The Cold-Hearted Grand Duke Obsesses Over Me After My Death - Chapter 128

Chapter 128. Cruel Fate (3)

Every courtroom in the Richert Empire had a judge dispatched from the temple. However, when trying major criminals, the emperor delivered the final verdict. The one who would deliver the final verdict today was Louid.

The witness who entered the courtroom was Jack.

“Who are you?” asked the judge.

“I am a guard knight serving Lady Lina Carrion,” Jack answered quietly, glancing around.

The one who appeared at the prince’s palace that evening after Ian disappeared was Jack.

“Come to the prince’s palace in an hour.”

“Yes, understood.”

Lina had ordered him to come in an hour and stage the scene as if Emilia had died in an accident. While he handled the aftermath, Lina and Della were supposed to escape. But.

“Gasp, my lady.”

He had been sitting in the marquess’s carriage and went to the prince’s palace, where he witnessed a horrific scene. After checking the condition of the two people sprawled on the floor, he stood there in confusion, then began to move Della first. He could say Lina had been attending the Crown Princess, but it would be dangerous if others learned of Della’s existence.

After hurriedly hiding Della’s body in the forest and returning to the prince’s palace, soldiers had already stormed in. He had no choice but to leave Lina behind and flee alone.

“Explain in detail what happened that night,” the judge questioned.

“Lady Lina served as a lady-in-waiting to Her Highness the Crown Princess. Even though the other ladies-in-waiting were on leave this time, she said she couldn’t leave Her Highness alone, so she entered the palace every day to attend to her. That night as well, she went to the prince’s palace to serve Her Highness, but she was bitten by a snake and….”

Jack lowered his head and shook his shoulders, pretending to sob.

“Was there no one else in the prince’s palace? Surely there must have been servants or someone there.”

“There was no one.”

“Not even the guards?”

“Yes, that is correct.”

The judge looked at Louid. Louid gave a slight nod. It meant he accepted the witness’s testimony. It was Louid’s own order that no one was present in the prince’s palace that day, so Jack’s statement could not be considered false. The judge continued his questioning.

“When you went to the prince’s palace, where was the Crown Princess?”

“She was not there.”

Not there?

Louid’s thick brows twitched. That part was something Louid couldn’t recall due to his altered memories. He knew Lina had been injured because of Emilia, yet he couldn’t remember why he and Emilia had been in the secret passage.

“Then why do you think the Crown Princess released the snakes?” Louid asked.

“L, Lady Lina told me she was going to see Her Highness and told me to wait in the carriage, saying she would leave the palace in an hour. But when she didn’t return after an hour, I went to the prince’s palace. Since the only person she would have been with was Her Highness, I thought that must be the case,” Jack answered nervously, stammering slightly.

The Crown Prince’s expression was so cold it sent chills down his spine, and cold sweat kept running down his back.

“I understand. Call the next witness.”

“Yes!”

As if his doubts had been resolved, Louid ordered the next witness to be brought in. Jack let out a sigh of relief inwardly and looked toward the passage where the next witness would enter.

The next witness was none other than Duke Berthe’s aide. Sitting in the witness seat and stating his name, he began answering the judge’s questions.

“Duke Berthe has been attempting to assassinate His Highness the Crown Prince for the past ten years. When those attempts failed, he harbored resentment and planned to murder His Majesty the Emperor and His Highness the Crown Prince to usurp the throne. Here is the evidence.”

“W, what did you say? How dare you give false testimony?”

Enraged by the betrayal of someone he had trusted, Duke Berthe, seated in the defendant’s chair, shouted. His face flushed red, then pale.

“Additionally, the Crown Princess, the granddaughter of Duke Berthe, was not satisfied with her undeserved position. Driven by greed, envy, and jealousy, she attempted to poison Lady Lina Carrion, who is cherished by His Highness the Crown Prince, with snake venom.”

The aide recited the prepared statement without hesitation.

Everyone gathered in the courtroom turned their gaze toward the Crown Prince. After a moment, Louid opened his mouth.

“Why do you think the duke did such a thing?”

“Duke Berthe grew anxious that he might lose power as His Majesty the Emperor favored Your Highness. He said he would eliminate both the Emperor and Your Highness and become Emperor himself, or if that proved difficult, he would place Lady Emilia on the throne as a puppet Emperor and control her from behind.”

“Is that true?”

Louid’s gaze turned toward the duke.

“I swear I have never done such a thing. Why would I harm His Majesty the Emperor?”

