Chapter 88: The Emperor’s Order

The trial finally began.

“We will now commence the trial for the disturbance case of Marquis Hugo Yates. Salute toward the presiding judge!”

Clack, clack, clack!

The scene was no different from usual.

The spectators and court knights bowed respectfully, and Judge Josef Padiya announced the start in a clear voice before taking his seat.

But the wording felt off.

‘Your Excellency’? ‘Disturbance’?

Not only had he used an honorific for the defendant, but he had omitted all the critical details. It should have been officially called the “Special Aggravated Assault Case of Hugo Yates.”

I stared sharply at Josef.

As expected, he flinched visibly.

He seemed to realize what I was about to point out.

“Judge Padiya.”

“Yes, Your Honor.”

“Follow proper procedure. Who are you to change the case name?”

“I-I apologize…”

I had never really called him out on his sneaky behavior before. Though annoying, he had never crossed the line.

But this time, he had gone too far.

He’s probably preparing an excuse in case things go wrong.

In case of a not-guilty verdict or if the emperor pardoned Yates, he could claim he had shown respect by softening the case title.

His intentions were painfully obvious.

I had planned to discipline him one day. That day was today.

He wouldn’t dare pull this again. At least, not if he had any sense.

“…That concludes the defendant’s interrogation and evidence review.”

The proceedings moved extremely quickly.

Since the defendant had already confessed, it proceeded as a simplified trial.

“The defendant, while intoxicated, swung his sword and injured twenty people. He has shown zero remorse. We request a sentence of 15 years imprisonment.”

The prosecutor’s recommendation was reasonable.

It was the same sentence given to Alonzo Braden, who had whipped thirty travelers for fun.

Since Marquis Yates had slashed twenty people with a sword, 15 years was fair.

However, the defense clearly disagreed.

The defense attorney’s final argument followed:

“The defendant was heavily intoxicated at the time. He was in a state of diminished capacity, so we request a reduced sentence.”

I was genuinely surprised.

So this kind of logic exists here too!

People really were the same everywhere.

Surprisingly, the law even has a provision for reduced sentences due to diminished responsibility.

The real problem was how much discretion judges had. Still, the law was quite comprehensive.

Of course, I had no intention of going easy on him.

If he had sincerely apologized and offered proper compensation, the outcome might have been different.

But Marquis Yates had done absolutely nothing.

He had only knelt in front of the palace and begged the emperor for forgiveness.

You should have done that in front of the victims.

I firmly rejected the request.

“Denied.”

The defense attorney’s face fell, and Marquis Yates shot up from his seat.

“What the hell?! Why do you have such a personal grudge against me?!”

It was an absurd accusation.

But I understood why he thought that way.

People tended to judge others based on themselves.

If I’m like this, everyone else must be too.

That’s why good people assume others are good, and evil people assume everyone is evil.

The fact that Marquis Yates said such a thing meant he himself harbored malice.

And the reason was obvious.

Things hadn’t gone the way he wanted. Not only had he failed to beg the emperor successfully, but his intoxication plea had been rejected.

I looked at him calmly and spoke.

“Defendant.”

“Go on, tell me. What grounds do you have to deny it?”

“Have you reached any settlement with the victims?”

“Do I have to?”

“Of course you do. Only then can you even begin to atone. You’re claiming diminished responsibility without doing even the most basic thing?”

For the first time, Marquis Yates’s arrogant mouth shut.

Anyone could see that my words were correct.

If he wanted leniency, he should have shown remorse.

But of course, he didn’t become a decent person just because he was scolded once.

“You still can’t punish me! I am a first-class meritorious subject of this empire!”

There it was again.

That damned line.

Though I was fed up, I continued without showing it.

“Whether you’re a meritorious subject or not has nothing to do with enforcing the law. If you didn’t want to be punished, you shouldn’t have committed the crime in the first place.”

“You—!”

“I will now deliver the verdict.”

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The gavel struck the wooden block decisively.

“Defendant Hugo Yates is hereby sentenced to 15 years imprisonment and a fine of 2,000 goldens. The fine shall be paid to the victims as compensation.”

Marquis Yates’s face turned bright red.

He seemed far more humiliated than despairing.

He must have been confident he could escape.

After all, one word from the emperor could overturn everything.

Even if my position becomes precarious because of this, I don’t care.

There can be no compromise when correcting a wrong.

I raised my head confidently and looked around the courtroom.

This case was extremely important to the emperor’s faction nobles.

Just like Marquis Yates, they were all meritorious subjects.

