Chapter 118

It was an unusually bright night. Despite being the middle of the night, there was not a single place untouched by moonlight. Even the small creatures living in Dovelia Palace seemed to find the bright moonlight burdensome, as they hid themselves away.  

A quiet night where even the animals had disappeared. Of all nights, it had to be this bright on a day when one should not be seen. It was a night that made one resent the full moon for no reason.  

Louis and Rayden walked while suppressing their breathing and footsteps as much as possible. In the deep night, only the occasional sound of the wind and the chirping of insects could be heard.  

As the two appeared, the person they were supposed to meet greeted them with a simple nod and began walking ahead. Following behind him, Rayden stayed vigilant, keeping an eye on their surroundings.  

When they entered the underground prison, the place where someone was always supposed to be stationed was empty. The three of them naturally headed toward a hidden entrance, not the one where Robert had been interrogated.  

“Ten minutes. Any longer will be impossible.”  

The man leading the way opened the door with a key and cautioned them firmly. Nodding at his words, they entered the place he guided them to.  

“Aitor.”  

His arms were bound with iron chains. Heavy shackles were fastened to his legs, and he sat on the damp, cold floor with his head bowed. Slowly, Aitor lifted his head.  

Aitor’s blue eyes, upon spotting Louis, shook violently like a stormy sea. Soon, Aitor erased the surprise from his face and stretched his lips, which had turned pale.  

“I’m not in a position to move right now, so… can we skip the greetings today?”  

Aitor scrunched his eyebrows and nose, casually moving his wrists and ankles. The heavy iron clashed with a dull sound.  

“…You must be fine, considering you’re joking in this situation.”  

Louis forced himself to look away from Aitor’s shackled wrists and ankles, raising the corners of his mouth as he looked at him.  

He tried to appear relaxed. Louis pressed his lips into a tighter smile, determined not to let Aitor sense his nervousness.  

“Impressive, isn’t it? It’s my first time wearing something like this, too. I must be pretty scary.”  

Pointing to the shackles and the device installed in the prison to suppress magical power, Aitor laughed. Following his gaze, Louis grabbed the bars and brought his face closer.  

“I’m working on finding a way. So, endure it a little longer.”  

At Louis’s words, Aitor’s expression hardened. In this place, where even the resented bright moonlight could not reach, Louis’s face, illuminated by the mana stone lantern in Rayden’s hand, looked more resolute than ever.  

Looking at Aitor, who was gazing up at him, Louis slowly moved his lips.  

He carefully relayed the story of Caspian Turner, which he had heard from Robert, word by word to Aitor. Why he had no choice but to be expelled from the Imperial family, and why the Emperor had coldly rejected Caspian’s help.  

Aitor’s expression showed no change as he listened. His face remained the same as when he had erased his smile after hearing Louis’s plea to endure.  

When Louis finished speaking, Aitor’s head drooped weakly.  

“Aitor…”  

Standing behind, Rayden called out to Aitor in a voice full of concern. At that moment, a deflated laugh escaped.  

“For some reason, it feels just like what my father did.”

Unable to move freely due to his bound wrists, Aitor shook his body as he laughed, rubbing his eyes against his shoulder.  

“Like father, like son, should I say?”  

Still burying his face in his shoulder, Aitor spoke. His father, who had been exiled for running away with the Emperor’s woman, and himself, who had kidnapped the Crown Prince’s fiancée.  

Yet, he chuckled, saying that his father, who had fled at the consort’s desperate plea, was better than himself, who had kidnapped Vivian.  

As Louis opened his mouth to speak, watching Aitor laugh, the man who had guided them there opened the door and peeked inside.  

“You must leave now.”  

Rayden nodded and looked at Louis. Staring regretfully at Aitor, Louis withdrew his hands from the bars and took a step back.  

“Just wait a little longer.”  

It seemed Aitor didn’t hear Louis’s words. Still unable to lift his head, Aitor remained motionless as Louis turned his back, unable to take his eyes off him until the very end.  

Just as they were about to leave, a small but desperate voice pierced Louis’s ears.  

“Help me.”  

Louis turned around. Aitor, still with his head bowed, spoke again.  

“Help me, Your Highness.”  

***

The place where the public trial was to be held, a courtroom that opened perhaps once a year, boasted long rows of seats on either side, with a single ornate chair at the head of the room, where the Emperor would sit in majesty.  

In the center of the courtroom was a seat for the accused, and today, there were two chairs.  

Even an hour before the trial began, the courtroom was already bustling with people.  

Most were discussing the downfall of Marquis Cloak, eagerly anticipating the resolution of the Mage Tower affair.  

Ten minutes before the trial began, Louis entered the courtroom, drawing the attention of the nobles who had arrived early. As usual, he gracefully acknowledged their greetings and walked to his assigned seat.  

Louis’s seat was directly below the platform where the Emperor’s chair stood. The courtroom, which had been noisy with murmurs at the Crown Prince’s arrival, quieted down.  

Ignoring the glances being cast his way, Louis turned his gaze to the seats where Marquis Cloak and Aitor would soon sit. The plain, undecorated chairs, devoid of any color, felt cold and unwelcoming, chilling Louis’s mind.  

Louis’s eyes slowly shifted, scanning the courtroom.  

To his left, in the seat closest to the Emperor, sat Duke Nesman. So old that even sitting seemed burdensome, Duke Nesman rested his hands on his cane, his eyes closed in deep thought.  

