Chapter 47

The news of Raul Berze’s temporary return, who was said to have left the capital, caused quite a stir among the nobles.

However, he did not appear anywhere until the moment the trial began today. Due to his passive attitude, new rumors began to spread among the nobles. Some speculated that his health was not in good condition and that he had gone for recuperation.

But Raul, the man in question, appeared in the courtroom with a face that seemed to ignore such rumors.

He then made eye contact with Rosie, his former fiancée, and said:

“If something happens today… know that I can’t protect you beyond that.”

“That’s a shame. It’s already a confirmed future that something will happen today.”

“How frivolous. Unlike you.”

“You seem rather anxious. Unlike you.”

“…Right. Today seems to be a day where we’re both acting unlike ourselves.”

Rosie had made up her mind. She would definitely gift this man the same, if not greater, pain that she had endured.

She wanted to teach this man, who had never truly experienced heartache, just how miserable and sharp the pain of losing something precious could be.

Despite her glaring hostility, Raul paid no attention and sat down, waiting for the trial to begin.

“Brother… I can do this, right…?”

“You’re different from me.”

If it were the old Rizel, she might have taken that as a mocking insult, but now it was different.

Rizel knew better than anyone that it meant, “You’re different from me, so you can handle it well.”

“No.”

Rizel carefully placed her hand on Raul’s.

“We’re alike. We’re siblings.”

Her hand, which had been gently caressing the back of his hand, soon tightly grasped his.

“That’s why we can win.”

“…If you say so, then it must be true.”

“It’s not because of that. It’s just how it is.”

“I see.”

Before they knew it, the time for the trial had come, and the judge, who was clearly gloomy about having to make a decision that would surely alienate a family, struck the gavel to signal the start.

Then, the woman who had accused Raul’s father of rape and her child also appeared.

Her pink hair and dignified face were beautiful enough to captivate the attention of many men.

And the child she brought with her was a young boy who looked exactly like Raul in his childhood.

Even Raul himself and his friends were shocked at how similar they looked.

“Ha…”

At that moment, Raul saw his mother let out a small chuckle. It was as if she had expected this all along.

“…By the way, it’s just as Her Majesty the Empress said.”

Raul could feel the same discomfort from the woman holding the child as he had felt on the battlefield.

A nauseating sensation that felt like his skin was crawling (70%), a tightening anxiety in his chest (20%), lingering fear from the past (8%), and a strange sense of dissonance (1%).

His friends also seemed to feel the same, as they began to give the woman holding the child strange looks.

“Everyone. I have come here today to accuse someone of the heinous act I suffered.”

And the woman, ignoring the hostile gazes, began to speak.

“It was seven years ago today. I was a waitress at a tavern frequented by nobles, serving food and drinks.”

Raul thought it wasn’t even worth listening to, but he paid attention to her words to properly refute them.

According to her claim, Raul’s father, drunk, grabbed her, overpowered her with force, and took her virginity.

Eventually, realizing he had made a mistake, Raul’s father secretly supported her with living expenses, and she had been living off that money until now.

“But after Count Arthur Berze’s death, that support was abruptly cut off.”

Then, the woman pointed at Raul with her finger and spoke in a voice filled with hostility.

“Count Raul Berze threatened me. He said he wouldn’t give me a single penny. He said he would show me hell if I ever spoke of this.”

The judge, looking puzzled, asked:

“But may I ask why you are filing this lawsuit now? Raul Berze is still very much alive.”

“Because Lady Rosie Nevermore, who is here, helped me.”

Those who knew Raul and his father had to struggle to hold back their laughter.

Raul was the last person to threaten or oppress anyone.

Camilla inwardly laughed at the idea of someone who couldn’t even take care of himself trying to block someone else’s path, but some people began to believe the story.

After all, Raul’s reputation was already the worst. The massacres of the giants and the dragon race, the beheading of the former Emperor and the Second Prince, and the countless other slaughters he had committed all pointed to him being a villain.

“I object.”

The first to raise her hand was Rizel.

Her hand was trembling, but there was no tremor in her eyes or voice, causing Raul’s lips to curl up slightly.

