Chapter 59 The Zerg's working hours have long been changed to...
Villa didn't dare delay and quickly reported the information he had found about Charlotte's current situation to the king.
Because Charlotte had been in the Imperial Army and concealed her identity, it took him a lot of effort to pinpoint her location based on her scent.
But before he could do anything, Charlotte entered the heavily guarded imperial palace.
Then came the news that she was imprisoned and would be tried under the watchful eyes of all humanity on the StarNet.
As Ai Ying listened to Bilia's voice, the surprise in her eyes was gradually replaced by cold anger.
She knew Charlotte could never have done those evil things.
It must be that Duke Dirk or some other human who is slandering her.
Faced with the threat of death, everyone's reaction is closest to instinct.
On Carlo, Charlotte was the one who chose to help her even knowing she would be injured and even discovered by the Zerg.
As Ai Ying listened to the charges that the Empire had leveled against Charlotte, she slowly clenched her fists.
She suppressed her desire to go to the human empire and stand in front of Charlotte to support her.
She is now the queen of the Zerg. After the Darkrock incident, she needs to send a signal to other species that the Zerg have settled down, and she cannot appear in the territories of other species at will.
What's more... she is the Insect Queen.
Charlotte, on the other hand, is human.
For her, her identity meant more danger than protection.
If Charlotte wants to remain peacefully in the human world, it would be best if she had no public relationship with the Insect Queen.
Ai Ying took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down.
Duke Decker... Charlotte's nominal father.
As if she had thought of something, she slowly loosened her clenched hands.
She remembered the name.
Isaiah discovered that Duke Decker of the human empire had appeared on Darkrock before the Darkrock Clan sold the Dumbstones to the Zerg at a lower weight.
They came and went in a hurry, and deliberately erased their traces.
The Dark Rock Clan's actions are most likely related to Duke Decker, or rather, the human empire behind him.
With that thought in mind, Ai Ying expressionlessly called Isaiah into the study.
Her voice was icy as she commanded:
"I want you to go to the Human Empire right now."
"Save my friend, Charlotte."
Isaiah, being the most adept at observing emotions, easily perceived the importance of 'Charlotte' mentioned by the king.
What Wang cares about is what he needs to accomplish at all costs.
He bowed his head respectfully, his face solemn.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Ai Ying knew Isaiah's abilities. She slowly exhaled and continued:
"Don't let humans know about Charlotte's relationship with the Zerg."
"You went there in the name of friendly exchanges between the Zerg and humans."
"Then all the reasons for the actions were attributed to Duke Deke, who had been to the Dark Rock Clan."
Isaiah's eyes flashed, and he quickly understood the king's intention.
He placed one hand over the insect core, his voice firm:
Isaiah obeyed.
*
Charlotte was imprisoned in a heavily guarded cell.
After learning that the evidence she had submitted had been identified as forged, she took a deep breath to calm herself down.
She sat cross-legged on the floor, her mind racing:
The evidence she presented was absolutely true.
That means someone must have done something to sabotage it.
Is it Dirk?
No, he's just a duke without real power; he wouldn't have that kind of ability.
Who else is there?
Judge?
Or were they the court officials involved in the evidence transfer process?
Charlotte clenched her fists, her gaze sweeping over her arms:
She was no longer the duke's daughter who was so naive as to completely believe in the imperial trial process.
Her backup plan goes beyond what's circulating online right now.
The most important evidence was left within her own flesh and blood.
While she was deep in thought, she was forced onto a brightly lit trial bench by special officials.
Inside the courtroom.
The emperor sat in a special audience area in the hall, awaiting the outcome of the trial along with other imperial officials.
However, due to the military's recent busy schedule, only a few major generals were present to listen to the proceedings.
Charlotte was tied to the trial bench, and when she saw the crowd in the audience, she suddenly had a bad feeling.
Given her status as a mother, there should be quite a few generals in the military who are paying attention to this matter.
But now, none of the generals with real power have shown up.
Duke Decker sat in the victim's seat on one side of the trial bench, his gaze toward Charlotte filled with chilling helplessness.
Only those who know him well can see the smugness and disgust hidden in his eyes.
He petitioned His Majesty for a public trial of Charlotte's crimes, not only to silence public opinion, but also to ensure she died with a bad reputation.
