ITIF Chapter 66

Two People Heading Toward the Same Destination

It wasn’t particularly surprising anymore—running into Kavelaseth somewhere by chance.

Even if their reasons differed, Giselle Grante and Kavelaseth were now heading toward a single goal.

She was seeking revenge against the Empress and Emperor, while Kavelaseth was plotting to usurp the throne from the tyrant.

Though their purposes were slightly different, ultimately the direction they were heading was the same.

The downfall of the current Emperor and Empress. So it was no coincidence that their spheres of action overlapped.

“We meet again.”

Giselle Grante blinked lightly and greeted him as usual.

“I’m not even surprised anymore.”

He seemed to be thinking the same thing. Giselle Grante let out a small laugh, then quickly withdrew it.

Kavelaseth was the man who might kill her in the future. She wondered if she had shown too much of an opening in front of him.

Moreover, the trial of Baron Oppenheimer’s daughter, who would soon be framed as Princess Trinity’s assassin, was scheduled to take place.

With an impassive expression, Giselle Grante took one step after another toward the courtroom.

“You look like a knight heading to the battlefield.”

At his casually tossed remark, Giselle Grante momentarily felt caught off guard. Before she could hastily respond, Kavelaseth spoke first.

“I’m very much looking forward to seeing what kind of surprise event you’ve prepared today.”

“…….”

Before she could fully grasp the hidden meaning in his words, he nodded to her and walked ahead.

“Well then.”

As he entered the courtroom, nobles who had arrived earlier and were waiting approached Kavelaseth and began to acknowledge him.

Giselle Grante watched his retreating figure and mulled over the words he had left behind.

‘A surprise event… Surely he doesn’t actually know something?’

As she walked while thinking this, she heard a familiar voice.

“It’s been a while, my lady.”

When she turned her head, Marquis Howard’s daughter was smiling brightly.

“It’s been a while, Lady Howard. Have you been well?”

“Thanks to you. But just now, you seemed to be with Duke Cardia…”

Lady Howard gestured with her eyes toward Kavelaseth, who was surrounded by nobles. Her gaze was full of curiosity.

Knowing well that at times like this, one shouldn’t feed the curiosity, Giselle Grante quickly spoke up.

“We just ran into each other up ahead. So we only exchanged greetings.”

Though inwardly flustered by Lady Howard’s dubious look, Giselle Grante quickly changed the subject.

“Speaking of which, seeing that you’ve come to the courtroom, you must be interested in this case too?”

“Of course. I told you before, didn’t I? That I hoped Princess Trinity would ascend to the throne.”

“…….”

“And I wanted to work as her advisor.”

Lady Howard drooped her shoulders and lowered her gaze.

Then she rolled her eyes toward Giselle Grante and added:

“I know. That my dream lacks reality. My family always says that too. That I shouldn’t dream impossible dreams.”

“You don’t need to worry about what I think. I believe that ‘lacking reality’ is a phrase used when one lacks confidence to make it possible, or when one cannot do so.”

“I get that it sounds cool somehow… but what does that mean?”

A faint wrinkle formed on Lady Howard’s round forehead.

Her expression seemed to say: You don’t really understand it yourself, do you? Are you just spouting words you learned from books?

“If I were Princess Trinity and had safely become Emperor, and if your abilities were sufficiently proven, Lady Howard, I think I would have gladly recruited you as an advisor.”

It was just a hypothetical. An unrealized future. But Lady Howard’s expression brightened as if that alone was satisfying.

“Ah, stop now.”

Lady Howard said, subtly pushing Giselle Grante’s shoulder.

“……?”

“Because I might fall for you.”

Giselle Grante quickly shut her mouth and turned her gaze forward.

Just then, the judge entered, and the murmuring in the hall subsided.

****

As if to show that this was a trial drawing the Empire’s attention, the courtroom was packed with people.

There were even five judges in total.

In front of each of the five judges lay documents related to the case, but no one was looking through them. They seemed to have studied the case details in advance.

An explanation followed: it was a murder driven by Baron Oppenheimer’s daughter’s personal grudge, the location was Princess Trinity’s bedroom, and a dagger was used as the murder weapon.

Since everyone knew about the case, the explanation of the incident wasn’t very long either.

In the solemn atmosphere, the judge seated in the center of the five opened his mouth.

“Baron Oppenheimer’s daughter, if there is anything that differs from the facts, please speak.”

