The Trial Begins
The capital's family court was packed from the morning onward. It was a divorce trial, yet every seat in the gallery was filled. Nobles loved a good scandal. The Valoa ducal family sat at the plaintiff's table. The Grand Duke. His three sons. Cecilia. And me.
The three sons had aged several days' worth in just a few short ones. The eldest spoke less, the second son still refused to look toward his wife, and the third kept his eyes fixed on the courtroom floor. At the defendant's table sat the three wives. They were more subdued than before, but their fear was lacking. Their faces still carried the belief that this was nothing more than a divorce proceeding. That they could simply block it with money, block it with their family connections, and bury it with time.
Standing beside them was a single man. He had sharp features. He didn't smile. He carried few documents. I didn't like him. Competent lawyers tended to look exactly like that. It was the same as how some faces simply screamed that they were good at coding.
The judge struck the gavel. Bang.
The consolidated trial concerning the divorce proceedings of the three couples of the Valoa ducal family shall now commence.
It was a consolidated hearing. A single trial handling all three divorces at once. To the nobles, it was an exciting feast. To me, it was a workshop.
The judge asked, “Defense counsel for the defendants.”
The man bowed his head. “I am Tryon Belk.”
I’d heard the name. A lawyer favored by the capital’s noble faction. Someone skilled at quietly burying scandals.
The judge continued. “Plaintiff’s side. Please state the purpose of your claims.”
I rose from my seat. “The plaintiffs hereby request the following.”
I opened the documents.
“First. The dissolution of the marriages between the defendants and the plaintiffs.”
The gallery fell silent.
“Second. The return of the Valoa ducal family heirlooms.”
“Third. Compensation for damages arising from the breakdown of the marriages, the leakage of family heirlooms, the use of hallucinogens, and the operation of private gatherings.”
Up to this point, it was within the expected range. Tryon didn’t move. I turned to the next page.
“Fourth. Compensation for defamation of the Valoa ducal family’s honor.”
Tryon’s eyes shifted slightly.
“Fifth. A ruling on the act of impersonating the authority of the Valoa ducal house.”
Tryon’s expression hardened.
“Sixth. A jurisdictional ruling regarding charges of preparation for treason and the illegal operation of a private army.”
The courtroom froze. Even the sound of breathing diminished. The judge looked at me.
“Plaintiff’s counsel.”
“Yes.”
“Did you just say preparation for treason?”
“That is correct.”
At the defendant’s table, the third wife shot to her feet. “That’s ridiculous!”
Tryon raised a hand to stop her. “Please sit down.”
“But—!”
“Sit down.”
His voice had dropped low. The defendant obeyed her lawyer. Competent indeed.
Tryon rose slowly. “Your Honor, the defense will now present its position.”
“Proceed.”
Tryon did not look at me. He only looked at the judge.
“We partially acknowledge that the defendants have seriously damaged the marital relationships.”
The gallery stirred. The three wives stared at their lawyer in shock. Tryon remained unshaken.
“We are also willing to negotiate the return of the family heirlooms. We will contest the damages only within a reasonable scope.”
Only then did he look at me.
“However, we cannot accept anything beyond that.”
I clicked my tongue inwardly. He knew exactly where to cut. Tryon had discarded the unfavorable parts. Adultery. The heirlooms. Damages. Those would be difficult to block. Trying to block everything would mean losing it all. So he narrowed the battlefield. He would only kill the treason charge. Only kill the private army operation. Only kill the impersonation of the family head’s authority. It was a good judgment. Which made me hate it even more.
Tryon continued. “Your Honor, the plaintiff is inflating private scandals into matters of national order.”
“Knightly investiture is a formal public process. It requires the family head’s approval, witnesses, registration in the family register, and notarization.”
Correct.
“A ritual mimicked by people drunk on alcohol and hallucinogens in a bedroom cannot be considered knightly investiture.”
Also correct.
“Adultery may be grounds for divorce. However, adultery is not, by itself, treason.”
Perfect. The judge turned to me.
“Plaintiff’s counsel. The term ‘preparation for treason’ is not one to be used lightly.”
“I am aware.”
“Then present evidence that goes beyond mere adultery.”
I bowed my head. “You need only look at the order of the evidence.”
The judge’s eyes narrowed. “The order?”
“Yes.”
I lifted the bundle of documents. “There is material that must be reviewed before the scenes of adultery.”
Tryon’s eyes wavered. He had realized it. I was not here to show them infidelity. I was here to show them a timeline.
“Plaintiff’s Exhibit No. 1.”
I pulled out the first page. “This is the ledger of hallucinogen purchases.”
Tryon was quick, as expected. He stood before I had even fully presented it.
“Your Honor, the defense does not deny the fact that hallucinogens were used.”
The gallery stirred again. This time the three wives couldn’t even look surprised. Their lawyer had thrown away another piece. A wise decision. What cannot be defended must be discarded. Only then can the important things be protected.
Tryon spoke calmly. “However, the fact of hallucinogen use should be viewed in the opposite direction from the plaintiff’s claims.”
The judge asked, “Opposite direction? Explain.”
Tryon stepped forward into the center of the courtroom. “It is true that the defendants committed wrongdoing. However, on that day, the defendants were under the influence of hallucinogens.”
His voice remained composed. “It is unreasonable to label vulgar pranks committed while their judgment was impaired as preparatory acts for overthrowing the state.”
Correct.