Recalling the comments on the StarNet that he only got the dukedom because of Visera, he suddenly lowered his head, concealing the hatred in his eyes.
Soon, as if he had come to a realization, he raised his head again and looked at the judge's bench:
Why should he bother arguing with someone who is destined to die?
After Charlotte's death, those comments online will naturally disappear over time.
Just like when Vera died.
At this moment, all the mechanical cameras on the judge's bench turned on as the judge moved.
The love of gossip is one of the human instincts, especially when the gossip is related to the high-ranking officials of the empire, it makes people even more eager to know the cause and effect.
The moment the camera was turned on, all the humans who had been waiting on the StarNet rushed in.
Is this the Charlotte who accused the Duke of Dirk of murdering his wife?
I know her! She's the fake duke's daughter from a while back!
[The fake duke's daughter? I remember now!]
Charlotte is that fake noblewoman who was switched at birth due to an accident and enjoyed over twenty years of wealth and privilege as the real duke's son!
[I remember that at the end, Duke Decker said he couldn't bear to see Charlotte suffer, so he kept her at the Duke's mansion and adopted her as his goddaughter.]
[If the Duke of Derek treats this adopted daughter so well, why would she still stand up and sue him?]
【What else could it be? A feeling of unfairness.】
[That's true. She was originally a true noblewoman, but now she's a goddaughter. She certainly can't live as comfortably as before.]
[This is truly a case of insatiable greed!]
Because the court had already revealed the false evidence, all the people of the Empire in the StarNet sided with Duke Decker.
Only a few scattered comments expressed sympathy for Charlotte, saying that she had no reason to risk her life to smear the Duke of Dirk.
However, these comments were quickly overshadowed by other criticisms of Charlotte.
The trial began.
The judge laid out the false evidence one by one in front of the camera.
He looked sternly at Charlotte on the judge's bench and said in a deep voice:
"Charlotte, you should have been a poor girl in a peripheral star system, but you have occupied the position of the duke's son for twenty-eight years due to an accident."
"After your identity was exposed, you harbored ill intentions and almost poisoned Duke Decker's own children."
"Duke Deke couldn't bear it, and in the end he just kicked you out of the Duke's mansion."
"Is it because of this incident that you resent Duke Derek, and that's why you went to such lengths to frame him with false evidence?"
After hearing the judge's words, the comments on StarNet overwhelmingly condemned Charlotte:
What kind of ingrate is this?
[She even went so far as to cruelly poison the duke's own son. Doesn't she feel even a little bit of remorse for having monopolized his life for decades?]
【Feeling guilty? I think she's regretting not killing the Duke's own son sooner!】
How vicious!
[I think there's no need for a trial; just announce her execution!]
On the trial bench, Charlotte felt dizzy from the blinding lights.
But she remained calm.
She is waiting.
Wait for the right opportunity to present the Emperor with evidence that proves Duke Decker killed his mother.
But……
Charlotte's gaze swept over Duke Dirk not far away.
Seeing his confident demeanor, as if he wasn't worried at all about what she might say, her heart tightened.
She had been his 'daughter' for over twenty years, and she knew that he must have something to rely on to dare to let the court publicly try her crimes.
This reliance was so strong that he didn't care what other evidence she might produce.
Who is it?
A judge?
No! Judges don't have that much power.
Who else is there?
Among the imperial figures present in the courtroom, no one held power greater than the emperor.
Charlotte's body trembled violently:
emperor!
Before she was imprisoned, she handed over all the evidence to the emperor.
He only needs to take a quick look to know whether the evidence is true or false.
Only he, who controlled all the power dynamics of the empire, could arbitrarily replace the evidence she presented.
Charlotte slowly closed her eyes:
If her suspicions are true, then from the moment she chose to hand over the evidence to the Empire, she had already entered a dead end.
But why would the Emperor help Duke Decker?
He clearly knew that he had killed the Imperial General, so why did he still protect him?
Is it simply because he is an imperial nobleman?!
Charlotte struggled to lift her head. Regardless of whether the Duke of Decker's backing was the Emperor, she had only one path forward.
She looked at the judge and said, word by word:
"I have……"
Before she could even utter the word 'evidence,' she felt a stinging sensation on her back.
