Until The Real One Shows Up​

“Did you hear that? This morning…”

“It was quite specific. Is Lady Fontaine really the culprit of the accident three years ago?

“It’s possible seeing how she dared to try to harm the Empress.”

Earlier in the day, the Reiner Capital Court was crowded with people gathered to watch Olivia’s trial.

Originally, only a small number of nobles were allowed to watch important trials such as the Assassination of the Imperial Family, but somehow, this trial allowed those who wanted to sit freely in the audience regardless of their status.

Despite a sudden change in policy a day ago, numerous spectators flocked, and the court accepted all of them so that they could watch the trial.

It was a time when people gathered and waited for the trial to begin.

“Let go of me! I’m not guilty!”

A loud noise suddenly resounded inside the courthouse, which was buzzing, but without loud voices. Everyone’s eyes were focused on it.

“Let me go right now! Bring my baby, Louis, come on!”

Olivia, whose untied white hair was like a crazy woman’s, screamed and was dragged by the soldiers.

Even though she was thin, they struggled to move Olivia, who was holding herself in place with two soldiers whining about how strong she was.

“I’m innocent! It’s so unfair!”

“Shut your mouth and be quiet, sinner!”

“How could Rodri do this to me, Marquis, my father’s close friend! Call my father right now, right now!”

The Marquis of Rodri, who became today’s presiding judge, severely rebuked Olivia, but Olivia did not show any signs of easing up. Eventually, the annoyed Rodri ordered.

“Gag the sinner’s mouth and tie her up so that she can’t riot.”

“Call father, father… … oh! Oh! Oh!”

In the end, all of Olivia’s soldiers, who were anxiously looking for the Marquis of Fontaine, were overpowered, but Olivia continued to make sounds with blood in her eyes without any sign of shrinking.

Everyone was busy looking at Olivia with her intriguing eyes, but she heard the cry of her servant.

“Everyone, get up. The sun of the empire, Your Majesty the Emperor is entering!”

The people who were chatting jumped up from their seats and bowed, and after a while Wilhelm in uniform appeared in front of everyone.

In an instantaneous silence, Wilhelm walked up to his seat with dignity and sat down.

The Marquis, who saw Wilhelm seated, spoke in a solemn voice.

“Then we will start the trial. Prosecutors, please speak up.”

“Yes, Judge. Prisoner Olivia on Fire Day last week fed her Majesty’s chariot-drawn horses with manic grass, putting Her Majesty, as well as her companion Prince Louis, in great danger. Not only that, she appeared at the scene of the accident and directly attacked the wounded Her Majesty, the intent of the assassination is certain, so we demand the death of the criminal Olivia.”

“Sinner, do you admit it?”

At that moment, the gag she was biting on was released, Olivia immediately exclaimed.

“No, I’m innocent! I’m innocent! There’s no way I’m going to kill my baby!”

“Sinner, in front of His Majesty the Emperor. Make an example!”

“Call my father. please father! Or even Louis! Anyone come and save me!”

Olivia’s hysterical appearance, now almost mesmerizing, was that of a woman who had gone crazy.

Marquis Rodri had her gagged again after looking at her with a pitiful look on his face, and then sentenced her.

“The criminal Olivia tried to assassinate Her Majesty the Empress and His Highness the Crown Prince, but shows no sign of remorse. She is sentenced to death by beheading.”

It was the time when everyone had reached the expected conclusion and Rodri was about to raise the Marquis’ gavel.

“Imperial sun, Her Majesty the Empress enters!”

Suddenly, Anastasia appeared, and the people stood up immediately, puzzled.

Only Wilhelm sat down and watched Anastasia approaching him with a puzzled expression.

“How are you…”

“Fortunately, the verdict has yet to be issued.”

After Anastasia took her seat right next to Wilhelm, said to the Marquis.

“You’d better delay the verdict, Marquis Rodri.”

“Her Majesty, the Empress, by any chance…”

“A beheading sentence for a sinner. I don’t think it’s the right punishment.”

When Rodri heard it, the Marquis asked in a bewildered voice.

“Your Majesty, do you mean that the level of punishment is too strong…?”

“No way. Quite the opposite, Marquis. The beheading sentence is too merciful for the sinner.”

After talking, Anastasia winked at Colton, who was standing next to Wilhelm.

“The investigation revealed that the sinner not only tried to harm Her Majesty and the Crown Prince, but also broke into the Imperial Palace out of spite after being disqualified as a nanny and threatened the Crown Prince for a long time.”

Colton supplemented her words as if he had been waiting for Anastasia. Rodri asked Colton with a startled look.

“But the evidence… I don’t understand how she invaded the heavily guarded palace and threatened His Highness in the first place.”

“Just after Her Majesty informed him of the threat, His Majesty conducted a secret investigation.”

While Anastasia was unconscious and collapsed, Wilhelm investigated the truth of the carriage accident as well as the case reported by Anastasia.

Olivia would be sentenced to death anyway, but apart from that, he had to find out how Olivia broke through security and broke into the Imperial Palace. This was also directly related to the security of the palace.

“And in the process, it was confirmed that there was a long secret passage outside of the palace.”

“Do you mean that the sinner broke into the Imperial Palace and threatened His Highness through the secret passage?”