“You said it was a tavern seven years ago?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“Count Arthur Berze, our father, does not like alcohol. He gets completely drunk and passes out after just one drink.”

Rizel had pointed out a flaw, but Rosie was not at all flustered and countered.

“That’s a misconception, Miss Rizel. When our master taught us about alcohol, he could drink an entire bottle of strong wine…”

Then, Camilla’s brother raised his hand and refuted.

“Our master only filled the wine bottle with water to hide the fact that he couldn’t handle alcohol and tricked us.”

“…There’s no evidence of that.”

“Then let me ask you this. Is there anyone here, including you, who has seen Arthur Berze drunk?”

No one raised their hand. After all, someone who would collapse after just one cocktail couldn’t possibly be seen drunk and staggering.

“And you said our father overpowered you with force and raped you?”

At Rizel’s question, the woman answered with a slightly uncomfortable expression.

“Yes. At the time, I was just a naive girl…”

“That’s strange. At that time, our father’s health had worsened to the point where he couldn’t even hold a cane properly.”

The foolish girl hadn’t expected her to point that out, but Rosie, who had anticipated this, stepped forward to counter.

“Miss. Strength in this world isn’t just physical.”

“I’m not a ‘miss.’ Please be careful with your titles.”

“…Yes, Countess Rizel Berze. It’s also possible that he used power or other means to suppress her, right? In fact, that’s even scarier.”

“Then let me ask you this.”

Rosie hadn’t expected Rizel to attack her, so she prepared for thousands of possible attacks.

She was confident she could counter any attack, and she was absolutely sure that someone like Rizel couldn’t possibly catch her off guard.

“Rosie Nevermore. To you, our father was…”

“Yes?”

“The one who first recognized your talent, which no one else acknowledged, the one who taught you everything, the one who cherished you more than anyone else…”

“What does that have to do with this trial…?”

“Was he just a piece of trash who used power to oppress people and commit heinous acts?”

At that, Rosie took a step back.

The woman holding the child gave her a look, urging her to counter, but Rosie was frozen.

‘You’re my disciple, Rosie. That means while I’m teaching you, you’re like my daughter. So don’t worry too much. You’re the masterpiece I can raise.’

Rosie couldn’t bring herself to call such a person a human. After all, he was one of the people who had made her who she was today.

He was the first to recognize her talent, the first to reach out to her, the first to teach her things she didn’t know, and the first adult to show her paternal love.

“…”

“…Well, there’s no evidence that our father didn’t overpower that woman. After all, he didn’t do it, so there couldn’t be any evidence. But let’s move on from that.”

Next, Rizel countered the claim that Raul had pressured the woman.

“My brother is not the kind of person to pressure anyone.”

“…Isn’t that just your personal opinion? He is the man who killed not only your fiancé, the Second Prince, but also the former Emperor.”

That was Raul’s weak point.

But Raul showed no sign of panic or anger as he looked at Rosie.

And Rizel was the same.

“That statement is an undeniable fact. My brother killed my trashy fiancé and also killed the former Emperor.”

At that, Rosie smiled, confident of her victory.

“But what’s wrong with that? The Second Prince was a piece of trash who locked women in his basement and enjoyed debauchery, and the former Emperor was a pervert recognized by everyone, wasn’t he?”

“What nonsense are you spouting, Countess Rizel Berze? You siblings are truly shameless.”

“Then are you saying that insulting or killing the former Emperor now is wrong?”

Rizel’s question was met with no hesitation from Rosie.

If it were the usual her, she would have been more composed, but having her weakness of plotting against her master exposed, she became flustered.

“Yes. No matter how great the former Emperor’s sins were, such an attitude is truly rude…”

“Then are you saying that the current royal family, established after the former Emperor was executed, is illegitimate?”

At Rizel’s counter, Rosie began to visibly panic.

“Please tell us. Are you saying that His Majesty the Emperor, Her Majesty the Empress, Duke Argos’s family, and even our family, who participated in the rebellion, are all a bunch of illegitimate thieves?”

That was the result of following the first lesson that Camilla’s brother and Empress Penelope had taught Rizel.

The basic principle of politics is to doggedly latch onto the opponent’s mistakes.