

“By the way, why did he do that? Did he have a grudge against me?”

When I asked cautiously, the emperor said, putting down the spoon after hesitating for a moment, “He said he wanted to get even with you. It seemed that he had his heart set on the daughter of the merchant group controlled by the Jena family, which went bankrupt because of your measure. I hear the woman got married to another man after that happened.”

“…Oh, I see.”

“Don’t pay attention to it. Other than that, he had been targeting your life all along.”

“Really? What do you mean?”

When I tilted my head, he explained to me what he had found out. It was Sir Spia who cut the reins and saddles of my beloved horse Silvia on my coming-of-age ceremony day. Given the situation at that time, his shooting an arrow at the bear was most likely intentional, not a mistake.

If it was his plan to carry out another plot against me, I survived only because I met the emperor there not long after I was separated from my company.

Of course, I could not tell whether my guesswork was true or false because the man who could tell the truth was dead. I still couldn’t figure how long he had been shadowing and targeting me.

“Anyway, Tia, don’t worry. We lost only one of the many means we could use, but it won’t overturn the tide. Perhaps the day after tomorrow we will be able to solve the matter.”

“The day after tomorrow?”

“Yes. We are having a trial for the third time the day after tomorrow. All the others were convicted with treason, and we have to try Marquis Mirwa and Duke Jena.”

I see. It seems like the trials for all others were over.

I slowly nodded, then focused on having dinner because all my questions would be solved when I attended the trial two days later.

***

Two days later I headed to the Imperial Palace, escorted by the family knights. At the end of the day, my father prevailed in arguing with him over my dwelling place, so I headed home on that day. Although the emperor seemed very dissatisfied, he had to nod at my father’s argument that he didn’t want to have them gossip about me behind my back.

But he presented several conditions on my return home. Namely, I should be escorted by more than two royal knights under any circumstances, I should be accompanied by the family knights when I had to move, and I should come and see him everyday. That’s why I’m now heading to the palace.

When I entered the conference hall, the members of the noble faction competitively greeted me with a smile. I sat down, properly responding to them who were unusually warm to me today.

When I looked around slowly, I noticed one empty seat among the noble faction’s section. I could not help but chuckle at that, but I tried to stay indifferent as much as I could. I was so overjoyed deep down, but I knew I should not express it now.

“Okay, today is the final trial. Start right away without delay. Protocol office, bring Marquis Mirwa here.”

The young man with blue hair at the head table ordered the start of the trial as soon as he received their greetings.

Shortly afterwards, the man with honey-colored hair came in. He looked very gloomy.

“Dupla la Mirwa. Born in 941 by the imperial calendar. Lord of the Mirwa estate, with the title of marquis. He is a full-fledged knight with the regular knights group and the Captain of the 4th Knights Division. Is that right? ”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“You orchestrated the treason plot to kill the emperor and poison Lady Monique. As someone who organized a total of 15 families except for the Holten family found not guilty a few days ago, you have been charged with having been involved in importing, carrying, poisoning and buying off a palace affairs officer and destroying the evidence. Do you admit your charges?”

“No, I can’t admit the charges.”

“If so, are you claiming you are innocent?”

“Not really. I was only an accomplice, but I’m not the mastermind who initiated and led the treason plot.”

There was a tense silence filling the courtroom.