The needle was positioned precisely where her heart was located.
If she continues to speak, this needle will silently take her life.
No, they probably wouldn't kill her in public.
The purpose of the needle was probably to prevent her from speaking, leaving her to be convicted by the judge.
She couldn't think of any other reason besides the emperor's tacit approval that would allow her to do this.
Charlotte felt as if she had fallen into an ice cave.
At that moment, she knew that no matter what she did, the only outcome would be death.
Even if it meant death, she was determined to expose Dirk's crimes to the public.
Charlotte felt the increasingly sharp pain in her back and gritted her teeth, saying:
"In my body, there is..."
Hearing her desperate words, Duke Decker's expression turned cold.
Just as he was trying to silence Charlotte, a knight rushed in from outside the courtroom to report:
"Your Majesty, the Zerg lord Isaiah has descended upon the Empire."
As soon as he finished speaking, a familiar yet terrifyingly powerful energy surged in from the direction of the courtroom entrance.
Then, a tall, slender figure walked in unhurriedly.
His face was so handsome that it almost defied human perception; his amber pupils shone brightly under the light.
He narrowed his eyes slightly, casually scanning each human in the courtroom, and finally winked with a smile at a camera.
The comments on the StarNet paused for a moment, then a string of meaningless exclamation marks floated by:
【！ ！ ！ @#￥**】
【？！！！！】
After quite a while, the comments finally changed from symbols to text:
Is this the Zerg Overlord?
[So powerful, so...beautiful!!]
Although Isaiah has visited many planets over the past two hundred years, no human being except the high-ranking officials of the Empire knows what he looks like.
In everyone's mind, the Zerg are all ugly and ferocious creatures with mouths full of fangs.
No one knew that the Zerg lord would be so handsome and charming, let alone that he would seem so...friendly to humans.
Unlike the excitement of people online, the imperial high command in the courtroom were all sweating profusely.
They all knew the terror of Isaiah.
Why did Isaiah descend suddenly without any prior notice?
Was this the queen insect's order?
Emperor Nergard's golden pupils contracted slightly, but he quickly regained his composure.
The Zerg are currently the most dangerous, yet also the safest.
Given the current attitude of the Insect Queen towards other species, Isaiah is unlikely to harm the humans in the Empire.
Nergard's gaze lingered on Duke Deck for a moment as he looked at Isaiah, and he instantly guessed why the Queen of Insects had sent Isaiah to the human empire.
It's because of the dumb stone.
Because the humans bought those dumbstones that originally belonged to the Zerg from the Darkrock Clan.
The person who went to buy the Dumb Stone was Duke Decker.
Nergard made his decision without any hesitation.
Using a duke to quell the Zerg's anger is an extremely worthwhile deal.
Unlike Nergard's vigilance, Charlotte, sitting on the judgment seat, sensed Isaiah's powerful aura, and her first reaction was not fear, but worry:
Is Ai Ying surviving by disguising herself as an insect queen under the powerful insect forces?
At this moment, she would rather Ai Ying really be the insect queen, so that she could at least live safely.
But after spending time together on Planet Carlo, she realized that she was a human being, a human being just like her.
It was only because of the special function of its blood that it was recognized as the mother insect.
Charlotte's fingertips trembled slightly:
But now she's imprisoned, and there's nothing more I can do to help her.
Isaiah glanced around, feigning concern by giving Dirk's disgusting face a couple more looks, before finally looking at Charlotte.
This friend was valued by the king.
With a wave of his hand, several wind blades sliced through the energy chains binding her.
He glanced around, then finally flung the judge off his seat and used his energy to lift Charlotte into the judge's place.
The king's friends naturally deserve to sit in the best seats.
After completing this series of actions, Isaiah finally looked at the emperor of the human empire.
Nergard knew that now was not the time to antagonize the Zerg.
He stood up, suppressing his humiliation, and nodded with a smile to Isaiah, saying in a friendly tone:
"What brings Lord Isaiah to my human empire?"
Isaiah looked at Nergard's prime spot in the entire trial hall, and a sense of displeasure rose within his insect core.
With a wave of his hand, a high platform made of piled gemstones rose from the ground.
On the high platform, a magnificent and exquisite throne stood openly in the very center.