To the left of Duke Nesman sat a man who made eye contact with Louis. Louis gave him a slight nod. Marquis Huckberry, the Crown Prince’s uncle and the Empress’s younger brother, exchanged a determined look with Louis.  

At that moment, the small door through which the accused would enter opened.  

Marquis Cloak, wearing thick shackles, appeared first. In just a short time, he looked as though he had aged ten years—or was near death itself—as he shuffled inside.  

The knight escorting him gave Marquis Cloak a push on the back when his slow pace became unbearable. Stumbling, he collapsed into one of the chairs for the accused, staring blankly ahead.  

After Marquis Cloak sat down, Aitor appeared.  

Unlike Marquis Cloak, who only wore handcuffs, Aitor also wore a collar that nullified his magical power. Dragging heavy iron shackles, Aitor entered the courtroom.  

The nobles, who had been cursing and clicking their tongues at Marquis Cloak, turned their gazes to Aitor. However, Aitor’s demeanor was strikingly different from Marquis Cloak’s. His expression remained unchanged, and this difference caused the nobles to murmur amongst themselves.  

Aside from looking slightly disheveled, Aitor appeared no different from usual. His straight posture, his bright blue eyes—his composure made one momentarily forget he was a criminal.  

Walking slowly due to the shackles, Aitor deliberately avoided looking in Louis’s direction. He sat in the empty chair and stared intently at the large, ornate chair where the Emperor would sit.  

“His Majesty the Emperor is entering.”  

At the announcement of Emperor Henry’s arrival, everyone, including the accused, rose from their seats. The large door opened, and Emperor Henry strode in without hesitation, sitting in his chair and waving dismissively, as if the formal greeting was bothersome.  

“Be seated.”  

At the Emperor’s command, everyone sat down at their own pace. Emperor Henry crossed his legs and gestured to Dave with a nod.  

Dave bowed deeply, unfolded a piece of paper, and began to speak loudly.  

“Hear this, Benjamin Cloak and Aitor Turner! The crimes you have committed against the Tapeullon Empire are utterly unforgivable.”  

Dave first loudly listed Marquis Cloak’s crimes. Marquis Cloak, seemingly dazed, stared blankly ahead, as he had since entering.  

When Dave finished detailing Marquis Cloak’s crimes in complex language, he glanced at Louis.  

Louis, whose expression was unreadable, was momentarily observed by Dave before he turned back to list Aitor’s crimes.  

“Aitor Turner, the accused, betrayed the grace of the Imperial family and aided the traitor Benjamin Cloak and Robert Fame, the leader of Inferna. Furthermore…”  

When the words “grace of the Imperial Family” were uttered, Louis couldn’t help but let out a faint laugh. It seemed the Imperial Family wanted to avoid mentioning Vivian’s kidnapping in Aitor’s charges, likely because they didn’t want to reveal that Louis had gone to Palterno.

“The trial of the accused shall now be discussed with you all. Speak freely.”

As soon as the Emperor finished speaking, the nobles eagerly began to attack Marquis Cloak. They passionately proposed stripping him of his title, confiscating his property, and even sentencing him to death. Their determination to come up with harsher punishments, all while gauging the Emperor’s reaction, was evident.

“I have heard your opinions well. Now, let us discuss Aitor Turner, the accused.”

When Aitor’s turn came, the atmosphere was slightly different from that of Marquis Cloak. The nobles, glancing at one another, cautiously stated that Aitor also deserved a fair punishment.

At that moment, Marquis Huckleberry, who had been silently observing, raised his hand. As one of the most powerful figures, second only to the Duke of Nesman and Duke Dinever, Marquis Huckleberry’s raised hand silenced the buzzing nobles.

“Speak.”

The Emperor permitted Marquis Huckleberry to speak with an indifferent tone.

“We must not forget the contributions Aitor, the Mage, has made for the Imperial Family and the Empire. Furthermore, with our relationship with the Mage Tower still unsettled, what good could possibly come from news of a mage being punished reaching them?”

At Marquis Huckleberry’s words, voices of dissent rose from various corners, questioning why the Empire should concern itself with the Mage Tower’s opinion.

“Your Majesty the Emperor has always said this: grace and betrayal are never forgotten. There is no evidence proving that he intended to assist Marquis Cloak. Moreover, while it is said he conspired with Inferna, in reality, he has done nothing.”

Marquis Huckleberry’s statement caused the courtroom to murmur with scattered remarks.

“He was caught with Marquis Cloak. Are you suggesting my knights apprehended an innocent man?”

At the Emperor’s words, Marquis Huckleberry shook his head with a calm smile. He then handed Dave a note, supposedly written by Aitor to arrange a meeting with Marquis Cloak, which had been found in Marquis Cloak’s pocket.

“This note was found in Marquis Cloak’s coat pocket. It is clear that the handwriting on this note is significantly different from Aitor’s handwriting.”

As Marquis Huckleberry presented this evidence, the courtroom erupted again with murmurs and noise. The Emperor slammed the armrest of his chair forcefully, silencing the commotion.

“Silence!”

Once the courtroom quieted down, the Emperor, his cold golden eyes fixed on Marquis Huckleberry, spoke.

“Is this not something that could easily have been fabricated?”

At that moment, Louis rose from his seat, as if he had been waiting for those words, and looked at the Emperor.

“Your Majesty, you are correct. The events between Benjamin Cloak and Aitor Turner could very well have been fabricated.”

Turning to meet Aitor’s gaze, Louis spoke in an unwavering voice.

“I humbly request a reinvestigation in front of the great nobles who lead the Empire with fairness.”