Cecilia's Testimony
Cecilia took her seat in the witness stand. The youngest daughter of the Grand Duke. My junior from the law department. The client who had first brought me this case. Those three identities overlapped in a single person.
The nobles in the gallery leaned forward. The three wives in the defendant’s box glared at Cecilia. She didn’t look their way. Good. Witnesses who fight with emotion lose. You have to strike with facts.
The presiding judge asked, “State your name and status for the record.”
“Cecilia Valoa. I am the daughter of Grand Duke Valoa.”
“What is your relationship to the plaintiffs?”
“I am their younger sister.”
“And your relationship to the defendants?”
Cecilia paused for a brief moment.
“They are my sisters-in-law.”
The eldest brother’s wife twisted her lips. I caught the expression. I still couldn’t tell what it meant.
I stepped forward to the witness stand.
“Have you ever visited Pearl Mansion?”
“I have.”
“When was that?”
“Five days before the raid.”
“For what purpose?”
“To confirm what my brothers’ wives were up to.”
“Did you enter the mansion?”
“I was unable to.”
“Who stopped you?”
“A wandering knight.”
I lifted the video orb. The image showed the founding Grand Duke’s treasured sword, a knight kneeling on one knee, the ritual of tapping the shoulder three times, and the name of House Valoa. I paused the footage.
“Is the wandering knight in this video the same person who stopped you?”
Cecilia examined the image.
“Yes, it is the same person.”
“How can you be certain?”
“There is a scar on his left ear.”
“What did that wandering knight say to you?”
“He said the wives had ordered that no one be allowed inside.”
“Does ‘no one’ include you, the witness?”
“It does not.”
“Why not?”
“Because I am the daughter of Grand Duke Valoa.”
The courtroom fell silent. I pressed once more.
“Did you identify yourself?”
“I did.”
“And you were still denied entry?”
“Yes.”
“What did the servants do?”
“They did not intervene.”
“Did they follow the wandering knight’s orders?”
“Yes. They closed the door.”
“In the end, you were unable to enter?”
“I was unable to enter.”
“No further questions.”
Trion rose to his feet.
“I will conduct cross-examination.”
The judge granted permission. Trion gave Cecilia a gentle bow.
“At the time, did you harbor negative feelings toward the defendants?”
“No. On the contrary, I was worried about them.”
“Was there no anger stemming from that worry?”
“There was.”
A faint stir rippled through the gallery. Trion seized the opening.
“Then it is possible the witness’s memory was influenced by emotion.”
“It is not. I am certain.”
Cecilia’s answer was curt. Trion’s eyes narrowed.
“And the reason?”
Cecilia looked straight at him.
“Because that man called me by name.”
As expected of my junior. Well done.
Trion faltered.
“What did he call you?”
“Lady Cecilia.”
“What did he say after that?”
“He said the wives had ordered that even Lady Cecilia was not to be let in.”
The courtroom buzzed. It hadn’t been “no one.” They had blocked Cecilia too. They had blocked even the daughter of Grand Duke Valoa. They had blocked a direct descendant of the main family.
Trion remained silent for a moment.
“No further questions.”
Cecilia stepped down from the witness stand. As she passed me, her hand trembled ever so slightly. I spoke just loud enough for her to hear.
“You did well.”
Cecilia didn’t reply, but her shoulders relaxed a little.
I stood at the center of the courtroom.
“Your Honor.”
The judge looked at me.
“Pearl Mansion belongs to the Grand Duke Valoa family. Security for that estate is not the duty of a mere gatekeeper.”
“The protection of a noble family’s residence falls under the lord’s right to safeguard his property.”
I turned toward the defendant’s box.
“When the lord is absent, that authority may only be transferred to a legitimate representative.”
The third wife spoke up.
“We are the daughters-in-law of that household.”
“Correct.” I nodded. “You are daughters-in-law. You are not the lord.”
The third wife’s face hardened.
“You are neither representatives nor knight commanders.”
I pointed at the video orb.
“Yet the defendants installed an outsider.”
“They paid him. They fed him drugs.”
I indicated the record of the treasured sword’s seal.
“They performed a knighting ceremony using the treasured sword.”
Finally, I looked at Cecilia.
“And that outsider blocked the daughter of Grand Duke Valoa.”
The laughter in the gallery died. Everyone understood now. This was no longer a spectacle of adultery.
Trion countered immediately.
“Your Honor, the plaintiff’s side is forcing together several unrelated circumstances.”
“No!” I cut him off sharply. “It is not I who forced anything together. It was the defendants.”
Color drained from the three wives’ faces.
“It was the defendants who purchased the hallucinogen.”
The first wife bit her lip.
“It was the defendants who summoned the wandering knight.”
The second wife’s hands trembled.
“It was the defendants who paid the money.”
I placed my hand on the ledger.
“It was the defendants who took out the treasured sword.”
The video orb glowed with a blue light.
“It was the defendants who stationed that man at the door.”
I paused briefly.
“I simply read the sequence in order.”
The judge looked down at the ledger. Trion spoke in a low voice.
“A sequence is not the same as treason.”
“Correct. That is why I did not speak only of sequence.”
“Authority was attached to that sequence.”
I lifted the treasured sword record.
“A person without authority imitated the formalities reserved for those with authority.”
Next, I lifted Cecilia’s testimony record.
“Under that formality, an outsider actually controlled the mansion.”
Finally, I lifted the ledger.
“That outsider was an armed force gathered with money.”
I set the documents down.
“When these three elements combine, it is no longer a private matter.”
The courtroom grew quiet.
“This is the illegal operation of armed forces while impersonating the authority of the family.”
Trion struck back at once.
