Count Felice was caught quickly.

Thinking everything would go well, he was sleeping peacefully in his mansion.

Though he was startled upon seeing my face, he was subdued without much difficulty.

He shouted loudly, asking what on earth was going on, claiming he didn’t understand.

It was an enormous sound that threatened to burst our eardrums, but the mercenaries of the merchant group, who had encountered quite a few troublemakers, admirably ignored it.

“You, you, you! How! Dare you!!”

“They are ‘my’ soldiers, Count Felice. You can’t say ‘dare’.”

“Your Highness! Please say something. Why am I being taken like this!?”

Even while being dragged away like a sack, Count Felice did not know what was happening to him.

He just struggled in every way, demanding to be released quickly.

“Do you really not know why, Count? I think I do.”

We met yesterday, didn’t we?

In front of His Majesty’s office.

As I opened my mouth softly and stared at him, the Count suddenly stopped talking and opened his eyes wide.

As if wondering how I knew that. Or as if it was impossible that I had already figured it out.

I flashed him a deep sneer and mounted my horse.

“Let’s go. We’re escorting a criminal!”

“Yes, Your Highness!”

At the word ‘criminal’, I could see the Count’s household members, who had come out to stop this bewildering situation, freeze in place.

The word ‘criminal’ must be shocking, but it must also be shocking that the Crown Princess herself came to take him away.

“Your Highness! Please tell us the charges at least! You can’t just take him away so suddenly!”

I heard the Countess wailing from behind.

Seeing her husband being dragged away quietly, she should have guessed something, but to be so oblivious.

I clicked my tongue inwardly and turned my head.

“It’s better to just wait quietly for now, Countess. That’s all I can tell you.”

Saying ‘treason’ right away would only give the Count’s people a chance to flee in confusion.

Instead, I hinted that news would come soon, creating a way for them to wait quietly, at least for a while.

We need to verify whether the family members are accomplices or not, and it would be troublesome if they suddenly ran away.

So I looked at them, stiff and unable to do anything, and then turned my horse and galloped away.

We need to hurry back for everything to end quickly.

When I returned to the Imperial Palace, Leoprick had also just brought in Duke Valois.

After ordering the criminals to be imprisoned, I entered the palace with Leoprick, and we were greeted by the Emperor and Empress, whose eyes were much clearer than yesterday.

“Leoprick! Amelia! My goodness, what on earth is this……”

As soon as our eyes met, the Empress rushed over and embraced us both at once.

Her face looked aged by several years, as if she had been worrying all night.

Though it was awkward, I hugged her back slightly, following Leoprick’s lead.

“We have returned, Your Majesty.”

“Yes. You’ve really worked hard.”

While she was checking us over for any injuries, the Emperor approached.

His expression was not much different from the Empress’s, but he seemed to prioritize his role as the Emperor, the ruler of the empire, over that of a father worried about his children.

“What about Count Felice and Duke Valois?”

“They have been imprisoned.”

“Well done. Are you planning to hold the trial right away?”

“Yes. We’re planning to try them together with Lloyd, who is already in prison.”

Since we’re at it, why not bundle Lloyd, for whom most witnesses are already prepared, together?

The Emperor agreed, and I said that would be good too.

“But the problem is Duke Valois.”

Leoprick let out a small sigh.

“He had completely locked the doors of his mansion. If the knights hadn’t entered through the servants’ entrance and just waited outside for the door to open, we probably wouldn’t have caught him.”

“So, is Duke Valois denying the charges?”

“Even if he’s involved, he wants to say he didn’t do anything directly. I heard that the sporadic communications he had been receiving until around lunchtime yesterday suddenly stopped. He’s a meticulous and cunning fellow.”

In fact, Duke Valois claimed all the way here that he knew nothing.

The sight of him lamenting that it was his fault for not properly controlling his knights was so disgusting.

Leoprick shook his head and sighed.

Circumstantially, we could imprison him, but that wasn’t enough.

Even if we did imprison him, it was clear he would claim there wasn’t enough evidence for treason.

The worry deepened as much as the increased sighs.

We needed someone who knew Duke Valois well.

Only then could we deal with those three rebellion leaders tomorrow.

