The Trial (2)
“Your Honor, you can’t possibly be taking the word of these clowns at face value, can you?”
Count Silanda glared at the performers with open contempt.
“This is a memory from three whole years ago. If people can barely remember what happened yesterday, how can they claim such certainty? And they expect us to believe they remember someone who was secretly spying on them? The credibility is nonexistent!”
“That is not true, Your Honor!” Karina finally lost her composure and sprang to her feet. “The witnesses and I saw it with perfect clarity. We saw Count Silanda spending time with Esmeralda!”
“Even if they are scorned as clowns, I ask that you refrain from insulting the testimony they have bravely come forward to deliver!”
“Insult? What insult could there be toward people spouting false testimony!”
“Enough. Both of you, calm yourselves. Plaintiff and defendant!”
The judge’s raised voice silenced them at once. Count Silanda and Karina sat back down, chests heaving with barely contained fury.
“I have heard both the plaintiff’s and the defendant’s positions. For now, we will dismiss these witnesses and call the next one.”
“As you wish.”
Ebony Bladin moved to escort the clowns from the courtroom. At that moment, one of the boys who had remained silent until now suddenly thrust his hand into the air.
“Um… excuse me. May I ask just one thing?”
The boy directed his question at Ebony. Once she received the judge’s nod of permission, he continued, stumbling over his words.
“Esmeralda was a good person. When my sister died, I cried so much. The only reason we came here today is because we hoped the one who killed her would be found.”
Under the weight of the nobles’ stares, the boy’s voice began to tremble.
“So please… everyone here… you must catch the criminal. It won’t bring my sister back, but at least the people she left behind won’t have to suffer anymore.”
When the boy finished, the clowns gently wrapped their arms around his small shoulders and guided him out of the courtroom.
A heavy silence settled over the chamber in the wake of the child’s heartfelt plea. After a moment, Ebony cleared her throat to regain the court’s attention and resumed the proceedings.
“We will now call the next witness. Mr. Berot.”
At Ebony’s summons, a middle-aged man with streaks of gray in his hair stepped forward. He carried a thick ledger in both hands.
“This witness possesses both a given name and a surname, so you may all relax your expressions now, members of the jury.”
Ebony’s sardonic remark prompted a few awkward coughs from the jurors. Indeed, the man who had just entered was dressed far more respectably than the clowns who had preceded him. At the very least, he wore proper formal attire, and his skin showed no trace of dirt.
“Witness, please introduce yourself.”
“I operate a modest apothecary on the outskirts of the capital. My name is Allen Berot.”
“What testimony have you come to offer today?”
“I am here to testify regarding a certain drug I was commissioned to sell three years ago.”
“What drug was it?”
“It was an extremely rare substance. It is called Noxiton, a very costly nerve stabilizer.”
Mr. Berot continued without pause.
“The drug is primarily taken by those suffering from insomnia or heightened nervous sensitivity. It regulates heartbeat and stabilizes breathing, which once made it quite popular among the nobility. Although a superior alternative was discovered recently, rendering it nearly obsolete.”
“Does the drug have side effects?”
“Like all medicines, Noxiton carries risks. It must not be taken in cases of severe bleeding. For that reason, we print a prominent warning on every bottle so that buyers are fully aware. It explicitly states that anyone with an open wound must never consume it.”
“What would happen if a woman who had just given birth were to ingest this drug?”
“Heavens, do not even speak of it. Unless she expels it immediately, death would follow swiftly.”
“Your Honor, please examine the autopsy report submitted as evidence. The notarized document clearly records that Noxiton was found in the body of the deceased Esmeralda. I also submit this bottle as physical evidence.”
Ebony opened the box that had been placed at Karina’s feet, withdrew a small vial, and carried it to the judge.
“This bottle was discovered in the study of Count Silanda’s residence. As Mr. Berot described, it bears both the warning regarding Noxiton and the date of purchase.”
“Yet the name listed as buyer reads… ‘Layton’?”
“Ah, that is the false name used by Count Silanda. Mr. Berot is about to present the store ledger from three years ago for Your Honor’s inspection. Mr. Berot?”
“Yes. This is the ledger from our shop three years ago. Because we handle potent medicines with extreme care, every entry includes the buyer’s full name, personal details, and address.”
Mr. Berot held the heavy ledger open for the judge to see. Ebony Bladin continued in a voice ringing with triumph.
“As you can observe, fewer than ten people purchased Noxiton that year. After investigating every one of them, we discovered that no person named ‘Layton’ exists anywhere in the capital. Someone used a forged identity. And the bottle in question was found inside Count Silanda’s own mansion.”
