“Oh, you asked me to present clear evidence rather than talking. Well, this is the seal I found there. By the way, this seal has already been found to be the same as that stamped that document. Can you still argue that the seal has nothing to do with your family?”

After checking the seal, Duke Jena could not say anything, just moving his lips up and down. When I saw his face burning reddish with anger, a smile came to my lips in spite of myself.

I finally caught him! He was the enemy of my family, who had been seeking to ruin my family for a long time. I was looking for a chance to get even with him for a long time, but I could not find direct evidence to pinpoint him as the culprit. He was a traitor who had even an impure intention to kill the emperor.

I felt as if I got a heavy load off my chest. I saw my father smiling finally after watching them exchange barbed words. Not only my father but also all the members of the pro-emperor faction made a sarcastic smile at the duke.

After watching in satisfaction the old duke trembling with anger, Duke Verita said, “In the end you abandoned the opportunity the late emperor gave you ten years ago. Volente Castina. It’s time you disappeared according to the will of the empire.”

“Shut up! How can the third son of a mere marquis family dare talk to me like that?”

“As a traitor who will be executed soon, how can you shoot your mouth off like that, you bastard?

“What the heck did you say, bastard? You…”

Duke Jena suddenly stopped talking while shouting at him at the top of his voice. Then he suddenly fell, moving his mouth up and down a bit, with his face turning reddish.

“Duke Jena!”

“Duke!”

There was an urgent cry bursting out from the noble faction.

When the emperor raised his hand lightly, a royal knight approached him cautiously and confirmed his condition.

“I think he seems to have passed out.”

“Move him to a guest room. Call the royal doctor to check his condition and report to me. Duke Verita? Please continue. ”

“Yes, Your Majesty. Then, I will have them vote on whether he is guilty or not. Please raise your hand if you have any objection.”

Nobody in the conference hall showed any interest in Duke Jena. They were now only interested in how his family would be punished.

Duke Verita resumed the trial while the duke who passed out was being carried to a guest room, and immediately called for the voting.

“No objection? Then, let me go ahead with your voting on Marquis Mirwa…”

“Duke Verita, may I present my opinion before you proceed with the voting?”

Marquis Mirwa said, stepping forward with a determined expression. The emperor looked at him for a moment, then nodded lightly.

“Go ahead.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty.” The Marquis said, “Your Majesty and nobles. As a nobleman of the glorious empire, I have committed an indelible crime. Even if I was afraid of being falsely charged, I should have immediately reported his treason, but I didn’t, and I know it’s a felony. I also know that I can’t make any excuses because I abandoned my pride and disgraced my honor… but if I may, I would like to request you to give me a chance to make up for your mistake. I will devote myself to the empire for the rest of my life. ”

After talking, he bowed his head, kneeling on one knee, as if he waited for the voting.

“Okay, let me start the voting process. If you think Marquis Mirwa is innocent, please raise your hand.”

Everybody remained silent. They checked each other’s expressions but dared not to raise their hands. Only a few raised their hands when the duke asked them if he was guilty. It seemed that they were hesitant, including those from the pro-emperor and noble factions.

“According to the imperial law, it is the emperor who has to make the decision in a situation like this. Any objection?”

“…”

“Hmm. I’d like to hear your opinion on this before making a decision. I’m not asking you to express your opinion on guilty or not guilty. So, feel free to talk,” said the emperor, tapping the table before for a moment. While everyone was trying to check each other’s expressions, Earl League said, looking at them in dissatisfaction, “I have no idea why you keep silent. This is a treason case. In other words, didn’t he say he didn’t report although he knew this was treason. This is a treason case. If something had gone wrong, the emperor might have been plunged into a very dangerous situation. I think you should duly punish him, Your Majesty.”

I saw a man sitting on the opposite side raising his hand. He was Earl Hoten and was the only suspect who was found not guilty.

“I have no objection that he was an accomplice in this incident, but he made efforts to obtain an antidote or save Lady Monique’s life. Besides, without the document he presented, you would not have been able to uncover Duke Jena’s crime clearly. So, please make allowances for this factor.”

“I agree. After all, we have come to find the duke guilty thanks to the marquis’s accusation, right? In that respect, we can’t say he looked over the treason case, though he reported it belatedly.”

It was unexpectedly a young earl affiliated with the pro-emperor faction who agreed with Earl Holten. Encouraged by his support, all the members of the noble faction asked for the emperor’s leniency. It seemed that Marquis Mirwa would be their only hope because it was certain that the Jena family would be ruined.

I was still looking at the man kneeling on the cold floor. He clearly said he didn’t like the mean tactics of the noble faction, though he agreed with their political position. Given that the number of nobles in the empire was reduced greatly, it was impossible to wipe out all the members of the noble faction. If the emperor could save the marquis, considered a moderate offender, could he play a more important role in national politics? Given my experience of dealing with him so far, I found he was reasonable enough to talk to.

At that moment, a servant came in cautiously and whispered something, handing over a piece of paper to Duke Verita. After nodding for a moment, he folded the paper and put it into his pocket.

After looking at the duke for a moment, the emperor said, “Let me give a ruling on Marquis Mirwa. According to imperial law, it is certain that his aiding and abetting treason is also a crime, so he is found guilty of treason. But let me reduce his punishment, given his efforts and contribution to unveiling the crime of Duke Jena.”

He paused for a moment, then opened his mouth again only when everyone swallowed with a tense expression, “Let me downgrade the rank of the Mirwa family by five grades to the lowest of the marquis rank. He will keep his title, but for the next ten years he will be deprived of all his rights and treated as an earl. I’ll also confisticate 20% of his estate and three quarries and return them to the imperial family.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Stand up, Marquis Mirwa.”

“Thank you for your generous decision, Your Majesty. You have given me the opportunity to regain my honor, so I’ll do my best for the service of the imperial family and the empire.”

Only then did he stand up and deeply bow down to thank him. Though some expressed displeasure with the emperor’s decision, all others agreed.

“Then I will move on to the next. If you think Duke Jena is guilty, please raise your hand.”

They raised their hands one by one.

When Duke Verita looked around and declared their unanimous conviction of the duke, the emperor smiled coldly.

My heart was pounding. Is it finally time for him to give a ruling?

“As the duke, the highest of the nobles, he should set an example for the people, but he has done all sorts of wrongdoings instead of maintaining his decent demeanor.. Not only did he dare to plant moles around me and have them spy on me, but also he also tried to harm my fiancée several times and committed countless crimes such as intimidation, kidnapping, and murder against the people. Accordingly, let me sentence Victor de Jena to beheading on charges of treason, and return his title and his wealth including his estate to the imperial family.”