Chapter 98: Hearing

Cedric stood, his dark robe flowing as he approached the bench.

"Your Honors, court members, and esteemed spectators," he began, pacing slowly. "We gather here not to settle personal grudges but to uphold the laws that bind this great Empire. The accused, Shirley, is charged with heinous crimes—kidnapping a royal member, killing a child of royal blood before he was even born, and deliberately manipulating the Sword Princess, Athena, with malicious intent. These actions are not only treasonous but an affront to the sanctity of the Royal Family."

Cedric paused, letting the weight of his words settle over the room.

"Clause-35: Kidnapping or killing a royal family member brings in lifetime imprisonment or execution. From witnesses and tests from the Royal Physician, we confirmed that she gave an alchemic odorless and tasteless poison called 'Silent Taker' to concubine Jeanne before the delivery, which resulted in the death of the unborn child. Even with this clause alone, Shirley must be executed twice!" He paused a moment to take a breath and continued.

"Clause 54: Harming or manipulating an innocent child brings twenty years of imprisonment…

Clause 23: Using drugs to brainwash or harm an individual carries a penalty of ten years. These charges alone paint a clear picture of her guilt."

He turned toward Shirley, his expression cold and calculating.

"Her jealousy toward her sister Jeanne drove her to kidnap Athena and even made her kill the royal blood, Raven Sillalus Jorvot."

Cedric returned to his seat, his words hanging like a storm cloud.

Lauren rose gracefully, her measured steps taking her to the center of the courtroom. She adjusted her robes and faced the judges, her voice steady but firm.

"Your Honors, what my esteemed colleague fails to acknowledge is the context—the truth buried beneath layers of half-truths and royal convenience."

She turned, addressing the room with conviction.

"Shirley is no criminal. She acted out of loyalty and desperation to protect her sister's children, not to kidnap or kill them. And from what I've investigated, Athena willingly went along with Lady Shirley. The Emperor and Empress witnessed Shirley and Athena leave, yet they chose silence." She paused for a moment and turned her gaze towards the Emperor.

"Your Excellency, were you in the Royal Palace when Shirley kidnapped Athena?" Her abrupt question surprised the people in the courtroom and the judges!

"Absurd! Who gave you the right to question His Excellency?" Cedric instantly rose from his seat and protested.

"Ahem!" Jamison cleared his throat and warned her.

"Advocate Lauren, you should know that questioning Emperor Ian is equal to questioning the law itself, right?"

A cold sweat appeared on her face.

"My apologies, Your Honor."

Murmurs rippled through the audience, and some even shouted at her, but Lauren heeded no mind and continued.

"The prosecution claims jealousy and manipulation. I say the Imperial Family's paranoia and cruelty forced Shirley to act."

She glanced toward Shirley, her gaze softening before she turned back to the judges.

"This is not just a trial about one woman's alleged crimes. This is a trial about power—how far those in control will go to maintain it and how the truth is twisted to serve their ends."

Lauren returned to her seat, and her face clearly showed anger and fury.

The Chief Judge nodded, his piercing gaze shifting between the two advocates.

"Let the prosecution present its evidence."

Cedric stood, signaling a scribe to bring a stack of parchments forward.

"Your Honors, I present witness testimonies and written accounts detailing the events on the night of the alleged kidnapping. Our main witness: Lady Vivian Ardent, a former maid of the Imperial Palace and also a third child of Count Ardent."

A middle-aged woman was escorted into the courtroom, her hands trembling as she took her oath.

"Lady Ardent, please recount what you witnessed the night when Princess Athena disappeared," Cedric prompted.

Vivian hesitated, her voice wavering. "I... I saw Lady Shirley enter the Concubine Jeanne's chambers before the delivery. She argued with the Concubine Jeanne something. I couldn't hear everything, but Lady Shirley was angry. After an hour, she returned to the chamber with food and even apologized to Lady Jeanne for her harsh words."

Cedric nodded, his tone sharpening. "Did you witness anything else?"

Vivian swallowed hard. "After delivery... I saw Lady Shirley leave with the Princess and even took the dead child to hide the witness. I wanted to stop her, but I was too powerless. Moreover, I feared something might have happened to Lady Jeanne and rushed to her chamber to check on her first. I-I should've stopped her and ended her schemes right away. It was my fault!" Tears fell from the maid's face.

