Chapter 195
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 195
Harriet watched the color drain from his face as she continued.
“When I returned, my uncle was thrown into a panic. He tried to bury me by any means necessary, but I never lost faith that the truth would eventually come to light. I fought my way through his lies to stand in this courtroom today.”
She turned her gaze toward the jury.
“Your Honor, esteemed members of the jury. I ask that you carefully weigh today’s evidence and the testimonies of our witnesses before delivering your verdict. Please recognize that those who stood here today did so at the risk of their own lives.”
The implication was clear: if John walked free, the witnesses would be in mortal peril.
The jurors glanced at Mrs. Carpenter, who was still dabbing at her eyes, and then at the visibly trembling Lily Adler. A low murmur rippled through the jury box.
The judge reviewed the application submitted by Harriet’s counsel before speaking.
“I will deliver the final verdict in two weeks, following the closing arguments. Furthermore, the court accepts the plaintiff’s request: I hereby prohibit any disposal of the Listerwell family assets until that verdict is reached.”
At the declaration, John slammed his hand against the defendant’s table in a fit of rage before the bailiffs restrained him. Harriet descended from the witness stand and returned to her seat, her eyes meeting Bella’s.
Those eyes, once celebrated as the most beautiful shade of green in the Astor Empire, were now twisted with raw hatred and murderous intent.
‘You won’t admit to a single wrongdoing. Not now, and not ever.’
Bella’s gaze made that fact undeniably clear.
It was a relief, in a way. Even as Harriet brought her uncle and cousin to ruin, she knew she wouldn't have to waste a single shred of pity on them.
*
The Listerwell Viscounty was granted one final opportunity to present an argument, but they failed to produce a single piece of evidence or a witness to refute Harriet’s claims.
Instead, they were caught attempting to secretly siphon off assets, which only served as further circumstantial evidence of their guilt.
On the final day of the trial of Harriet v. John Listerwell, the judge delivered the sentence in a voice that did not waver.
“By unanimous decision of the jury, John Listerwell is found guilty. This court finds no reason to contest the verdict. Therefore, John Listerwell is hereby convicted of the murders of Arthur and Lillian Listerwell and the usurpation of their estate. He is sentenced to permanent exile to the Antaril Continent.”
“No! Nooo!” John screamed, sounding as if he had lost his mind.
The punishment for murder was typically execution or exile. Though his life had been spared, the latter was hardly a lenient sentence. To be banished to a land a week’s journey away by ship—without property, status, connections, or knowledge—was effectively a slow death sentence.
The judge continued, immediately stripping him of his noble privileges.
“Furthermore, in accordance with Imperial law, which dictates that one who murders the previous Head of House cannot inherit the title, John Listerwell’s status as Viscount is hereby revoked. From this moment forward, all titles and assets of the Listerwell Viscounty are transferred to Harriet Listerwell. However, Bella Listerwell is acquitted due to a lack of evidence regarding her direct involvement in the crimes…”
Harriet listened to the verdict in a daze. She felt Roxana’s hand patting her shoulder, offering silent congratulations on the victory.
She still couldn't quite process that she had reclaimed the Viscounty. Perhaps it felt surreal because Bella had escaped punishment.
“It’s regrettable, but don’t be too disappointed,” Roxana whispered. “Even with an acquittal, Miss Bella’s future is bleak.”
“I suppose so. She can never return to High Society, and her prospects for marriage are effectively dead.”
“Exactly. So, celebrate your victory today. Only then can you move on to the next stage.”
Harriet thanked Roxana and her lawyer, nodding slowly. Roxana was right. Today, just for today, she needed to fully embrace the joy.
The moment Harriet let out a sigh of relief, feeling the weight of the past finally lift, she rose from her seat.
“Harriet!”
John, who was being led away by guards, suddenly broke free and lunged forward.
“Harriet, please, save me! For old times’ sake, I beg you! It’s all a misunderstanding! I’ll explain everything, just say the word—tell them you’ll show me leniency!”
The guards tackled him before he could reach Harriet’s dress, but John continued to thrash and scream in a pathetic display.
Harriet watched him with cold, hollow eyes. Not once, in all the times she had begged and clung to him in the past, had her uncle ever reached out to help her. She felt a sudden, bitter laugh bubble up in her throat, wondering how she had suffered so much at the hands of such a small man.
“Uncle.”
“Har—Harriet!”
Just as a spark of hope lit up John’s face, she spoke with a voice like ice.
