ITETP Chapter 143+Notice

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The holy trial was held in private.

 

“I am Portio, the presiding judge of this trial.”

 

It was a confidential trial without even a clerk present, and only a single judge was standing before Raios and Dana, bowing.

 

“The verdict of the trial will be delivered by the pope and three cardinals, and the trial will continue until a unanimous decision is reached.”

 

Was it because the parties involved were the crown prince and lady of the dukedom? Or because the jury consisted of the Vatican’s dignitaries? The judge looked very nervous.

 

He cleared his throat and announced, “His Holiness Pope Baor IV, His Eminence Cardinal Liber, His Eminence Cardinal Theo, His Eminence Cardinal Felix, please enter!”

 

Then, the doors of the grand cathedral swung open, and the pope, adorned in golden vestments, followed by three cardinals, entered.

 

Dana narrowed her eyes. Is that really the pope? She had seen Pope Baor IV once before. But at that time, he was a middle-aged man with progressing baldness. His hair seems much fuller? He looked 20 years younger, but Dana quickly shook her head. Now was not the time to be concerned about someone’s hair.

 

Once they were seated, the judge banged his gavel. “Let us begin the trial.”

 

Bang, bang, bang! The trial finally started.

 

“Crown Prince Raios Geranze, Lady Danae Windsor has requested to annul your engagement. Do you agree?”

 

“No,” Raios answered slowly. “Why would I agree?” Then he replied with a nonchalant, almost bored face. “Danae Windsor is my fiancée, and we plan to marry soon. I am not considering an annulment.”

 

Dana sighed. This was the downside of the holy trial. Being conducted in secret, they couldn’t hire lawyers. Thus, she had to argue with Raios directly.

 

“If you did not wish for an annulment, you should not have broken the engagement oath.”

 

Dana didn’t want to exchange even a single word with that b*stard, but she held her composure and spoke.

 

“Article 4, clause 1 of the engagement oath. Both parties must remain chaste until marriage, and failure to do so automatically terminates the engagement. Do you remember this clause?”

 

“Of course. That’s why I’ve been holding back all this time. Thanks to that clause, I am still a virgin, Danae Windsor.” Raios leaned back in his chair, smiling leisurely. “But I don’t know why you’re suddenly picking a fight. Are you upset because I took your cousin, Allice Windsor, as my second fiancée?

 

What is he saying? This pathetic man.

 

He seemed to be trying to provoke her, but Dana was not swayed.

 

“On the night 8 days ago, you consummated with my cousin, Allice Windsor, didn’t you?”

 

“Stop talking nonsense.” He now clicked his tongue as if pitying her. “I’m starting to wonder if you had some lewd dream. Like how men have wet dreams, did you have some strange dream and convince yourself it was real?”

 

That b*stard! At his blatant mockery, Dana’s eyes grew sharp. To provoke her with such low blows!

 

Dana turned her gaze away from Raios to the judge. “I have witnesses to testify to my claims. Your Honor, please allow the first witness to speak.”

 

“Granted. First witness, please come forward.”

 

At the judge’s permission, a door at the back of the cathedral opened, and a man walked out. Raios narrowed his eyes.

 

“Well, well.”

 

The man, trembling as he walked, elicited a muttered remark from Raios.

 

“There was a rat in my palace after all.”

 

The first witness was a servant working in the crown prince’s palace.

 

The fact that Raios and Allice had consummated was already an open secret among the palace staff.

 

There were more than a few indirect witnesses, yet he’s pretending to be innocent.

 

This servant was recruited by Lethe, who had completed a preliminary investigation and was bribed with the promise of debt repayment. But I’m worried. Can he even speak properly in this state? The servant stood on the witness stand, visibly shaking.

 

“State your identity, witness.”

 

“M-My name is Marco Delwin, a servant working in the crown prince’s palace.”

 

“Swear to the gods to speak nothing but the truth here.”

 

“I-I swear.” The servant tried his best to avoid Raios’s intimidating gaze as he began his testimony. “It was the night 8 days ago. I-I was turning off the corridor lights in front of His Highness’s bedroom late at night.” He swallowed hard, then whispered in a tiny voice. “…I heard noises.”

 

The judge furrowed his brows at the mosquito-like voice. “What did you say?”

 

“…I-I heard noises…”

 

“Witness, speak louder. I cannot hear you.”

 

Then the servant, eyes shut tight, shouted, “S-Sounds of s-sex!”

 

Panting heavily, the servant’s face flushed bright red as if he had used up all his strength to say those words.

 

“What did you say?” After a moment, Raios asked with a suppressed voice, barely containing his anger. “What sounds did you hear?” His gaze was so ferocious that it seemed he would leap at the servant to strangle him at any moment. “Say it again. What did you hear?”

 

The servant was completely crushed by that glare. His lips began to tremble.

 

“Alright. Let’s say you heard something. Do you have proof it was me?”

 

“T-That is…”

 

“I’m asking if you have proof. Speak up.”

 

The servant involuntarily stepped back. Facing the crown prince and testifying made the whole endeavor feel foolish. He couldn’t take it anymore. The pressure was too much. It was all too much!

 

I have to quit now! Just as he was about to give up,

 

Ah. Marco, the servant, locked eyes with Dana. And he remembered the promise she had made.

 

Money…

 

Yes, money. If he completed this testimony successfully, he would receive double the fee after the trial ended. It was enough money to pay off his gambling debts and live a wealthy life without working for the rest of his life. She even promised to provide a new identity and move him to a neighboring kingdom if things got risky!

 

The magic of money instilled him with remarkable courage. The servant began his testimony again. “I-I heard a man’s moaning Lady Allice’s name.”

 

“…What?”