Cedric turned to the judges, spreading his hands as if the case was already won.

"A loyal palace servant confirms the accused's intent to act against the Imperial Family's will, My Lord."

Lauren stood swiftly, her voice cutting through the tension. "Objection, Your Honor. The witness merely described an argument, not a crime. Furthermore, Lady Shirley's actions that night are mainly not to kidnap the Sword Princess but to save the unborn child."

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Her words attracted everyone's attention, even the Emperor's and Prime Minister's.

"What do you mean?" Chief Judge's eyebrows rose.

"Raven Sillalus Jorvot wasn't born dead, Your Honor. He was born healthy, but when the Emperor and Prime Minister Gavin checked his affinities, they discovered he was born with no affinities. To hide this truth, they decided to kill him-"

"Preposterous! Don't forget that you are blatantly accusing the Rulers of this Empire! If you can't give me a proper reason, I will instantly revoke your advocate certificate and put you in jail for rebellious words." The Chief Judge spoke harshly.

'Haa, I can't hear this nonsense anymore.' Raven looked at the judge coldly and cast the 'Past Self' bloodline spell.

Suddenly, a young boy, around 15 years old, with black hair and deep blue eyes, appeared in the courtroom and attracted everyone's attention.

"R-RAVEN!!!" The first one to shout joyfully was Shirley, who had kept her mouth shut all this time.

"Please escape. The Court and the Royal Family will not let you live!" She soon snapped out of shock and panicked.

Meanwhile, Gavin stood up from his seat and shouted.

"Impossible!"

Although Raven wanted to explain to her aunt that she should not worry, he was in Thomas's appearance.

'And the one talking is a recorded memory of mine.'

At that moment, 'Raven' looked at the Emperor and spoke coldly.

"I'm Raven Silallus Jorvot, 66th Prince of the Zenith Empire." He slowly turned his gaze towards the Chief Judge and continued.

"You can tell me if my words are true or false with your 'Eye of Truth' skill, right?"

"How did you know my unique skill name?" A chilling aura suddenly enveloped the courtroom and caused everyone to suffocate.

"I know your Divine Pathway skill has restrictions, too. You can't tell a lie to anyone, but you can manipulate the truth according to the laws of the Empire and judge based on your wish. I know you are shocked and furious. But at least do your work properly in my aunt's case. Or else, you may end up dead right away." As if he wasn't even affected by the spiritual pressure, Raven talked with a cold smile.

Even 'Thomas,' sitting in the VIP seat, was impressed by his talk.

The next second, 'Raven' disappeared like it never existed before, leaving a pin-drop silence in the courtroom.

The most shocked person was none other than Chief Judge Jamison. People only knew he had unique eye power to see through the truth. But nobody, not even his family members, knew of its weakness!

'No good! I need to stop this case and leave!'

'This is an unexpected information. So, Chief Judge can't lie, huh?' Lauren took the pocket watch from her pocket, checked the time, and asked.

"May I proceed, Your Honor?"

Although Jamison wanted to stop her, the Raven's earlier words still lingered in his mind!

'T-That boy's words are the truth! Does that mean he can kill me anytime? Earlier, he wasn't affected by my spiritual pressure at all.'

He looked around warily and even activated an artifact for protection.

"Proceed!" He finally nodded.

A smile appeared on Lauren's face.

"Can I start from the beginning, Your Honor?"

"Objection, Your Honor! This is clearly to mislead the case. And we don't even know who that boy is. How did he appear in the courtroom? If he is the real prince, why is he even left immediately instead of proving himself?"

Emperor Ian, who had been silent all this time, finally spoke.

"How did you get your hands on the Royal Inheritance Bracelet?"

Although startled by his words, Lauren kept her face calm and answered politely.

"Raven gave it to me yesterday to prove his identity as the 66th Prince, Your Excellency. You can ask Chief Judge if my words are true or false."

The corner of the Emperor's lips twitched at her craftiness.

"She is telling the truth," Jamison said while gritting his teeth.

"You can check yourself if this is real or fake, Your Excellency," Lauren said as she walked closer to Emperor Ian's seat and gave it to the Royal Guard, who stepped forward.