“That’s right. It was secretly ordered by the former Emperor when he built the Imperial Palace, and the sinner is the sister of the late Empress, so it is highly likely that she knew and abused the existence. Here’s the witnesses.”

Soon two men came in and testified to support Colton’s claim.

In the process, it was confirmed that they worked as workers during the construction of the new royal palace eight years ago, and people were forced to believe what they said because of the testimony that Emperor Alexander had made them swear to the Goddess on the condition of secrecy.

“Based on this, the imperial family calls for the illegal entry of the Imperial Palace and the addition of intimidation against His Highness.”

The court was rattled by unexpected circumstances, and Rodri had to quickly roll his head to find the right one among the numerous sentences that beat beheadings. But it wasn’t over yet.

“I also have a question for the sinner.”

The marquis was speechless for a moment with a look on his face, ‘What else is there here?’ and soon came to his senses and answered.

“Yes, Your Majesty. You can interrogate him yourself.”

But instead of immediately asking questions, Anastasia had Selene read a large piece of paper she had brought to her.

“Three years ago, it was none other than Empress Violet’s sister Olivia Fontaine who killed the Emperor and Empress.”

People began to whisper again at the unconventional remarks that fell to the court, even though they already knew it.

Early this morning, it was the first line of posters that shocked everyone across the island.

But Olivia, who was imprisoned and didn’t know anything about the outside, looked at Anastasia with a stunned face when she heard Selene’s words.

“Olivia was unhappy because she thought the marriage that her father, Marquis Fontaine, had chosen was terrible, and when she heard the news of Queen Violet’s pregnancy that day…”

The following content was too detailed to be made up, and it even detailed the fact that she tried to charge Wilhelm with the crime on purpose.

‘How can she…! The diary must have been burned down on Schweig Island!’

Olivia was shocked by the contents of the poster, as if it had been copied from her own diary, and was unable to move.

“I’ll let you check if I’m lying tomorrow morning.”

Was that what she meant? But she thought it was just to scare her. She didn’t expect her to do this nonsense…!

“This is a poster that was posted throughout the island early this morning. The content is too detailed to ignore and move on. Is the contents of the poster true, sinner?”

“…”

“Sinner.”

Anastasia asked in a stern voice.

“I asked you if you did something dishonorable to your sister. Won’t you answer?”

“…I!”

Olivia, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly burst into tears of resentment and screamed out her words.

She couldn’t understand why she was being treated so openly and disgracefully.

“Why are you only doing this to me?”

Olivia, who was complaining of injustice in a trembling voice, soon began to scream like a crazy person.

“I didn’t do anything wrong! Marquis Fontaine, it’s all his fault! This mess happened because he didn’t keep his promise to hand over the seat of the Empress, which was originally mine, and handed it to Violet and made me a Duchess! Catch that bastard! Blame that bastard, not me!”

“Do you mean you admit the crime?”

“It’s because of the Marquis of Fontaine! This is what the Marquis of Fontaine made me do!”

As the court roared, Olivia looked for the Marquis of Fontaine in the audience with her glittering eyes.

However, Olivia’s anger soared to the top of her head as the marquis didn’t even show his nose.*

*TN: he didn’t show up

“How dare you leave me like this and live alone? Kill that coward first! Tear the human limb to death, not me who is innocent!”

“Your honor, with the confession of the criminal, the imperial family is also asking for Lady Fontaine to be tried for the crime of assassination of the Emperor and Empress.”

Colton spoke as if he had been waiting, and Rodri ruled after staring at Olivia, with an embarrassed expression for a moment.

“Since it is judged that the quality of the sinner is unprecedentedly heinous, the punishment of the sinner by admitting all the sins that was beheading…”

He was cautious for a moment before making the final ruling, and soon lifted the gavel with a serious look.

“Change it to lingchi.”*

*TN: Lingchi was a form of torture/execution, where a knife was used to methodically remove portions of the body over an extended period of time, eventually resulting in death.

Bang, bang, bang! Olivia’s screams rang out with three hammer sounds, and Rodri forced the soldiers to rush her out.

“Oh my gosh, so that woman really killed her sister and tried to become Empress, and even His Majesty the former Emperor died?”

“Besides, even thinking of blaming the Emperor for that crime… … Isn’t that crazy?”

“All this time, I doubted the Emperor for nothing. Oh my gosh, how bad was she?”

Those left behind began to call Olivia names, shuddering at her shamelessness.

Anastasia was relieved that with this she had completely done her own thing.

‘I’m glad I could go give you one last present, Will.’

Swallowing the words she couldn’t get out of her mouth into her throat, Anastasia carefully grabbed Wilhelm’s hand, who was sitting there with a rather dazed expression on his face.

He turned to Anastasia with a startled look on his face. In his reddened eyes, she could guess the emotion he was feeling right now.

Anastasia smiled faintly and she said to him.

“You’ve been through a lot, Your Majesty.”

“…”

“It’s all over now.”

May the ghosts of the past no longer falsely strangle you.

She hoped all he had to do was be happy with the heroine.

“… Anastasia.”

Wilhelm called her name in a trembling voice. After a while, his voice was heard again.

“Thank you.”

Anastasia was not surprised by his thanks for the first time and she smiled.

It was a month before the real thing appeared.