At the judge’s words, the hall fell silent. Everyone focused on what Baron Oppenheimer’s daughter would say, but instead of speaking, she only shook her head.

“…….”

“Are you refusing to testify?”

The judge took this as a refusal to testify.

At this point, Giselle Grante became somewhat curious.

Whether the judges didn’t know that Baron Oppenheimer’s daughter couldn’t speak, or whether they had decided to pretend not to know.

Whether all five judges had been bought by the Empress, or whether they possessed the qualities to deliver justice.

What was certain was that someone had applied pressure to make this trial flow in their desired direction.

One could tell just from the fact that there wasn’t a single person to defend Baron Oppenheimer’s daughter, yet no one pointed out this issue.

From Lady Howard’s reaction alone, who was beside her, Giselle Grante could understand why.

Lady Howard had been grumbling ever since Baron Oppenheimer’s daughter entered the courtroom.

“Is a trial even necessary? When the murder weapon has been found and all.”

“Of course it is. An innocent person could die, you know.”

At Giselle Grante’s casually added remark, Lady Howard suddenly turned her head sharply toward her. Lady Howard’s gaze clinging to her profile was quite piercing.

“Whose side are you on, exactly?”

“The side of truth.”

“This person is definitely neutral through and through. Just as you’d expect from someone of the Amaterasu ducal family…”

Leaving behind Lady Howard’s grumbling voice, Giselle Grante glanced toward the courtroom entrance.

“But why do you keep looking over there? Is there something there?”

It was when Lady Howard, keenly reading her gaze, asked the reason.

“Ah, someone’s coming in.”

Just then, someone walked quickly into the courtroom. He soon approached the judges and handed them something, and they immediately began conversing among themselves.

When the hall became noisy with murmuring voices, the judge seated in the center spoke.

“We will take a brief recess.”

The judges stood up one by one.

“Why so suddenly?”

At Lady Howard’s question, Giselle Grante only quietly shook her head.

“Who knows.”

****

A moment ago, an anonymous letter had arrived for the judges.

[To the Honorable Judges,

I have made the difficult decision to convey facts I know for the purpose of public interest. Please be understanding about the part where I cannot reveal my face openly…]

The letter, written anonymously because the sender feared exposure of their identity, contained several things related to Princess Trinity’s death.

That there was a maid who mixed sleeping powder into the tea Princess Trinity was to drink that day. That the person who instigated this was not Baron Oppenheimer’s daughter.

This meant that someone other than Baron Oppenheimer’s daughter was involved in Princess Trinity’s murder.

Since it also contained details not publicly known, they couldn’t simply dismiss it as lies.

And another thing—the judges were greatly shocked by the part stating that those behind Princess Trinity’s assassination had taken measures to prevent Baron Oppenheimer’s daughter from speaking.

Because it was such an inhumane and cruel act.

“What do you all think?”

The eldest judge looked at the other four judges and asked.

The judges each offered their opinions.

However, their assertions split into two camps.

Those who believed additional verification was needed based on the letter’s contents, and those who thought they should bear in mind the possibility that it was slander intended to cause confusion.

“Hmm…”

When they encountered a situation where reaching consensus didn’t seem easy, the judges each fell into thought.

And the judges, who had received orders from the Antares family to deliver a swift verdict and punishment without prolonging things, developed headaches.

“How about we decide by majority vote?”

The Antares family had planted three of today’s judges in preparation for such times, and a judge who knew this fact naturally tried to gather opinions by majority vote, presenting it as a clever solution to this situation.

“Everyone is waiting eagerly for a quick verdict, so it seems like a reasonable method.”

Another judge added his words, and the judge next to him nodded, saying it was a good idea.

“While there is a way to honor Her Highness the Princess through a quick verdict given this is a high-profile case, I’m somewhat concerned.”

“I think so too. If the truth is revealed after the punishment is carried out, Baron Oppenheimer’s daughter will have become dew on the execution ground under false accusations. If the facts are revealed belatedly, we who made a hasty judgment cannot be free from responsibility either.”

At this reasonable argument, even the judges who had tried to push through with a majority vote for a quick resolution found themselves unable to easily proceed.

“Then what do you suggest we do? If you have a solution in mind, please speak up.”

It was when the time spent failing to reach consensus began to lengthen.

Footsteps were heard not far from the conference room where the judges were.