86. My Wife’s First Love (1)
“Well, I just received a tip and didn’t do much.”
The Chief Justice replied, seeming embarrassed.
In truth, though he knew about the flourishing illegal gambling fighting arena, he had coexisted with it until now.
It was practically the same as turning a blind eye.
This was because while some commoners held membership cards to enter, most were boyars.
Though he too was from a prestigious family and had never been disrespected anywhere, hierarchies existed even in the noble world.
Boyars always stood above the law and made light of national laws.
Even when judges tried to pass proper verdicts, most criminals of boyar status came from families more powerful than them, or families closely connected to their own.
When they tried to punish according to the law, the judges’ parents and relatives would harass them, asking if they meant to make enemies of families they had built relationships with over many years.
The biggest obstacle to justice was the boyar society tightly bound by school ties, regional ties, and blood ties.
Though they pursued justice passionately as newcomers, they gradually became jaded after personally experiencing how the rich went free while the poor were found guilty.
That’s when the young Pavel recently visited him.
He said fathers and sons who were former mercenaries in his area frequently left to earn money but returned as corpses.
After investigating, Pavel discovered they had all participated as fighters in illegal gambling arenas.
“From what I heard from people who went there, it wasn’t a match but practically slaughter.”
The fighters drove their opponents to death to get more audience reaction and to completely subdue them to advance to the next match.
Most fighters who were lucky enough to survive matches suffered from severe anxiety disorders or lived with lifelong disabilities.
Nevertheless, unemployed mercenaries kept volunteering to fight for money.
The audience encouraged increasingly violent acts and murders as time went on by offering more money to fighters who showed showmanship.
As a judge, he could no longer ignore the situation if actual murders were occurring at the gambling den.
But since it operated as an exclusive membership system, finding evidence was difficult.
He couldn’t raid recklessly without evidence.
If they raided and it turned out not to be an illegal gambling arena, the boyars could sue them en masse.
“I got a membership card.”
“How?”
“There’s no time, just follow my plan for now.”
To avoid crackdowns, entry was strictly controlled. One had to show their membership card at a specific location to receive an entry pass with the time and place of the next match.
The location for receiving passes changed each time and was only told to those who had attended the previous match.
After discovering the time and place of the next match, Pavel informed the Chief Justice again and requested him to wait with soldiers while he went in first to confirm the scene.
After witnessing the atrocities in the fighting arena, he quickly grasped the structure inside the large tent and then opened the doors for the waiting soldiers outside.
“We’ve also arrested Despot Club members at another crime scene, so take them too while you’re here. They’re truly vicious criminals.”
“When you say another crime……”
“They drugged women’s drinks at a ball to make them unconscious, then tried to take them to their hideout to force themselves on them. Though it failed today, they probably have quite a record if we investigate.”
“What? Is that true?”
The Chief Justice shouted in shock.
Though he knew the Despot Club members caused a lot of trouble, this was a serious crime that couldn’t be dismissed as rebellious youth acting out.
Though he desperately wanted to punish them by law, the Despot Club consisted of heirs from the most prestigious boyar families.
The Chief Justice felt at a loss for what to do.
“Trust me and follow the law.”
“When you say follow the law……”
According to Hersen law, rapists had all their limbs cut off.
“Don’t mind what anyone says. I’ll be your backing, so don’t think about anything else and pass judgment according to your duty.”
“I will do so, Your Highness.”
“And you should also investigate the principal and vice principal of Molnitsky Girls’ Academy as they’re involved. Those two connected graduating students to Despot Club members.”
“Regarding Viscountess Borodin, I already received a report from the magistrate of Vasnetsov region. Could it be that Your Highness was the one who filed that complaint?”
“I tried to keep it quiet but this has all gone wrong.”
As the sharp-witted judge spoke, Nikolai replied with an awkward face, making Katya who had been quietly listening burst into laughter.
“Your Highness, but this lady here is……”
“The Grand Duchess.”
