An uproar arose as people realized Carlos had entered the courtroom. Even though he quietly sat down in the back, in a dark corner.
It was inevitable, given how eye-catching he was.
The situation was also somewhat complicated.
It held great significance for Carlos, the Emperor of the Rom Empire which ruled almost the entire continent except for Shaim and a few small kingdoms, to participate in this trial.
It meant the ruler of the continent viewed the murder of Shaim’s crown prince as important.
The Kingdom of Shaim, which had been prostrating itself, could mistakenly think it now had the backing of the Empire and act arrogantly. The Emperor had even been staying for ten days, as if he liked Shaim.
So the king looked somewhat excited upon seeing the Emperor.
Even though his son had died, he seemed rather pleased that the trial was garnering attention from the Emperor of the Rom Empire, who cared about Shaim’s tragedy.
Anyway.
This situation was why there had been bickering between Logan and Abigail on the way here.
Other subordinates were also quite dissatisfied with Carlos’ attendance at the trial.
Nevertheless, they all followed the Emperor’s decision without complaint. They might grumble, but never rebelled against the Emperor.
The relationship of trust between Emperor Carlos, who had led the conquest wars, and his subordinates was deep. On top of that, he wisely ruled the empire, earning even more respect.
“Your Majesty, a seat of honor has been prepared in the front.”
There seemed to be a seat prepared by the king with a good view of the trial. Carlos twisted the corner of his mouth in a smile.
“If I sit in the seat of honor at such a heinous trial, wouldn’t I be suspected as the criminal? I quite like it here.”
Instead of saying that this distance was good for observing that woman, Carlos made a joke.
“The trial of the criminal shall begin.”
Soon, the judge’s solemn voice announced the start of the trial.
Carlos expressionlessly gazed at the skinny woman sitting in the defendant’s seat.
“The criminal has committed the grave offense of daring to murder the crown prince, first in line to succeed the Kingdom of Shaim. You must understand there is no room for explanation or forgiveness in this case.”
The judge’s voice boomed as he recited Mercedes’ charges.
“The court strips the criminal of all family names.”
And then stripped her of her family names.
It meant demoting her to the lowest status in this country.
‘If they do that, it means even Cromwell’s name will be removed.’
There was no mention of the count’s family.
Of course, everyone thought there would be a trial for Count Cromwell. Public opinion was also quite fierce.
But combining the judge’s words and recent information gathered… Well. Things might turn out differently from what people expected.
Of course, it was Carlos’ guess, so he only thought it to himself.
“Lastly! The crime of murdering the crown prince is so grave its weight cannot be measured. Therefore, the criminal shall be publicly executed and then have her corpse dismembered. Afterwards, the body will be hung on the city walls to be fed to beasts as the ultimate punishment.”
It was the harshest of harsh punishments, humiliating even after death.
“……”
Mercedes, who received the sentence, looked extremely detached. It was impossible to guess what feelings she held inside.
“Hmm.”
Carlos made a low sound as he watched her.
Though it was a small sound, those seated near him were startled and tensed up. Carlos’ presence was that intense.
The judge was about to raise the gavel to conclude Mercedes’ sentencing.
And at that moment.
“Judge.”
Carlos raised his hand.
Though he was seated in the very back, his low voice clearly resonated throughout the entire courtroom.
“Before the judge firmly concludes the verdict, the Rom Empire has a proposal to make.”
In an instant, tension along with silence descended.
Carlos opened his mouth nonchalantly, as if not even noticing the tension.
“We would like to take custody of the criminal in the Rom Empire.”
Though the tone was casual and light, the content it conveyed was immense.
And that one statement had an effect similar to a storm descending upon the courtroom.
“…Ahem.”
Someone coughed in surprise, followed by a heavy silence.
In any country, the courtroom is a place where the judge wields absolute influence.
Even the king cannot interfere at the moment of sentencing.
So for Carlos from the Rom Empire to open his mouth right before the verdict, stopping the judge’s words, was more than just disrespect.
But Carlos is the ruler of the continent. For him, things like ‘what must not be done’ do not exist. Who could stop him?
Everyone in the world had to be careful of even a single word before him.
After all, if the Rom Empire were to start a war, no country could withstand it.
The courtroom filled with silence, and the judge simply looked at the king.
“…Ah.”
Mercedes, standing at the center of the silence, turned to look at Carlos with a quiet sound.
‘Why?’
She couldn’t help it.
As Mercedes had been reading the newspapers every day, she knew. The king absolutely could not ignore the Emperor’s words.
