Chapter 22 Murder Trial
Chapter 22
22.1
When the old gambler Pushin White cried out, "It's none of my business! It's the Duke and Duchess of Ebrard! They bribed me with money to accuse Euridice Aquitus!"
The Judgment Square in the city of Oplunsi was in an uproar!
Old Poussin was still desperately trying to clear himself of the charges and responsibility: "I really didn't know the suitcase was perjury... It was the Duchess who said Euridice Aquitus killed Anne and put her in the suitcase and threw her into the river. The Duchess said so, and I just believed it. Your Honor, this was not my plan! How could I question the Duchess's words? I thought it was all true!"
Duke and Duchess Abrad had already stood up, as if about to say something, but Euridsi raised his hand first and said firmly, "Everything is clear now!"
As she spoke, she pointed suddenly at old Pushin White, who was now under the control of the Knights. "Pushin White wanted to sell Anne's engagement to repay his gambling debts. Anne, to escape all this, quietly left Oplunsi. With Anne gone, Pushin White can't repay his debts, and this gives the Duke and Duchess of Abrad an opportunity to frame me!"
Oledsi spoke firmly, turning to the Duke and Duchess of Abrad. She pointed a finger directly at them.
"To frame me, the Duke and Duchess bribed Pushin White, using the Abrad family's finances to pay off his debts in exchange for him falsely accusing me of murdering Anne. However, they knew that according to the Hydebot Laws, accusations without evidence constituted defamation. That's why they took the suitcase with my name on it and fabricated this so-called 'evidence' using animal blood!"
Lady Beatrice's face was ashen, and Duke Abrad's chest was heaving with rage, but they could not say anything:
The suitcase with the word "E·A" on it, which was once used to incriminate Olidisi, has now become Olidisi's weapon to attack them.
Euridice shouted, "There's the incense offerings from Anne, the forged suitcases made with animal blood, the gambling den owner's evidence—the money the Abrad family used to bribe Pushin White is still there—and Pushin White himself has confessed his guilt. Lucé Abrad, Beatrice Caragaran, what else do you have to say!"
By the time Euridice finished speaking, Judge Adelaide could no longer hear clearly. This was because the people in the Judgment Square had already erupted in increasingly loud shouts.
"The Duke and Duchess fabricated evidence!"
"They bribed witnesses and framed good people!"
"This isn't a trial, this is murder!"
Judge Adelaide tried to shout "Quiet!" amid the chaos.
However, this could no longer control the noise in the square; people had fallen into a mood of anger and fanaticism, like a pile of hay that suddenly caught fire in the hot season, suddenly bursting into flames that shot up into the sky.
Those near the judgment seat began to jostle violently. Some tried to pounce on Pushin White, but were stopped by the Knights. Some excitedly took off their hats and threw them at the judgment seat. Some believers in God turned and ran to the temple: "They should atone their sins to the great god Themis!"
Of course, in such an excited crowd, some people remained calm; Judge Adelaide saw a businessman pulling her husband away quietly from the crowd, an old man leaning on a cane and shaking his head, and a believer looking up at the statue of the goddess with a hesitant expression on his face.
It's not that no one doubted Euridsi's words, however, this cautious crowd remained relatively silent and did not make a sound, while the angry crowd had completely taken over the atmosphere of the Judgment Square.
Judge Adelaide had been through many trials and could see that:
Olidisi deliberately guided all this.
All she had to do was use the citizens' anger towards the Duke and Duchess to achieve the punishment she desired.
However, even though she knew of Oulidesi's intentions, Judge Adelaide had no other choice. Under the gaze of the crowd in the square, she could only say to Oulidesi, "You wish to sue the Duke and Duchess of Ebrard. What is your request?"
And Oulidisi stood on the trial stand, looking at Adelaide, and finally a smile appeared at the corner of his lips.
"According to the Hydebot Code," she said, "when a noble commits a crime, he receives the same punishment as a commoner."
Her voice was not loud, but every word she said was heard throughout the square. People pricked up their ears to listen to the punishment that Euridsi was going to impose on Duke Ebrard.
"If nobles use their power to oppress and exploit innocent citizens," Euridice said, "then, according to the Hydebot Code, the criminal nobles will be the first to be stripped of their titles and power."
At some point, the dark clouds over the Judgment Square gradually dissipated, and a little sunlight shone through the clouds; the sunlight enveloped Duke and Duchess Ebrard, and some fine sweat seeped out of the Duke's forehead.
Euridsi stood in the center of the judgment seat, in the huge shadow of the statue of Themis, his eyes as calm and ruthless as the statue's.
She placed her right hand on her left shoulder and knelt solemnly on one knee.
"Your Excellency, Judge Adelaide," said Oridesi, "I request that the Oprunsi Knights report the case of Pushin White to His Majesty the Supreme King, strip Luce Abrad and Beatrice Karagaran of their titles, and have Lorenz Abrad succeed him as the new Duke of Abrad!"
22.2
When Euridsi said "deprivation of the title", Judge Adelaide's breathing paused slightly.
There was a moment of silence in the Judgment Square; however, the next moment, a huge discussion suddenly exploded.
"Deprived, what do you mean? Does it mean that the Duke and Duchess of Abrad will become commoners?"
"What does she mean by making Lorenz Ebrard the new Duke of Ebrard?"
