Chapter 96 Betrayal
“Your Majesty, they are bringing imperial authority to the ground. Are you going to stand by and let this happen?”
Sandra’s eyes glittered as she looked at Jonathan. He was the only one she could trust and rely on now.
The friendship between the brothers wasn’t the deepest, but a brother was a brother. Blood is thicker than water, or so they say, and Sandra had come to believe that Jonathan would eventually embrace Caspian in his wide arms.
Jonathan opened his mouth, still stroking the back of Sandra’s hand.
“It can’t be helped, mother. She is the daughter of the Lord Chancellor of the Kingdom of Hisric. At the very least, there are formalities. It’s not as easy to get away with this time as it was the other times. There’s a lot of evidence and testimony.”
“…”
“The trial date has been set, and there’s no getting around it. Judges from all over the continent, not just the Hisric Kingdom, are travelling here to observe this trial.”
Sandra knew this already. The newspapers had made a big deal of it.
What Sandra wanted to hear from Jonathan’s lips now was not something the world knew, something only Jonathan, the Emperor of a great empire and Caspian’s brother, could tell him.
Whether he knew Sandra’s feelings or not, Jonathan spoke with an easy smile on his lips.
“But don’t worry too much, mother. The punishment Caspian will receive will be light, and even that light punishment will be commuted after a year, so…”
“But… he’ll be punished? Are you saying Caspian will be found guilty, that he’ll be branded a criminal after all?”
Sandra’s face contorted as if she were about to cry. She couldn’t let her beloved son be branded a criminal. She would do everything in her power to prevent it.
But when the words “punishment” came out of Jonathan’s mouth, the only person she trusted, Sandra felt like she was going crazy. She resented Jonathan.
“I thought you said it couldn’t be helped,” Jonathan said with a shallow sigh, as if he knew it wouldn’t work no matter how hard he tried.
“I told you it couldn’t be helped, didn’t I, mum? There will be a trial, and there’s already been evidence and testimony presented that Caspian was involved in the crime. The chances of him getting off scot-free are very slim.”
“…”
“He will be punished, but it won’t be much, it’ll just be a punishment for show, so don’t take it personally.”
“Ugh…”
Just the thought of Caspian being punished made Sandra feel pain like something sharp was piercing her heart.
But she couldn’t show it now, not in front of Jonathan. She could tell by the look in his eyes that he was bothered by this conversation.
Sandra could see clearly that Jonathan’s brow was getting narrower and narrower, forming deep wrinkles. An instant of anxiety shook Sandra’s entire body. Somehow, she felt as if Jonathan would abandon Caspian. It felt like betrayal.
‘…You bastard! I thought we were family… How could you do that to my Caspian, how could you do that to me, how dare you!’
Anger and fear tangled together and clenched in her chest. She felt as if she would lose everything if she trusted Jonathan alone.
***
‘We’re here!’
The carriage carrying Veronia and Killion pulled up in front of the tribunal. The building was imposing at first sight.
Here today, Caspian and his group would stand accused in front of thousands of eyes.
This was a special international trial, with judges from the neighbouring kingdom of Hisric and other nations in attendance. The interest in this trial was great, not only among her own people, but also those of other nations.
Veronia was to attend the trial as a witness. Her cold hands shook with nervousness.
“I get nervous in large gatherings of people,” she says.
Large parties, trials, and appearing in front of people she didn’t know had become a regular occurrence lately. The past few years of hiding from the limelight had become a dream.
‘I kind of expected it, but it’s not easy… to face it.’
She tried to escape the imperial family’s eyes and get to a safe place, but she ended up running into them. She was afraid, but the water had already spilled. She couldn’t avoid it, and she shouldn’t have.
He must have read her nervousness. Killion gently took her hand. His firm grip helped Veronia’s hands stop trembling.
“There’s no need to be nervous or worried, there will be no surprises, and you know full well that we have more than enough evidence and witnesses on our side.”
“I do, thank you.”
Veronia knew it, but hearing it from Killion’s lips seemed to confirm it. She was grateful to have him by her side, comforting and supporting her.
Veronia followed Killion into the courtroom. Their entrance drew the attention of those already seated.
‘I can’t breathe…’
Veronia felt the energy drain from her body as the tension gripped her, but then she felt the strength in Killion’s hand. He had squeezed her hand tightly. As if he was trying to share his energy with her.
They exchanged glances and smiled softly, and then sat down next to each other in the witness box.
Soon the courtroom was filled with people. The victim and complainant in this case, Frida Mitchell came in with Princess Espin. They sat down in front of Veronia and Killion.
The accused Caspian and his entourage filed in and took their seats. They sat across from Veronia in the witness box.
Caspian looked very angry, and it was clear that he was working hard to keep his face impassive and hide his emotions.
‘Yes, you can be angry as hell. You have to be angry when things don’t go your way, don’t you? In a just world, this should have happened sooner rather than later.’
Veronia looked at Caspian, lost in thought, and then her gaze met his. Caspian’s face, which had remained impassive the entire time, suddenly flushed with anger.
It wasn’t hard for Veronia to read the murderous intent in his eyes as he stared back at her. But she was not afraid.
Caspian couldn’t do her any harm now. Veronia glared back, undeterred. Until he finally looked away.
“The Empress is entering!”
Everyone in the courtroom rose to greet Sandra, the oldest adult member of the imperial family. Veronia rose to her feet, along with Killion.
‘At last!’
The sight of Sandra, dressed in plain clothes and light make-up, was unfamiliar, and she wore a deeply somber expression, presumably to portray a grieving mother.
After Sandra took her seat, the five judges entered one after the other, and the trial began.
The victim of the case, Lady Frida Mitchell, was the first to testify. She felt sorry for her as she still had a bandage on one arm, as if she was still undergoing treatment.
“I was at a party at the Earl of Macquarie’s house, and I was walking in the garden with William, the second son of the Earl of Turner, whom I had met there, when a group of unidentified men appeared and started beating me and William without recognition.”
As if it’s painful to recall, Frida pauses and takes a breath.
“It happened so suddenly, and it was dark, so I didn’t see any faces, but I heard a voice I recognised – it was the voice of the Earl of Farren, Louis Farren.”
Princess Espin’s testimony followed.
“At the engagement party at the Duke of Drea’s residence, Count Farren was hitting on Lady Frida, and she said no, but he grabbed her wrist hard, and they got verbal.”
Princess Espin, without a trace of nervousness, spoke the words he had rehearsed over and over again.
“His Highness Prince Caspian seemed to defuse the situation, but at the end of it all, he too became verbally abusive, and finally apologised to Lady Nia, the Duke of Drea’s fiancée.”
Next came a series of reports from the scouts who investigated the incident.
The time of the incident was 9:10, but the testimony of those who saw the prince’s party was that the room was empty from 8:50 to 9:30.
The results of an examination of the teleportation scroll found at the crime scene were also presented. The scrolls were manufactured by the ‘Emerich Workshop’, and the name of the Earl of Louis Farren appeared consistently in the account books.
The workshop was so small and operated by a small number of customers buying in bulk that it was easy to pinpoint the culprits.
The trial was going exactly as Veronia and Killion had expected. There was no room for variables. They had already anticipated Sandra’s sudden rise to the witness stand.
“Your Honour, Prince Caspian, second in line to the throne of the Empire of Asnerdom, ran to me and burst into tears of injustice.”
Sandra raised her voice in a plaintive tone, tears stinging her eyes.