“Now, Uncle, it’s your turn to feel exactly what I felt when I was told my guardianship had been terminated at the convent.”
She had gritted her teeth and clawed her way out of that despair. She wondered if he could do the same.
Harriet offered a faint, chilling smile and turned away. She heard John’s curses and his descent into a raging fit behind her, but she didn't look back. The wounds of the past no longer had the power to make her falter.
With the past settled, her mind naturally turned to the future—and her relationship with Cedric.
Harriet turned to Roxana, who was standing quietly by her side, to make a slightly awkward request.
“I really should inform Great-aunt Trisha of the news first, but…”
“Mother is likely asleep by now anyway. I’ll deliver the news of the victory. Miss Harriet, please, go see the person you actually want to see.”
Thanks to Roxana’s quick wit, Harriet felt the burden lift from her heart. She decided to go to Cedric immediately.
However, she didn't have to travel all the way to the Kailas Mansion. A carriage bearing the Kailas family crest was already waiting for her outside the courthouse.
“Cedric…?”
As she murmured his name in surprise, the carriage door opened, and a man with dazzling blonde hair stepped out. As he walked toward Harriet, the air was suddenly filled with the frantic flashes of reporters' cameras.
“You’ve been through a lot,” he said softly.
It was a simple phrase, but it was only then that Harriet truly realized what she had reclaimed. The toxic connection to her uncle was severed, her parents’ deaths were avenged, her beloved family home was hers again, and her honor was restored.
“Yes,” she whispered, smiling through a sudden rush of tears. “I really have.”
Cedric pulled Harriet into an embrace. It was the perfect, dramatic image to cap off the trial of the century, and the reporters worked feverishly to capture the moment.
*
Even after arriving at the Duke’s office in the Kailas Mansion, Harriet felt like she was floating. She barely remembered the journey there.
Immediately after their embrace, reporters had swarmed them with questions. Amidst the blinding flashes, she had seen nothing but Cedric, who stayed pressed close to her side.
“I will escort you, so don’t be afraid. Smile like the victor you are,” he had whispered into her ear.
She had done exactly as he instructed. She had smiled confidently, even with a touch of arrogance, as if she had all the time in the world. She vaguely recalled answering questions from the major daily newspapers. What had she said?
“I reclaimed the Listerwell family not out of greed, but because it is my root, my rightful inheritance, and the only way to restore the childhood my uncle destroyed.”
“Leniency? No, I have no such intention. If there is anyone who can forgive a man who murdered their parents, stole their life, and tried to bury them socially, then they are free to call me wicked.”
“Cedric has been my steadfast supporter, but I did not use his power to fabricate evidence. I swear this before God, on the names of my deceased parents.”
...On second thought, she might have been trying a bit too hard to look cool.
Regardless, evening had arrived, and instead of going home, she had ended up at the Kailas Mansion. The buzz of the crowd still rang in her ears.
She stared blankly into space until Cedric served her warm tea and placed a sweet cookie in her mouth. Only after she mechanically chewed and tasted the sugar did she finally speak.
“It’s over.”
Cedric chuckled softly and nodded. “For now, yes.”
“Actually, I have a lot I want to ask you.”
“I imagine you do. You may ask anything you wish.”
His easy permission made her hesitate. She had so many questions for the man who had tracked down evidence and persuaded witnesses without her knowledge, but she had refrained from asking out of a lingering sense of guilt.
Harriet took a sip of tea before carefully speaking.
“The witnesses. How did you find them all?”
“The woman, Lily Adler, was found with the help of Terry Hayman, the former Listerwell coachman. Mr. Hayman, who had traveled to Perilas with your uncle years ago, remembered exactly where he had dropped her off.”
Terry hadn't just located Lily; he had helped persuade her to testify. He had warned her that John might silence her once the trial began, while promising that by helping Harriet and the Duke of Kailas, she would be under their protection.
“Uncle Terry helped me that much… But what do you mean ‘former’ coachman?”
“He was dismissed. I thought you knew, since you’ve been sending Mr. Hayman money every month.”
“Oh, no. That was just to thank him for bringing Bank President Howard Scott to the Fellon Estate…”
She had been sending him small monthly sums as a token of gratitude, especially since he had told her not to worry about him. She had no idea he had been fired from the estate where he had worked his entire life.
Harriet was so busy blaming herself for being oblivious to Terry’s plight that she completely forgot to be surprised that Cedric knew exactly where her money was going.