She took her seat at the witness stand with a flourish, dramatically flipping her gorgeous red hair. When people’s attention was drawn to her exaggerated movements, she suddenly grabbed her abundant red hair and pulled it off.

Blonde hair was revealed beneath the red wig.

“So she wasn’t Lady Yuria Seigan!”

People whispered.

“No wonder! The Lady would never come here herself!”

“If she had, Duke Seigan wouldn’t be sitting there – he would have taken her away!”

While the spectators who had harbored their own doubts now criticized each other, the blonde beauty who looked exactly like Lady Yuria Seigan opened her mouth.

“This red wig was bought for me by Lord Trow.”

Lord Trow, who was returning to his seat, turned around with a start.

People were shocked by the content, and then shocked again by her voice that sounded like scraping metal, so different from her beautiful appearance.

Cough. The woman who coughed apologized while holding her throat.

“I’m sorry about my voice. I inhaled too much smoke…”

Lord Trow’s face turned deathly pale. The woman continued.

“A few days ago, someone tried to kill me by setting a fire.”

The courtroom stirred.

“Order, order!”

The judge shouted.

“Witness. Please refrain from personal stories in this sacred court and stick to matters relevant to the trial.”

“Oh my, honorable judge. This is definitely relevant to the trial.”

The woman spoke without being intimidated.

“I am Ninian, an actress. I perform at the Rosetti Theater in the northern part of the capital.”

Few people recognized Ninian.

After all, the Rosetti Theater wasn’t one frequented by nobles.

A shabby building. Clumsy acting by rookie actors who hadn’t made it big yet. Stories that were melodramatic and sensational but became boring to watch, full of coincidences.

It was a third-rate theater that hit all three of those marks.

“With such beauty, yet working in such a third-rate theater.”

“Her acting skills must not be up to par yet.”

The spectators whispered while observing Ninian.

“One day, after a performance, I was removing my makeup in the dressing room when the theater manager came running. He said a noble wanted to sponsor me. I was overjoyed. I thought I’d finally caught a break, that I could escape this tiresome theater and move to the center of the capital.”

The audience leaned in to hear what came next.

That he seemed strangely indifferent despite supposedly being captivated by her beauty. That even when he bought her the red wig, she thought the sponsor must just like red hair. That it was the same when he asked her to act like a shy maiden or move gracefully like a fairy.

The spectators increasingly understood as they listened.

Who that noble had made Ninian imitate.

“……”

Duke Seigan’s face in the special seats had turned from red with anger to nearly black.

“Then recently, he gave me a pink dress that only noble ladies would wear.”

Ninian said that’s when she started feeling something was off. Why would he give such an expensive dress when he wasn’t even infatuated with her?

“Is he doing this to me instead of the noble lady he has his eye on? That’s what I thought.”

Ninian shuddered, saying it was a naive thought.

“That person took me, dressed up like that, to the back door of a magnificent noble mansion.”

That’s when alarm bells finally went off in Ninian’s head.

Her appearance made to look exactly like a noble lady. Taking her through the back door of a noble mansion rather than to a proper party venue.

“I told him to pay me if this was what he wanted.”

Ninian said, trembling.

“I hear rumors too. You’re trying to use me as a stand-in for that famous Rose Lady, aren’t you? Whatever the trick is, if you’re going to use me like this, I demanded payment.”

As the spectators drew in their breath, Leah suddenly asked.

“Do you remember whose mansion it was?”

“How would I know whose mansion belongs to which noble lord?”

“Then do you remember what it looked like?”

Ninian nodded.

“There were thick trees near the back door, and the garden was quite far from the building with the party hall. And there was a crest on that back door…”

“What did the crest look like?”

“It had an axe and sword drawn on it.”

It was the Seigan family crest.

The spectators’ faces also paled at hearing of such audacious actions. To secretly bring a woman imitating Yuria Seigan into the Seigan mansion!

Duke Seigan, who could no longer contain himself, stood up abruptly.

“Who was it!”

He shouted.

“Who made you do such a thing?!”

Ninian’s head turned toward several special gallery seats. Duke Seigan’s and the rest of the spectators’ gazes followed hers.

At the end of Ninian’s gaze was Lord Trow, who had turned blue.

“There he is.”

***

“Nonsense!”

Lord Trow shouted, seemingly throwing a tantrum.

“It’s just nonsense from a pr*stitute trying to get her share! No matter how much the Piert family promised you…”

“You’re the one who didn’t pay me!”

Ninian’s piercing cry cut off Lord Trow’s words.

“You had me flirt with some man in that mansion’s garden, then had your guard strike him on the head! You threatened me with the bloody club, saying you’d pay me later if I kept quiet!”

“What nonsense are you spouting!”

“That man set the fire! After telling me to wait for payment, he locked the door and set it on fire!”

