IBYSRHML | Chapter 56

Episode 56

In truth, the reason the councilmen convened the assembly today was to pressure the Empress into proving that her youngest sibling wasn’t her daughter.

Thanks to that, an unplanned hearing proceeded as if they had been waiting for it.

Leopold, who had decided to attend the hearing with Regina, clenched his jaw so tightly that the muscles in his face were visibly tense.

Edgar, standing next to him, was clearly anxious at the thought that the hearing was being held because of him.

And Regina—

“Young Lord. Don’t worry. I’ll beat all of them.”

Edgar bowed his head deeply.

“This is all because of me.”

“No, it’s not. You protected me—why would you think that?”

Regina tilted her head as if she couldn’t understand.

When she gently patted his head, Edgar flinched.

Regina whispered into Edgar’s ear.

“It’s a secret no one in the Empire knows, but I’m actually really strong.”

“What? You, Lady Regina?”

“I’m a hero who lives hiding her strength.”

“I don’t believe it.”

“Hmm. In our house, I’m the second strongest after Sister Alice… even she acknowledged it, but I guess you didn’t know.”

No matter how mature he acted, a child was still a child.

Edgar looked up with a doubtful expression.

Regina lightly pinched both his cheeks.

“So don’t worry and just wait. Today, the hero is going into the Demon King’s castle to retrieve the spoils.”

After finishing her words, Regina entrusted Edgar to a court attendant and headed for the council chamber.

“I’ll take care of it. Miss Regina, if you could just remain still—”

“For spoils, I think crispy-baked cookies would be nice.”

“Pardon?”

“Sweet cookies make you feel better when you’re a mess. That’s what Lilliana said.”

“……”

Regina gave a soft smile under Leopold’s gaze.

“I had to step up once. They’re trying to attack my sister through me, so I need to show them I’m not someone to be taken lightly.”

“……I understand. But I didn’t expect it to come this quickly.”

“Just stay by my side. I think that’ll give me strength.”

“Yes. I’ll stay… by your side. So don’t worry.”

“Thank you.”

Leopold opened the door to the council chamber for Regina.

It was time to hunt the hyenas aiming to tear apart the Empress and her youngest sibling.

***

Hans sat in the council chamber brimming with confidence.

Among the nobles attending the hearing were elders from his and his friends’ families.

And Count Ruman, who was known to wield influence due to his closeness with Duke Berg, was present too.

“Don’t worry. We’ll just go through the formalities and be done.”

Count Ruman patted Hans on the back.

Hans exchanged glances with his friends and grinned.

Once the hearing ended, the pathetic rumors tied to him because of Regina Berchio would disappear.

Clunk.

The door opened and Regina entered.

Leopold accompanied her, but—

‘Even if he is Duke Baltrahein, he can’t take on all these councilmen.’

Moreover, Regina Berchio looked so terrified that her complexion had gone pale and her hands were trembling slightly.

Some of the councilmen expressed concern that the matter could escalate if His Majesty got involved.

However, even the Emperor couldn’t intervene carelessly in this situation.

They had designated the victim as a cousin.

“Miss Regina Berchio. Please take a seat.”

Count Ruman ordered with a stern voice.

Regina sat down weakly, her eyes darting nervously.

At the wedding banquet, she had pretended to be strong by embarrassing Hans’s group, but she was still just a clueless foreigner.

As proof, she began to sniffle uncontrollably as soon as she sat down.

“Hic. Sniff. Huu…”

The councilmen averted their eyes, pretending not to see her, clearing their throats.

To them, Regina wasn’t someone to console—she was the Empress’s weakness to trample on.

“Miss Regina Berchio. Are you certain you used an ability?”

“No. There’s no proof that I used any ability.”

It was a typical denial used by someone who had done wrong, but she seemed too absorbed in crying to realize that.

This was going to wrap up quickly.

“Count Ruman. From what I’ve heard, when someone uses a mind-control ability, their eye color changes.”

When Hans raised his hand to speak, Regina flinched.

Even though ability users only appeared in Trovancha, the Empire wasn’t completely devoid of information about them.

When they spread rumors about Regina Bergio, they had asked a smuggler from Trovancha.

“I saw Regina Berchio’s eye color change.”

“My eye color changed? When?”

“When you made eye contact with the young lord.”

“Are you sure?”

“Count Ruman. Hans is right. I saw it too.”

With Patrick’s testimony, Hans smiled smugly.

Leopold handed a water bottle to the trembling Regina.

