The Golden-Eyed Revelation
“If you’re talking about Pleco Square, do you mean the late Miss Esmeralda?”
At Ebony’s question, Miss Inka nodded.
“Yes. I heard there was a famous dancer in the square and went to watch her performance. The clothes she wore, the shoes on her feet, and every accessory on her body were all items the Count and I had chosen together.”
“Your Honor, and members of the jury—would you please look this way?”
When Ebony clapped her hands lightly, the door behind the plaintiff’s stand opened and the guards stepped in. They carried a rolling garment rack and an old wooden chest.
“The dresses displayed here are all gifts Count Silanda gave to Miss Esmeralda. The accessories in the chest are as well. These were items kept by the plaintiff, Baroness Linton. Ah, and in case anyone claims they were stolen or that no such gifts were ever given, I submit these in advance. These are the ledgers seized from the shops that sold the items.”
Ebony drew a paper envelope from her robe and handed it to the judge.
“Fortunately the pieces were so expensive that the shops kept separate records. Please compare the articles purchased under the name ‘Inka’ with the evidence. They match perfectly.”
“Hmm…”
Deep creases etched themselves into the judge’s brow.
He kept his expression carefully neutral out of duty to impartiality, yet the evidence was unmistakably damaging to Count Silanda. The judge gave a dry cough and turned to Miss Inka.
“Purchase records and physical evidence do not, by themselves, prove that Count Silanda murdered Miss Esmeralda. Can you offer more specific testimony or corroborating proof?”
“Yes. There is one final thing I must say.”
At Miss Inka’s words, Count Silanda deliberately cleared his throat with an audible rasp—an obvious attempt to remind everyone of his presence. Miss Inka’s lips began to tremble. Noticing at once, Ebony laid a gentle hand on her shoulder.
“Miss Inka, there’s no need to be afraid. Speak slowly and clearly.”
Bolstered by Ebony’s warm voice, Miss Inka drew a steadying breath and began.
“Count Silanda’s daughter is the child born to the late dancer. The Countess has never been with child. Every servant who worked at the estate knows this. They know that the Countess, after spending several months away at the family lands, suddenly returned one day with a child no one had ever seen before.”
“Shut your mouth this instant! What filthy bribes have you taken that a lowly maid would dare accuse her own master?”
The moment the subject touched his family, Count Silanda could no longer restrain himself and roared. As though she had been waiting for exactly that, Karina cut back with a voice like a blade.
“You shut that filthy mouth! A murderer who deserves to be ripped apart has no right to speak!”
“What did you say? This vulgar, tainted blood dares to forget her place! The moment I walk out of here, I will dig up every last secret of yours and make certain you regret this day!”
“Order! Order!”
The judge struck his gavel sharply. In a grave tone he thundered, “Any further disruption and I will revoke the speaking rights of both defendant and plaintiff. Be silent at once!”
Karina bit down hard on her lip and glared at the Count. He met her gaze without flinching, staring straight into her golden eyes. Once the courtroom had quieted, Ebony turned back to Miss Inka.
“Please continue, Miss Inka. Were you present when Miss Esmeralda gave birth?”
“No. The head maids, who ranked far above me, handled that. What I did was…”
Her breathing grew ragged. She closed her eyes as though reliving a nightmare and let out a long, shuddering sigh. Tears slipped from beneath her lashes, tracing wet paths down her cheeks before falling from her chin.
“What I did… was bring medicine to the dancer who had just given birth. Only later did I learn that the draught I delivered was nothing less than poison to a woman in her condition. And that the head maids had forced the task on me so they could avoid the guilt of murder.”
Even as fresh tears continued to fall, Miss Inka kept her voice steady. Her words felt less like testimony and more like a confession of her own sins. She spoke as though finally vomiting up the burden that had crushed her heart for the last three years.
“It was the middle of the night. The head maid woke me from sleep and handed me a glass, ordering me to take it to the woman in the annex. When I asked what had happened, she said the steward had found a woman about to give birth in the street and had brought her to the estate for help.”
“……”
“I wondered why the head maid—who was already awake—couldn’t deliver it herself, but I obeyed. In the annex lay the dancer, exhausted after just giving birth. Even then she begged to see her baby. I told her I didn’t know anything about the child and urged her to drink the medicine first.”
“……”
“The moment I left the annex, the head maids warned me repeatedly: what I had seen that night must go with me to the grave. I thought delivering one glass of medicine to a stranger couldn’t possibly be so grave a matter. Not until I later heard that the dancer had been found dead.”