The throne's position allows one to overlook the entire courtroom, including the human emperor, who occupies the best seat within.
Isaiah looked at the human emperor's face, which suddenly turned black, and finally nodded in satisfaction.
He seemed completely oblivious to the mess his actions had made of the courtroom, and politely replied to the human emperor:
"The king was very curious when he heard that a case had occurred in the human empire that was so heinous that it required a public trial."
"They specifically asked me to come and observe and learn."
Upon hearing this, Duke Decker's face turned deathly pale.
He's not stupid.
The only reason the insect queen would pay attention to this event is because of him.
Because of the "dumb stone" incident some time ago.
He was covered in cold sweat, and countless explanations came to mind.
But as he said before, in the face of absolute power, no explanation or evidence is of any use.
He was about to open his mouth when he saw Isaiah's gaze sweep over his body without any emotion.
Duke Decker had no more strength to speak and could only slump limply in his seat.
After Isaiah finished threatening him, he slowly walked to the side of the throne and stood still.
He glanced at the diverse expressions on the faces of the people below the stage, and a wicked smile curled his lips:
"It seems the perpetrators have spoken just now."
He glanced at Charlotte and said lightly:
"Let's continue."
Charlotte finally realized that Isaiah had come to the human empire for her sake.
It was Ai Ying who, after learning of her trial, sent the Zerg lord to help her.
She bit her tongue hard to bring herself back to her senses.
She couldn't let Ai Ying down.
Charlotte's voice was hoarse but firm:
“I have direct evidence that Duke Decker murdered Admiral Versella.”
She used her mental power to draw a deep wound on her arm, and then took out a black box the size of a crystal from the wound.
Her arm was severely injured during a mission, and a technological bone was implanted in it.
Only by placing the evidence here can she evade a search during her detention.
She said, word by word:
"These were Admiral Vercel's last words before her death."
"Admiral Visera identified Duke Dirk as the only person who had entered the starship command center. She discovered the Space Storm Stone, which could trigger storms, on the starship, in the spot where Duke Dirk had been."
At this point, she pressed the switch in the box.
As General Visera calmly delivered her accusations even in her dying moments, the StarNet descended into chaos.
So, it really was Duke Decker who killed Admiral Versella?!
I heard that His Majesty made an exception and promoted Dirk from Earl to Duke because of General Vicel's great military achievements. But after receiving the dukedom, he turned around and murdered General Vicel?
He's the truly ungrateful and vicious person!
[That was Admiral Vicela! Admiral Vicela, who made countless contributions to the Empire and saved countless planets! And yet she died at the hands of this despicable man!]
Dirk, listening to the contents of the box, dared not remain silent any longer. He struggled to his feet and began to smear Charlotte, saying:
"This is fabricated evidence!"
"You must be harboring resentment because you lost your noble status, that's why you're slandering me like this!"
"I've raised you for over twenty years. Even though we're not related by blood, how could you..."
“No blood relation.” Isaiah, adept at observing emotions, noticed the subtle change in Dirk’s expression when he said this, and spoke with interest.
"Really?"
He looked at Dirk, whose body stiffened involuntarily, and said with a smile:
"I'm curious about the machines that determine human bloodlines, otherwise I'll just test it again here."
Duke Decker instantly broke out in a cold sweat: "What does this mean, Lord?"
"Could the previous bloodline test results have been wrong?"
Emperor Nergard frowned and stopped Dirk from speaking:
"Since Lord Isaiah wants to see it, let's test it again."
Upon hearing the Emperor's words, Dirk broke out in a cold sweat that streamed down his forehead.
He knew he had become a discarded pawn.
He knew what the emperor was doing in secret, and even if the Zerg let him go, the emperor would never let him go.
He's finished.
At this point, the humans on the StarNet also realized what was happening:
[Isn't Duke Dirk's reaction a bit off?]
He seems very afraid of this bloodline test.
[Isn't Charlotte a fake duke's daughter? What does he have to be afraid of?]
I have a guess...
I have one too...
Could Charlotte really be the Duke's daughter?
[Because Dirk killed Admiral Visella, and fearing she, his own daughter, would discover something was amiss, he falsely accused Charlotte of being an imposter and drove her away?]