I thought I should send a related letter to Betty for now.

As I was pondering, something suddenly occurred to me.

A way to implicate Duke Valois along with the others.

If we had a few of the servants and knights we had infiltrated into Duke Valois’s mansion earlier, and one crucial person who could prove his crime, things might work out to some extent.

Just like how Leoprick had deceived everyone by mixing some real poor people with mercenaries in this recent slum incident.

Servants testifying probably wouldn’t make Duke Valois bat an eye, so if possible, it would be good if one of the Duke’s accomplices could testify.

If we shake them from head to toe and gather everything, even if his followers cause all sorts of trouble in the courtroom, we’ll have a justification to bring them back as they are.

As I was thinking various thoughts to myself, I slowly opened my mouth.

“I think there might be a way.”

“Do you have evidence to implicate Duke Valois as well?”

“Yes. I’m sure there won’t be any problem.”

For some reason, I answered with a voice full of confidence.

Feeling as if anything would really be possible.

Thinking that tomorrow, surely, anything would become possible.

Due to the nature of the case, the trial was held the very next day.

It was to prevent the criminals from committing any other acts, but for us who had to prepare in a rush, it was no small challenge.

As I was pacing back and forth until just before the start of the trial, waiting for news, I received a signal from Betty that everything was prepared, and immediately looked at Leoprick.

Fortunately, he seemed to have been waiting as well, as our eyes met quickly, and I sent a signal that everything was ready.

And right after that, the trial began.

“We now commence the trial for the accusation of treason against the Imperial Family!”

Along with the solemn sound of the judge’s gavel, the criminals came forward.

Count James Felice, Viscount Lloyd Alois, and Duke Derrick Valois.

Count Felice and Lloyd looked very tired, but Duke Valois was unusually composed.

He even seemed somewhat lively.

He probably thought he could get out of this safely.

But we can’t let that happen.

Remembering the witness prepared for him, I whispered softly to Betty, who had approached unnoticed.

“Has the lady arrived?”

“Yes, Your Highness. I’m on my way back from escorting her here.”

“That’s a relief. You’ve worked hard, Betty.”

To testify about Count Felice’s crimes, there were myself, the Emperor and Empress, and the Head Chamberlain.

To testify about Lloyd’s crimes, there were Ariana Valois and Zero.

And surprisingly, to prove Duke Valois’s crimes, Adela Gilloyte stepped forward.

Last night, while I was searching for someone who could help perfect my plan, I received an unexpected contact.

It was a brief letter. It felt a bit abrupt.

But sensing an opportunity, I immediately went to see Adela Gilloyte, and there I was able to hear some very interesting stories.

After hearing everything, I promised her that if she came here today and told the same story she just told me, I wouldn’t implicate her as being in the same group as Duke Valois.

And today.

I exchanged a quick eye greeting with Adela Gilloyte, who was seated on one side of the courtroom.

Adela returned the eye greeting as well.

As it wasn’t good to maintain eye contact for too long between us, I quickly turned my gaze, and just then, Duke Valois had stepped forward.

“Honorable judge, I stand here today as a witness.”

And he began to spout nonsense that seemed prepared in advance.

He claimed that he was merely a witness, not a criminal, and that he had shown tremendous courage to reveal this matter today, and other useless words that seemed unlikely to be believed.

While the Imperial Family members including myself, Lloyd, and Count Felice all had similar expressions as if thinking the same thing, the other nobles who knew nothing had faces that seemed to say ‘let’s hear what he has to say’.

“I admit that I am guilty of negligence. I also admit to the crime of not properly managing my subordinates. But, Your Honor, I swear, I claim that I knew nothing about the conspiracy of treason that the other two standing here were plotting.”

Ah. Finally. I couldn’t hold back the laughter that burst out.

He swears he knew nothing about the treason. Is this something that should come out of a person’s mouth?

No, if that person truly thought of himself as human, it would be impossible to say such a thing.

As I was wearing a smirk and scornful laugh that wouldn’t leave my lips, clenching my fist tightly, it happened.

“It’s all lies! Duke Valois certainly knew about the treason!”

Adela Gilloyte, who had been sitting quietly with her face hidden among the people, suddenly stood up.