The Unemployed Prince Covets My Nephew - Chapter 29
At the command of Axel von Otte, the Black Lion of the battlefield, the attendants opened the doors of the drawing room.
Axel walked out first, carrying Theo, with Hailey right beside him. The three walked out in perfect step.
It was the first official appearance of the most problematic family in Zenovia’s history.
* * *
The courtroom was packed with people, leaving no room to step.
There were so many nobles attending to watch the trial directly that some had to leave as there were no seats left in the audience.
The noble faction took their place behind Duke Brahe’s family, while the royalist faction took the opposite side. At the very back stood a few permitted reporters.
Originally, there was a special seat for the imperial family in the courtroom, but today only the queen and Princess Anais occupied it.
Axel and Hailey were to sit with their legal representatives.
“I heard that if he loses the trial today, the prince will be expelled?”
“Wasn’t he originally planning to step down?”
“I think he won’t be able to step down and will retain his position. But he will probably have to remarry into the Brahe family. Isn’t that what the Brahe family is aiming for by requesting the trial?”
“If that’s the case, he’ll be nothing more than a puppet.”
Many predicted that the prince would lose.
Axel had never lost in any battle he had participated in so far. Although this wasn’t a battle, people predicted that this trial would be recorded as Prince Axel’s first defeat.
“Look over there. It’s Lady Brahe.”
Yulia Brahe was undeniably the flower of Ludvig’s social scene.
After the duchess passed away long ago, Yulia had been fulfilling the role of the duchess as the daughter of Duke Brahe.
Since Princess Anais was an illegitimate child and not the daughter of the legitimate wife, it was difficult for her to step into the social scene, making Yulia the most noble woman in Ludvig, excluding the queen.
Yulia was not the typical beauty that people often spoke of.
With red hair and brown eyes, it was difficult for her to be regarded as noble lineage among the aristocracy, and it was not preferred.
Furthermore, the position of the flower of the social scene was not something that could be occupied merely by being the daughter of a high-ranking family.
However, Yulia was a woman who knew how to fully utilize her family’s wealth and power.
Under Duke Brahe’s thorough education, her demeanor and speech as a noblewoman had always received praise since childhood.
She created trends by gifting numerous expensive dresses and accessories to the young ladies attending her tea parties and made herself the leader of the noble young ladies who followed her, becoming the flower of the social scene.
Yulia Brahe, with her red hair, came to be known as the most influential woman in Zenovia, even in foreign countries, and Yulia herself took great pride in that.
But after her breakup with the prince, the flower of the social scene, who had been keeping low, appeared in the courtroom today.
“I heard she went down to the territory, but it seems not.”
“By the way, she’s still beautiful today. Is that red jewel Lady Brahe is wearing a ruby?”
“Oh my, isn’t that… the ruby of the empress of the Charenne Empire?”
It was the legendary ruby said to have been worn by the last Empress of the once-great Charenne Empire. It symbolized the peak of extravagance among the imperial family.
Zenovia was the country that had overthrown the Charenne Empire and established itself, and Winchester and Otte were the ones who brought them down.
Wearing the jewels of the Charenne Empire was tantamount to rebellion against Otte.
Amidst everyone’s astonishment, Yulia entered the courtroom in the most splendid attire to make her first official appearance in three months.
She sat in the very front row of the audience, seemingly accustomed to receiving everyone’s gaze.
‘Wear this jewel.’
Everything was under the Duke of Brahe’s orders. Yulia gladly accepted the Charenne ruby.
‘You are beautiful, Yulia. Show those lowly people what kind of person you are.’
‘Yes, Father.’
She was to become the princess consort. She thought she would naturally marry as the princess consort when she came of age, but Axel kept postponing it. Even as her followers got married, she waited, growing anxious.
She ground her teeth, determined to repay all the sorrow and humiliation if she could only become the princess consort, give birth to royal descendants, and safely become the queen.
There wasn’t a single foolish noble lady who dared to covet Yulia Brahe’s position, and although the Winchester Grand Ducal family was related to the royal family by marriage, their political influence couldn’t surpass Brahe’s.
Naturally, Prince Axel had no other choice but Yulia. No matter what situation arose, the princess consort’s position was Yulia’s.
That is, unless Axel made the unimaginable choice of renouncing his title as a prince.
“Prince Axel von Otte, Princess Consort Hailey von Otte, and Prince Theodore von Otte are entering.”
The bustling courtroom fell silent in an instant.
All eyes turned to the door through which the three would enter. Everyone was curious. They eagerly turned their heads to see the controversial princess consort and the prince.
“My goodness.”
It was an entrance beyond shocking.
The door opened, and the three people dressed in matching navy outfits bore the Zenovia royal emblem. No one failed to notice it.
Moreover, Prince Axel was holding the child in his arms. The child, with a serene expression, looked down at the nobles in the courtroom from the tall prince’s embrace.
The platinum-haired woman standing beside him was very slender, with limbs much longer than those of ordinary women. Her dress and jewelry were simple, but her strikingly beautiful face made the combination mesmerizing.
The rumors that Hailey Langston, the baron’s daughter, was a beauty but too masculine in build were false.
“Don’t they look much better together than expected?”
Just standing together, Axel and Hailey made a perfect picture.
The royalist nobles, though not openly showing it, were impressed by the dignified appearance of the three, while the nobles on Duke Brahe’s side chose to remain silent, unable to find any fault.
Defying all expectations, Axel and Hailey’s seemingly absurd marriage turned out to be a perfect match, and the three appeared as a complete, genuine family rather than a hastily assembled one.
Axel didn’t even glance at Yulia and proceeded to his seat, holding Theo.
Even while holding Theo, he held Hailey’s hand to help her sit inside, then placed Theo in the middle and sat on the outermost side.
“…….”
Yulia bit her lip tightly. Axel was not someone who showed consideration for others, and despite being engaged to Yulia Brahe for so long, he had never once touched her hand.
It wasn’t a matter of feelings for Axel, but it was a matter of humiliation for Yulia. She was engulfed in shock and anger.
Axel’s ‘antics’ that shocked everyone upon his entrance didn’t end there.
He playfully tapped the cheek of the small ‘child’ sitting next to him with his large hand, and stared at the tense profile of the princess consort for a long time before ordering an attendant to bring water for her.
“It seems the prince is definitely…….”
Though someone couldn’t finish their sentence, everyone present understood.
‘He seems to be in love.’
The prince had fallen head over heels for the princess consort.
By tomorrow, there wouldn’t be a single person in the capital unaware of the rumor.
Axel acted as if the Charenne ruby was invisible, making Yulia look foolish in the process.
Yulia clenched her fists so tightly that her nails dug into her flesh.
“Remember their appearance well, Yulia. Let’s see if they can still smile like that after this trial.”
Duke Brahe said, looking disapprovingly at the royal family’s backs, and spoke to Yulia. Only then did Yulia unclench her fists.
Soon, the judges entered and took their seats, followed by Queen Madeleine and Princess Anais entering the courtroom.
Before moving to their special seats, the queen and princess each gave a kind glance to the small child sitting next to Axel, then proceeded to their seats.
All the other nobles in the courtroom saw this.
“His Majesty is entering. Everyone, please rise and pay your respects.”