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Chapter 48
“Plaintiff Zigmunt Esclide, please begin your statement against defendant Caesar Ashilonia.”
The judge presiding over today’s trial was renowned for his fairness—so much so that even the emperor trusted him.
Given the public attention on this case, the emperor insisted that no tricks or deceit be tolerated.
“Yes, we will begin the statement.”
Standing in Zigmunt’s place was Dain, who would serve as Esclide’s representative for the trial.
Having been briefed by Rundwell, Dain detailed, in painful depth, how Ashilonia had abused Maybel over the past eight years.
The stories were so sorrowful and horrifying that even the jurors could not hide their gasps.
Zigmunt and Kellic were anxious, fearing that the testimony might inflict further pain on Maybel.
Yet Maybel remained calm, quietly watching Caesar alone.
Her composed demeanor only amplified the sympathy of those present.
“…Therefore, we petition for the revocation of parental rights of Maybel Ashilonia.”
Once Dain returned to his seat, the judge turned to the Ashilonia side.
“You have submitted a counterclaim. Please proceed with your statement.”
Ashilonia’s counterclaim began.
Though long, its conclusion was simple.
“This is a matter within the family. Interfering without permission and abducting the child, the rightful heir, constitutes a serious offense on the part of the Esclide Duke House.”
In other words, third parties should stay out.
Logically, the Ashilonia lawyer’s argument made perfect sense.
No matter how much Maybel had been abused, as long as Caesar was her biological father, the Esclide Duke House had little chance of winning—unless some unusual variable occurred.
“Your Honor, please review this video.”
Finally, it was Kellic’s turn.
Holding tightly the basket of magic stones he had brought, Kellic stared at the white wall.
For a moment, his eyes glimmered faintly, and the events he had witnessed that day began to play out vividly like moving pictures before the audience.
“First, Caesar Ashilonia attempted to mark Kellic Crimsonzo, an official disciple of the Esclide Duke House, with a seal of subjugation.”
“Objection!”
The Ashilonia lawyer immediately interjected.
“It is irrelevant. A master marking a masterless beastman is not a problem.”
In the Greenhurst Empire, beastmen were not considered legal persons.
Therefore, they could not be considered parties in the trial.
“Agreed.”
This part was dismissed without difficulty.
However, the mention itself was intentional—to publicly show that Kellic was not merely any beastman, but someone recognized by the Duke House.
“Cheh.”
Kellic muttered in discontent at being excluded from the trial.
Maybel held his hand firmly. Regardless of society’s perception, Kellic was a person in her eyes.
Dain continued.
“But marking a human being is problematic. As you can see in the video, the head of the Ashilonia House attempted to commit atrocities against his own daughter, Maybel Ashilonia.”
The judge’s expression shifted slightly.
Even the experienced judge felt nauseated at Caesar’s extreme cruelty.
“Is it true that the seal was altered?”
The state had strict rules regarding seals, so modifying one constituted a serious crime.
“Yes. Here is the seal Kellic Crimsonzo retrieved from the scene.”
When Dain submitted the evidence, the Ashilonia lawyer interjected.
“Even if that is true, the events in the video were merely for disciplinary display, and we cannot confirm if the seal would have had any effect if actually applied—!”
“So the Ashilonia lawyer admits that the video broadcast by the red fox beastman is true?”
“……!”
The lawyer, flustered, turned pale.
Caesar’s gaze, which had been indifferent, darkened as he realized Kellic’s video evidence had indeed been prepared.
“Useless words…”
“Apologies,” stammered the lawyer, voice trembling.
Tsk, Caesar clicked his tongue and stood up.
“However, in the end, nothing happened. Neither the red fox beastman nor my daughter was marked.”
His audacious words made the jury murmur, yet logically, he was correct.
Knowing this, Caesar maintained his arrogant demeanor.
“I admit purchasing an illegally modified seal, but that is all. Everything else occurred within the family. On the contrary, interfering like this is an overreach by the Duke House.”
With that, Caesar concluded his counterclaim, even threatening to sue Esclide for defamation.
Some jurors sided with Caesar—clearly swayed by him.
The judge grew troubled.
Indeed, Caesar had committed offenses, but did they justify revoking parental rights? Not exactly.
Yet he could not ignore the publicly revealed evidence of abuse.
To revoke parental rights, the parents would first have to divorce.
As the judge prepared to call a recess, Dain intervened.
“Your Honor, I would like to submit an additional petition.”
Dain pulled something from his coat with confidence, as if ready to end the trial immediately.
“What is that?”
If it required review, a recess would have been necessary.
But Dain seemed certain he could conclude the trial now.
Handing the petition to the judge, he turned to Caesar.
“This is a petition to revoke parental rights, written by Maybel’s biological mother, Duchess Sophia Ashilonia.”
A few days earlier, Zigmunt had returned to check on Maybel.
“You called, Master?”
Peeking through the door, Maybel now had only a small bandage on her hand.
Her recovery was remarkable.
Thanks to it, the wounds of both Maybel and Kellic healed quickly—but Aselt had fallen ill from a combination of sleeping outdoors and enduring Zigmunt’s scolding.
“Sorry for calling you while helping Aselt.”
“No, it’s fine.”
Maybel had just been feeding Aselt some porridge.
Zigmunt spoke directly to her.
“Maybel, if we win this trial, you will probably be able to choose where you live from now on.”
Maybel nodded obediently.
This meant she wouldn’t have to return to Ashilonia.
She had already shown great interest in preparing for the trial.
“However, we’ve detected Caesar trying to sway public opinion.”
“Sway public opinion?”
“Yes. Likely to push the idea that family matters should be settled internally, which would work against us.”
Currently, Caesar was restricted from approaching due to abuse charges, but this was not a full prohibition.
He was moving quickly to influence jurors.
“So we need a strong card to counter that public opinion.”
“A strong card…”
“So, Maybel,”
Zigmunt carefully gauged her expression before speaking.
“If you’re okay with it, we could try persuading Sophia to serve as our witness.”
“Mother?”
Maybel’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Of course, your decision is the most important. If you don’t want to, we won’t do it.”
Zigmunt quickly added.
Maybel had known where Sophia was but had avoided her from the start—perhaps resolved to sever the parent-child bond entirely.
Or perhaps she was too frightened to even attempt seeing her.
– Maybel… even while near death, called Duke Ashilonia ‘Dad’.
If Maybel, starved for affection, feared being abandoned again by her mother, she would not approach her.
Thinking this through after hearing Aselt’s words, Zigmunt realized Maybel consistently called Sophia “Mother,” despite Sophia’s role in her tragic upbringing.
If Maybel is afraid of being abandoned again, we cannot force this method.
Yet…
“Then what if we do it this way instead?”
“Hm?”
“Mother has vanished, avoiding both Dad and Master, right?”
“Right…”
“But if I know where she is, this becomes a weakness for her instead!”
Maybel’s eyes sparkled with excitement at the idea.
Caught off guard, Zigmunt felt slightly flustered.
Hmm? This isn’t what I expected…
