“……so I ran to people and asked for help! I don’t know what would have happened if I had been a little later, sob……”

Khalid silently listened to Miela’s crying. After hearing her testimony to the end, he immediately turned to Zephyros and said,

“Let the defendant make his defense.”

“It’s all a preposterous lie!”

Zephyros testified with a grave face about the facts. Everything he remembered, from how Miela approached him, to her tearing her own dress, to her running out in front of people and framing him as a criminal.

This was a matter of honor, not only for himself but for his family. With no evidence and the other side even presenting a witness, he could only feel desperate.

“Bring in the witness.”

After hearing arguments from both sides, Khalid summoned the witness.

Judges were seated on one side of the audience chamber, but in a special trial, the Emperor’s judgment and orders took precedence above all.

“So, you see…… I was on my way to find a decent bar that was supposedly in the alley……”

The balding man fumbled with the hat in his hands. He was the same man who had loudly proclaimed that Zephyros was the Emperor’s close aide.

The man claimed that the moment he entered the alley, he witnessed Zephyros tearing the woman’s clothes and attempting to r*pe her. He said it was so shocking that it was clearly imprinted in his mind.

“Son of a……”

Zephyros, who was about to shout “b*tch,” desperately gritted his teeth. Acting aggressively would only make his position worse.

With neither evidence nor witnesses to present, all he had was logical argument. But being on the defensive like this……

“I heard there is one more witness.”

Zephyros, who was sinking into despair, perked up at his lord’s words.

Another witness? Who could it be?

Could it be that they deliberately increased the number of witnesses!

“That is correct, Your Majesty. A new witness application came in this morning. This person also claims to have witnessed the situation.”

‘This person?’

While Zephyros tilted his head in confusion, Khalid commanded in a monotone voice.

“Let them enter.”

When the order was given, the door opened and the witness entered. That was when gasps were heard from all around. The murmurs of people recognizing her spread as she walked on the carpet toward the imperial throne.

Zephyros also followed the witness’s movement with his mouth agape. He appeared very surprised by the appearance of an unexpected figure.

But even his surprise couldn’t compare to Khalid’s change of expression.

‘How……’

Cracks formed in Khalid’s expressionless face, and emotions overflowed through those cracks.

Like a dam bursting.

The surprising appearance of the witness momentarily left him defenseless. Khalid uttered his fiancée’s name in a voice completely different from when he was presiding over the trial earlier.

“Aristie……?”

* * *

“I greet the sun of the Empire.”

Aristie mechanically spoke and paid her respects to the Emperor.

She had canceled their regular meeting just two days ago, using the excuse of feeling unwell. She felt awkward appearing so openly like this after that.

But she had been busy preparing for Zephyros’s trial behind the scenes, and since it was a principle of trials not to disclose the identity of witnesses in advance, she couldn’t give Khalid any prior notice.

‘……No, actually, I avoided meeting him because I felt uncomfortable seeing him. After our quarrel about breaking off the engagement.’

The uncomfortable truth pricked her heart, but Aristie maintained her composure and stared straight ahead. By now, Khalid’s expression had also returned to its original composure.

“Are you indeed the witness who observed the incident?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“State your identity.”

“I am Aristie Crua, the eldest daughter of the Yentrice ducal family.”

Her reason for applying as a witness only on the day of the trial was clear. If she had applied in advance, Estelle might have picked up the information and played some trick.

Thanks to this, Aristie’s mere appearance created a sensation in the courtroom. When Khalid told her to testify, she calmly began.

“I was present at the scene of the incident. On my way out of the alley, I saw Sir Zephyros and the woman walking ahead. Their relationship appeared quite intimate, to the point where I thought she might be his new lover.”

“Was there any sign of coercion?”

“None. Rather, the woman seemed much more dependent on Sir Zephyros.”

The court stirred.

Miela fidgeted and her lips quivered, but now was the time for the witness to give her testimony.