“Ah, I see. Nice to meet…… What?”
The Chief Justice who had naturally started to greet her belatedly registered the word ‘Grand Duchess’ and turned back in shock.
“You…… you’re married? When……”
“Not long ago. Even the North doesn’t know yet. I deliberately didn’t announce it, so I’d appreciate if you kept it to yourself. Will you do that?”
“Yes, I’ll do as you command.”
“If this leaks out, I’ll assume you were the one who spread it.”
The judge shuddered as he suddenly felt a chill.
Was this a warning that he would be punished first regardless of the truth if this got out?
“That was just His Highness joking, so don’t be alarmed.”
Katya spoke gently to the pitiful judge.
“Jo…… joking?”
His face seemed to ask how on earth he was supposed to tell the difference.
“The corner of his mouth is turned up ever so slightly.”
She pointed to the right corner of the Grand Duke’s mouth as she spoke.
It was a remarkable observation.
Actually, Katya also had trouble telling at first whether her husband was joking or serious, but living with him she had learned to distinguish this much.
Pleased that his wife had studied him so closely, Nikolai’s mouth curved up even higher like it’s about to fly to the sky.
“Well…… it’s getting late, how about staying at my house?”
“Thank you for the offer. However, I have other places to visit. We need to leave today so it would be difficult.”
“Ah….. If that’s the reason, I can’t insist further.”
The judge replied with clear disappointment.
It wasn’t because he wanted any favors, but purely out of loyalty to his ruler.
Hosting the ruler in one’s home was considered an honor by any subject.
But he wasn’t the Supreme Justice, and being a southern noble, he might never get another chance in his life to serve the Grand Duke this closely.
Nikolai noticed his feelings and added,
“I’ll hear your report about this case again in the capital. I’ll treat you to a meal then.”
His expression brightened at those words, and after giving one final respectful bow, he went outside to carry out his duties.
Only three people remained in the vast tent.
Katya finally asked what she had been curious about.
“So is Pavel Petrovsky your real name?”
“Pavel…… I am Pavel, Your Highness.”
“What?”
“I left the Petrovsky family long ago, so I have no surname.”
It seemed Baptiski was right when he said they had completely cut ties with the family.
Katya wanted to first address why he had acted as manager at the hotel that day.
“How did you end up there as Fulano Mengano?”
“The Grand Duchess didn’t know Arsetian well so he impudently made up that name.”
Nikolai chided the naming that meant ‘so-and-so what’s-his-name’ in Arsetian.
“Since you heard our conversation in Hersen, you already knew our identities.”
“I never intended to deceive Your Highnesses from the start.”
Pavel began explaining how he came to be here.
He was leading a militia he had organized in an outlying area a bit away from Vasnetsov.
He started investigating this matter while collecting the bodies of men from the village.
“Among the surviving fighters, someone recognized the face of one of the gambling den members. It was Baron Lantskoĭ.”
He was recognized because he was a famous person whose illustrations often appeared in newspapers.
Pavel had approached him to steal his VIP membership card.
Luckily, he learned that Baron Lantskoĭ had his assistant make hotel reservations, so he went to the hotel first, put all the staff to sleep, and acted as manager.
His plan went wrong when unexpected guests who weren’t on the reservation list appeared.
“That was us.”
“Yes. So my plan to just steal the membership card and leave fell through.”
While working as manager planning to search Baron Lantskoĭ’s room at night, Judith’s murder occurred.
Though it was later than planned, he eventually got the membership card and used it to learn information about the next match.
“After that, everything happened as the Justice explained earlier.”
But questions still remained.
This time Nikolai asked him,
“Why were you specifically working with a militia in the borderlands? You could have joined any knight order in Hersen?”
The jousting tournament winner was given the privilege of choosing where to belong.
So Pavel could have chosen wherever he wanted to go.
“Since leaving my family, I’ve lived as a commoner.”
Pavel answered in a calm tone.
