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I walked into the courtroom amidst a calm atmosphere.
The nobles seated at the front held their breath as they looked at me.
A scene I had read about in the book.
Helena had walked into this courtroom with tears of injustice streaming down her face.
I thought I would be just as afraid and trembling as she was.
Yet, contrary to my worries, I felt neither fear nor anxiety.
The courtroom was small.
Despite being an unprecedented trial for an Empress, it was conducted in a simplified manner due to the lack of definitive evidence.
This part is different from the original story.
In the original, the trial had been held like a public spectacle, before hundreds of nobles.
Helena had been subjected to relentless accusations throughout the proceedings.
And as a result of the trial, her execution had been decided.
The timing of the trial and the size of the courtroom—
They were different from the original.
I could only hope that the outcome would be different as well.
Seated in the defendant’s chair, I looked around.
Ten or so nobles occupied the jury seats.
Among them was a familiar face.
Duke Hastings von Schwaben.
Helena’s father, seated as a representative of the nobility.
And at the highest seat sat the High Priest.
The High Priest, known as the representative of the gods, was surprisingly young.
“His Majesty the Emperor enters.”
At that moment, Chamberlain’s voice rang out through the courtroom.
Everyone rose from their seats.
The doors swung open, and a man strode into the courtroom.
A man so beautiful he seemed to have been sculpted by the gods themselves.
Under the gaze of all present, he took his place at the highest seat.
Jerome, Emperor of the Pentrian Empire.
I, too, looked at him.
He did not avoid my gaze.
His cold, unfeeling eyes…
You want me to be punished here, don’t you?
Just like in the original story.
“……”
I conveyed my silent question through my gaze, but he merely turned his eyes away.
“The hearing will now begin.”
With the High Priest’s words, the trial commenced.
***
“A most unfortunate incident has recently occurred within the Imperial Palace. Today, we gather to investigate the matter and uncover the truth.”
The High Priest spoke in a solemn tone.
Then, the inquisitor began explaining the case.
“Her Highness the Imperial Consort was poisoned after drinking a cup of tea. The tea was supplied by a man named Joseph, whose younger sister, Roisen, worked as a maid in the Empress’ Palace. Joseph had been supplying tea to the Imperial Consort’s Palace for many years without incident. However…”
The inquisitor’s voice grew sharper.
“After his sister, Roisen, transferred to the Empress’ Palace, he suddenly supplied poisoned tea, resulting in this incident.”
The High Priest asked,
“What would Joseph have gained by poisoning the tea?”
Gain.
The young High Priest wanted to know what benefit Joseph might have received from this crime.
“We do not know the specifics, but it is believed to be closely related to the fact that his sister, Roisen, had moved to the Empress’ Palace.”
The inquisitor then summoned witnesses.
Maidservants and knights from the Imperial Consort’s Palace took the stand.
“Her Majesty the Empress…”
They testified about the Empress’ usual attitude, treating the Imperial Consort as an enemy.
Then, a few noblewomen stepped forward to recount past events at banquets.
They spoke of incidents where the Empress had humiliated the Imperial Consort, degrading her dignity, and treating minor mistakes with cruelty.
There were also dangerous events—dropping a candle on the Imperial Consort’s head, pushing her off a high platform.
All of these had happened before I possessed Helena’s body.
With every misdeed recounted by the inquisitor, gasps of shock rippled through the courtroom.
After the inquisitor finished, the High Priest turned to me.
“Your Majesty the Empress, do you have any defense against these testimonies?”
I swallowed a sigh and answered.
“Some were accidents, but most of them are true.”
What could I do?
Even if I hadn’t done them, Helena had.
“But I had nothing to do with this incident.”
“We will have to uncover the truth carefully.”
The High Priest turned to the inquisitor.
“To explain the complexity of this matter, we have invited an expert.”
The courtroom doors opened, and a man stepped inside.
Silver hair, reminiscent of moonlight.
A face half-covered by a white mask.
With each step he took, the earrings dangling from his ears chimed softly.
Some of the nobles frowned upon seeing him, while others gasped.
