Was it because I had just witnessed Grit’s downfall?

Duke Hersher showed a very tense expression.

“Why do you think you are standing here?”

Odin asked Duke Hersher before delivering the verdict.

It was a question about whether he knew the biggest reason why he was standing here.

“The sin of raising a child wrongly must be great. I know that many people have been harmed because of us, and especially that we have caused great trouble to the imperial family.”

“Is it because of that?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

But Duke Hersher had missed the point completely.

Odin smiled and asked again.

“The Crown Princess clearly said she would no longer question the sins related to that, so why are you making my daughter-in-law seem petty?”

“Your Majesty?”

Duke Hersher showed a bewildered expression.

He thought there was no reason for him to be standing here other than the answer he had just given.

Because if it wasn’t because of Aria, he hadn’t done anything to antagonize the imperial family until now.

Of course, at first, he had done some presumptuous things without fully grasping the situation.

But after repentance, he rather admitted his mistakes and tried to restore the relationship.

In the process, things got complicated due to Aria’s misguided actions, but still, Duke Hersher was confident that he still had a chance.

If he just abandoned Aria, somehow a way to survive would open up.

But his thoughts didn’t last long.

“Documents that Aria Hersher was trying to conceal secretly have recently been uncovered. They contain all sorts of evil deeds committed by the Hersher family over the past hundreds of years.”

Duke Hersher, whose mind went blank at Odin’s words, looked at Aria with an expression of disbelief.

“There’s no such thing!”

Aria denied.

Most of the documents had already been entrusted to Bawin. That’s why she spoke with confidence.

“Oh? Then what is this book?”

Aria’s expression hardened when she saw the book Clea was holding out beside her.

“How did you get that!”

An ancient book passed down through generations in the Hersher family.

It was definitely something she had personally stored in the safe at the Rokin mansion this morning.

But now that book was in Clea’s hands.

“What if I told you that someone you trusted was actually my person?”

At Clea’s words, Aria was shocked as she thought of Bawin.

It was a shock that came from the betrayal of someone she thought would never betray her.

Seeing Aria’s unusual reaction, Duke Hersher was dumbfounded.

She, who would have immediately refuted if she felt wronged, was not doing so and was instead struggling with shock.

He spoke with a final thought.

“I have been loyal and devoted to Your Majesty and the Empire for my entire life. Even if the contents of those old documents are true, that sin cannot be applied to me.”

The Duke argued that he couldn’t be punished for something he hadn’t done.

But Odin retorted firmly.

“Are you not now fully enjoying the benefits your ancestors took? Isn’t that right, Grand Duke?”

“Your Majesty’s words are correct.”

The reason Odin asked the Grand Duke present was to warn other nobles as well.

That if similar cases occur in the future, they will be dealt with like today.

Realizing this, tension circulated among the nobles.

“But the Duke’s words also have a point, so let’s do this.”

Odin spoke to dissolve the coldly frozen atmosphere.

“I will abolish the Hersher family and confiscate all the benefits they have taken so far.”

The Duke and Duchess Hersher were dumbfounded at Odin’s verdict.

It was a satisfactory result as they had hoped to avoid the death penalty, but they were greatly shocked to no longer be nobles.

Those who were once dukes in the empire all fell in an instant.

Those who had been in high places and suddenly fell to the bottom looked like they might collapse at any moment.

“Th-Thank you for Your Majesty’s gracious verdict.”

Duke Hersher swallowed and barely managed to answer.

“Lastly, Aria Hersher will be confined to the Cornel Tower at the northern end of the empire without parole.”

At the final verdict that followed, people showed unexpected reactions.

It was none other than Aria.

She had injured the Crown Princess Clea and poisoned the Crown Prince.

Besides that, she had committed all sorts of crimes.

So when Grit’s death was confirmed, they thought Aria would die too.

But they ended up just imprisoning her instead of killing her.

“With this, I will conclude today’s trial.”

With those words, Odin rose from his seat and went outside.

Although the result was unsatisfying, the spectators who attended today’s seat became certain of one thing.

That they should never challenge the imperial family, including Clea.

When the trial ended and people rose from their seats, Clea stood in front of Aria.

Clea said to Aria.

“I told you, didn’t I? You can never beat me.”

“Ha.”