Under the protection of the empire’s highest authority, they had never been punished no matter what they did.

But today, a privilege they had enjoyed for over a decade had vanished overnight.

Yet instead of criticism, what rained down on me was thunderous applause.

Clap! Clap! Clap! Clap!

“I knew it! His Grace would never compromise!”

“I thought he only hated the Sierre faction, but…”

“No, he just crushes anyone who commits crimes.”

“Exactly. Faction doesn’t matter in front of him.”

“But isn’t this dangerous? No matter what, he’s His Majesty’s most favored meritorious subject…”

“Well… that’s true…”

Of course, some worried voices could be heard.

After all, he had imprisoned a first-class contributor.

“You bastard! Do you really think you’ll get away with this?!”

Marquis Yates had completely thrown away what little dignity he had left.

However, no one sided with him. Even the emperor’s faction nobles were shaking their heads.

I ignored his tantrum and looked at the court knights.

The verdict had been delivered.

They should be taking him into custody immediately.

“What are you doing? Take him into custody at once.”

The knights finally moved and restrained Marquis Yates.

“Excuse us.”

“W-What are you doing?! You rotten bastards!”

Their tone was polite, but their grip was brutally firm.

As Marquis Yates was dragged away, I bowed to the spectators.

Once again, thunderous applause erupted.

At that moment, I felt certain.

Today as well, justice was properly served.

The news that Marquis Hugo Yates had been sentenced to 15 years caused a massive stir throughout the empire.

The imperial palace was especially noisy with all kinds of discussions.

Most people praised the decision, but some called it excessive.

“Your Grace, you’ve been summoned to the imperial palace.”

“Has His Majesty issued an imperial decree?”

“…Yes.”

Butler Miller Xavier nodded with a grave expression.

I had already expected this.

There was no way the emperor would stay silent after one of his top meritorious subjects was imprisoned.

I knew I’d be called, but I didn’t expect it to happen this quickly.

The order came the very next day after the trial.

Well… there’s no choice now but to face it head-on.

After all, this was the result of upholding justice.

I had steeled myself for whatever might come.

With a solemn expression, I boarded the carriage.

Somehow, Coachman Brandon already knew. He looked extremely worried as he spoke:

“Your Grace, just give me the word. I’ll risk my life and drive you straight across the empire’s border.”

He really thought I was going to my death.

To be honest, it does feel a bit like that.

Terrifying rumors that the emperor was furious had already spread.

“What are you saying? His Majesty has summoned me, so of course I must go. Head to the imperial palace.”

“Khk… Your Grace…”

Brandon drove the carriage with tears in his eyes.

I wanted to clear up the misunderstanding, but it seemed impossible right now.

Nothing I said would convince him.

Eventually, the carriage slowly stopped in front of the imperial palace.

Afraid that lingering would make Brandon burst into tears, I quickly got off.

“I’ll be back soon. Wait for me.”

“Yes… understood, Your Grace. Sob!”

“Goodness, I told you I’ll be fine.”

As I turned around awkwardly, I noticed the royal guards’ faces were also flushed red.

Why are they like this too?

From the atmosphere, it was clear they had also heard the rumors.

That I was here to pay the price for the trial.

They’re not wrong, but it’s not that serious…

Of course, there would be some consequences.

But the emperor couldn’t impose a severe punishment.

My reputation was far too high, and the moral high ground was on my side.

“You must go alone from here.”

“Thank you for your hard work.”

“I hope you receive good news.”

“Ah, yes. Thank you.”

Normally, the royal guards never spoke personally.

They were trained to be mechanical and focused solely on duty.

Yet now, they were openly offering words of encouragement.

The world really was full of surprises.

“Hoo…”

I took a deep breath and opened the door to the inner palace.

There, I saw Emperor Karon leaning sideways on his throne.

His expression was indifferent, and his eyes were ice-cold, as if they could freeze anything.

He looked the same as usual, but today his presence felt especially terrifying.

“I greet Your Majesty.”

“Enough. We see each other often. Skip the formalities.”

The emperor waved his hand casually.

But I completed my greeting exactly according to imperial etiquette.

I didn’t want to give him any excuse to nitpick.

He’s not the type to waste time. He’ll get straight to the point.

I prepared myself to explain why I had crushed Marquis Yates.

I planned to say everything and calmly accept the consequences.

However, the emperor’s next words completely shattered my expectations.

“My dear cousin.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Go to the eastern territory and thoroughly crush the Yates Marquisate.”

“He may be a meritorious subject, but… Pardon?”

What the hell is he talking about?