“A mask in a sacred court?”
“How disrespectful.”
“Wait, that mask… Could it be?”
“Do you know him?”
“If I’m not mistaken…”
“Silence, all of you.”
Once the room settled, the High Priest turned to the man and asked,
“Who are you?”
“My name is Cedric. I am a magician of the Imperial Palace.”
His response was calm.
But the impact of his name was enormous.
“Cedric?”
“The Guardian of Verdure?”
“C-Could it be the great mage known as the Sage?”
“I heard His Majesty the Emperor brought the Grand Mage of Verdure into the palace. So the rumors were true.”
With his appearance, the previously quiet courtroom erupted in murmurs.
After waiting for the room to settle, the High Priest regarded Cedric warmly.
“I did not expect to meet the Sage of the Forest in such a place.”
“It is an honor to meet you as well, Your Eminence.”
“Do you have insight to offer regarding this case?”
“Yes.”
He briefly turned his head and looked at me.
His golden eyes held concern.
I offered him a faint smile.
“I will explain the poison used on Her Highness the Imperial Consort. The poison was derived from a flower called Rosaflo.”
“Rosaflo?”
“Rosaflo grows on steep cliffs, making it extremely difficult to obtain. Extracting its poison is even harder. There are only a handful of people in the world capable of creating this poison.”
“So it is not an easy poison to make. Understood. Thank you for your testimony.”
“……”
Despite the High Priest’s closing words, Cedric did not leave his place.
Finding this odd, the High Priest questioned him.
“Do you have more to say?”
“I heard that Her Majesty the Empress is being accused as the mastermind behind this incident.”
“Indeed. Few would benefit from Her Highness the Imperial Consort’s infertility.”
“And yet, there is no direct evidence?”
“There is ample circumstantial evidence.”
“If you are going to accuse someone based on circumstantial evidence alone, then should I be arrested as well?”
Everyone in the courtroom was stunned by his words.
“What do you mean?”
“There are only about ten people in the world who can create poison from Rosaflo. And I am one of them. Shouldn’t I be a suspect as well?”
“Ha! Did you create the poison?”
“No.”
“The great Sage of the Forest, who did not even create the poison, cannot be suspected—”
“Then, is it truly justifiable to accuse Her Majesty the Empress without any evidence?”
Cedric asked quietly.
A sigh spread through the courtroom.
Though he did not raise his voice, Cedric’s argument was clear.
It was unjust to declare Her Majesty guilty based on mere suspicion.
His argument held weight.
As his words rippled through the courtroom like a calm wave—
“All of this is because His Majesty the Emperor is unfair!”
A voice suddenly erupted.
The speaker was none other than Duke Hastings von Schwaben.
Helena’s father.
As one of the Empire’s three dukes, he was attending the trial as a representative of the nobility.
He stood before everyone, veins bulging in his neck as he defended his daughter.
“Everyone here knows this truth. Despite having an Empress, His Majesty openly cherishes another woman!”
Murmurs.
The room grew restless.
“Yes, you all guessed correctly. That woman is none other than Her Highness the Imperial Consort.”
The Duke nodded.
“I understand. It is not inherently wrong. Whether it be an Imperial Consort or a favored mistress, ensuring the Imperial bloodline is a legitimate duty of the Imperial family.”
His voice was thick with emotion.
“But… but I am a father before I am a subject of the Empire.”
His expression twisted, as if in pain.
“Imagine it. Your husband loves another woman—who could remain unaffected?”
His eyes reddened.
“Her Majesty the Empress… no, my daughter, how much she must have suffered… As her father, my heart shatters just thinking about it.”
Everyone watched.
A father, speaking on behalf of his daughter.
A heartfelt display of family devotion.
Many nobles sent him sympathetic glances.
Everyone except me.
‘Impressive.’
I marveled at his acting skills.
Beating his chest, shedding tears—
Knowing his true nature, I found it beyond repulsive.
Moreover, his “defense” was not helping me at all.
“How desperate must the Empress have been to resort to such actions?”
