Chapter 49

Rosie had completely broken down. She could endure any kind of blame. She could accept any criticism from her mentor as justified. Because her own revenge was just as justified. Because there was no difference between her trying to kill Raul and her mentor criticizing her. Yet, her mentor forgave her. Forgave her and worried about her. Forgave and loved her, even though she had tried to tarnish his honor. She couldn’t understand it. The icy wall that could withstand any cold arrow had crumbled under the warm sunlight. “If forgiving like that is what it means to be human… If embracing someone like that is the right thing… then what about me…?” She was so confused that she couldn’t say anything. She had prepared for countless attacks and criticisms, but she hadn’t prepared for forgiveness. No, to be precise, it was something she couldn’t prepare for. After her sister and mentor died, she hadn’t felt any love, so how could she have prepared for it? Rosie looked at Raul and finally unclenched her fist. “Raul Berze…” His expression was as indifferent as ever, but his eyes were wavering. He didn’t understand emotions, but that didn’t mean he didn’t have them.

“Wait a minute!” As the trial took an unexpected turn, the woman holding the child shouted out. The atmosphere in the courtroom had shifted toward acquittal due to Count Arthur Berze’s will, so she had no choice but to step forward. “It’s just a will, isn’t it? There’s still no evidence that he didn’t lay a hand on me!” She had hoped that the clever Rosie would step up, but Rosie couldn’t say anything now. It was as if her soul had been stolen by Raul. She just stared at Raul’s face, like a mute who had eaten honey, her eyes losing focus. “Isn’t it human nature to want to hide one’s flaws? Why would he leave it in a will…?” “That’s ridiculous,” Rizel cut her off. “You dragged someone else’s father into this and even made the will public, and now your tone has changed quite a bit.” Hearing her father’s apology, Rizel’s face turned even sharper as she spoke. “We’re making a proper rebuttal, but all you’re saying is that it might not be the case, right?” “Th-that’s…” “Shouldn’t you be the one providing evidence that he did it, rather than us proving he didn’t?” It was a surprisingly logical rebuttal for Rizel. After all, she was the daughter of Arthur Berze, known as the Wisdom Star. When it came to certain intellectual tasks, she was even more talented than Raul. Perhaps her father’s will had awakened her potential. “We’ve even revealed my father’s will, which we didn’t want to make public, just as you demanded. Now it’s your turn to bring something to the table, isn’t it?” The atmosphere, which had turned in their favor thanks to Arthur Berze’s will, now began to pressure Rosie’s side. Of course, Rosie was in no state to feel that pressure.

“The evidence is this child…!” The cornered woman thrust the boy she was holding forward. The boy, who looked just like Raul in his childhood, was the best evidence she could present. “Count Arthur Berze once said that Raul Berze resembled his grandfather. This child also bears a striking resemblance to his grandfather, even though he’s a generation removed!” Arthur Berze had often said that Raul looked remarkably like his grandfather. He believed that since Raul resembled his grandfather, who had been a famous knight, he would surely become a great knight as well. And the boy the woman brought looked just like Raul in his childhood. In other words, the boy also carried the blood of the Berze family, which strongly supported her claim. “Look at him. Can you say this child isn’t from the Berze family?” “…That’s.” Even Rizel couldn’t say anything when she saw the boy’s face. To her, the boy looked exactly like her older brother in his childhood, as if someone had transformed into him. “Rizel.” Raul patted Rizel’s shoulder as if to say that was enough. “If he resembles my father, that’s one thing. But it’s possible that he’s the child of a man who looks like me.” “You’re not self-aware, are you? Faces like yours aren’t common!” Indeed, Raul had a face that fit the standard of beauty. He could be seen as a handsome man with delicate features, or if he wore loose clothing, he could easily be mistaken for a beautiful woman. His slightly gloomy and indifferent face often led to misunderstandings, as it resembled the face of a witch from a dark forest. When he lost a bet and had to wear makeup, even the soldiers and Penelope blushed. Though he himself didn’t pay much attention to his appearance. “Being uncommon and nonexistent are two completely different things.” “That’s sophistry!” “Isn’t it sophistry to argue like this based on the actions of someone who has passed away?” Raul’s unique way of speaking, which exposed the other person’s weaknesses, sufficiently pressured the woman. “Look at this child who looks like you! Didn’t you also see him and try to intimidate me out of shock!” The public opinion began to shift unfavorably again. People thought that if the resemblance was that strong, intimidation was a possibility. Moreover, Raul’s reputation was still poor, so they had to find a way to break through that. Raul knew that better than anyone.

“…Everyone.” Raul suddenly took off his thick coat and threw aside the suit and shirt he was wearing underneath. His scarred and stitched-up torso was revealed. Rizel covered her mouth at the sight of her brother’s torso for the first time. It was a body so torn and tattered that it could be called a rag. “These are the scars from being slashed by the Demon King. Even now, if I press hard on the wounds, they bleed because they haven’t fully healed.” “These are burns from fighting the Dragon Queen. By the way, it wasn’t fire but a strong acid that melted my skin.” “This is also a scar from being wounded by the Demon King. My intestines spilled out, and I had to fight while stuffing them back in.” “This is a wound from the King of the Dead. An arrow longer than my arm hit me, missing my heart by just 0.5mm, so I barely survived.” “And this is also…” Raul quietly explained the circumstances of each injury. The descriptions were so gruesome and painful that one might want to cover their ears. Rizel, who had no tolerance for such things, even gagged. “What does that have to do with this trial!” “…There’s no evidence that I didn’t intimidate you. I didn’t do it, but if my reputation is causing even my father to be doubted.” Raul touched the burn on his neck as he spoke. “I ask you to believe not in me, but in the wounds I’ve earned on the battlefield. If I were truly the kind of man who would intimidate you, I wouldn’t have endured the pain of these wounds to fight.” Raul, uncharacteristically, began to appeal to emotions. Raul was never one to boast about his achievements or the hardships of war. He felt guilty toward the dead. But for his father’s sake, he willingly revealed his scars. “That’s not the point now!” The woman, as if deliberately playing the fool, began to drag out the trial that was nearing its end. “How do you explain this child’s resemblance to you, Raul Berze!” “…I have nothing to say about that. I can only say that there’s someone who looks like me.” “That’s sophistry…!” Raul’s mother, Latri, who had been deep in thought, finally stood up as if she had made a decision. “I will explain that.” Her sudden statement surprised not only Rizel but also the Emperor, Empress, Camilla, and even Raul. “This is a story from when I was a knight. I was ordered to subdue the barbarians in the north and set out with Minister of War Argos.” That much was common knowledge. After all, she had once been one of the Empire’s most famous female knights. “It was good that we subdued the barbarians in the north, but I got lost in a snowstorm and was captured by their chieftain.” At that moment, the Empress, who had quickly grasped the context, tried to stop her. But unfortunately, her paralyzed legs wouldn’t allow it. “Raul Berze is the child born from that.” “Mother…?” “My husband knew about it and still accepted me, even though I was defiled.” Raul dropped the cane he had been gripping.

“Yes. A child who resembles Raul Berze… cannot be evidence of my husband’s infidelity. If verification is needed, you can ask Minister of War Argos.” After much deliberation, she revealed her shame and the secret her husband had told her not to disclose. “Raul Berze is not Arthur Berze’s biological son.”

No one could refute it. Who would lie about such a thing? Who would lie about such a shameful secret?

The trial ended anticlimactically.

And the Emperor, Empress, Camilla, and everyone present had to desperately stop Raul from strangling his own mother.