Eventually, the Emperor turned his gaze away from Erich and addressed the audience.
“Marquis Philippe, tell us what you have discovered regarding the case.”
Marquis Philippe bowed his head briefly before standing up.
“Three weeks ago, on June 7th, Duchess Blant went out with her mother-in-law, Grand Madam Blant, and her cousin Medelin Arzen, and their carriage fell into a ravine. During the investigation at the scene, I confirmed that Bianca Marsha Blant, the mother of Duke Blant, and Medelin Arzen, the young lady of Marquis of Arzen, are associated with this incident.”
Marquis Philippe then presented the wheel and a letter found at the scene as evidence to the Emperor and the judges.
“If the wheels were worn, dust would have been produced during the grinding process, but as you can see, the joints of the wheel have been artificially shaved. Furthermore, Medelin Arzen’s letter explicitly expresses her malice towards the Duchess of Blant. Furthermore…”
Marquis Philippe then presented something else.
“This is a teabag found in the room used by the Duchess and the bottle of medicine that Grand Madam Blant was using. The contents include a large amount of taesalcho. Surprisingly, taesalcho has an abortion effect.”
Before he finished his remarks, the defense attorney for the Grand Madam Blant raised her hand.
“Your Majesty, I object! Taesalcho is not only effective for abortions, but it is also used for menopausal treatments! Yet, Marquis Philippe is only testifying in an unfavorable direction for the Grand Madam.”
The Emperor nodded and opened his mouth.
“Acknowledged.”
The defense attorney then began his rebuttal, pointing out that the Commander of the Central Knight’s claims were based on circumstantial evidence and speculation.
“First of all, it’s a fact that one teabag of taesalcho, which Grand Madam Blant drinks, was found in the Duchess’s room. But the maid who managed that tea bag was the head maid who worked in the mansion. There were also signs that the coachman had tampered with the carriage, but there is no evidence that the Grand Madam ordered it.”
The defense attorney raised the corner of his mouth, glaring at Marquis Philippe.
“Therefore, based solely on the evidence submitted by the central knight commander, it is difficult to identify Grand Madam Blant as the culprit conclusively. While Medelin Arzen’s letter leaves no room for rebuttal…”
The defense attorney glanced briefly at Medelin before continuing.
“There is no evidence that the deceased coachman followed her or Grand Madam Blant’s instructions to sabotage the carriage. In other words, while the malice in Medelin Arzen’s letter is a fact, doesn’t everyone harbor resentment toward someone at some point?”
The defense attorney’s argument made Grand Madam Blant smile.
Indeed, the trial was unfolding as she had anticipated.
Then she glanced at the highest-ranking man she could not have.
‘Your Majesty, surely you realize this is a waste of time. Please render the verdict. Declare me innocent!’
It was then.
“I object!”
The Grand Madam sneered at Marquis Philippe’s abrupt interruption.
‘Marquis Philippe, you seem quite determined!’
Yes, as a Marquis, he must be afraid.
Once Grand Madam Blant was acquitted, the repercussions and aftermath for him would be considerable.
‘But no matter how hard you try, you will not be able to touch me!’
However, her expression hardened at Marquis Philippe’s ensuing words.
“There are witnesses who can attest that Grand Madam Blant orchestrated this incident! Your Imperial Majesty, I humbly request that you allow them to speak.”
The Emperor nodded.
“Permission granted.”
As the doors to the courtroom opened and the witnesses entered, the Grand Madam jumped to her feet.
“You, you, how could you…!”
It was Landon and the head maid that the Grand Madam hadn’t been able to find, no matter how hard she tried.
Soon, the two stood at the witness stand, reciting their oath.
“I swear to speak only the truth before His Majesty, the Great Emperor.”
Before the witnesses finished their oath,
“Scarlet! Where have you been hiding all this time?”
“Bianca Marsha Blant, silence!”
At the Emperor’s fierce command, Grand Madam Blant shut her mouth and gritted her teeth.
‘How on earth did they find that woman?’
Erich’s jaw clenched as he watched the scene unfold.
‘So she has been scheming all this time, even while in prison.’
Erich turned his cold gaze on the head maid.
‘But this time, things won’t go your way.’
The Emperor spoke.
“Marquis Philippe, keep going.”
“Yes, Your Majesty. The first witness is Landon Meyer, the butler of Blant Manor. Witness, state what you saw three weeks ago.”
“Yes, at that time, I was trying to regain the favor of the Grand Madam, the eldest of the household, in order to be reinstated as a butler. In the process, I accidentally overheard her giving orders to the head maid.”