Karina lowered her head as though she could bear no more. Her long silver hair fell forward, hiding her face, but the rigid line of her shoulders made her anguish plain.
“I knew instinctively that something had gone terribly wrong with the medicine I delivered. The woman I saw was tired, yes, but she had not looked like someone on the brink of death. Yet I could ask no one. Whenever I tried to speak of it, the head maids flew into a rage and silenced me at once.”
“……”
“And then there was the child the dancer had borne. It was obvious the Count and the dancer had been lovers. I wondered whether the baby might be his. But nowhere in the entire estate did I ever hear an infant cry.”
“……”
“I told myself it must have been a tragic accident. That everything was mere coincidence. The child might have died in childbirth; the mother might have suffered some sudden collapse. I tried desperately to believe that—until the Countess, who had been away in the territory for months, returned carrying a baby.”
“And that child is Rubia Silanda?”
“Yes. The Count claimed he had hidden the Countess’s pregnancy to spare her from excessive attention. He said she had given birth at her family home. Everyone believed him and welcomed the child with open arms. But the moment I saw the baby, I knew.”
Miss Inka turned her tear-streaked gaze toward Karina. Slowly, Karina lifted her bowed head. Miss Inka raised a trembling hand and pointed.
“The baby’s eyes were the exact same golden hue as hers. The late dancer had possessed those same golden eyes. When she drank the medicine I gave her and begged to see her child, those eyes burned themselves into my memory. I have been tormented ever since, feeling as though I was the one who killed her.”
At the mention of the child, the jurors—who had been holding their breath—began to whisper among themselves once more.
They asked one another whether they had ever seen Rubia. A few who were acquainted with the Silanda family looked flustered and avoided answering. Seeing their reaction, the rest of the jurors muttered that it must be true and clapped hands over their mouths.
“Your Honor, all of this is mere hearsay without evidence,” Count Silanda said, steadying his voice.
“The same eye color? You would insult my wife and child with such nonsense? By that logic, does everyone in the world with matching eye color share the same blood? This claim has no persuasive power whatsoever.”
“……”
“And you claim the child was born in our house? Then why have none of the other servants come forward as witnesses? Only a single witness, and no physical proof? I strongly suspect this testimony has been fabricated. There must be some private transaction between the plaintiff, the defense counsel, and this witness. It should be investigated at once.”
“Count Bladin.”
The judge turned to Ebony.
“The plaintiff raises a fair point. Aside from the purchase list in Miss Inka’s name, there is no concrete evidence supporting the testimony. Is it impossible to call any other servants from the Silanda household?”
“It is. Every servant is currently under investigation by the capital guard, and all are refusing to testify.”
Ebony’s resolute answer caused the jurors to tilt their heads in confusion. Her bearing remained remarkably confident despite the lack of additional witnesses. Blinking with open disdain, she swept her gaze across every juror’s face.
“How convenient this must be for all you fine nobles. Most servants remain too terrified of their masters to speak the truth. Yes, exactly. Only one person possessed both conscience and courage—Miss Inka. And I am profoundly grateful to have found her. It restores my faith that this world has not yet gone completely mad.”
Her blunt words drew uncomfortable coughs from the jurors. Ebony ignored them and pressed on.
“Your expressions tell me everything. You are thinking, ‘We require clearer evidence and witnesses of higher station before we can judge.’ Yet if this trial had been a quarrel between equals, would your reaction be the same? I doubt it. This evidence would have been more than enough.”
“……”
“Apart from Miss Inka, we have already collected multiple testimonies confirming that Miss Esmeralda and Count Silanda were lovers. The Count purchased poison under a false name, and that same substance was found in the body of the late Miss Esmeralda.”
“……”
“Therefore, I, Ebony Bladin, counsel for the plaintiff, together with Karina Linton, formally accuse Count Ludvi Silanda of murder. As irrefutable proof, we strongly request a paternity examination of Miss Rubia Silanda—alongside Countess Joanna Silanda, her legal mother.”
The moment Ebony finished, the judge exhaled a heavy sigh. Even to an old, experienced jurist, only one path remained. He lifted weary eyes to Count Silanda.
“Count Silanda.”
“Yes, Your Honor.”
“Once this trial concludes, I will have no choice but to present the plaintiff’s evidence to His Imperial Majesty. Before that happens, you must produce definitive proof capable of overturning everything that has been said. In my judgment, only one method can serve as such proof.”
The judge paused. Every eye in the courtroom fixed upon him. At last he asked, his voice grave:
“Will you consent to a paternity test for Miss Rubia Silanda?”