“The crime of preparation for treason requires, at minimum, the intent to prepare for treason.”
“If the mimicry performed by noble wives intoxicated on hallucinogens in a bedroom is to be called preparation for treason, then every scandal in the empire would have to be tried in a military court.”
Low laughter rippled through the gallery. Tryon did not exploit that laughter. He was a good lawyer. He said exactly as much as was necessary.
“The defendants were immoral. But they are not traitors.”
The judge looked at me. “Plaintiff’s counsel. Respond.”
I stood up. “I agree with a significant portion of the defense’s argument.”
The gallery fell silent. Even Tryon looked at me.
“Words and actions committed while under the influence of hallucinogens must be viewed with caution. I do not deny that point.”
“However.”
I lifted the ledger. “One should not look only at the moment the defendants ingested the hallucinogens. The law looks at what they did before that.”
The judge accepted the ledger. “This is from an apothecary?”
“Yes. It is the ledger from the Hild Trading Company, an apothecary at the capital’s south gate.”
I presented the next document. “Exhibit No. 2. Hallucinogen order form.”
“Exhibit No. 3. Payment records.”
“Exhibit No. 4. Delivery records to Pearl Mansion.”
“Exhibit No. 5. Payment records for hiring wandering knights.”
“Exhibit No. 6. Pearl Mansion access ledger.”
The documents piled up in front of the judge. Paper is lighter than a blade. But when stacked properly, it can crush a person’s throat.
I said, “The defense claims that their judgment was impaired because of the hallucinogens.”
“Yet when did they purchase those hallucinogens?”
I opened the ledger. “Before they paid the wandering knights.”
The courtroom grew quiet.
“The defendants did not call in armed men after becoming intoxicated. They purchased the hallucinogens and paid the wandering knights before getting high.”
“Afterward, they summoned those men to Pearl Mansion and provided them with the hallucinogens.”
I looked at Tryon. “Therefore, the hallucinogens were not the cause of an accidental disturbance.”
I paused for a moment. “They were part of the preparatory act.”
At the defendant’s table, the second wife’s hand began to tremble. Tryon stood up immediately.
“The plaintiff is excessively exaggerating the hallucinogens. It is not uncommon for mind-altering substances to be used at noble gatherings.”
“That is correct,” I answered. “Which is why I did not claim preparation for treason based solely on the hallucinogens.”
“Then?”
“It is the order.”
I looked at the judge. “Self-induced diminished capacity cannot serve as a shield to avoid responsibility.”
The judge wrote down my words.
“Moreover, if the substances that created that diminished capacity were prepared in advance, that is not a mitigating factor. It is circumstantial evidence of premeditation.”
The atmosphere inside the courtroom shifted. It was not over yet. But the first wall had cracked.
Tryon immediately built a second wall.
“Your Honor, even if there was some planning involved in the purchase of the hallucinogens, the knightly investiture itself does not stand. There was no approval from the family head, no witnesses, no registration in the family register, and no notarization.”
Correct.
“The ceremonial sword was recovered afterward, and the so-called knight never carried it in public.”
“Therefore, the knightly investiture claimed by the plaintiff does not legally exist.”
Tryon looked at me. This time there was force in his eyes. “One cannot construct a charge of preparation for treason based on a nonexistent knightly investiture.”
The gallery buzzed. It was a good rebuttal. A little hope returned to the three wives’ faces.
I stood up. “That is correct.”
The courtroom stopped. Tryon stopped. The judge asked, “Plaintiff’s counsel. What did you just say?”
“The defense is right. That ritual cannot be considered a formal knightly investiture.”
The gallery exploded.
“What?”
“Then what about the treason?”
“Did the lawyer just concede?”
Cecilia looked at me. Her eyes wavered. It’s fine. This is where it begins.
Tryon stared at me intently. His face asked: Why are you conceding?
“The issue is not whether a formal knightly investiture was established.”
The judge raised a hand to quiet the gallery. “Continue.”
“The issue is whether the defendants, by using the form of a knightly investiture, gave outsiders the appearance of acting as proxies for the family head’s authority.”
“And whether those outsiders, under that appearance, actually performed security duties at the mansion.”
I presented the record of the ceremonial sword’s sealing. “This does not mean authority was actually transferred.”
“The problem is that there was no authority to transfer in the first place.”
I stopped in the center of the courtroom. “A person without authority installed outsiders as if they possessed it.”
The judge said nothing. Tryon spoke.
“Your Honor, there is no evidence that those outsiders actually performed security duties at the mansion.”
It was the line I had been waiting for. I tried not to smile.
“Regarding that point, the plaintiff would like to call a witness.”
Tryon stood up at once. “This witness was not submitted in advance.”
“The defense has just contested the performance of security duties at the mansion. This is a rebuttal witness on that specific point.”
“The plaintiff is attempting to ambush using procedure.”
“The defense is attempting to evade evidence by shifting the point of contention.”
Tryon looked at me, and I looked back at him. The judge struck the gavel once.
“Who is the witness?”
“Cecilia Valoa.”
The three wives at the defendant’s table all turned to look at Cecilia at the same time. Cecilia rose slowly. Her face was pale, but her eyes were steady.
The judge thought for a moment. “Since the defense has contested the performance of security duties at the mansion, cross-examination will be permitted solely on that matter.”
Bang. The gavel came down. Tryon closed his mouth. Cecilia walked toward the witness stand.
Now it was her turn.