“So harming me would have been acceptable, then.”

At Louid’s words, the duke seemed to realize his mistake and shut his mouth, his expression turning awkward. With a look of contempt, Louid turned to the aide and asked.

“Did you clearly hear the duke say such things?”

“…Yes. It was not said once or twice. He said the same thing repeatedly.”

The aide answered a beat late, glancing toward the Marquess of Carrion seated in the audience.

“I understand. Submit the evidence.”

As proof of Duke Berthe’s crimes, a journal recording all the plots to assassinate Louid over the past ten years and a statement of accounts for poison transactions were submitted. The journal had been recorded by the aide over the years, and the accounts had been fabricated by the Marquess of Carrion.

“The final witness is His Highness Crown Prince Louid Richert.”

The judge’s voice echoed through the courtroom.

“The Crown Prince himself will testify?”

The audience stirred at the shocking identity of the witness.

‘Louid is the witness? Has he regained his memory? He’ll tell it exactly as he saw it, won’t he?’

Emilia, who had been sitting quietly with an expressionless face throughout the trial, lifted her head. With a faint glimmer of hope, she looked toward the high seat where Louid was. His red eyes were directed at her. But something felt strange. His gaze, which was always intense and radiant like a ruby, now seemed hollow and empty.

‘You and I were affected by black magic.’

She wanted to tell him that both of them had fallen under black magic, but she couldn’t speak. The more she tried to talk about what happened that day, the more her voice failed and her breath grew tight. Even thinking about speaking now made her feel dizzy.

Instead, she pleaded with him with desperate eyes. But soon, her hope was mercilessly shattered.

“The Crown Princess tried to kill Lady Carrion in front of me.”

Louid spoke as if reciting lines, like someone being controlled by another.

“His Highness witnessed it himself?”

The courtroom stirred once more.

The nobles seated in the audience began whispering among themselves, saying things like, ‘Did she go mad, releasing snakes right in front of the Crown Prince?’

‘No. What you remember is not the truth.’

Emilia’s heart began to race violently. Realizing that Louid’s memories had not returned, she felt despair.

“Are you certain you witnessed it yourself?” asked the judge to confirm.

“That’s correct.”

At Louid’s final answer, Emilia lowered her head and closed her eyes.

No matter how much he disliked Duke Berthe, if his memories hadn’t been altered, there was no way he would falsely accuse her.

He was the only one who had seen the scene of the incident, so he alone knew the truth. If the trial ended like this, both the duke and she would surely be executed. It could be said that her life was in Louid’s hands.

“Emilia Berthe, if you have any final words, speak.”

“I have none.”

As Louid’s voice echoed through the courtroom, the once noisy hall fell silent. Emilia answered briefly with a resigned expression. At her reply, Louid felt a sharp pain in his chest, as if stabbed by a blade.

The question of “why” kept arising.

Why isn’t she making an excuse? She’s going to lose her life, so why isn’t she even trying to save herself?

Does she not value her life?

He had forgotten that he had spent months after their marriage trying to protect Emilia. The strange incidents that had happened to her and the time during which he had gradually fallen for her had all been erased. All that remained was the fact that the granddaughter of Duke Berthe, whom he had married for political reasons, had committed a grave crime, and despite that, he could not understand why she did not beg for her life.

He could deliver a sentence of execution. No, he had to. Had not the Emperor, who was like a parent to him, lost his life?

‘Why did you kill His Majesty instead of just killing me?’

‘He said he had gained a niece and cherished her, so why?’

Questions and resentment toward Emilia kept surging.

Jealousy and greed for power. It must have all been because of desire. Even if she became a puppet emperor, once the duke died, she would have full control of the empire, so she must have coveted the throne. She must have also hated Lina, whom he loved.

All the evidence pointed to the guilt of the duke and the Crown Princess.

“Based on the testimonies and evidence revealed so far, all charges against the defendants are recognized as guilty.”

At the judge’s words, Louid nodded silently. The benevolent Emperor, who was like a parent to him, had lost his life at the hands of the uncle and niece he had trusted. And yet, whenever he looked at Emilia, his chest felt tight, and a sense of pity arose. Even though everything was proceeding as it should, he felt the urge to storm out of the courtroom, clenching his fist tightly.

“Next, His Highness the Crown Prince will deliver the verdict,” the judge declared solemnly.

Louid’s cheek twitched, and his jaw tightened on its own. Silence fell over the courtroom, and all eyes turned toward him.