“It is true that Prince Caspian associated with those people, but the prince was merely present and did not actively participate in any violent incidents. This is a clear fact!”

Sandra continued speaking while wiping her tears with a handkerchief. Her appealing voice rang out loudly.

“Hasn’t all the evidence and testimony so far suspected those 5 as the perpetrators of the assault? But nothing has come out that clearly identifies who among them is the ringleader!”

At that moment, the hall began to stir. It was because Sandra’s words seemed to make sense. The faces of Caspian’s group sitting in the defendant’s seat became strangely distorted.

“I request that the ringleaders of the violence be distinguished from those who are not, and that the severity of the crimes be weighed accordingly. If the prince is guilty of anything, it is only the crime of making the wrong friends. The ringleader of all these violent incidents is Viscount Royce Paren!”

As soon as Royce’s name came out of Sandra’s mouth, he sprang to his feet. Royce’s tightly clenched fists trembled as he glared alternately at Sandra and Caspian with bloodshot eyes.

“It was Viscount Royce Paren who showed interest in Lady Frida Mitchell. But when the lady did not return his feelings, it was all Viscount Royce Paren’s doing to plan the assault incident for revenge. Prince Caspian was merely present.”

The murmuring voices grew louder here and there.

“If what the Empress Dowager says is true, this must be very unfair to Prince Caspian.”

“But you know what? Even so, doesn’t it not make sense that His Highness the Prince would just go along with what Viscount Paren planned? He’s in a position where he could just not do things he doesn’t want to do.”

“Now that you mention it, that’s true……”

Questions began to settle on people’s faces.

Veronia caught sight of Sandra’s lips curling up ever so slightly at the sight. She seemed to think she had achieved her intended purpose of planting a seed of doubt in people’s minds.

‘Is that really so? This time, I absolutely will not let things flow according to your wishes.’

As Sandra finished her testimony and returned to her seat, this time Paren’s father, Count Paren, stood up.

Unlike the skinny Royce, a middle-aged man with a sturdy build strode towards the witness stand. When his eyes met Veronia’s, he nodded in greeting, exuding an air of composure.

‘It seems he has prepared.’

Recalling her visit to him a few days ago, Veronia let out a sigh of relief.

When Count Paren first saw her, his eyes were full of hostility and suspicion. It was a look that said Veronia had come where she shouldn’t have.

‘Do you trust Prince Caspian and Empress Dowager Sandra?’

‘What do you mean by that?’

‘Prince Caspian is facing the greatest crisis of his life. No, it’s the first crisis of his life. He will surely use every means and method to try to escape. One of those could be ‘betrayal’.’

‘Is this a ploy to drive a wedge between us, Lady Nia? It won’t be easy.’

Since Royce was also one of the perpetrators, Veronia was not only reluctant to help him, but also not keen on facing him and exchanging words.

Nevertheless, there was only one reason why Veronia visited the Paren family. It was because she had the ultimate goal of not letting Caspian get away with it this time.

‘In the past, thanks to the Empress Dowager and His Highness the Prince, the Viscount might have been able to escape any crisis together. You must have been very grateful.’

‘……’

‘But this time is different. You’ve been unexpectedly cornered, and there’s not much you can do. The last thing the desperate Empress Dowager and Prince will consider at a dead end is betrayal.’

Count Paren’s eyes wavered weakly. It was because there was nothing wrong with what Veronia had said.

‘The advice I want to give you is not to attack them. It’s to defend. If you just blindly trust them and don’t prepare anything, what will you do if an unexpected attack comes? Are you planning to lose the Viscount helplessly?’

That was it. Having said what she needed to say, Veronia immediately stood up. Thinking that it was their choice whether to accept her advice or not, Veronia turned around and left the Count’s residence right away.

‘He may not have raised his child properly, but it seems he’s not a complete fool after all.’

Veronia pricked up her ears and waited for Count Paren’s statement.

“Ahem.”

Clearing his throat with a cough, Count Paren slowly opened his mouth.

“The reason I stand here is not to claim the innocence of my incompetent son. My son has committed a crime. He has committed vicious crimes for a long time. I think he deserves any criticism and punishment. However, I cannot accept the false claim that my son is the ringleader.”

