Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 211

The charges against First Prince Marib Verosion are as follows: primarily, insurrection and the attempted assassination of His Majesty the Emperor, along with treason, usurpation and loss of official seals, assault of a member of the Imperial Family, violation of the Magic Seal Stone Management Act, and aggravated destruction…”

The list of Marib’s charges, read by the presiding judge, went on endlessly.

Normally, his status as a prince would have granted him leniency, but even that was being applied maliciously. It was the judiciary’s intention that since he was going to fall into the abyss anyway, he should carry all his past sins with him.

Though the page was turned, the charges continued to ring out clearly in the courtroom.

“In total, there are thirty-two charges.”

Ian clicked his pocket watch. Although it had started early in the morning, if Marib didn’t cooperate, it could go on until night. Jin, seemingly taken aback by the unexpectedly long list of charges, kept staring at the back of Marib’s head.

“Marib Verosion, do you admit to these charges?”

“Some I admit, and some I do not.”

“…Let’s proceed one by one.”

‘This is going to take a while.’ Sighs erupted from here and there at Marib’s brazen denial. The judges also exchanged brief, troubled glances. It was already common knowledge that Marib had behaved disgracefully during the interrogation, so everyone had to be on edge.

“First, the charge of insurrection. On the fifth night of this month, Marib Verosion colluded with the Imperial Defense Forces to illegally enter His Majesty the Emperor’s residence, harming the guards in the process and also injuring His Majesty. Do you admit to this?”

“…”

“The Commander of the Liamah Royal Guard was also with you. She led the way in neutralizing the Beols [a type of guard or soldier], and then you usurped the official seal and entered the conference hall in the morning. Is that correct?”

“What if I say no?”

“It will be dismissed. Even without the defendant’s admission, there is sufficient testimony and evidence to prove the charges.”

“Haha. Then why bother asking?”

“It is the sacred procedure of the Empire.”

“Sacred procedure? How laughable. It’s just a way to legitimize those twin princes sitting over there. Isn’t it so that they can stand properly only after Gail and I die through this trial?”

Jin flinched, suddenly singled out. The gazes of the nobles on the second floor shifted from Marib to Jin and Arsen. Arsen, however, maintained a stoic expression, looking straight ahead.

“Maintain your decorum!”

“What do you want? Do you want to know every detail of that day? What’s written in the documents, though not visible from here, is mostly true. I fought Gail, and I tried to kill Delilah, who was in league with Gail.”

The murmuring grew louder at his candid statement. Delilah frowned, covering her face with a fan. Her jaw was clenched tight, indicating she was quite displeased.

“But I showed mercy and decided to kill only one of the twins. Then, Delilah pushed one of them when she saw an opportunity.”

“That’s not true!”

“Lady Delilah, be quiet!”

The presiding judge banged his gavel harshly at Delilah’s shout. Although it had been discussed in the Grand Assembly, hearing it firsthand was quite different. The nobles whispered among themselves, questioning Delilah’s qualifications as a guardian.

“So, I struck. Jin. That wound was not made by me but by your mother, so don’t resent this older brother.”

Jin bit his lip at Marib’s words. In the sacred courtroom, instead of showing remorse, he was spouting absurd sophistry, which was truly appalling.

Perhaps sensing the boy’s feelings, Marib rose from his seat with a bitter smile.

“If you want to question my sins, then do so. But before that, let me ask you first. If either Gail or I had won here, what would you have done? Would you have followed the aging Emperor to the end and rebuked me?”

Of course not. If Marib or Gail had clearly gained the upper hand, they would have rushed to prostrate themselves, declaring that a new era had begun.

“How can those who change their allegiance with the times judge me? It’s absurd, so I wish you would stop this show trial.”

“No.”

It was Ian who directly refuted Marib’s words. He raised his hand to the judge to gain the right to speak, then stood up from his seat.

“Punishment must be a spectacle. Only then will some foolish person in the future not follow in Marib’s footsteps. It is a powerful warning from Bariel, showing that if you go down that path, you will end up like this.”

In other words, he was telling the judges not to be swayed by nonsense and to proceed as they had been.

Marib was testing the waters. He was quickly calculating what kind of attitude he should show in the trial to benefit himself even slightly.

The worst case would be the stripping of his imperial status and hanging, the second worst would be just the guillotine, and if a miracle were to occur, perhaps the trial could be postponed.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

“Marib Verosion, next, we will question you regarding the violation of the Magic Seal Stone Management Act. Is it true that you knew that the unregistered amber-colored ore called ‘Idgal’ absorbed magic and used it for insurrection?”

Instead of answering, Marib simply nodded briefly.

“Where did the funds to purchase it come from?”

“Hmm. Well…”

Marib paused, tapping his arm with his folded hands. Then, he looked up at the second floor and smiled as if amused.

“There, the brother-in-law of Duke Zaltone gave me a rather precious jewel last year in connection with the central maintenance project. Was that what I sold to make it?”

“Huh? Me? Your Highness Marib, I am Zaltone.”

“Right. Ah! No, that’s not it. I also made a profit from the official approval of the medicine made in Bisgard. You know, the one that was supposed to have pain-relieving effects.”

‘Oh? Look at that?’ Ian tilted his head, letting out a chuckle without realizing it. The individuals Marib mentioned were so surprised that they jumped up to protest.

“It’s a slander! Absolutely not!”

“Calm yourself, Duke Zaltone.”

“This concerns my honor, so please clarify it. Your Highness Marib. What are you trying to do? Huh?”

Although the protests from the second floor were loud, Marib just shrugged as if he didn’t care. When he asked the presiding judge to restore order, the judge had no choice but to remove Zaltone.