"Can I ask you a few questions, Your Excellency? I don't mean to question-"

Emperor Ian interrupted her coldly.

"Ask."

"Did your 66th child born dead?"

A silence descended in the courtroom.

After a short delay, Ian heaved a deep sigh and shook his head.

"No. He was a healthy child when born."

Lauren was about to ask another question, but Jamison stood up.

"You can't ask any more questions to His Excellency, Advocate Lauren!"

"Yes, Your Honor." She quickly backed away and then turned her attention to Shirley.

"Can you tell me what happened that night, Miss Shirley?"

"Objection, Your Honor! An advocate can only ask questions to the eyewitnesses, not the accused." Cedric stood up from his seat and protested.

"But the Royal Family isn't cooperating at all. The court didn't allow me to question the person who knows the truth because asking him is questioning the law itself; the court also didn't say a word about why the Royal Family didn't bring Athena or Concubine Jeanne even though they are the main witnesses. Why hasn't Athena come to the court yet?" Lauren asked angrily.

"Your Honors, Concubine Jeanne has been sick since yesterday and is undergoing treatment in the Palace Hospital. Princess Athena is currently unavailable due to her duties at the Royal Palace. Her presence here is unnecessary; we have sufficient evidence to proceed."

Lauren's eyes narrowed, her voice like steel. "Unnecessary? She is the key witness in this case. Her testimony could exonerate the accused. Or perhaps the Royal Family fears what she might say?"

The courtroom erupted into murmurs, and Jamison raised his gavel for silence.

"Enough," he said.

"Pathetic!" A familiar young boy's voice suddenly echoed in the courtroom.

At that moment, 'Raven' appeared before the Emperor and looked at the people.

"I'll tell the truth to everyone. I was born with no affinities. To hide this truth, my dearest father and Prime Minister Gavin planned on killing me. But my sister and aunt took me away from the Royal Capital and raised me all these years in a rural town." He turned his gaze towards Gavin and continued.

"But two months ago, Gavin visited our house and forcefully brought my sister and aunt back to the capital. And he ordered his subordinate to kill me. I'll present you all with evidence soon." Like earlier, Raven disappeared as he said those words, leaving others confused.

'30 seconds isn't enough to even tell a small truth.' Raven leaned on the chair and patiently waited for the next chance.

'No. I should show everyone what happened there.' Unlike the 'Past Self' spell, his 'Past Touch' skill could allow him to look into the past one day before and store it. And he could replay the stored vision anytime and anywhere.

At that moment, Lauren turned her attention to Gavin and asked.

"Do you have anything to say about Mr. Raven's claims?"

"It's true that Raven was born with no affinities. But from what I've observed so far, this person who claimed to be Raven can use magic spells. How can a person with no affinity capable of achieving such a feat?" Gavin asked instead of responding.

"May I answer that question, Mr. Gavin?" A calm but pleasant female voice came to the court entrance as a red-robed woman with black hair and green eyes walked toward the center of the courtroom.

"Vice President Judith?" A frown appeared on Gavin's forehead.

She had never been interested in politics or mortal affairs all these years, but her sudden intrusion made him feel something was off.

'Why is she here now?'

Judith's entrance caused a ripple of shock through the courtroom.

Although the Empire possessed dozens of Legendary powerhouses, only seven were Wizards. Among them were Gavin, Judith, Viola Findlay—renowned as the Ice Princess—Johnathan the Alchemist; Weston Raynor, the Necromancer; Gaylin Warfield, known as the Flame Shield; and finally, Allen, the enigmatic Wizard who served as the unofficial leader of the Wizard Alliance.

These seven people were at the pinnacle of strength and could topple a kingdom independently.

Even among the seven, Gavin was said to be the cunning fox and the strongest Wizard, not because of his strength but his overall influence on the Empire. He controlled one-third of the nobles, and his faction held key positions in all departments.

And the second strongest was none other than Judith. She was the Wizard Union Leader and Vice President of the Crows Misery Academy. Although she never showed an interest in politics, she was the role model of most Wizards from commoners' backgrounds and had a good public image.

Her arrival deeply startled even the judges.