As Liselotte rose from her seat, Hedmilton, who had arrived late, hurriedly stepped to her side.
Quickly placing a stack of documents on the desk, he whispered,
“Do you know whom I met at the entrance?”
“Who?”
“Lady Diana.”
Hedmilton gestured toward the entrance of the courtroom with his eyes.
When she turned her head, she saw Diana walking in alone, without even a single maid, carrying herself with poise.
‘What brings her here in person?’
Even if she wasn’t the legitimate daughter, she was still presently a member of House Gloria, so she had every right to sit at the defendant’s bench.
However, instead of coming forward, Diana pressed herself against the wall at the very back of the crowded gallery.
She must have arrived with Miro, yet the fact that she entered separately and later could only mean one thing.
‘Is she here to observe?’
Judging by Miro’s attitude, she seemed to believe they would win and had come merely to watch.
Among the nobles in the gallery who recognized her, not a single one greeted her first.
They simply observed her with cold gazes.
A few nobles from the East acknowledged her with stiff nods, but compared to before, their expressions were filled with clear displeasure.
The most unexpected part was the mercenary’s attitude.
The mercenary who spotted her swaggered over and found a folding chair in the corner.
When he unfolded it, dust scattered into the air as though it hadn’t been used in quite some time.
He gave it a few careless swats with his hand, then held it out toward Diana and jerked his chin.
It wasn’t as though he was properly offering her a seat, and in the first place, it was far too low a chair for someone wearing a dress to sit on comfortably.
It was a rude gesture, yet Diana merely frowned in displeasure. She took the chair and moved it aside.
‘If he came as an appeal mercenary, then he must, one way or another, belong to House Gloria… Is it acceptable for him to be that insolent?’
From the start, the way he kept grinning at Diana as though he were someone slightly unhinged was unsettling.
Judging by how the nobles seated nearby cast sideways glances at him or positioned their accompanying guards close to the mercenary, it didn’t seem to be Liselotte’s thought alone.
Rather, Diana appeared completely unbothered.
Before long, the three presiding officials entered.
Unlike the rigid atmosphere inside the courtroom, a smile rested at the corners of Emperor Perida’s lips.
After glancing around, Emperor Perida nodded and took his seat.
The spectators and Liselotte followed and sat down as well.
Around then, the door opened once more.
This time it was Valen and his aide.
Valen flinched briefly upon seeing Diana, then ignored her as though uninterested and sat beside Eren.
Without even looking at the documents, Emperor Perida recited,
“Then we shall now begin the second hearing regarding compensation for damages related to the subjugation cooperation between the plaintiff, House Keilos of the North, and the defendant, House Gloria.”
Resting his loosely clasped hands atop the desk, Emperor Perida smiled faintly and asked,
“Does the defendant’s side have internal regulations concerning emergency situations during subjugations?”
“Yes, we do.”
Miro’s confident reply echoed through the room.
“Then in the matter of cooperation with the plaintiff, you would also have to follow the relevant system, correct?”
“Yes. As evidence, I will submit the subjugation guideline manual distributed to aides as instruction.”
When Miro submitted the evidence, the clerk handed it to Ollas.
Glancing over the manual casually, he asked,
“The guideline… does it only state that you will actively cooperate in a direction that results in minimal damage to the East?”
“Yes. The meaning of minimal damage includes the safety of the territory’s residents and is a rule without issue.”
Liselotte raised her hand and called out,
“I object. The standard of what constitutes more or less damage is ambiguous.”
The Commander of the Conrad knights cut off the objection stiffly.
“It is a simple inquiry.”
Ollas stroked his beard and cleared his throat before continuing his question.
“Then how was the case of Gelloa Village handled?”
“Gelloa Village is unrelated to this incident.”
Previously, he had been unable to hide his discomfort at questions related to Gelloa Village, yet now he was completely confident.
Rather, Miro glanced leisurely at Liselotte and even tilted one corner of his lips in a faint sneer.
‘Yes. Do as much as you can while you still can.’
Liselotte deliberately pretended not to notice and kept her gaze firmly on the presiding officials.
Ollas lifted the hair that shaded his eyes with both hands.
His somewhat sharp gaze fixed keenly on Miro.
