80. Allies who didn’t exist in the original story.

At Count Bernas’s solemn words, the Crown Prince’s expression hardened.

The Count, who had been staring up at the Crown Prince, seemed to come to a decision. Setting his cane aside, he slowly moved to kneel on the cold stone floor.

Claucet, who had been supporting him, looked on in confusion as the Count released her hand. With one leg already crippled, the act of kneeling was visibly excruciating, but the Count held his position firmly, bowing his head.

“Grandfather…”

Claucet whispered, her voice trembling as she watched him with teary eyes.

Unmoved by the stares of the assembly, the Count spoke in a steady voice, his posture unwavering despite the obvious pain.

“I have devoted my entire life to this empire and the imperial family. I fought in countless wars, lost my comrades, and gave my leg for my country. I even sacrificed my only child for this nation.”

Roselia’s eyes wavered at his words.

‘So he remembers everything now…’

The Count’s detached recounting of his son’s death, which had once left him devastated enough to lose his memory, made her heart sink.

“And now, you wish to take this child from me as well? I beg you, Your Highness, show mercy.”

With those words, the Count lowered both knees to the floor and pressed his forehead to the ground, bowing deeply. The sight sent a wave of emotion through Roselia’s chest, making her throat tighten.

Even Claucet, moved by the Count’s actions, spread her dress and knelt beside him.

“Your Highness, Antonio is more than a servant of the Duke’s household. He is like family to us. Please, I implore you to consider our long-standing relationship and grant clemency,” Claucet pleaded, tears brimming in her eyes.

The Crown Prince’s expression faltered, showing a hint of discomfort as he responded firmly, “I understand your plea, but this is not a matter that can be resolved with sentiment.”

At his resolute answer, both the Count and Claucet raised their voices in protest.

“Your Highness!”

“Your Highness!”

At that moment, a deep and commanding voice echoed from behind them.

“Then shall I prove it myself?”

All eyes turned toward the source of the voice.

Standing in the doorway, dressed in tattered clothing stained with blood, was Klaus. He leaned heavily on the frame, his breath ragged as if he had just come from the battlefield.

Gasps rippled through the crowd as Klaus stepped forward, ignoring the stares. Each stride was deliberate, even as blood seeped from the wounds on his arms and shoulders.

“Klaus…” Roselia whispered, her gaze trembling as she took in his battered state.

It was a wonder he could even stand, let alone walk, yet he moved steadily to the center of the hall and knelt before the Crown Prince.

Lowering himself fully in deference, Klaus spoke in a determined voice, “I have never conspired against the imperial family, and Antonio did not steal the imperial seal.”

The Crown Prince’s brows furrowed at Klaus’s dramatic entrance, his voice sharp and cold.

“Duke Valtazar, why should I believe you?”

Without hesitation, Klaus unsheathed his sword and drove it into the marble floor before him.

“I offer my life as collateral.”

Klaus’s jaw tightened as he knelt, unwavering.

The true instigator, someone who sought to sow discord between him and the Crown Prince, was none other than Grand Duke Rubelio. But without solid evidence, accusing the Crown Prince’s uncle would only worsen the situation.

All he had left to offer was his own life.

The Crown Prince descended from the dais, his steps deliberate as he approached Klaus.

Reaching the sword embedded in the floor, he pulled it free, its blade gleaming in the light.

“You’re willing to stake your life on this?” he asked, his voice low and edged with tension.

At Klaus’s resolute words, the Crown Prince clenched his jaw and tightened his grip on the sword.

“If I were truly plotting treason, I wouldn’t stake my life so easily,” Klaus declared, his voice steady.

The Crown Prince’s gaze lingered on Klaus’s sword before he abruptly pointed its tip at Klaus’s neck.

“And what if you’re merely acting?” he asked coldly.

“Then strike me down,” Klaus replied firmly.

Roselia, watching the tense exchange, felt her hands grow clammy with sweat. She knew the Crown Prince’s temperament well—he wouldn’t hesitate to act, especially in his current agitated state.

The Crown Prince, though outwardly calm, was at his most dangerous when he masked his emotions.

Even Claucet, standing nearby, was visibly shaken, barely holding back a gasp. Beside her, Count Bernas gripped her trembling hand tightly in silent reassurance.

The hall, thick with tension, suddenly echoed with a commanding voice.

“That’s enough.”

All eyes turned to the hall’s grand doors, where a regal woman entered with graceful composure.

The Crown Prince, still holding the sword to Klaus’s neck, muttered her name under his breath.

“Eveline.”

It was the Crown Princess. Her elegant entrance contrasted sharply with the Crown Prince’s sharp demeanor as he growled threateningly.

“Crown Princess, I told you not to involve yourself in this trial.”

Standing between Klaus and the Crown Prince, the Crown Princess’s voice was steady and icy.

“If I had known this was going to be a one-sided interrogation, I would have defied your orders and come earlier.”

Her gaze shifted to Count Bernas, Claucet, and finally Klaus, a hint of sorrow in her expression.

“Your Highness, think rationally. How could a mere servant from the Duke’s household enter a room accessible only by a key held by members of the royal family?”

The Crown Prince’s lips curled into a sardonic smile.

“Have you forgotten that the Duke of Valtazar has distant royal blood in his lineage?”

“Your Highness,” the Crown Princess countered, “the Duke was at his estate at the time. Wasn’t his household surrounded by the Imperial Guard?”