“Duke Zaltone, you are to be removed from the courtroom for one hour.”

Bang bang!

“No, wait! Wait!”

While the agitated man was being dragged away by the guards, the other nobles remained silent, their faces tense. They had realized what Marib was trying to do.

As the second most powerful person in Bariel after the Emperor, he could recite the private wrongdoings of the nobles with his eyes closed.

“Shall we continue?”

Marib gestured elegantly, instructing the presiding judge to proceed. By now, some of the judges also had skeletons in their closets. They exchanged glances, wondering if it was possible.

“I know that I will be given a final chance to speak after the sentencing. More than anything, that will prove my innocence. I look forward to it.”

For the judges, the imperial family, and the palace officials to sentence Marib and then give him the right to speak was a kind of threat.

“Let’s see. Many have changed due to the incident, but there are still quite a few familiar faces.”

“Marib Verosion, speak only about matters related to the trial!”

“I answered truthfully when asked about the source of funds, so why are you doing this? Or is there a different answer you want? You are the ones who are desecrating this sacred court by putting me, a prince, in this position.”

He was eloquent, indeed. The presiding judge spoke again in a much more subdued tone.

“How did you collude with the Imperial Defense Forces and Liamah?”

“Colomo of the Administrative Department, are you here?”

“…H-huh.”

“There you are. It’s been a while, nice to see you. The three of us met in one place thanks to that man, Colomo. Colomo was very close to the Minister of the Imperial Defense Forces. And Liamah was also Colomo’s ex-lover, although he was married at the time—”

“No! That’s not true!”

“Well, everyone denies everything I say. I doubt whether my testimony even has any legal effect.”

Romandro bit his lip and looked back at Ian. Not only him, but all the high-ranking officials of the Imperial Palace were glancing at Ian, subtly asking for help. It was true that a person with nothing to lose was scary, but wasn’t this going too far? They clearly wanted that crazy prince’s mouth shut.

The mages whispered among themselves, adding a word each.

“I-Ian. This situation is getting a bit tricky.”

“Wouldn’t it be better to take action? The Imperial Palace is already in disarray, and if it’s shaken by all sorts of nonsense, that would also be harmful to Bariel.”

“Sir Ian. Everyone is looking at us.”

“This is driving me crazy. Is he going to be like this until the end? Has he thrown away his dignity and honor as a prince?”

Ian clicked his tongue, watching Marib’s rampage. Some of the nobles on the second floor were hastily leaving their seats, afraid that they might be mentioned. He was truly brilliant at playing tricks. Ian had no choice but to raise his hand again.

“Oh, Sir Ian!”

“Excuse me, but please look at the report prepared by the Ministry of Magic. Prince Marib has testified to things that are clearly different from the truth throughout the interrogation, and it is believed that this is a tactic to disrupt the trial.”

Rustle.

At Ian’s words, the sound of papers turning could be heard from here and there. It was written that Ian had ordered it, that he had met Ian in Bratz territory before, and other things that had no credibility, and objective data refuting them was clearly attached.

“Please take this into consideration when making your judgment.”

It was an agreement. Marib was doing everything he could to survive, so it was a kind of agreed-upon agreement that everyone should not take it as the truth.

In other words, whether Marib’s testimony was true or false was not important right now, so it was a signal to endure the humiliation together for the sake of a swift and accurate trial.

“Hmm. I see. I understand.”

“In such cases, it would be good to change the form of questioning.”

“Understood. It is a valid suggestion, so I will accept it. Prince Marib, from now on, answer only with ‘yes’ or ‘no.’ Anything else will be dismissed.”

Bang! Bang bang!

Marib was disappointed, but he showed no signs of backing down. After all, everyone knew the truth. The anxiety about the exposure would continue.

“Next is the matter of aggravated destruction. The list of Imperial Palace properties destroyed by the insurrection is as follows: 1. The front hall and the right side of the main building, 2nd floor…”

It was better to be thorough but quick. The judge decided so and spoke quickly. If Marib tried to say anything other than ‘yes’ or ‘no,’ he quickly struck the gavel to cut him off. Perhaps that judge also had a weakness that Marib had caught.

Bang bang!

“That concludes the thirty-two charges against Marib Verosion. In accordance with the laws of the Imperial Palace and the instructions of His Majesty the Emperor, I propose that the prince be stripped of his imperial status and sentenced to hanging. Please show your agreement.”

Stripping of the Verosion name and hanging. Marib closed his eyes and sighed. He had struggled to the end, but it couldn’t be helped.

“Show your agreement.”

At the presiding judge’s words, Marib opened his eyes and looked back. Strangely, no one was raising their hand to agree first. It was because they were avoiding being the first to stand out, fearing that Marib might self-destruct until the end.

“Haha. What are you all doing? Go ahead and agree.”

Marib shouted, as if he had caught them perfectly, even leaning one arm on the chair. Delilah also glanced at Arsen, covering her face with a fan.

“…Arsen?”

“There’s no need to be first. Why get into trouble by stepping on filth? Just wait a little.”

Even Arsen did not know as much about what his followers were doing behind the scenes as Marib did. Everyone tacitly knew that the exposure was true. Even if it was ignored in the courtroom, it would eventually return as a blade.

Swoosh.

In that moment of heavy and strange silence.

“I am the Fifth Prince, Jin Verosion.”

Jin raised his small hand, showing his agreement. Ian, who was sitting to his left, had subtly given him a signal that it was okay. When no one else would step forward, being the first to do so was worth the risk in many ways.

“I agree with the judgment of the court.”

Especially if you were aiming for the throne.