Count Ruman, feigning refinement, asked,

“What color were her eyes at that time?”

Hans recalled the smuggler’s answer.

“Abilities related to the mind change the user’s eye color when used.”

“How curious. What do they change to?”

“They usually change to rare colors. Like violet.”

Hans replied in a voice brimming with confidence.

“Violet!”

For a brief moment, he thought Regina smirked.

But he convinced himself it was a mistake.

He must’ve been flustered for fabricating his testimony.

Regina took a deep breath and asked with teary eyes.

“Violet, you said?”

“I saw her eyes glowing violet.”

“T-The young lord was behind me! I couldn’t have made eye contact, so how could I have used mind control?”

“You used the ability when you looked back at him to check on him.”

Confident that everyone was on his side, Hans answered carelessly.

Then Leopold stepped forward.

“Miss Regina checked on Edgar because you threatened him.”

“Threaten? I just tried to pat his head, and he misunderstood.”

“Then we should ask Edgar directly.”

When Leopold didn’t back down, Hans swallowed hard.

At this, Count Ruman stepped in.

“If what Hans says is true, the young lord is still under mind control, which means he cannot be trusted.”

“We’ll know that when we see Edgar.”

“Ahem. The young lord is a child. He’s prone to lying under adult pressure.”

Count Ruman sided with Hans.

Today, there hadn’t been anyone in the garden, so there were no witnesses.

All they had to do was respond appropriately and reach a conclusion.

“Because of one witch, our children have had such a hard day.”

The fathers of Hans’s group started exchanging pleasantries as if it was all over.

But there was one thing they all overlooked.

“They’re not violet.”

Regina, who had stopped crying at some point, wore a faint smile.

There wasn’t a trace of fear left in her, as if her tears moments ago had been an act.

“Huh?”

When Hans turned his head and looked at her, he saw it.

“Y-Your eyes…”

Regina’s eyes were glowing red.

So red, there wasn’t a hint of violet to be found.

The moment their gazes met, Hans’s eyes glazed over.

“You, start shaking your hips right now.”

At Regina’s command, Hans flinched.

But the ridiculous sight of a grown man wiggling his hips didn’t happen.

He only twitched and trembled in the shoulders.

Count Luman, who had been beside Hans, sprang to his feet and pointed at Regina.

“H-How dare you… in the council chamber…!”

“I didn’t use an ability.”

“Then what do you call what you just did?”

“…If I had used an ability, Mr. Hans Ovitz would have stood up and danced right now.”

“You’re just playing word games because your ability didn’t work properly!”

“But my eyes didn’t glow violet.”

“T-That’s…”

Count Ruman was at a loss for words. Hans and his group’s faces turned pale.

If Regina had used her ability in the council chamber, then they had lied about the garden incident.

And if she hadn’t used it in the garden, then what just happened wasn’t an ability either.

‘He clearly said violet…!’

The smuggler had only said the eyes “usually” turned violet—not that they always did.

Just as everyone has different hair colors, there are always exceptions.

Hans hadn’t realized that possibility because he hadn’t taken the smuggler’s words seriously.

“Explain what color you see in my eyes right now.”

“T-That’s…”

When Regina turned to the councilmen, they either bowed their heads or closed their eyes to avoid meeting her gaze.

“I clearly gave an order with these eyes. I asked you to describe what you see. No one could. And yet, I’m the one lying?”

With eyes chillingly red and an expression dry as a desert, Regina looked more like a Demon King than a hero.

The nobles who had convened the hearing to trample on her held their breath.

It felt like she might destroy them all with her ability if she wanted to.

Smile.

Just for a moment, a playful smile appeared on her face before vanishing.

“Tell the truth.”

When she gathered all her strength and used her ability, Hans spoke in a dazed voice.

“When I threatened Edgar, Regina Bergio tried to stop me…”

“Ugh!”

Realizing what he was saying, Hans belatedly covered his mouth.

Regina smirked and glared at the councilmen.

“I clearly said, ‘Tell the truth.’ Not ‘Lie.’”

“R-Regina!”

Blood trickled from Regina’s eyes.

She wiped them with a handkerchief and warned them.

“I won’t accept apologies. You should all be ready to take responsibility.”

With those final words, Regina collapsed.

While Leopold rushed her to a physician, an unexpected visitor entered the council chamber.

It was Empress Alice.

Whoosh. Her long finger traced the bloodstain on the table.

“I held back because I wanted to resolve this through conversation, but in the end…”

Empress Alice’s eyes gleamed as she wiped her hands.