“If someone wishes to kill me, they can concoct any plan, fabricate any deception,” the Crown Prince retorted, his tone biting.

The Crown Princess, unable to contain her frustration, raised her voice.

“Stop this senseless grudge and suspicion! Have you ever considered that these feelings blind you to the truth?”

“Silence, Crown Princess!” the Crown Prince barked.

Before the argument could escalate, a calm, measured voice broke through.

“My apologies for intruding at such a moment, but I can no longer remain silent.”

The Crown Prince’s scowl deepened as he turned to the new speaker. The man who had quietly entered with the Crown Princess was none other than Marquess Johannes von Euciliod.

“You, Marquess of Euciliod? This is a matter of Rugbeljet. Foreign envoys have no place here,” the Crown Prince snapped. His glare shifted to the Crown Princess. “And you, Crown Princess, bringing a foreign envoy into the sacred halls of the imperial court—are you secretly conspiring with Raphelios under the guise of treaty negotiations?”

At his baseless accusations, the Crown Princess’s brows furrowed deeply, her anger barely restrained.

Johannes, however, remained composed, his voice steady and authoritative as he stepped forward.

“With all due respect, Your Highness, this is not merely a Rugbeljet matter.”

The Crown Prince’s eyes narrowed.

“What do you mean by that?”

The assembly erupted in murmurs at Johannes’s cryptic statement, but he stood firm, unshaken by the crowd’s reaction.

Fixing his sharp gaze on the Crown Prince, Johannes continued, “I believe Your Highness is aware that records of the Raphelios bloodline are preserved within the imperial archives of Rugbeljet.”

The tension in the hall deepened as his words sank in, leaving even the Crown Prince momentarily speechless.

The Crown Prince flinched, his body momentarily stiffening as he pressed his lips together in silence. Johannes’s calm gaze swept over the assembly, pausing briefly on Roselia, who looked bewildered.

With a reassuring smile, he turned back to the crowd and addressed them with measured authority.

“Antonio de Hesingk, the adopted son of the Hesingk family, is of the bloodline of the Grand Empire of Raphelios.”

His shocking declaration sent a ripple of gasps and murmurs through the hall. Nobles and imperial officials exchanged astonished glances, their whispers filling the air.

The Crown Prince’s scowl deepened, his brows knitting tightly as he spoke through gritted teeth.

“Marquess Euciliod.”

Johannes, undeterred, pressed on. “Your Highness knows better than anyone the significance of a Raphelios bloodline. Should anything happen to Antonio, the Grand Empire of Raphelios will not remain silent.”

The Crown Prince glared at Johannes, then turned his gaze toward the Crown Princess, who appeared unperturbed, as if she had anticipated this.

The Crown Prince let out a dry laugh, tossing Klaus’s sword aside so that it clattered to the floor beside him.

“Raphelios meddling in the courts of Rugbeljet—what a spectacle. Perhaps soon, I’ll need their permission just to sit on the throne. Get out of my sight, all of you.”

Spitting the words with venom, the Crown Prince spun on his heel and exited through a door behind the dais. The hall descended into uneasy murmurs.

Watching the chaos, the Crown Princess gave Johannes a subtle nod of acknowledgment before stepping gracefully onto the dais.

“In His Highness’s absence, I, Eveline de Rugbeljet, the Crown Princess, will deliver the verdict for this trial,” she declared.

Her dignified and commanding voice silenced the assembly.

“The imperial court shares responsibility for failing to properly investigate this matter. Furthermore, as Antonio de Hesingk has been revealed to be of the Raphelios bloodline, the Rugbeljet Empire cannot issue an independent ruling. Therefore, I declare this trial void.”

The announcement triggered another wave of whispers and astonished reactions from the crowd.

Ignoring the nobles’ commotion, the Crown Princess stepped down from the dais. Johannes gave her a deep bow of respect.

“Thank you, Your Highness.”

“This is in gratitude for Raphelios’s concessions during the recent imperial treaty negotiations,” she replied.

Her gaze shifted to Roselia, who stood frozen in shock. The Crown Princess smiled gently at her before departing with her attendants through the door behind the dais.

Roselia finally snapped back to reality, turning her attention to Klaus.

Still kneeling on the marble floor, Klaus seemed to collapse under the strain he had endured, catching himself with a hand against the ground as he let out a groan of pain.

“Ugh…”

“Your Grace!” Roselia exclaimed, rushing to his side.

Claucet, who had been sitting in a daze beside Count Bernas, also jolted into action and hurried to Klaus.

“Klaus!”

As Roselia supported him, she was alarmed by his condition. Up close, his injuries were far worse than she had imagined, and her voice trembled.

“What happened to you?” she asked, her voice breaking with worry.

Klaus, leaning heavily on her shoulder to stay upright, let out a bitter laugh.

“That’s what I should be asking you,” he replied, his voice strained.

His deep blue eyes met hers, a tangle of emotions swirling within them—fear, relief, and a tenderness that was difficult to ignore.

“Don’t even think about coming near the imperial palace for a while,” he muttered.

 

❃゜・。. ・°゜✼ ゜°・ . 。・゜❃

☕ Hi, friends! Your support means the world to me. If you’d like, you can buy me a coffee here: Click the link on the image! 💖

Thank you for keeping me inspired! 🌸

❃゜・。. ・°゜✼ ゜°・ . 。・゜❃