“Your Majesty, they are bringing down the authority of the imperial family. Do you intend to just stand by and watch?”

Sandra’s eyes shone brightly as she looked at Jonathan. Now Jonathan was the only one Sandra could trust and rely on.

Though the brotherly affection wasn’t particularly deep, brothers were still brothers. Blood is thicker than water, as they say. In the end, Sandra decided to believe that Jonathan would embrace Caspian with open arms.

Jonathan, still patting the back of Sandra’s hand, opened his mouth.

“It cannot be helped, Your Majesty. The other party is the daughter of the Prime Minister of the Histric Kingdom. At least formal procedures are necessary. This time, it won’t be as easy to slip away as before. There is much evidence and testimony.”

“…”

“We cannot cancel the trial once the date has been set. Trial judges from not only the Histric Kingdom but from all over the continent are on their way here to observe this trial.”

Sandra already knew this. After all, it had been widely reported in the newspapers.

What Sandra wanted to hear from Jonathan’s lips now was not such common knowledge that everyone knew. She wanted to hear what only Jonathan, the emperor of a great empire and Caspian’s elder brother, could tell her.

Whether he knew Sandra’s thoughts or not, Jonathan continued speaking with a comfortable smile on his face.

“But don’t worry too much, Your Majesty. The punishment Caspian will receive will be light. I will even arrange for that light punishment to be reduced after a year. So…”

“Pun… punishment? Are you saying Caspian will be found guilty? Are you saying he will end up branded as a criminal in the end?”

Sandra’s face contorted as if she were about to cry. She couldn’t let her beloved son be branded a criminal. She had to use every means and method to prevent that.

But when the words ‘will receive punishment’ came from the mouth of Jonathan, whom she had solely trusted and relied on, Sandra felt like she was going mad. She resented Jonathan.

Sensing that no matter how much he tried, his words wouldn’t get through, Jonathan let out a shallow sigh and said,

“Didn’t I say it was unavoidable, Your Majesty? The trial will take place, and several pieces of evidence and testimony have already been submitted proving Caspian’s involvement in the crime. The possibility of acquittal is very slim.”

“…”

“He will be punished. But it won’t be severe. It will just be for show. So don’t worry.”

“Ugh…”

Caspian receiving punishment. Just imagining it made Sandra feel pain as if something sharp was piercing her heart.

But she couldn’t show it in front of Jonathan now. She could tell by his eyes. That he found this conversation annoying.

Sandra clearly saw Jonathan’s brow furrowing, creating deep wrinkles. Suddenly, anxiety shook Sandra’s entire body. For some reason, it felt like Jonathan might abandon Caspian. Like he might betray him.

‘…You wretched son! I trusted you as family… How could you do this to our Caspian! How could you do this to me! How dare you!’

Anger and fear tangled together and lodged in her chest. It felt like if she only relied on Jonathan, she might lose everything.

‘We’ve arrived!’

The carriage carrying Veronia and Killian stopped in front of the courthouse. The imposing presence of the unfamiliar building was overwhelming.

Today, Caspian and his group would stand in the defendant’s seat here, watched by countless people.

This trial was a special international trial, attended by judges not only from the neighboring Histric Kingdom but from other countries as well. Not just the imperial citizens, but even people from other countries showed great interest in this trial.

Veronia had to attend the trial as a witness. Her hands were cold and trembling due to nervousness.

‘Places where many people gather… make me nervous.’

From large-scale parties to trials, she had been frequently appearing before strangers lately. The past few years of living in hiding from people’s attention and interest now felt like a dream.

‘I expected it to some extent, but actually facing it… it’s not easy.’

She had fled to a safe place to avoid the eyes of the imperial family, but now she had to confront them head-on. It was frightening, but the water had already been spilled. She couldn’t avoid it, nor should she.

Perhaps reading her unsettled nervousness, Killian gently took her hand. Thanks to his hand firmly enveloping hers, Veronia’s hand was able to stop trembling.

“There’s no need to be nervous or worried. There won’t be any variables. You know well that we have sufficient evidence and witnesses on our side.”