“What orders did the Grand Madam give to the head maid?”
With resentment and anger, Landon stared at Grand Madam Blant and spoke.
“She said that since the Duchess is pregnant, she must give her a gift. A gift that would surprise her so much that she would lose her child.”
At Landon’s words, the grand madam raised her voice and pointed a finger.
“You bastard, don’t lie!”
The one who responded was the Emperor.
“Bianca Marsha Blant, if you continue to disrupt the trial, I will have you removed. Marquis Philippe, continue.”
Marquis Philippe bowed his head, then asked Landon again.
“Did you inform the Duchess about this fact?”
“Yes, I was worried she would be shocked, but I told her.”
“How did the Duchess react?”
“She thanked me and said she would be careful. And she truly was cautious—she had each dish inspected for poison and had the slave Sardin taste it first.”
“Do you know about the tea bag found in the Duchess’s room?”
“I’m not sure if it’s the same one, but the Grand Madam did gift tea to the Duchess.”
“Did the Duchess drink the tea given by the Grand Madam?”
“Yes, she tested it for poison, and since Sardin showed no signs of illness after drinking it, she drank it herself.”
“But isn’t that still strange? The Duchess drank the tea despite knowing that Grand Madam intended to harm her.”
“The Duchess always wanted approval from the Grand Madam. She could never refuse the hand that Grand Madam extended first. In the midst of that, it would have been difficult for her to reject outright a gift and a request for reconciliation from her mother-in-law.”
Landon gritted his teeth and continued.
“And on top of that, the grand madam would send the head maid to monitor the tea every day.”
At those words, a look of condemnation crept into the eyes of those in the courtroom.
“Is that even human?”
“How could she do that to her daughter-in-law, who just wanted her approval…”
After the murmurs subsided, the audience turned their attention back to Landon’s continuing testimony.
“Furthermore, the day before they left, the head maid went to the deceased coachman’s quarters to check if the carriage’s safety devices and wheels were slightly damaged.”
Marquis Philippe, nodding, spoke up.
“Scarlet Owen, is Landon’s testimony just now true?”
At that, the head maid hesitated.
‘If I just twist the answer a little, I can shift the blame onto Grand Madam, can’t I?’
Then, feeling a chilling gaze from somewhere, the maid flinched.
The Duke of Blant was staring at her with murderous eyes.
In that moment, a chill ran down her spine as she recalled the words the Duke had said to her that morning.
<Scarlet Owen, it would be wise not to entertain futile thoughts. If you go stirring up unnecessary trouble, not only you but your son as well will end up buried in the cold earth.>
Frozen in fear, the head maid vigorously nodded her head and answered.
“Yes. It’s all true!”
“I see. Then tell me all that you have done.”
“I received orders from the Grand Madam to sabotage the Duchess’s carriage! I also monitored if she drank the tea containing the poisonous herb in time.”
At that moment, the Emperor spoke.
“Scarlet Owen, do you have evidence to support your testimony?”
In response, the head maid took something from her pocket and held it up.
“Yes, right here!”
When she saw it, the Grand Madam’s eyes widened, and she raised her voice.
“This vile thing! How do you have that?”
Then, the Emperor’s stern voice was heard.
“Bianca Marsha Blant, I believe I told you to remain silent, did I not?”
Though not loud, the Emperor’s voice was clear and carried a sense of authority.
Above all, his gaze revealed a faint glint of determination.
Driven by momentum, the Grand Madam, instead of defending herself, could only bite her lip in frustration.
The Emperor turned to the head maid once more and asked,
“What is that?”
The head maid glanced around nervously and swallowed dryly.
<Take this as evidence.>
Indeed, because this wasn’t something she had brought out herself but something the Duke of Blant had handed to her.
“It’s the secret ledger used by the Grand Madam. There, the records of purchasing the poison herb and the money paid to the coachman are written down.”
The Emperor nodded subtly and then spoke.
“I’ll ask you one last time. What exactly was the Grand Madam’s intention in sabotaging the Duchess’s carriage and administering poison?”
“It was… to induce a miscarriage in the Duchess’s pregnancy.”
The maid’s remark caused the courtroom to grow even more tumultuous.
The Emperor spoke again.
“After reviewing the testimonies, we have confirmed that Medelin Arzen and the Grand Madam conspired to influence this incident. Therefore, I…”
At that moment, someone raised their voice defiantly, shaking their head.
“Your Majesty, I cannot accept this!”
It was Medelin.