No.
At this point, it was questionable whether this was even a defense.
The way he phrased it, it made me sound as if I had poisoned the Imperial Consort.
Was he really on my side?
Was he shielding me or stabbing me with it?
Could it be that even Duke Hastings believed I had poisoned her?
“I understand your words, Duke. A father’s love for his daughter—I can sympathize with that.”
Jerome, who had remained silent until now, finally spoke.
“But just because something seems unfair does not justify all of the Empress’ actions.”
He looked at Duke Hastings with an expressionless face.
“All of Her Majesty’s past offenses may be excused as the result of jealousy. But this time is entirely different.”
Then, his chilling gaze shifted to me.
“The Empress poisoned the Imperial Consort. A poison that prevents her from bearing an heir.”
At that moment, the High Priest spoke again.
“Your Majesty the Empress.”
I turned to him.
“All circumstantial evidence and the situation itself point to Your Majesty as the culprit. Do you have anything to say in your defense?”
“Yes.”
I nodded and looked around, wearing a composed expression.
“I am not the one behind the poisoning of the Imperial Consort.”
“…Do you have any proof?”
“I would like to ask the same question. Where is the proof that I ordered the poisoning?”
“There is an abundance of circumstantial evidence…”
“I am asking for definitive proof.”
The High Priest glanced at the inquisitor.
The inquisitor, looking troubled, responded.
“The maid suspected of orchestrating the crime, Roisen, was found dead a few days ago.”
“And her brother?”
“Joseph is currently missing. His whereabouts are unknown.”
The inquisitor finished speaking and gazed at me blankly.
“This is an exceptionally meticulous crime. The level of boldness and cruelty involved is beyond what an ordinary person is capable of.”
As he spoke, many nobles in the jury nodded in agreement.
“The key point in this case is determining who benefits from Her Highness the Imperial Consort’s infertility.”
The person who stood to gain the most.
Me.
Even Duke Hastings, who should have supported Helena, had a stiff expression.
I sighed inwardly.
Come on.
You can’t just declare someone guilty based on assumptions.
“I know that no matter how I explain myself, it will be pointless. But I did not do this. I swear on my name and as the Empress of this Empire.”
At my words, Jerome asked in a cold voice.
“Why not simply confess?”
“I did not do it!”
I couldn’t hold back any longer and shouted with all my conviction.
“No matter what evidence I present, Your Majesty will not believe me anyway.”
“……”
“This is too much, Your Majesty.”
My frustration made my eyes burn.
Was it just my imagination?
For a moment, it seemed as if Jerome’s gaze wavered.
No.
I must have seen wrong.
A man as cold as him wouldn’t react like that.
Yes, no matter what I said, no one here would believe me.
Simply because I was the Empress.
Because of everything I had done before.
Because it was the Imperial Consort who had suffered.
Because the poison she had been given rendered her infertile.
Even if the trial declared me innocent, public opinion would never change.
I had known this even before stepping into the courtroom.
That was the role this world had assigned to me.
But.
‘I won’t go down so easily.’
I looked at Jerome.
Then, I smiled faintly.
“……?”
Jerome furrowed his brows.
His bewildered expression was oddly amusing.
At that moment—
“Ugh!”
A sharp pain tore through my lower abdomen.
As if I had been struck with a blunt weapon.
A crushing pain spread throughout my body.
My head throbbed, my vision blurred.
The world spun.
The room erupted into chaos, but I could no longer hear anything.
My legs gave out, and I collapsed.
Or, I almost did.
A strong arm caught me.
‘…What?’
Through my fading vision, I saw the person who had rushed forward to catch me.
“…Empress. Stay with me!”
Jerome?
Why…
I wanted to ask, but my lips wouldn’t move.
My vision darkened.
Even my hearing faded.
From somewhere far away, I heard Cedric’s urgent voice.
“My God. This poison… It’s the same as the one used on the Imperial Consort…”
That was the last thing I heard before my consciousness was completely severed.
And I think—
I was smiling.
Go on.
Explain this one, you bastards.
—
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