[Is it just about getting rid of her? I have a feeling that, given Duke Derek's ruthlessness, he probably wants to kill Charlotte.]
[It's possible, but we'll have to wait for the test results. Maybe we've misunderstood Duke Decker?]
Just then, the results of the bloodline test came out.
The comments section on StarNet exploded instantly:
【！！！】
Charlotte is indeed the Duke of Dirk's daughter, his biological daughter!
[Also, she's General Visela's daughter!]
So, it really was that scumbag Dirk who killed the general, and then framed his own daughter, trying to kill her too!
Even tigers don't eat their cubs!
How could there be such vicious and disgusting humans in interstellar space! They are the scum of humanity!!
Looking back now, Charlotte was truly tragic. Her mother was killed by her father, and she herself almost died at his hands.
[But as expected of Admiral Visella's daughter, even after falling into the mire, she managed to climb up the ranks of the army step by step to the position of major, and even found evidence to expose Duke Decker.]
She is a role model for us all!
With such a general in the empire, we can truly rest assured!
Unlike the jubilant comments online, the courtroom was deathly silent.
Everyone looked solemn, except Isaiah, who still wore a relaxed, smiling expression.
He said lightly:
"Public trials of humankind are indeed very interesting."
He looked down at the human emperor:
"Now, shouldn't the verdict be announced?"
Regardless of his inner thoughts, Nergard maintained a calm and dignified expression, and said in a deep voice:
"The Duke of Decker murdered General Visela and then slandered his own daughter; his crimes are unforgivable."
"Now strip him of his dukedom..."
He had the Knight Commander gag Dirk, preventing him from making a sound, and then continued:
"Execute him immediately."
Isaiah smiled and said:
"Where is that human?"
He glanced in Charlotte's direction: "What a pitiful human."
Although his words were full of regret, his voice was remarkably calm.
Nergard didn't think a Lord Insect could have anything to do with humans.
He felt that Isaiah was deliberately using this human to disgust him.
Even though he loathed Charlotte for stirring up all the trouble, he had no choice but to grit his teeth and say:
"Charlotte...inherits the dukedom of Dirk and all his lands."
Upon hearing the emperor's reply, Isaiah changed the subject:
"Our king is the most fair and just, and he abides by the rules."
"If the King heard about how the human empire dealt with criminals according to the law today, he would be very happy."
When Wang Shi was mentioned, the smile in his eyes suddenly became genuine.
He couldn't wait to see the king, to hear the king's voice, and to feel the king's presence.
Am I hearing things?
What did he say about the insect queen? Fairness and justice? Following the rules?
[Is this the Queen Insect?!?!]
[We know the Zerg are fanatical about their Queen, but isn't this Zerg Overlord's idolization a bit too much?]
However, on the other hand, what the Zerg Overlord did today within the human Empire was indeed very law-abiding and compliant.
If it weren't for him, Duke Decker would definitely have manipulated things to ensure Charlotte's appeal failed.
[Yes, yes, and the Zerg lords came to the human empire, yet they didn't kill anyone or steal anything!!]
He barely tidied up the courtroom.
What should I do if I suddenly feel a little touched...?
Looking at it this way, the Zerg don't seem so scary after all.
Furthermore, the "Zerg Queen" mentioned by the Zerg Overlord might not be a Zerg-centric perspective.
I heard recently that even after the Queen Insects shortchanged the Darkrock Clan on the amount of Dumb Stones they provided, she didn't wipe out the Darkrock Clan; she simply took the compensation stipulated in the contract and left!
[I heard about it too! I thought the Darkrock Clan was doomed, but I didn't expect the Queen to actually spare them!]
[That's not all! I've heard that since the Zerg Queen appeared, they haven't raided other planets; everything they have is bought with star coins!]
I even heard from the Darkrock Clan that the Zerg are doing very well under the Queen's rule!
[9-to-5 workdays, two hours on, one hour off, and there's even a dedicated amusement park!]
[Furthermore, the queen insect will provide free medical treatment to all insects!]
Why am I suddenly a little envious...?
[Envy +1]
[Envy +2]
...
[Envy +12333]
-----------------------
Author's Note: Ai Ying: Obey the Law (JPG)
Mwah, all my darlings, I love you all so much!!
Today's red envelopes are random!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
