C46
This is what Robbie said.
Last night, the butler's son, Joshua, suffered a sudden attack. Perhaps the consequences of the drastically changed environment had finally arrived.
Fortunately, the doctor who quickly visited him administered a sedative, so there was no major problem for Joshua.
The problem was that due to the shock, Cassius, who was searching for the head butler with wide-open eyes, sensed the situation.
"If I had known this would happen, I would have let the head butler stay in the villa!"
No, it was not the time to lament the past. At that moment, the best thing for the butler was to stay close to a general hospital for Joshua's outpatient treatment.
Action must be taken. How are we going to do it? Can the trial proceed without a head butler?
After thinking for a moment, I quickly shook my head. The butler's testimony was crucial to winning the trial.
Should we postpone the trial? No.
This trial took place with the emperor's intervention. It was unclear whether a postponement would be possible because the witness did not appear.
"More than anything, now is the best time."
So, there's only one answer.
"In Sharon! Could you please postpone the turn of the head butler?"
"Oh yes. It seems possible by adjusting the order. However... Until then, I think our team will be at a certain disadvantage."
"It can't be helped. Can you make Laura's testimony as long as possible?"
"Yes! Just leave it to me!"
"I'll also take my time to answer the questions. Well, I'm likely to be extensively questioned by Cassius's lawyer."
Next was the matter of the butler. Terence spoke first with me, who was hesitating because it was a very uncomfortable situation.
"I'll go see."
"Are you sure you don't mind?"
"Sure. For them, the butler is not a sinner. Rather, he is a superior to be accompanied. It's not so difficult to bring him as long as he's not detained in Cassius Mansion."
Robbie vigorously nodded.
"When I saw him, he was arguing with Cassius's people in front of the lodging."
"After Jack catches their attention, I'll sneak him out."
"Me?"
Terence, who easily ignored Jack's question, looked at me while winking.
"Don't worry. I'll make it in time to not waste my hard-earned right to attend."
"Thank you very much. And please."
"I'll make sure to live up to your expectations."
Then he left. Unfortunately, I wasn't allowed the luxury of looking at the back of someone who was willing to work hard for me for a long time.
"It's time for the trial to begin."
I had my own fight.
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The second court of the Central Court of the Asteroth Empire.
The place was louder than ever with the sound of people talking, filling almost all 200 audience seats.
Among the audience, the most conspicuous beings were, by far, the members of the Cassius family sitting in the first row.
Thanks to a privilege granted only to a few noble families of the empire, they can attend the trial without a draw and sit wherever they want.
People looked at them, as they were great nobles and always the center of attention.
"Are those people from the Cassius family?"
"As I heard, everyone in their family is very handsome."
However, their faces, which were always confident and relaxed in front of others, looked somewhat dark today.
"Did I hear that the eldest son forced his wife to come?"
"Shh, don't speak loudly. If you talk carelessly about Cassius, you'll be in trouble."
It was because of the whispers towards them.
"But is that rumor true? When I read the newspaper, it seemed like they really loved each other, and that's why they got married."
"My friend said he saw it in person at the restaurant. The young duchess was beaten by her mother. But you know what's even more surprising? They say the one who brought that woman was her husband."
"Really? Could it be on purpose...?"
"Well, if he were a decent person, he wouldn't have done it."
"Anyway, I feel sorry for the young lady. Seeing what happened today, she seems like a good person."
"I thought she had no heart because I only heard rumors."
A few days ago, the rumor that Ethel had planted through the information guild was finally bearing fruit.
A person's perception does not change easily once it has formed, but it also has the property of reversing when the right opportunity arises.
This time, my good deed of finding the ambassador's daughter was the trigger.
Of course, as Liena had worked so hard over the years, there were many who believed in Cassius's innocence and had no doubts about it.
However, except for a very small number of people, all had the misfortune of losing the lottery and never entering the courtroom.
The audience here was divided between opinions, "Still..." and "it's quite suspicious."
I ordered my thoughts as I listened to the audience's whispers. Not bad.