Count Paren stared intently at Sandra and spoke in a resounding voice, as if declaring war.

“I have prepared evidence to refute the Empress Dowager’s statement that my son is the ringleader of this violent incident.”

At Count Paren’s gesture, three waiting servants appeared, each carrying a large box. After the servants submitted the boxes to the judge and disappeared, the Count’s statement continued.

“When Royce turned 10, he became Prince Caspian’s companion, and that’s when their relationship began. I have documents and video recordings containing testimonies from people who have witnessed their relationship for 10 years, from then until now. I’ve put in a lot of legwork over the past 3 days.”

Count Paren said, pointing to the boxes. Veronia inwardly marveled at how he had gathered so many testimonies in such a short time.

“Among them are testimonies from teachers who taught politics, history, and other subjects, as well as testimonies from other nobles of companion origin. There are also those from people who often met at various events and parties, and from employees of clothing stores, clubhouses, and hotels.”

The Count spoke proudly, standing with his back straight.

“They all said the same thing. Caspian and Royce seemed like friends, but they maintained a strict master-servant relationship, and when His Highness gave an order, Royce followed it.”

Count Paren’s voice became agitated. He was quite excellent at controlling the intensity of his emotions, and judging by the expressions of the people, they seemed to be increasingly drawn into his voice.

“The Empress Dowager said that Royce instigated this violent incident and that His Highness the Prince was merely present because he had no choice. But among the numerous testimonies here, not a single person witnessed such a scene.”

The Count looked straight at Sandra. Sandra was enraged by his gaze, filled with the determination to never give in.

‘How dare he!’

Sandra slowly stood up. And standing right there in her place, she raised her voice and said,

“There are exceptions to everything in this world. For the past 10 years, the relationship between the two has been both friends and master-servant, but in this incident, Viscount Paren could have been the instigator. Because of his resentment towards Lady Frida Mitchell.”

The sharp exchange between the Empress Dowager and Count Paren continued a bit longer. Both raised their voices, wanting to protect their sons.

It was then. With a creaking sound, the entrance door opened and five or six people entered.

‘Ah….. Could it be!’

Veronia’s eyes, which had unconsciously turned towards the sound, widened. It was because they were all faces she knew.

‘Julia, you came!’

Julia Richter, who was standing at the very front of them, gave a faint smile at Veronia. The rest also greeted Veronia with their eyes. They were all people Veronia had met a few days ago.

‘I thought I hadn’t persuaded them….’

They were the ones who had all shown negative reactions. They were the ones who had shaken their heads, saying that even if they spoke up, nothing would change.

They were the ones who had turned away, saying the opponent was too strong, too much time had passed, and they no longer wanted to remember. But now they were here in the courtroom.

‘You’ve come well. Thank you for having courage, all of you.’

Veronia made eye contact with each of them, silently expressing her gratitude.

Julia Richter was the first to take the witness stand. After taking a deep breath, she slowly opened her mouth. Her trembling voice quietly echoed in the courtroom.

“My name is Julia Richter. Five years ago, I was also a victim of an assault incident. Just like Lady Frida Mitchell. It happened suddenly during a picnic party. Due to the aftereffects of that day, the vision in my right eye has deteriorated significantly, making it difficult for me to see distant objects or read books for long periods.”

At Julia’s testimony, some let out sighs, while others caught their breath. Perhaps due to gradually becoming accustomed to the atmosphere, the trembling in Julia’s voice subsided.

“All five assailants were wearing masks, but I clearly knew who one of them was. It was Prince Caspian. Because his hair, eyebrows, and eyes couldn’t be hidden. I could easily recognize the perfume he boasted about having specially made, as well as his shoes, bracelet, and ring.”

She frowned, seemingly finding it difficult to recall the terrible situation at the time. But she didn’t forget her duty today and continued her testimony.

“It was a very easy thing for me. Because I had attended parties as His Highness’s partner several times. And also……”

For a moment, she seemed to choke up and paused briefly, taking a deep breath to calm her chest.

“Because I liked His Highness.”