“The defendants did not attack the imperial palace, nor did they lead troops toward the imperial capital.”
“That is correct.”
Trion bowed toward the judge.
“Therefore, this cannot be considered preparatory treason. Preparation requires a concrete risk of proceeding to execution.”
I shook my head.
“No.”
All eyes in the courtroom turned to me.
“The defense is confusing the standard for preparatory crimes with that of completed crimes.”
I continued.
“If they had attacked the imperial palace, that would not be preparation. That would be execution.”
The judge’s hand stopped moving.
“If they had led troops toward the imperial capital, that too would not be preparation. It would already be in the stage of execution.”
I placed my hand on the ledger.
“There is only one thing preparatory crimes ask.”
I took a short breath.
“Not whether they carried it out.”
I looked at the defendant’s box.
“But whether they consciously created the conditions to carry it out.”
Trion opened his mouth to speak, but I continued first.
“They summoned an armed outsider and paid him.”
The payment record.
“They prepared hallucinogens.”
The sealed bottle.
“They created the appearance of authority using the family’s treasured sword.”
The video orb.
“Under that appearance, they even blocked direct descendants of the family from entering.”
I set the documents down.
“The claim that the defendants did not attack the imperial palace is no defense.”
I looked Trion straight in the eye.
“Because the crime of preparation exists precisely to stop them before that point.”
The courtroom froze. The third wife spoke in a trembling voice.
“We were just having fun.”
I looked at her.
“If you wanted to have fun, you should have danced. Why did you summon armed men?”
“…”
“If you wanted to have fun, you should have drunk alcohol. Why did you buy hallucinogens?”
“……”
“If you wanted to have fun, you should have taken out toys.”
I lifted the treasured sword sealing record.
“Why did you take out the founding Grand Duke’s treasured sword?”
The third wife could not answer.
I delivered the final blow.
“If you wanted to have fun, you could simply be selective about your guests.”
Cecilia lifted her head.
“Why did you block the Grand Duke’s daughter?”
At that moment, it was over. Trion knew it. The defendants knew it. The gallery knew it. This was no longer a divorce trial.
Trion refused to yield until the very end.
“Your Honor, the plaintiff’s argument ultimately amounts to nothing more than speculation about intent.”
He lifted a document.
“Preparatory treason is a grave charge. If words like armed force, drugs, and mansion security alone are enough to hand the case to a military court, then every noble house’s private security will be in danger.”
He did not collapse. He fought to persuade the judge to the last.
“The defendants’ actions are immoral. Civil liability will be difficult to avoid. However, the evidence is insufficient to warrant transferring this to a military crime.”
I nodded. The judge looked at me.
“The plaintiff is not asking the court to declare them guilty.”
The courtroom fell silent.
“This court only needs to rule on the divorce and damages.”
I pressed the bundle of records with my fingertips.
“However, the charges of preparatory treason, illegal private army operation, and impersonation of the lord’s authority exceed this court’s jurisdiction.”
Trion pressed his lips together.
“Therefore, the plaintiff requests that the relevant records be separated and forwarded to the military court, and that the defendants’ persons be transferred to military court jurisdiction.”
The judge did not speak immediately. He did not raise his gavel. The silence stretched on.
Only then did the three women in the defendant’s box truly understand the situation. A divorce could be blocked with money. Damages could be covered by their families. Scandal could be buried with time. But a military court was different.
The empire’s military court did not determine guilt or innocence. That was decided first by the regular courts. Only cases where guilt had already been established were sent to the military court. What was contested there was only one thing: the sentence. How heavy it would be. Whether they would take their heads. Whether they would spare their lives. And if spared, how much would be taken from them.
The three wives realized it only now. The moment preparatory treason and illegal private army operation were recognized in this court, there would be almost nothing left to say in the military court. It would no longer be “It is not true.” It would become “Please spare us.”
The judge opened his mouth.
“This court shall determine the defendants’ responsibility for the breakdown of the marriage, the leakage of the family heirloom, and liability for damages.”
The courtroom held its breath.
“At the same time, based on the submitted evidence and testimony, this court shall determine whether the charges of preparatory treason and illegal private army operation are established.”
Trion slowly closed his eyes. He knew it too. Once those words were spoken, it was over. Even so, he did not rise from his seat. A lawyer must remain until his client is dragged away.
The judge looked down at the verdict.
“Prior purchase of hallucinogens.”
“Monetary payments to armed personnel.”
“The use of the treasured sword to perform a knighting formality.”
“The outsider’s act of securing the mansion after receiving that formality.”
“And the blocking of direct descendants of Grand Duke Valoa from entering.”
The inside of the courtroom became utterly silent.
The judge continued.
“Viewed individually, these actions might allow for excuses.”
A tiny spark of hope flickered across the three wives’ faces. The judge crushed it immediately.
“However, when combined with their sequence and interconnection, they cannot be regarded as mere private scandal.”
That hope was extinguished.
“This court finds that the defendants’ actions constitute preparatory treason and illegal private army operation.”
The third wife shot up from her seat.
“Wait! This is a divorce trial!”
The judge lifted his gavel. The third wife’s eyes widened.
“We did not commit treason! We never even thought of such a thing!”
The third wife looked at me. I stared straight back at her.
Bang.
The gavel came down.
“The matters of preparatory treason and illegal private army operation shall be forwarded to the military court.”
The judge’s voice rang through the courtroom.
“The defendants’ persons shall be immediately transferred to military court jurisdiction.”
Soldiers approached the defendant’s box. The first wife swallowed her first scream. The second wife dropped her handkerchief. The third wife collapsed where she stood.
The nobles in the gallery no longer laughed. What remained was no longer a question of innocence or guilt. It was the sentence.