The jurors began to shift uneasily. They had easily dismissed the clowns’ accounts, but concrete evidence presented by a man of clear identity and reputable profession was another matter entirely. Their certainty began to fracture.
“Count Silanda, do you have any explanation for this? Why would a drug purchased under an untraceable name be found within your own residence?”
“I really couldn’t say. I do suffer from occasional insomnia and have taken nerve stabilizers from time to time, but I never purchased them myself. My servants usually handle such errands. It appears one of them must have played a foolish prank.”
Count Silanda lied without so much as a flicker of unease. Seeing this, Karina ground her teeth and began to rise, only to be gently restrained by Ebony.
The jurors exchanged puzzled glances at the Count’s reaction. There was no possibility he had failed to notice the name written on the bottle.
Moreover, this was the same man who had always loudly proclaimed his own integrity. For him to casually overlook the use of a forged identity to purchase medicine? The contradiction was glaring.
“With this, Mr. Berot’s testimony is concluded. May I call the final witness?”
“Proceed, Duke Bladin.”
Ebony saw Mr. Berot out and returned to the center of the courtroom.
Only one witness remained. As every eye in the chamber fixed upon her, Ebony escorted a young woman forward.
The woman trembled visibly and could not lift her gaze from the floor. While the clowns and Mr. Berot had shown nervousness, they had not appeared terrified. This witness, however, clutched her skirt with both hands so tightly her knuckles had gone white, deliberately keeping her face turned away from Count Silanda.
“Final witness, please state your identity.”
“My name is Inka. Three years ago I served as a maid in Count Silanda’s household. I have since left service and now live quietly in another province.”
At Miss Inka’s words, Count Silanda’s eyes narrowed to slits. He drummed his fingers irritably against the arm of his chair while staring daggers at her.
“What testimony have you come to deliver today?”
“I have come to speak of the relationship between His Grace and the dancer Esmeralda… and of the time His Grace ordered me to bring her a cup containing medicine.”
The jury box erupted into immediate commotion at Miss Inka’s declaration.
“Good heavens, a maid from the Count’s own house as witness? What disgrace is this? How dare a subordinate testify against her superior!”
“A maid’s testimony will carry less weight than the previous two, won’t it? Still, the Count’s fate may very well rest on what she says.”
“Good grief. It’s the end of the world. When I return home I must re-educate every last one of my servants.”
Hellion dropped a heavy hand onto the shoulder of the juror who had muttered the last remark and gave a mocking smile.
“You all seem rather noisy. Guilty consciences, perhaps?”
The man startled as if struck and waved his hands frantically in denial, but Hellion merely clapped him on the back and said he had already been caught red-handed.
“No matter how you look at it, isn’t it interesting that a woman would testify against her former master on behalf of someone from an entirely different social class with whom she shares no connection? So stop your chatter and listen carefully to what this woman has to say. You can worry about your own households once you return home.”
At Hellion’s blunt rebuke the jurors straightened in their seats and fixed their eyes forward. Hellion leaned his upper body between two of the jurors in the front row, his posture decidedly unrefined. He appeared determined to hear Miss Inka’s testimony from as close as possible.
“Then, Miss Inka. Please tell the court everything you know. Everything you saw and heard while serving as a maid in Count Silanda’s household.”
Ebony Bladin spoke in a gentle, encouraging tone. Still keeping her back turned to Count Silanda, Miss Inka looked toward Ebony and Karina and continued in a hesitant voice.
“Three years ago, I worked as a maid in Count Silanda’s mansion. I assisted the senior maids with all manner of chores. You might say I was a maid for the maids.”
“……”
“Then one day, His Grace took me with him to clothing shops, shoemakers, jewelers, and similar establishments. He said he needed to choose a gift for someone and wanted my opinion.”
“Why did he choose you in particular, Miss Inka? There were other maids, and those who had served noble houses for many years would surely possess far more refined taste than you.”
“I asked His Grace the same question. He replied that the person receiving the gift was around the same age as me. Therefore our tastes would likely be similar…”
“How strange. The recipient of such expensive gifts would surely be his wife, yet you appear considerably younger than the Countess.”
“I found that odd as well. But the head maid told me that a servant must never pry into her master’s affairs, so I asked no further questions. I simply followed His Grace in silence as we purchased dresses, shoes, accessories, and the like.”
“Did you ever see the Countess or any other relatives wearing those items?”
“No. The place where I later saw those belongings was somewhere else entirely.”
“And where was that?”
“It was Pleco Square.”