TL: Zimmings
The priest shouted with excitement on his face.
âLeblaine Doubled has been detained in the imperial palace.â
âThe Imperial Palace? Why?â
âShe visited the imperial palace herself and told them that she was behind the battle of the temple and Dubblede, also Dubblede pressured the nobles to turn her interrogation into public.â
âPublic interrogation⦠Why?â
âSo that transparency of the open interrogation is suspected, interrogations will be sent to various parts of the country through the magic tool. Iâm sure she was aiming for that.â
â⦠Did she have anything to disclose to the people at the interrogation?â
âThatâs right.â
Mina bit her nails.
âWhat else are you going to do?â
Leblaine is a very thorough person.
âWhat are you going to reveal⦠No way.â
Minaâs expression hardened.
âI had the Duchess of Dubbledeâs bodyâ¦â
âPardon?â
âThatâs the only thing she has. The thing that can shake me up by revealing it to the public!
âHowever, it cannot be concluded that youâre the purpose. Isnât it difficult to have the evidence?â
The priest narrowed his forehead and continued.
âIn order to prove that the body is Lisette Dubblede, they must prove that the powers and blood of Lisette are within you.â
ââ¦â¦.â
âHowever, the only bloodline of Lisette is the three Dubblede brothers. They all use mana. They couldnât check it if they donât have divine power.â
âNo. We have some blood left over.â
ââ¦â¦What?â
âReginald told me. Grimoireâs predecessor is the father of Lisette Dubblede.â
ââ¦â¦!â
âIf thereâs anyone in the Grimore family who has divine power, they can find out. Thatâs why Leblaine wants an open interrogation.â
Mina bit the soft flesh in her mouth.
âBecause her goal is to ruin me.â
âIf soâ¦â¦.â
âThe public interrogation must be stopped!â
âItâs impossible. There was already a petition by 40 nobles who had voting rights, and the emperorâs permission was granted.â
âThenâ¦â¦.â
âBut, did Dubblede know that Grimoireâs predecessor is the biological father of Lisette Dubblede?â
âI donât know, but I canât be relieved because they know that Lisette Dubblede is a biological child in Grimoire.â
âThen Mina, please stay low for a while. If you donât participate in the trial, they canât prove it anyway.â
âThen no one will doubt me!â
When Mina shouted, the priest looked at her with a surprised face.
Mina narrowed her shoulders.
âIâm sorry. I didnât mean to shout. I donât want to be swayed by Leblaineâs tricks anymore.â¦. I canât stand getting suspicious eyes from people anymore.â
ââ¦â¦.â
Mina, who had been biting her nails, quickly opened her eyes.
âWhat if we take those with divine powers in Grimoire for a while?â
âYouâre going to kidnap them?â
Mina groaned.
âItâs not kidnapping, itâs holding them for a while!â
ââ¦â¦.â
âJust for a moment⦠because Iâm not the same person as Leblaine.â
The priest, who was staring at Mina, soon bent down.
âI will inform the cardinals of your will.â
â⦠Has the pope not recovered yet?â
âThere is nothing wrong with his health.â
âBut why hasnât he done anything for me yet⦠no.â
ââ¦â¦.â
Mina gulped and looked at the priest with a desperate expression.
âPlease tell me that I believe in His Holiness.â
âYes.â
***
Imperial palaceâs prison.
The emperor sighed deeply as he saw me looking fine even inside the cage.
âReally, this childâ¦â
âI have caused concern, Your Majesty. I am sorry.â
The emperorâs gaze reached the traces of the meal that were seated near the iron cage.
I turned my gaze and covered the banana peel behind my back. Then he laughed awkwardly.
âHow will the interrogation proceed?â
âItâs a public interrogation as you wish. Youâve worked so hard in Dubblede, youâve finally made it.â
When I bowed my head and showed courtesy, the emperor sighed and turned his back. I shouted at him as he was moving away.
âAre you okay?â
The prison is dark, so I canât see his complexion, but I could only tell that he was much thinner than usual.
âThereâs no way Iâm not worried about it. Thatâs right. My biggest concern these days is you and Dubblede.â
âIâm sorry.â
âThatâs all the help I can give.â
I stared at his back. He spoke in a low voice.
âAs an emperor, Iâm at the center, but I cannot participate in the war.â
âI know, Your Majesty.â
âBut, I will believe in you.â
ââ¦â¦.â
âYou must repay your deeds with victory.â
âYes.â
I bowed my head once again, and the emperor moved.
Light permeated through a small window in the prison, where he left.
So after four days, it was the day of public interrogation.