"Lorenz, he's only in his twenties. How can we make him a duke?"
Some people expressed hesitation about Euridsi's proposal. However, when the name "Lorenz" was mentioned, someone suddenly spoke softly, "Mr. Lorenz... is a good man."
The person who spoke was an old lady wearing a leather apron, and many people turned their heads to look at her.
The old lady pursed her lips and whispered, "My family makes spices. One time, Lord Lorenz rode past my house. Perhaps the smell of the spices hit the horse, and it kicked and damaged the shed in front of my house. Do you know what he did, Lord Lorenz?"
The spice maker sighed as she spoke. "I thought he'd get angry like the other nobles, and I was petrified. But he not only apologized on the spot and compensated me with a silver coin, but he also helped me rebuild the shed while on leave from the Knights."
"That's exactly what he would do!" another woman suddenly interrupted. "You know, the city's sewers were clogged, dirty and smelly, and no one wanted to clean them. So Mr. Lorenz came and cleaned them himself with a shovel. I even gave him a glass of water."
One person said it, then two, and gradually someone whispered, "That's true. I know he buys quills for all the new kids at the academy—my kid got one."
"So, he delivered firewood to our neighbor's old man during that winter."
"Hey, did you get it too? We did too. He also told us not to tell anyone."
"Sir Lorenz, he is really a good man."
In another corner, a hunchbacked old man snorted coldly, "What good people? I don't believe the Abrad family's lies at all."
The crowd fell silent for a moment, their eyes turning to the old man. The old man curled his lips in disdain, "When I was young, I sold bread at the market. That year, the Abrad family's carriage passed by at such a high speed that it knocked my entire bread stall over."
The old man spat on the ground as he spoke. "Apologize? Compensate? The coachman yelled at me, saying, 'You disturbed the Abrad family's carriage.' Who disturbed whom?"
However, someone said, "That must be Duke Luce Abrad... Sir Lorenz, I have never seen him ride in the Abrad family's carriage."
"I agree. What good people are there in the Abrad family?" a middle-aged man said in a low voice. "Duke Abrad, in order to hunt rare prey for himself, demanded that the villagers south of Oplunsi City not go hunting for an entire month. The hunters who relied on hunting for a living were almost starving to death!"
Someone couldn't help but retort, "That happened ten years ago. At that time, Mr. Lorenz was still an apprentice at the academy. What does this have to do with Mr. Lorenz?"
"Rather than the whole 'Ebrard Family' thing, it's just that Duke Luce Ebrard is such a disgusting person."
"That's right! He has no idea about the housing needs of Chimera orcs and Centaurs. He even insisted on dictating to us how to build our house, forcing us to build it according to his ideas. In the end, it was a complete mess. And he just walked away."
"The Duchess is terrible too. She was walking around the market one day, and I didn't recognize her, so she insisted I get down on one knee and bow to her. The way her eyes are on the top of her head makes me want to punch her."
"If Oplenci must have a 'Duke of Ebrard', then, in my opinion, Lorenz Ebrard is at least much better than Luce Ebrard!"
People in the square nodded, and the vast majority agreed with this statement.
"I think it's good that Lorenz becomes the Duke of Ebrard."
"Anyone is better than Luce Abrad and Beatrice Caragaran. I've had enough of those two."
"Your Majesty, please strip them of their titles!"
“This is justice!”
"Yes, this is justice!"
The voices supporting Lorenz and opposing Luce became more frequent and louder. On the trial stand, Beatrice Karagaran's face turned pale, and Duke Luce Ebrard could no longer maintain his composure.
"So this is your purpose!" said the Duke.
He looked coldly at Euridice, who stood at the center of the judgement platform. "Euridice Aquitas, you claim to demand 'fairness' and 'justice,' but ultimately, all you're after is the throne of the 'Duchess!'"
Duke Ebrard looked dignified, his eyes fixed on Euridsi, and he said firmly, "All of this is for your own selfish reasons. You just want Lorenz to inherit the title of Duke and you to become the new Duchess."
He frowned in disgust as he spoke: "You used this trial to achieve your own selfish goals. How shameful!"
Duke Abrad's words brought a brief silence to the square, and after the silence, there was another burst of commotion.
"He has a point..."
"If Lorenz becomes the Duke of Ebrard, then wouldn't Euridice Aquitas be the new Duchess?"
"Is all this a power struggle within the Abrad family?"
The crowd began to waver again, and people looked at Oulidsi with complicated expressions.
But Oulidsi showed no sign of panic.
She just stood up slowly, with the corners of her lips slightly raised, giving Luce Abrad and Beatrice Karagaran a mocking smile.
She ignored them and turned to face the citizens of the entire Judgment Square.
She said, "Citizens of Oplenci!"
The noisy sounds in the square stopped slightly, and the clouds in the sky retreated at some point, and the golden sunlight once again enveloped the Judgment Square.
Olidisi looked at the dazzling sunlight in the sky and smiled slightly.
"In the presence of the fair and just goddess Themis," she said, "in the presence of the citizens of Oprunsi, I solemnly swear to the statue of the goddess Themis—"
As she spoke, she shook her sleeves vigorously.
"I, Euridice Arquitas, hereby dissolve my engagement with Lorenz Ebrard! I wish to become a free citizen of the Ethereal Continent. I will never become the 'Duchess' of the Ebrard family!"
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