“But when they reached the end of the alley, the woman suddenly tore her own clothes, ran out in front of people, and screamed. It looked almost like a theatrical performance. I had only two thoughts to make sense of the situation.”

Aristie waited for the commotion around her to completely subside before speaking clearly.

“In vulgar terms, either she was a crazy woman…… or she was definitely plotting something with some purpose.”

“That’s a lie! I’m in my right mind and I have no such purpose. I’m just a victim who suffered an injustice!”

Miela finally couldn’t hold back and shouted. With tears bursting forth, which were nothing less than her weapon.

However, Aristie continued her statement without minding.

“The owner of the café where I stayed right before will confirm that I was there. Since it’s a place I frequent, he will surely remember me. Or we could question customers who visited during the same time period. But what about that woman?”

When those piercing blue eyes pointed at her, Miela flinched and hunched her body.

“To prove her claim, wouldn’t she need more concrete evidence?”

Aristie struck at the core, deliberately throwing out words.

“If it were me, I would thoroughly investigate who that woman has met recently and what relationship she has with the first witness. If it’s revealed that she has any kind of private connection with the witness, it would be difficult to trust the testimony.”

“That’s absurd! I don’t know him at all……!”

“Also, I received information that the woman’s husband has been frequenting gambling dens, claiming he has extra income recently. I wonder if the source of those funds is related to this incident.”

“……!”

Miela’s voice, which had been shrieking at Aristie’s statement, suddenly disappeared. Zephyros’s mouth fell open again, and the man who had stepped forward as a witness was so tense that he was wringing the hat in his hands like a rag.

Despite being a witness herself, Aristie was sharply presenting information and deductions beyond mere testimony.

“A witness should only testify about facts they observed.”

“I understand.”

When one of the seated judges cautioned her, Aristie neatly complied.

The investigative authority for this case lay with the military police anyway. She had achieved her purpose by indirectly suggesting the direction for investigation.

“No, I never expected this…… I just came to give a simple testimony……”

The first witness mumbled, sweating so profusely that his head glistened. He seemed desperate to withdraw, sensing that things were getting complicated.

“What about you, lady?”

Feeling threatened, Miela glared fiercely at Aristie and demanded.

“Do you have no private connection with Sir Zephyros? How can we trust your testimony?”

“How impudent! How dare you behave so frivolously before a high noble!”

The Minister of the Imperial Household, who valued order, scolded her harshly. However, Aristie fixed her gaze on Miela, seemingly unconcerned about such rudeness.

“Which part of my testimony do you mean? I said the evidence that I was there is solid. Or do you mean the part where I said you tore your own clothes?”

“Yes, that part! I was truly almost forcibly r*ped!”

Aristie’s lips formed a slanted curve. Her eyes were cold while her mouth was smiling, creating a somewhat chilling appearance.

“You know so little. Whether you tore your clothes or Sir Zephyros removed them, if there’s only conflicting testimony from both sides without other evidence, this amounts to innocence. Unless material evidence emerges to confirm the crime.”

“W-what!?”

Damn it, I didn’t expect this……!

“And regarding any private connection between Sir Zephyros and myself……”

The blue eyes that had been coldly looking at Miela smoothly moved toward Khalid. The two gazes intertwined, each containing their own light.

This was the first time she had looked at him so directly since entering the audience chamber.

“His Majesty the Emperor will speak to that himself.”

At Aristie’s subsequent words, Miela and the man were shocked. After everything else, now she was even involving the Emperor!

They had accepted the commission thinking it was just a simple swindle, but they never dreamed the matter would grow this large!

“Please clarify, Your Majesty. Am I the type of person who would stand at the forefront and fight to cover up Sir Zephyros’s crime? Are we that intimate?”

“……”

Khalid silently looked down at Aristie. His mouth wasn’t smiling, but his eyes were warm. The opposite of her.

“I judge that you are not.”

When the answer finally came, Miela looked cornered. She had nothing left to insist upon. It was awkward to back down, but she had to. If she really became the subject of an investigation, it could ruin her life.