So with that one action from Carlos, her life was extended. Definitely.
‘Why me, of all people?’
But the extension of life was not welcome to her.
From the moment Gertrude betrayed her, until the week in the underground prison.
She had only thought about wanting to die quickly.
There was nothing left for her to do in life.
The crown prince was dead, and though she wouldn’t be able to witness the trial of Count Cromwell’s family, they would obviously be exterminated afterwards.
Having her limbs torn apart and being humiliated didn’t bother her at all. She felt that simply wrapping everything up and disappearing from the world was her role.
She even thought that perhaps her ability had been inherited for this very moment.
But suddenly, an outstretched hand of salvation.
Had proper salvation ever come before her?
The count who pretended to be kind and took her in when she was wandering in the Rom Empire abused her as soon as they arrived in Shaim, and Elmond who fell in love at first sight and proposed also tormented her. Even Richard, who placed her in the position of crown princess under the pretext of inheriting his brother’s fiancée, drove her to death.
There had been no proper salvation.
Distrust naturally frosted over, and everything became a mess. Was she being dragged into another trap and torture of life?
‘No more, please.’
Mercedes opened her mouth first, instead of the king who was still unable to speak due to confusion.
“Please let me die.”
“……”
“I dared to murder His Highness the Crown Prince. This is not only an insult to the royal family, but can even be called treason, a grave crime. Please kill me. Cut off my head and tear my limbs apart to use as animal feed. I beg you—”
“I’ll say it once more.”
Carlos’ low voice cut off Mercedes’ calm voice as she spoke earnestly, asking to be killed.
He was already walking from the very back to the center of the courtroom.
He was still wearing a pitch-black uniform from head to toe with a splendid red cape. His god-like beauty and the intimidating aura that flowed even when he was still overwhelmed the entire courtroom.
Carlos looked straight at the king and said again, enunciating each word:
“The Rom Empire wants custody of the criminal.”
“……”
The king looked at the Emperor with a blank expression. Irritation slowly crept onto Carlos’ face.
“How long must I wait for an answer to my proposal?”
As if that was the signal, the King of Shaim abruptly stood up.
“J-just a moment. We need to talk.”
It seemed he had finally come to his senses.
Carlos was glad to have escaped a situation where he would have had to add a few more annoying words, and moved towards the king.
Carlos even showed the audacity to cross the courtroom. Though the king was the master of this kingdom, it was as if he was clearly showing that he was above the king.
“Th-the trial will resume later… An announcement. F-for now, everyone withdraw. Restrain the criminal again.”
The king hurriedly spoke before leaving the courtroom, and Mercedes was dragged away again by soldiers.
At that moment, Carlos and Mercedes brushed past each other. Mercedes’ eyes were fixed on Carlos, but Carlos didn’t even glance at her.
It was behavior that made even less sense.
Mercedes was thus forced to withdraw, firmly imprinting Carlos’ image in her eyes.
It was a sudden bombshell statement, so a meeting was needed to adjust that proposal. But the Shaim king’s handling of matters was quite slow.
He continued to fumble even while assigning someone to guide Carlos and preparing a separate table.
In the end, servants accustomed to such matters checked things the king had failed to prepare, coming and going, and the palace became chaotic.
‘He must be flustered.’
Carlos decided to wait generously. It was true that he had dropped a bombshell after all. And while waiting for those preparations, his aides were in an uproar.
“What are you thinking, Your Majesty!”
It was only natural. Even coming all this way and participating in the trial, Carlos had not given his aides any proper hint.
“Don’t tell me, don’t tell me! Did you have your eye on the crown princess? Why didn’t you give us any hint! There’s no woman Your Majesty can’t have!”
“And where is the woman’s will in that?”
“You’re the Emperor, Your Majesty! And handsome! Who would refuse?”
“Logan. You need to learn to respect people again.”
“No… that’s…”
“Enough of what a fool like Logan says. So is it true? Did you stay here all this time because you like the crown princess?”
Carlos didn’t answer that question and just smiled.
“Oh my!”
“To think His Majesty would show interest in a woman!”
“But… she’s a murderer. Will it be alright?”
The most important point was raised.
Carlos quietly looked at the aide who said those words.
Turns Out He’s Been Secretly in Love with Me
One-line summary: He acts like he doesn’t like her but is actually playing hard to get.
Synopsis:
Xu Muzhou like her. He has liked her for a very long time, and through repeated schemes, he finally closed the distance with her.
But this is still far from enough.
He wants to be the one who stands out among her many suitors, to fight for her attention, and to make her take the initiative to pursue him.
_____
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