The guard finally nodded and sped off.
Finding his haste amusing, Fron laughed as she watched the retreating figure of the guard.
'Hehehe, look at that little bastard holding his sword tightly!
What a view!'
After sending the guard away, Namiya bowed again and bowed her head.
Fron looked at Namia, who was kneeling face down, and waved to her.
“Hey, it's okay.
You can get up now.”
Fron said as she turned her body to lie on her side.
"It's actually less painful than a mosquito bite, so don't make that noise.
It's annoying."
“But it is true that I dared to harm a member of the imperial family.”
"You did it without knowing it.
It's okay, just move on."
But Namiya didn't get up.
The words flowed ceaselessly from her small lips.
“However, as I said before, according to Article 1, Section 4 of the Law Concerning the Imperial Family...”
“Oh, what are you saying?
I don’t know anything about that.
Just stand up.”
“I can't ignore it.
The imperial family is too precious”
"Hey, am I a dragon?
What's all this fuss about for a normal human with only a few muscles…"
Fron opened her mouth wide and yawned, and Namia raised her head.
Namia, who was crouched face down, and Fron, who was lying on her side, met their gazes through the bars.
'What is this?'
Fron was amazed by the sparkle in Namya's eyes.
'What is this?'
Even though she was an experienced mercenary, she was momentarily stunned.
The body that had suffered many struggles was the first to realize this.
This woman now.
She was not disappointed, but rather confident.
Fron's expression became serious.
‘It doesn’t rely on physical strength…but definitely…’
When she was a mercenary, she sometimes encountered people like this.
People who are used to living with their identities hidden.
'In other words, people who are so confident in their abilities that they don't mind hiding their identity.'
This was the type she appreciated most.
said Namiya, who no longer looked sorry,
“Please forgive me for harming the body of a member of the Imperial Family, Your Majesty.”
“Hey, are you going to keep bothering me with this?
This...”
“Instead.”
Namiya smiled.
“I will solve your problem, Your Majesty.”
“…Huh?”
Fron's eyes flashed.
Then she asked as if she was in a daze.
“Do you even know about my problem?”
“I can guess.”
Namiya said confidently:
“I will help you be acquitted of false accusations in the trial tomorrow.”
It was completely ridiculous.
"What do you say now?
A false accusation?
How do you know that?"
Fron laughed.
“And I will never, ever, ever tell you why I bought the poison?”
“Yes, whatever the reason, you never have to say anything about it.”
“Does this make sense?”
"Yes."
Namya gently but firmly met Fron's eyes.
Her face was calm, as if the frightened voice she heard earlier was just an act.
“I'll make sure it makes sense.”
In the dark confines of the prison.
Fron and Namiya's gazes met intensely.
✧✧✧✧✧✧
The next day.
Kiaros rubbed his tired eyes.
His head felt heavy, as if a headache was looming.
But he had to attend the urgent imperial trial that was being held.
“Her Majesty the Empress and the Poison...”
According to the Minister of Justice, Fron kept her mouth shut the whole time.
Once Vron was captured, Chiaros sent a message to the Emperor in the West.
-Come to the capital immediately.
He knew that the Emperor was recovering, but he could not come up with any other solution.
'I have a rough guess, but Her Majesty the Empress won't tell me the truth either.
She's afraid of being a nuisance to the imperial family.'
Kiaros's mind had already made up its mind.
He will say that there is no accurate evidence and delay the proceedings.
When the Emperor returned, he planned to hand over the interrogation to him.
'This is the best option.'
Naturally, he expected that it would be very difficult to postpone the trial.
So, even though it was not a method he liked very much, he had no choice but to use his power to suppress it.
'I must be prepared for the repercussions of the Imperial Family's involvement in an unfairly conducted trial...'
Even if his guess was correct, what happened next would be extremely disturbing.
'Even if His Majesty the Emperor comes, Her Majesty the Empress will never tell the outside world why she bought the poison.'
However, because of this, everything was postponed.
So he couldn't ask for Namya Rawabi as well.
Well, it wasn't a very urgent matter, so he planned to ask her after the trial was over.
'Now that I think about it, I received a strange report.'
Chiaros had already ordered those involved “not to allow the Empress to voluntarily confess guilt.”
But…
“Namiya Rawabi, who went to the prison to check the stock of light scrolls, used an offensive scroll on Her Majesty the Empress.”
Namia Rawabi's name has appeared again.
But it wasn't really that worrying.
An emergency team official from the Ministry of Health rushed to check on the situation.
He confirmed that everything was fine and there were no problems.
'I sent her home, so why did she come back crying and then go to check the prison inventory?'
Although it was her job to check the prison's stock of light scrolls, it was a bit strange.
But Kiaros forced himself to postpone thinking about Namiah.
The trial was just around the corner.
'I have to hold on as best as I can.'
He entered the courtroom with a stern face.
Imperial trials were opened to all nobles; They just had to apply in advance.
And so the hall was filled with people.
The trial was much more crowded than a normal trial.
‘Ha…there are more people than expected.’
Kiaros was already suffering from a headache.
Having a large audience was not a good thing for the Empress.
‘Obviously, if Her Majesty opens her mouth, public opinion will become even worse.’
While the public would not participate in the trial itself, as judge, he could not ignore their influence on public opinion.
Chiaros desperately hoped that Fron wouldn't scream, "Damn it, just kill me if you find me suspicious!"
“His Majesty the Crown Prince!”
When Chiaros entered, everyone in the courtroom stood and bowed their heads in respect.
Fron, who was sitting in the front row, also stood up, facing the audience.
‘Ah.’
Kiaros's complexion turned dark when he saw Fron.
He was hoping that imprisoning her for a day would gain some sympathy from the public, but…
'You really don't look pitiful at all...'
The assembled individuals took their seats again.
Fron, who was wearing a dress, also sat fidgeting and yawning.
In fact, the frilly, strappy dress wasn't a great fit for Frohn's muscular frame.
However, after assuming the position of “Empress”, she was forced to wear a dress.
‘Even her skin is good.’ There was no sign of thought or worry at all.
Although Kiaros was expecting this, he was extremely disappointed.
Even if he tries to move toward moderate rule, there will likely be significant resistance.
Chiaros was a man born with power.
It is not difficult for him to control the court, but he still wants to dilute his authority before the law...
Moreover, Fron was not particularly good at expressing her thoughts.
‘I don’t know if she even knows the trial procedures…’
Fortunately, she did not cause more hostility by saying the wrong things at the wrong time.
That's when he stepped forward and took his seat.
'Hmm?'
At the back of the widely spread courtroom, familiar silver hair was visible at the far end.
That woman sitting quietly was definitely…
Kiaros frowned without realizing it.
'Namya Rawabi?'