“You’re right. Thank you.”

Veronia knew this too, but hearing it from Killian’s mouth seemed to give her even more confidence. She was grateful to Killian for comforting and supporting her by her side.

Veronia entered the courtroom led by Killian. As the two entered, the attention of the people already seated focused on them.

‘It’s suffocating…’

Veronia felt like the strength was draining from her body due to the overwhelming nervousness. At that moment, she felt strength in the hand holding Killian’s. It was because he had firmly squeezed her hand. As if trying to share his strength with her.

Exchanging glances and smiling softly, the two sat side by side in the witness waiting area.

Soon the courtroom was filled with people. Lady Frida Mitchell, the victim and complainant in this case, entered with Princess Espin. The two sat in the seats in front of Veronia and Killian.

Caspian and his group, in the position of defendants, also entered in a line and took their seats. They were seated opposite the witness stand where Veronia was sitting.

Caspian seemed very angry, but he was trying hard to maintain an expressionless face to hide his emotions.

‘Yes, go ahead and be angry. You should have times when things don’t go your way and you get angry too, shouldn’t you? If it had been a properly functioning world, you should have faced this long ago.’

As Veronia was lost in thought looking at Caspian, their eyes suddenly met. Anger began to flash across Caspian’s face, which had been maintaining an expressionless look all along.

Veronia easily read the murderous intent in Caspian’s eyes as he glared at her. But she wasn’t afraid.

The current Caspian couldn’t harm Veronia in the slightest. Veronia also glared back at Caspian without backing down. Until he finally turned his gaze away.

“Her Majesty the Empress Dowager enters!”

Everyone gathered in the courtroom had to stand up to greet Sandra, the highest elder of the imperial family. Veronia also stood up with Killian.

‘She’s finally here!’

It was unfamiliar to see Sandra in plain clothes with light makeup for the first time. She wore a very gloomy expression, which seemed to be an act of playing the role of a mother stricken with sorrow.

After Sandra took her seat, five judges entered last in order. And the trial began immediately.

Lady Frida Mitchell, the victim in this case, was the first to begin her testimony. She still seemed to be undergoing treatment, with bandages wrapped around one arm, which looked pitiful.

“I attended a party at the Marquis MacEwan’s residence. It was when I was strolling in the garden with William, the second son of Count Turner, whom I met there. Suddenly, people with hidden identities appeared and began beating William and me mercilessly.”

Recalling that time seemed painful, as Frida paused briefly to catch her breath.

“It happened so suddenly, and it was dark around, so I couldn’t see their faces. But I heard a familiar voice. It was the voice of Viscount Royce Farren.”

Next came Princess Espin’s testimony.

“At the engagement party held at the Duke of Drea’s residence, Viscount Royce Farren was harassing Frida. Frida said no, but the viscount grabbed her wrist tightly. In the end, their voices grew louder.”

Espin spoke clearly and deliberately, without any signs of nervousness.

“His Highness Prince Caspian seemed to be resolving the situation, but in the end, he also raised his voice. Finally, it led to a situation where he had to apologize to Lady Nia, the fiancée of the Duke of Drea.”

Next came a series of reports from the scouts who investigated the incident.

The incident occurred at 9:10 PM, but gathering testimonies of people who had seen the prince’s group, there was a gap from 8:50 PM to 9:30 PM, they reported.

The results of investigating traces of the use of instant movement scrolls found at the scene were also announced. The manufacturer of the magic scrolls was ‘Emmerich Workshop’, and the name of Viscount Royce Farren consistently appeared in the transaction ledger.

It was easy to narrow down the culprit because it was such a small workshop, operated in a way where a small number of customers made large purchases, they said.

The trial was proceeding as Veronia and Killian had expected. There was no room for variables to intervene. Even Sandra suddenly standing up and taking the witness stand was already anticipated.

“Your Honor, Caspian, the second in line to the throne of the Aesnerdem Empire, came running to me in tears, claiming his innocence.”

Sandra raised her voice as if lamenting, with tears welling up in her eyes.