“This is a question to confirm the East’s usual process in handling subjugations. The defendant’s side will answer sincerely.”
“That is…”
Only then did Miro seem to realize he had been insolent. He took out a handkerchief from his inner pocket and wiped the cold sweat forming on his forehead.
It seemed he was trying to buy time to think.
After a long pause, Miro finally spoke.
“Gelloa Village is unrelated to subjugation. It was a village that relocated due to an epidemic.”
“According to the plaintiff’s evidence, the poorhouse relocated before the outbreak of the epidemic.”
“In small villages, it is common for the population of a poorhouse to exceed capacity and relocate. There is no evidence that Gelloa Village did not conduct subjugations, but there is also no evidence that it did.”
“Oh…? A mutual absence of evidence. Very well.”
With a softened gaze, Ollas released the hair he had been holding with both hands.
As though nothing had happened, his eyes were once again partially concealed.
As if thoroughly prepared, Miro raised a thick stack of documents and declared,
“In that case, I submit other documents related to subjugations handled by the East as evidence. I have selected primarily subjugations that occurred prior to the cooperative case with the plaintiff.”
The moment the evidence was submitted, Hedmilton trembled beside her and whispered,
“I did all of those.”
Naturally, if not for Hedmilton, there would be no properly documented subjugation records left.
Unable to bear the fact that his past work was now harming the North, Hedmilton’s eyes grew even rounder.
Following the evidence with his gaze, he muttered,
“Could you at least call me as a witness, Your Highness? I can testify that I carried out the duties voluntarily.”
“It is fine. I will overturn it.”
Liselotte rose from her seat before the presiding officials could even examine the evidence.
“I object. I will submit evidence that Gelloa Village was engaged in subjugation up until just before its relocation.”
No sooner had she finished speaking than Hedmilton stood up with a bundle of documents in hand.
Uncharacteristically aggressive, he strode forward and handed a thin set of papers to the clerk.
Though he should have returned to his seat after submitting them, he remained standing before the clerk, smiling broadly with a thick stack of additional evidence still cradled in his arms.
Liselotte explained calmly.
“They are weapons left behind in Gelloa Village. There was monster blood on the tips of the blades.”
The Commander of the Conrad knights, who had been sparing her words, asked her first question.
“Did Gelloa Village not relocate due to an epidemic? The extinction of the monsters would have been prior to that.”
“That is correct. Therefore, the fact that there was monster blood on them means—”
Liselotte unfolded her fingers one by one and asserted clearly,
“One. The monsters had not gone extinct and were alive until the time the epidemic spread. Two, Gelloa Village relocated before that. It can be seen as one of the two.”
“I object. That is speculation without evidence.”
Miro protested immediately, but Liselotte ignored him and continued.
“This also means that the defendant entirely entrusted a small village with the task of subjugating monsters.”
“I object. It is common for each village to have retired subjugation force members.”
“In addition, I submit evidence that the poorhouse within Gelloa Village relocated far earlier than the time the epidemic spread.”
Standing firm, Hedmilton once again handed evidence to the clerk.
Before the evidence had even been passed to the presiding officials, Liselotte called out again,
“According to the family registry submitted by the defendant as preserved evidence, it can be confirmed that Lady Diana was registered at the time the poorhouse was closed.”
As soon as she finished speaking, Hedmilton handed over yet another piece of evidence to the clerk.
He tapped the underlined section with his finger.
“Here. Evidence that the poorhouse used to request support from the Imperial Family every Founding Day, and that it was later cut off.”
“I object. There is approximately a two-year difference between Lady Diana’s registration and the timing of the poorhouse.”
Despite Miro’s rebuttal, Liselotte raised her voice even louder.
“In addition, I submit a written statement that, at the time the poorhouse existed, House Diconu had been entrusted with the subjugation in that region.”
“Here.”
“I will also submit evidence that, at the time, investment funds were used to purchase land near Gelloa village.”
“It is right here.”
“And I submit a statement that the current Duke Gloria, at the time the legitimate heir of House Diconu, was aware of the situation in Gelloa Village…”
Each time Liselotte spoke, Hedmilton, who had been waiting before the clerk, stacked the evidence neatly one after another.
And then came today’s final blow.
“Lastly, I request the sole survivor of Gelloa Village as a witness.”