Nobles who had their suspicions looked back and forth between Ninian and Lord Trow.

‘Then that fire at the secret club a few days ago?’

Lord Trow shook his head and shouted.

“It’s just the words of a lowborn, money-hungry pr*stitute! Since she couldn’t get what she wanted from me, she’s trying to slander me and get money by siding with the Piert family!”

He pointed at Ruyan.

“Isn’t this why Baron Durford feared Ruyan Piert? Beating people up, burying them, even bringing prostitutes into this sacred court to frame others!”

Ruyan, who was suddenly pointed out in the chaos, opened his mouth.

“I didn’t beat him.”

“If not you, who would dare lay hands on Baron Durford?”

“I wasn’t in the capital then. I was somewhere else doing something else.”

“…!”

Lord Trow hiccupped at the unexpected statement.

Both Grand Duke Calosi and the spectators were surprised. They searched their memories in their momentary confusion.

‘What was Ruyan Piert doing that he wasn’t seen anywhere?’

‘Could it be because he was heartbroken over Peirlily being sick?’

They had thought it was natural.

‘Tsk tsk, that devoted fool would do that and more.’

‘But to think he wouldn’t even show up for the harvest festival…’

However, no one had properly witnessed what Ruyan Piert was doing where, or if he was really holed up in the mansion.

They were all just rumors. Just like the rumor that Ruyan had beaten and buried Baron Durford…

“His words are true.”

A calm voice was heard as the doors of Fenella Hall opened. The judge jumped to his feet.

“Your Highness!”

***

The spectators turned around in surprise.

“The Prince?!”

“Why is the Prince here?”

Prince Patrick walked steadily up to the podium where the trial was being held. As Ninian quickly came down from the witness stand, Prince Patrick stepped up and spoke.

“Ruyan Piert accompanied the subjugation force that I led.”

Lord Trow’s face turned white. Grand Duke Calosi was also flustered.

“I hadn’t heard of this!”

“Because he joined secretly.”

The Prince explained.

“If word got out that Ruyan Piert, the kingdom’s finest swordsman, had joined the subjugation force, wouldn’t rumors spread that the monster situation in the North was serious? We kept it hidden to maintain public peace.”

Prince Patrick grinned at the audience.

“You all should have seen Sir Ruyan Piert’s performance in that monster subjugation. He handled his greatsword like it was a bread knife. The monsters didn’t even have a chance to get near the other knights.”

Ruyan said.

“It wasn’t that impressive.”

“Haha, such modesty. Didn’t you take down over a hundred monsters yourself?”

The male nobles who had been listening to this unreal feat suddenly came to their senses.

“So that’s why the subjugation force swept through the North with such momentum!”

“I wondered if a new comet had appeared, but it was Ruyan Piert?”

However, there were still some who cast doubtful glances.

Could the Prince and Ruyan be conspiring to lie? Was the Prince actively participating in this show because he needed the Piert family’s cooperation?

Prince Patrick smiled broadly at those suspicious gazes.

“After taking down all those monsters by himself, he gained something.”

Something?

Before the confused audience, Ruyan Piert stood up.

Leah naturally handed him the pen that had been placed in front of her. Ruyan held the pen straight up.

Whoosh!

A bright blue sword aura shot up from the pen.

***

“S-sword aura…!”

Those who saw the sword aura cried out in surprise. The nobles who claimed to know swordsmanship were even more shocked and rubbed their eyes.

The legendary sword aura that was said to cut through marble and iron like radishes stretched toward the roof of Fenella Hall.

Yan Trow unconsciously gaped with his mouth wide open. Several nobles burst out laughing at his shocked expression with missing front teeth.

However, most didn’t even have the presence of mind to look at Yan Trow.

“Wow, what is this?”

Until just moments ago, it had been an exciting court battle. Then it became an unpredictable melodramatic drama.

Suddenly Ruyan Piert turned everything upside down by showing sword aura that was only heard of in legends. Before the dumbfounded spectators, Prince Patrick spoke.

“Ruyan Piert, who showed unwavering loyalty. Now that he has become a Sword Master, it is truly a blessing for the Kingdom of Peiren.”

His expression was solemn and his voice relaxed. The spectators who were nodding at the Prince’s charisma belatedly realized.

“S-Sword Master…!”

“Ruyan Piert is a Sword Master… wow, how did this…”

Prince Patrick gave a benevolent smile to the audience.

“As one who will lead the Kingdom of Peiren, this truly gives me peace of mind.”

“Indeed!”

“Truly a blessing for the kingdom and Your Highness’s fortune!”

The atmosphere in the courtroom had completely shifted to Leah and Ruyan’s side.

Count Trow turned pale. He sharply urged his son Lord Trow with his eyes.

‘To handle things so sloppily! What are you going to do now!’