Translator: Nox

Chapter 6

He spoke as if he had burst into loud laughter, but in reality, he had only let out a small chuckle.

Tsk tsk. How dry and humorless must his life be for that?

As I was thinking that, the mercenary spoke again.

"Alright. I get the gist. So that's the crazy stunt you were planning—to appeal directly to the head of this place..."

He shrugged.

"If that's sincere, even God might let it slide once. Fine. I'll forgo the reward and pretend I saw nothing. I'm curious what this story is that the whole nation will find intriguing."

His black eyes turned toward me from under the hood.

The magic would hide my identity.

Even knowing that, my heart trembled a little.

"You'll soon learn that I never lie. Even if we meet again then..."

"No. We won't meet again."

The mercenary cut me off decisively and turned away.

I was trying to reassure him there was no need to fear my retaliation, but he drew a sharp line first.

"You're really leaving this time, right?"

"I keep my promises."

He trudged off into the darkness. Just as he had appeared out of nowhere, he vanished again in an instant.

What an odd person.

I stood there for a moment, racking my brain.

Was there a character in the story with severe burn scars? I couldn't recall.

'Whatever. He said we won't meet again anyway.'

I shrugged and turned back to the flower field.

Either way, the obstacle was gone. Before anything else happened, I quickly plucked the flower I had failed to pick earlier.

'Done!'

After that, everything proceeded smoothly.

I could have just stood there waiting to be discovered, but faster is always better.

To promptly inform the Holy Church members of my crime, I rang the bell myself to call them.

Ding, ding, ding!

The noisy bell rang out through the sacred, serene sanctuary.

"Who's there!"

"An intruder!"

People came running from the direction of the Holy Church's main hall.

Cloaks fluttering under the moonlight, white armor gleaming faintly. The empire's holy knights.

They arrived at the scene in an instant and froze.

"...?"

I understand. There had probably never been a more cooperative criminal than this.

I stood in a bright spot for easy identification, hood fully thrown back, face completely exposed.

Of course, holding the evidence of my crime—the Amarancia flower—high and visible.

"Come on, everyone, arrest me quickly. I have no right to remain silent, anything I say will be used as evidence against me, and I have no right to an attorney."

The holy knights gaped in disbelief.

"Duchess Aristina Rosen? Weren't you under house arrest for attempted poisoning? How did you escape?"

"And why on earth did you pick an Amarancia flower?"

"Duchess! At this rate, the Holy Church has no choice but to put you on holy trial!"

That's right. Good. Keep it up. Go, holy knights!

"This is serious. But no helping it."

I suppressed my rising smile and cooperated by raising both arms for easy binding.

"By the way, knights. One request—please pass this on. Make sure to summon Serene Hyperion as my juror."

"Looks like house arrest drove her mad. Requesting such a disadvantage."

"Hey! The more it disadvantages me, the better for you, right? Do it properly."

With that, I led the way to the detention cell.

* * *

"Silence! Be quiet!"

Even as the holy knights shouted, it was only for a moment. The murmurs in the courtroom refused to die down.

"Look at that shameless face! Truly the worst in history—attempted poisoning wasn't enough for the guillotine, so she escapes confinement to add another crime?"

"I really don't get it. Why do something like that? Planning a spectacular self-destruction to go down in history?"

"There's an interpretation that she put some thought into it. Church sinners can't leave the sanctuary until they pay for their crimes. She's dragging it out to delay the guillotine and escape abroad in the meantime."

"Foolish plan. As soon as Yeha Ruelian Rackroitz heard, he flew into a rage, postponed all schedules, and opened the holy trial immediately. The imperial family waited for the sinner to repent and confess, but can grant no more reprieve. Hoisted by her own petard!"

Sneering voices came from all directions.

'Why am I in this insane mess?'

Duke Karnel crushed an innocent fountain pen with that expression.

At the exact moment Aristina was being dragged away by the holy knights, he had picked up a letter from the ground beside the main building.

The envelope read:

<Do NOT read under any circumstances>.

"Hm?"

Obviously his daughter's handwriting, so what mischief now? He tore it open.

The first line was immediately visible.

"No!"

Duke Karnel's pale hand trembled.

"Are you joking right now?"

"What's going on?"

In dizzying shock, he dropped the letter. The paper fluttered down in slow motion.

"Insane nonsense!"

With those words, the duke collapsed.

But...

'Strange?'

When he came to, he was in the courtroom.

Why was he here? Not like paternal love had suddenly sprouted now.

'Maybe because of that.'

The duke glanced at the defendant's seat.

There sat his daughter, alone without a lawyer.

Despite countless people gossiping, far from rampaging with 'Shut up!', she showed no sign of flinching no matter what they said.

In plain clothes due to disguise, but more dignified than ever. The letter was full of that same 'bring it on' attitude.

'Where on earth does that baseless confidence come from?'

It strangely nagged at Duke Karnel. As he stared piercingly at his daughter.

The priest in charge of proceedings shouted.

"Jury, enter!"

* * *

'I can hear everything. All of it. People sure love gossip.'

Irritated? Far from it.

'Gossip is a great source of info.'

People were dragging up every past incident to curse Aristina. Like diligent historians.

'The future of imperial historiography looks bright.'

Pretending to hear nothing, I sat calmly while maxing out my eavesdropping and gathering info.

Then the priest's voice snapped me alert.

"Jury, enter!"

Nobles entered through the wide-open courtroom doors.

To be a holy trial juror, one had to be a devout believer donating huge sums annually.

These were dukes and their wives, retired high officials—the so-called VIPs. No one of lower status than the defendant qualified.

"I swear before God to vote fairly."

The VIP jurors sat, glaring at me with loathing and contempt.

And finally, one person entered slowly.

The spectators, who had been staring intently at the jury procession, cried out in unison.

"It's Duchess Hyperion!"

"She really showed up!"

I looked her way.

Serene Hyperion.

Long, beautiful black hair, blue eyes cast downward, a white and serene face.

Prim but in an expensive dress, jewels precisely placed—a personification of 'pure elegance.'

'Elders' idol. The empire's ideal daughter-in-law. Something like that.'

This was Serene's first public appearance since the poisoning attempt.

Already beloved, her pitiful, poignant aura today had the spectators cooing already.

And sure enough...

"I swear before God to vote fairly."

As Serene, parting from her attending physician, walked alone to the jury seat and flinched upon seeing me, averting her gaze.

The gallery nearly rioted.

"Burn that villainess now!"

"Silence!"

In the uproar, self-proclaimed analysts chattered.

"No matter how much she craves attention, summoning Serene was idiotic."

Was it, really?

I placed my hand over the inner pocket in my skirt hem. The ring was safely there, of course.

'I wonder how Serene's face will change when I reveal this?'

My fate hung on that.

People believed without doubt that I was lying.

But the real liar was Serene. Digging into that would uncover something.

I was certain.

'What exactly are you hiding, Serene?'

In the original story, Serene Hyperion was kind and upright. But actually the black curtain? Well, possible...

As I pondered that.

"All rise!"

The priest shouted again.

The murmurs cut off instantly, plunging into dead silence, not even breaths audible.

'Finally...'

I had kept relatively calm until now, but at this moment, my heart pounded uncontrollably.

The one holding my lifeline was about to appear.

"Yeha!"

As the front-row holy knights bowed in unison, someone strode into the courtroom.