Chapter 6: The Imperial Trial

The Imperial Court had never felt so quiet.

The usually restless hall was filled with an uncomfortable silence as the doors remained closed and the nobles sat stiffly in their seats. No one dared to whisper. No one wanted to be the first to attract the Emperor's attention.

At the far end of the marble hall, the Emperor sat upon the golden throne.

His expression was unreadable, but the anger in his eyes was impossible to miss.

Below him stood thirty royal knights, their hands bound in heavy iron chains. Their armor was still stained with dirt from the forest, and several of them looked as though they had barely slept.

Beside them were the opened iron chests.

The contents were impossible to deny.

Forbidden dark-magic artifacts.

The sight alone was enough to make several nobles exchange uneasy glances.

Prince Cedric stood in the center of the court, his face pale and his hands trembling slightly at his sides. Princess Alice stood beside him, desperately trying to maintain her composure.

The Emperor's gaze settled on his son.

“Cedric.”

His voice echoed through the enormous hall.

“Explain why thirty of your royal guards were found in the middle of the night carrying forbidden dark magic toward the Rosenthal Estate.”

Cedric swallowed hard.

“F-Father, this is a misunderstanding.”

His voice shook.

“Lady Evelina must have arranged all of this. She is trying to frame me because I ended our engagement!”

A few nobles lowered their heads, pretending not to listen.

The Emperor's expression darkened.

Before he could respond, Alice stepped forward.

“Your Majesty, please believe Prince Cedric.”

Tears had already gathered in her eyes.

“Sister Evelina has always hated me. She is capable of anything to ruin His Highness. She must have used some kind of dark magic to manipulate the soldiers.”

The words had barely left her mouth when the enormous doors of the court suddenly opened.

Every head turned.

Evelina walked inside.

She wore a deep maroon gown embroidered with silver threads. Her long silver hair fell in soft waves down her back, and every step she took was calm and deliberate.

She didn't look nervous.

She didn't look angry.

She looked completely in control.

And walking a few steps behind her was Duke Lucien Valemont.

The atmosphere inside the court immediately changed.

Even the nobles who had been whispering moments ago fell silent.

Lucien's presence alone was enough to make the room feel colder.

Evelina stopped in the center of the hall.

“Framing you, Prince Cedric?”

Her voice was calm.

Almost amused.

“Are you truly suggesting that I somehow managed to control thirty of your personal guards, force them to carry official documents, and send them toward my own family's territory with forbidden artifacts?”

Cedric's face tightened.

“You—”

Evelina raised one hand.

Several servants entered behind her carrying stacks of documents.

She took the first bundle and placed it on the Chancellor's desk.

“These are the original requisition orders.”

The Chancellor immediately began examining them.

“They were signed using Prince Cedric's private imperial seal.”

A murmur spread through the court.

Cedric's expression became even paler.

“That seal could have been forged!”

“Of course,” Evelina replied.

She smiled faintly.

“That is why I brought witnesses.”

She turned toward the chained soldiers.

“The captain has already confessed.”

Cedric's eyes widened.

“What?”

“Under a magical vow,” Evelina continued. “He admitted that the operation was ordered by you.”

The court erupted into whispers.

At that moment, Lucien stepped forward.

“My Northern Knights witnessed the entire operation.”

His cold gaze swept across the royal family.

“If His Highness wishes to accuse my men of lying, he is welcome to challenge me in a duel of honor.”

The hall immediately fell silent.

No one challenged Duke Lucien Valemont.

Not if they valued their lives.

The Emperor slowly stood from his throne.

“Enough!”

His fist struck the armrest.

The sound echoed throughout the court.

He looked at Cedric with disappointment and anger.

“You abused your authority as Crown Prince.”

Cedric immediately dropped to his knees.

“Father, please!”

“You brought forbidden magic into noble territory and attempted to use the Imperial Guard to frame an innocent family.”

“I didn't—”

“Silence.”

Cedric froze.

The Emperor turned toward the ministers.

“By imperial decree, Prince Cedric is stripped of his command over the Royal Guard.”

Cedric's face went blank.

“You will also be confined to the Eastern Palace for three months.”

“Father!”

“And the Crown will compensate the Rosenthal family for the damage caused by this incident.”

Cedric could only stare at the throne in disbelief.

[SYSTEM UPDATE.]

[Main Quest Progress Updated.]

[Enemy Crippled: Prince Cedric's political authority has been reduced.]

[Reward Granted: +500 System Gold.]

[New Title Unlocked: Master of Political Warfare.]

[Lucien's Favorability: 42%.]

Across the hall, Alice slowly sank to her knees.

Tears streamed down her cheeks.

“Your Majesty...”

But this time, nobody rushed to comfort her.

The nobles were watching Evelina.

The same woman they had once mocked.

The same woman they had called foolish and emotional.

She had just defeated the Crown Prince without raising her voice or drawing a sword.

As the court began to disperse, Cedric passed her with his face twisted by hatred.

“You think you've won?”

Evelina stopped.

Cedric turned toward her.

“You're nothing without your family's name.”

Evelina looked at him for a long moment.

Then she stepped closer.

Her voice dropped so only he could hear.

“My family's name isn't what makes me dangerous, Cedric.”

Her amber eyes were cold and steady.

“My mind does.”

Cedric's expression hardened.

Evelina smiled.

“And this is only the beginning.”

She walked past him without looking back.

Behind her, Lucien followed in silence.

But there was something different in his eyes now.

He had seen her fight with words instead of weapons.

He had watched her turn an attack against the Crown into a public humiliation.

And for reasons he didn't fully understand, he found himself wanting to see what she would do next.

Evelina stepped outside the Imperial Court and looked toward the bright morning sky.

The first battle was over.

But the war had only just begun.