***
About 10 minutes before the start of the interrogation, the cage opened. The knights of the imperial palace came to pick me up, he looked around and said,
âI am Noanokeâs person.â
He seemed to be the three spies of Dubblede hidden by the chairman in the palace.
âThis is the report of the situation in the interrogation chamber.â
There were a total of nine observers, and the list was as follows.
Blasio, Ridalante, Stefano.
The Empress Dowager, Prince Adrian, and Prince Andre.
Duke of Marche, Duke of Grimoire, Duke of Amity.
âIt seems that the Duke of Amity was released at the right time.â
In the public interrogation, I thought I would call the Duke of Amity, a symbol of transparency.
If he doesnât show up, some people will surely find me suspicious.
When the Duke of Amity, whoâs loved by the people disappeared, attention will be focused on his disappearance, and the public interrogationâs influence could fade.
So I ordered Empress Cecilia to release the Duke of Amity before public interrogation.
I had the belief that the Duke of Amity would not tell them that he had been kidnapped.
Because he was a person who would think of me if it wasnât related to Mina.
Even if itâs hypocrisy.
âIâll be sure to at least get three votes right?â
Cardinal Stefano, Emelineâs biological father.
My maternal uncle, the Duke of Grimoire.
And Adrian.
The Empress Dowager is hard to read, and it is unknown whether the Duke of Amity will take my side or not. Even if Cardinal Blasio is my friend, he is a member of the Neliard church, so I cannot be relieved.
âThere is a high probability that I will lose the vote.â
In that case, I will be branded as a war criminal and be sentenced to death, or be transferred to a templeâs prison.
âBut in the end, only this method achieves the purpose of revealing my identity in public, and there is no choice but to make the trial.ân/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
I nodded and said.
âLetâs go.â
When I left the prison, the imperial knights and court mages came to guide me.
I made eye contact with a Wale (the fake Trigon) between them.
Wale nodded, and I gently closed my eyes.
I headed to the interrogation hall surrounded by them.
The interrogation hall was surrounded by nobles on the huge stairs.
âLeblaine Lisette Dubblede, sit down.â
The first prince, Andre, was in charge of the interrogation.
I was led by the imperial knights to the chair, and the full-scale interrogation began.
Andre asked, holding up the parchment.
âAre you sure you are the one who caused the friction between the temple and Dubblede?â
âYes, Your Highness.â
He nodded and then read the parchment.
âDid you personally visit the imperial palace and reveal it yourself?â
Prince Andre crossed his arms and leaned deeply on the chair while muttering.
Then he murmured, âWhy did she ask for an interrogation when the culprit turned herself in?â
I calmly looked around the place. I made eye contact with Mina, who looked at me anxiously.
Standing slowly from my seat, I lowered my head.
âYour Highness, I lied.â
âHuh?â
âI mocked the imperial family.â
ââ¦â¦.â
âI have wasted your precious time with a false confession.â
ââ¦â¦.â
Prince Andrew shouted with a displeased expression.
âWhat do you mean!â
âI am not the mastermind of this battle.â
The interrogator was greatly stirred up.
I looked up again. I met Adrianâs eyes from the audience.
He never took his eyes off me.
âItâs strange.â
I smiled slightly.
âActually, I am extremely anxious and afraid, but seeing him gives me courage.â
I said while looking at the magic tool in the air.
âThe war between Dubblede and the temple is not the first time.â
âWhat?â
âWhatâ¦â¦.â
The cardinals and Minaâs expressions froze, as the spectators and the nobles in their seats murmured.
âDubblede fought their first war with the temple 17 years ago, which forced them to lose the Duchess of Dubblede, also the fourth child she was pregnant with went missing.â
ââ¦â¦!â
The place became noisy, and Mina muttered.
âFourth? Fourth child?â
She muttered as if confused. Othersâ reactions were not very different.
Prince Andrew asked, narrowing his brow.
âThat the temple attacked Dubblede for some reason, and that the Duchess of Dubblede died in the process. Can you take responsibility for your words?â
âNo.â
âYou canât even take responsibility for your wordsâ¦!â
âItâs not that I canât take responsibility, but that the cause are wrong!â
I shouted.
âThe temple was aiming for the duchess and the fourth child.â
âThe evidence!â
âItâs me. Iâm the evidence.â
âWhat nonsenseâ¦â
I held my skirt tightly and shouted.
âBecause itâs me!â
I couldnât hold back my tears.
I thought of my dying mother, and I felt sorry for my father who couldnât even see her in her last moments.
âBecause Iâm the fourth child of Dubblede!â
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