Now that everything was over, the winner and loser were clearly divided.

But Aria still couldn’t accept defeat.

She didn’t want to admit it. Because then Clea would really become the winner.

Aria thought in a situation where she felt like she might go crazy.

Wouldn’t the situation change if she killed her even now?

But she had nothing on hand as she had been thoroughly searched when entering the courtroom.

Aria looked at Clea.

Clea had a relaxed expression.

“This is really the worst.”

Muttering like that, Aria turned her head to look for the Duke and Duchess Hersher.

She felt that if it was her parents, they might be able to help her in this situation.

However, the Duke and Duchess Hersher were being dragged away by other nobles who held resentment towards the two.

Even Bawin had betrayed her, so there was no one left to rely on now.

“I have one last thing to say.”

“……”

“I hope you’ll be happy there.”

Clea said with a winner’s smile.

Aria glared at Clea, unable to calm her boiling anger.

“I’ll be going now.”

Clea left her seat immediately, not wanting to deal with Aria who was glaring silently anymore.

Everyone left the courtroom, and now only Aria and Admund remained.

“Admund.”

Aria looked at Admund.

Admund was still looking at her with cold eyes.

After exchanging glances for a while, just as Aria was about to speak to him first, Admund handed her a note.

Aria was momentarily flustered but took the note he handed her.

Admund went out as soon as she received the note.

Left alone like that, Aria didn’t chase after him, but checked once more if there was anyone else before unfolding the note.

The note read:

Nechia was a place on the way to Cornel Tower.

Seeing the contents, Aria thought maybe at first. But soon she shed tears.

“Is this all I have left?”

She realized that the time had come to finally acknowledge the ending she didn’t want to admit.

* * *

The ‘Duke and Duchess Hersher’ became ‘Mr. and Mrs. Hersher’ after the verdict.

Was it because they had fallen from a high place to the lowest in a day?

People didn’t leave the Hersher couple alone.

“Why has this trial befallen us? What on earth did we do so wrong?”

“My dear, please endure a little longer. We’re almost home.”

Because they still had some influence, the couple was barely able to escape by getting help from those they were once close to and boarding a carriage.

Mrs. Hersher was still shaking with anxiety.

“I’m even afraid of home. Given that even those we were close to have changed their attitude towards us, how will the servants react?”

The couple were no longer nobles, but their retainers were still nobles.

Moreover, even some of the servants working in the Hersher Duke’s household were of noble origin.

Mrs. Hersher shed tears, terribly afraid of how they would react.

“The situation at home will be a bit better. As soon as we enter, let’s prepare to leave the capital.”

The Duke planned to prepare to leave immediately upon entering the house.

Odin had said he would confiscate their assets.

Although it wasn’t clear exactly how much would be confiscated, it was certain that they couldn’t stay in the capital for long.

So he wanted to divert at least some of the assets and escape from the capital.

After that, his goal was to live quietly in a place without any threats.

Meanwhile, Mrs. Hersher wanted to ask about Aria, but couldn’t bring herself to speak.

She too had now realized the reality.

She had become frightened of Aria after hearing about her actions during the trial.

She ended up not saying anything. She just looked out the window with a sad face.

The Duke, who read what his wife was thinking, also didn’t bother to speak.

The carriage that had been running in silence like that soon came to a stop.

“Let’s get off quickly.”

“Yes.”

There was a lot to pack if they were to leave the capital.

So as they hurriedly got off and tried to enter the house, someone blocked their way.

“Did you have a good trial?”

The person blocking the door was Bawin, the owner of the Rokin family and the guild that the Duke once coveted so much.

“Haha, judging by your expressions, it seems something unpleasant happened. The weather is so nice though.”

The Duke wanted to just push Bawin aside.

But knowing well what would happen if a commoner inflicted harm on a noble, he tried to speak as nicely as possible while trying to enter.

“…We need to enter the house, so please step aside.”

“What business do you have entering my house?”

“What do you mean by that?”

“My, you didn’t know yet?”

Bawin said that much and then handed them a piece of paper.

That paper was a promissory note with an enormous amount written on it.

The expressions of the Hersher couple drastically distorted as they confirmed the contents.

The repayment deadline had long passed, and the Hersher mansion was listed as collateral.

“This house is now my house.”