 

“I-I heard it clearly. From the crown prince’s bedroom, along with moans, the voice calling for Lady Allice.”

 

Raios glared at the servant with a ghostly expression. His fists trembled as if he was struggling to hold back the urge to lash out. “So you’re insulting my fiancée Allice. Are you saying my fiancée has committed adultery?”

 

That was enough. Before the servant could faint, Dana quickly intervened. “How could there be adultery? How could she commit adultery in the crown prince’s bedroom while Your Highness was sleeping?” Then, she immediately signaled to the judge. “Judge, I request the testimony of the second witness.”

 

“Granted.”

 

The second witness was also an employee of the prince’s palace. She was a dedicated maid in charge of tidying the crown prince’s bedroom, but she was easily bribed due to her family member’s illness.

 

“7 days ago in the morning, while changing the crown prince’s bed sheets, I found blood stains.” The maid started her story more calmly than the servant. “The night before, His Highness had shared the bed with his fiancée, Lady Allice Windsor. Lady Allice herself told me it was her maiden blood.”

 

It was then.

 

“Couldn’t it be from her menstrual cycle?” Cardinal Theo, who had been silent until then, interjected. “Women bleed for various reasons. That doesn’t necessarily prove it was her maiden’s blood, does it?” His expression was highly displeased.

 

“Moreover, the credibility of this testimony is doubtful. As employees of the crow prince’s palace, they should be loyal to His Highness. Yet, they dare give testimony that goes against their lord.” The cardinal regarded them as if they were a plague. “With such shallow loyalty, wouldn’t it be easy to give false testimony?”

 

Instead of replying, Dana looked at the pope.

 

Pope Baor IV. He was protestant. Thus, a person likely to be favorable to the Windsor family, a prominent family within the protestant.

 

As expected, Pope Baor IV stepped forward on her behalf. “Cardinal Theo, refrain from making statements based solely on speculation.”

 

Cardinal Theo reluctantly closed his mouth. But Dana knew. His remark had struck a chord. The other cardinals seemed to agree with his view. And even the pope seemed troubled as he spoke.

 

“Lady Danae Windsor, are those all the witnesses you have?”

 

The pope must know as well.

 

“I’m sorry to say this, but Lady Windsor, the testimonies provided so far are insufficient.”

 

They lacked the strength to support their claims.

 

“Let’s end this now.”

 

Raios, too, sensing the trial was swinging in his favor, sighed as if annoyed. “Danae Windsor, I truly don’t understand why you had to escalate things to this extent.” He really meant it.

 

Raios couldn’t comprehend Dana. He genuinely found her pitiful. Why go to such lengths? Even if she desired an annulment, would she come without concrete evidence or witnesses? She was acting like a petulant child. It was unlike the Dana he knew.

 

“There’s no need to discuss further. Please, waste no more of our valuable time and deliver your verdict.”

 

“Are there truly no more witnesses?” The pope asked Dana once again.

 

Raios found it amusing. The pope, being a protestant, seemed to want to rule in her favor, but with such flimsy testimonies, a verdict to annul the engagement couldn’t be reached. Therefore,

 

“Dana, you can’t get an annulment from me.”

 

Has she finally come to her senses? Dana seemed to slump her shoulders, even bowing her head.

 

Is she about to cry? Annoyed by that possibility, Raios clenched his fist and coldly said, “Danae Windsor. The witness. If there’s no more, then let’s end this—”

 

“There is.”

 

What?

 

Raios was cut off mid-sentence.

 

What did she say?

 

“There is, the third witness.”

 

Dana slowly raised her head, and then their eyes met.

 

“I request the presence of the third witness.”

 

At that moment, Dana was smiling. Brightly, radiantly, dazzling like light. As if the previous despair was just a joke.

 

Raios knew that smile. Whenever Dana smiled like that, she always won. Always, every time. Everywhere…

 

A sudden sense of foreboding washed over him, but Raios mockingly scoffed, “If it’s another employee you’ve bribed, let’s just end this, shall we?”

 

“Sorry, but this time it’s not an employee, Your Highness.”

 

A chill ran down Raios’s back like an ice-cold blade. He gritted his teeth. Could it really be the former emperor? But soon, Raios forcefully denied it. No, that’s impossible.

 

Former Emperor Wilhelm. It was impossible for his father to be here. That was an impossibility.

 

“Granted. Third witness, please come forward and speak.”

 

Despite his growing anxiety, Raios turned his head toward the door to the waiting room. Is it really the former emperor?

 

“Third witness. Please come forward.”

 

Yet the door didn’t open. The judge repeated his call.

 

“Third witness. Won’t you come out?”

 

Thump, thump, thump, Raios’s heart raced. But he soon realized there was no need to be nervous. Right, there’s no need to be afraid. Whether the former emperor comes or not, what does it matter? He was still pure. Still a virgin!

 

Yeah, no matter who the witness is, it doesn’t matter. The truth won’t change. With that thought, he leaned back in his chair again. But despite his outward calm, his throat was parched, so he reached for the cup of water on the table.

 

And at that moment, creak— The slow sound of the door opening reached his ears. Raios, trying to maintain an air of disdain, complained, “Who could it be, making us wait like this—”

 

Crash! The next moment, the glass slipped from Raios’s grasp and shattered into sharp fragments on the floor. He was stunned as if hit on the head.

 

It was unbelievable. How could this be?

 

“I-I’m sorry.”

 

The woman who emerged from the waiting room walked forward with a flushed face, her steps shaky.

 

“T-The third witness is here.”

 

As the witness drew closer, Raios’s face drained of all expression. Eventually, he murmured dazedly, “Why are you…?”

 

Allice Windsor. His second fiancée appeared at the holy trial.

 

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NOTICE

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