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His gaze softened, then he turned toward the Crown Prince for a moment, before looking at me again.
“Don't you have something you want to say?”
I tilted my head in confusion.
There was some concern on his face.
“Is this… the first time you’ve seen the Crown Prince?”
“Yes, you can say that.
What's wrong?”
“No…nothing.”
I wondered if he was upset that his lawyer was engaged in a heated stare battle with the Crown Prince.
Certainly not because he thinks I'll lose.
I'm not that kind of person, you misjudged me.
“I saw how good he is, but it's nothing.
So don't worry, I'll crush him in the trial.”
To reassure my client, I looked away from the Crown Prince and smiled at him, encouraging him to relax.
No matter how much he tried to pretend to be calm, it was natural for him to be nervous without experience in trials.
Just then, a ray of relief appeared on his face.
After a while.
“We will now begin the trial of the defendant Benedict Richard for the murder of Baron Devon Hayden.”
With the judge's official announcement, the trial began, and the head of the police department began his statement first.
“The victim, Baron Haydn, was found murdered in the garden of his private palace, stabbed in the left back with a sharp dagger.”
The police chief finished his speech, then raised his hat remorsefully and bowed respectfully to Vivian, who was looking down the hall with a stern look.
However, her beautiful face was strangely expressionless.
“That day was a banquet celebrating the victim’s company’s success in trading with the Kingdom of Grace.
Even His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and Her Highness the Crown Princess attended the banquet.”
“Was the accused invited to the banquet?”
“Yes.
According to the testimonies of those present in the banquet hall, he disappeared in the middle of the banquet.”
"continued."
The judge nodded and listened to the police chief's statement.
The Chief of Police pointed to Archduke Richard with a stern face.
"At the moment the accused disappeared, the palace maid discovered the victim, stabbed to death, in the garden.
More precisely, the accused was standing, covered in blood, next to the victim's body."
A groan of terror rang out among the audience.
The Archduke's jaw trembled between his clenched teeth.
Then the judge continued.
“Did anyone witness the accused stabbing the victim?”
“Yes.
We request that the gardener Hesperano, who was working in the victim’s palace at the time, be called as a witness.”
The police chief raised his hand confidently to summon the witness.
Then a gray-haired man entered the courtroom.
“A-A-The witness… A-I’m here..”
He read the oath stammering, furrowing his eyebrows.
Finally the oath was over, and the judge turned to the witness and asked him.
“Did you see the defendant, Benedict Richard, stab the victim, Devon Hayden, with a dagger?”
Witness Hesperano blinked his sunken eyes several times and looked at the judge.
“On that day, I saw His Excellency the Archduke standing in the dark garden with a dagger in his hand.”
The witness's answer without hesitation caused the audience to buzz again.
The chief of police, perhaps feeling that it was his turn to reappear, rose from his seat with a triumphant smile and a smug face.
"The witness saw the accused Hesperano walking around with the weapon, intending to commit the crime under cover of darkness.
I therefore offer the dagger, the murder weapon, as evidence."
As if to prove his statement, the police chief raised the dagger high in the air.
Some of those present stopped to see the dagger.
“This dagger is a product supplied to the Imperial Army, and the accused, a former commander of the Imperial Army, naturally owned it.”
I narrowed my eyes and examined the dagger.
It was certainly the most important piece of evidence in this case.
The weapon used to kill the victim, and was linked to the Archduke, a member of the Imperial Army.
"The dagger was deeply embedded in the victim's back on the left side.
If the attacker from behind had been right-handed, he would have stabbed the back from the right side.
Stabbing the victim on the left side means that the perpetrator is left-handed."
The police chief paused for a moment, then spoke in a triumphant voice.
“It is known without a doubt that Archduke Richard is left-handed.”
In an instant, the atmosphere in the courtroom heated up.
The audience was heard muttering ‘This is an undeniable fact!’ and ‘The Chief of Police’s conclusion was sound!’ Even those who had previously claimed that the Archduke could live fairly without the law shook their heads in agreement.
The police commissioner continued arrogantly.
"Moreover, if the accused were innocent, he would have presented his own dagger.
However, he tried to evade the charges by lying, claiming that it had been stolen a few days before the incident."
I quickly got up and objected to the police chief's words.
“Your Honor, the prosecution is now making statements based on unconfirmed facts.
There is no evidence to prove that the accused’s statement about the theft of his dagger is false.”
The judge nodded with an emotionless expression
“Acceptable.”
With sufficient witnesses and evidence, he seemed to find this level of objection acceptable.
"Thank you."
At my smile, the police chief's expression turned slightly, as if he was upset.
Then he snorted, as if the blow hadn't hit him at all.
Then, loud and clear, he concluded his argument.
“The defendant brutally murdered Baron Devon Hayden.
He was a nobleman, and the father of Her Highness the Crown Princess.
This is a heinous crime, and the police department hereby requests that the defendant be charged with murder and request the most severe punishment, death.”
Intermittent applause erupted from the hall.
The judge looked at the Crown Prince and his wife, sitting at the head of the table.
It was clear to everyone that he cared for them very much.
Then he looked suspiciously at me and the Archduke.
Compared with the extravagant prosecution hall, with its chief of police and its many investigators, the accused's table, where only Archduke Richard and I sat, was very simple.
“Defense side, will you provide your response?”
He spoke with a little optimism.
Given this clear evidence, he may have thought it would be difficult to come up with a defense that would turn the tide.
“Certainly, Your Honor.”
I slowly got up from my seat and glanced around the courtroom.
I was met with skeptical looks, wondering whether a commoner like me could speak properly in court, and harsh sarcasm, wondering whether my words would be convincing in such a difficult situation.
I opened my mouth slowly with a calm smile.
“I am Elena Richard, the defendant’s appointed legal counsel.
The defendant’s wife.”
As I introduced myself, the crowd erupted in jeers and cheers.
I enjoyed the attention, so I raised my voice in a stern tone.
“Actually, before defending, I want to make a very important confession.”
The hall shook again.
Curiosity appeared on people's faces, wondering what important confession the defendant's lawyer would make.
Of course, Archduke Richard remained calm as usual.
But I read a slight worry in his shaking stare for a moment.
He's also worried that I might suddenly betray him.
The police chief thought the same thing, and his lips lifted into an arrogant smile.
He seemed to think that, crushed by the police department's perfect arguments, I would finally confess to the Archduke's crime.
“As expected, you are finally confessing.
If so, I can take it as a request to consider a reduced sentence.
Perhaps life imprisonment instead of the death penalty.”
The police chief's arrogant voice made me frown.
It's my time to show off.
I gently placed my hands on my chest and bowed to him in an exaggerated bow.
“What mercy on your part, Mr.
Commissioner.
But what I want to say is...”
With those words, I turned to Archduke Richard with a smile.
I noticed his astonished looks, so I exchanged looks with a deep, penetrating look.
Finally, the most beautiful possible smile appeared on my lips, and with the purest and most complete expression, I uttered the most important words of that moment in the clearest voice.
“I love you, baby.”