People tend to be drawn to newer and more interesting information.
Currently, the topic that attracts them the most is the news about Diana's return, which I intentionally revealed today.
"The goal was to prevent Liena from responding immediately."
I made eye contact with the person in the audience who was looking at me passionately.
Liena Cassius, aren't you thinking in your head right now? "How could she find the ambassador's daughter?"
Considering the fact that humans often understand others based on themselves, there is a possibility that she suspects I am a returner just like her.
"She's thinking too much about it."
If possible, I hope she is so focused on that that she doesn't even care about her older brother's divorce.
Anyway, after I leave the empire, Liena's concerns will naturally be resolved.
"The trial will begin soon. Please remain silent during the trial."
The judges appeared shortly after the announcement from the court's security officer.
The judge sitting in the center of the tribunal table struck the gavel, bang, bang, bang.
"As of now, the trial of 654HFD11, the divorce case, will begin."
Then, the time passed for the judge to confirm the attendance of Leandro and me, the parties involved, and the lawyers representing us.
"Tell me first about the claims in the complaint filed by the plaintiff."
"Respected jury, the plaintiff entered into marriage two years ago, on April 13th of the year 652, Imperial Calendar, before our main goddess, Miella, vowing to do their best for each other."
Sharon stood up with full confidence and began to display her eloquence as if she had never been nervous before.
"However, after that, the defendant ignored the plaintiff's repeated desires to spend time together, avoided efforts to continue a normal married life with the excuse of being busy, and neglected the situation in which the plaintiff was being treated unfairly at home, even though he was aware of it."
She spoke passionately, tapping her fingers on the documents she held.
"The plaintiff wanted to maintain the marriage until the end, but instead of truly repenting for his mistakes, the accused made excuses and continued threatening behaviors such as investigating the plaintiff and following her, which made the plaintiff feel anxious."
It was quite a spectacle to see Leandro twisting his facial muscles in frustration.
"The plaintiff decided that the basic trust between the accused and the couple had been broken, and they could no longer remain married. Consequently, I request the divorce based on Article 408, Paragraph 5 of the Civil Law. However, as the plaintiff's mind and body are very exhausted due to the tough life she has had, she does not request any alimony or division of property and only hopes for a quick divorce."
The audience was in an uproar. Due to my distorted image in the media, many people assumed I was doing it for money.
Since I can't spend Cassius's money as I please, they believe I'm planning to divorce and take a portion of it.
Even if you didn't think that way, giving up all financial gain was surprising. How many people hate money?
"I don't hate it either. I really like it, but...."
Sometimes you have to give up small things for a bigger goal.
Compared to the wealth that will be obtained from the abandoned Andala mine, this is peanuts!
"Plaintiff, is it true?"
The judge must have been surprised and took the time to confirm it with me.
I nodded calmly.
"If I can get divorced, I don't need anything else."
The tone is decisive, but internally, there is a tired and sad attitude. I needed to evoke sympathy from the audience.
To prepare for this, I adjusted my diet a few days in advance, lost weight, and applied makeup to look sick.
I could feel that the public's gaze had become more favorable. Indeed, simply saying that I would give up the money was only half the truth.
The judge asked if I had anything else to add and then moved on to the next step.
"Defendant, respond to the plaintiff's claims."
Leandro's lawyer, who had an extremely stern look, spoke with a voice equal to his.
"Your Honor, the accused only has one position. It's unjust. The defendant's guilt, as claimed by the plaintiff, is a misunderstanding resulting from a difference in perception or an unavoidable situation due to inevitable circumstances."
That man's name is Farrell.
As Cassius's legal director, he has been in charge of various legal disputes.
Before Elliot Rudd, a tactical and versatile genius, appeared, he was the most talented person in the legal field in Cassius, which had many consulting lawyers.
"In 652, almost immediately after marriage, the accused took on the task of managing the family territory on behalf of his father, who was the lord. It is a duty he must fulfill as the family successor, and neglecting it means giving up the successor position that the accused has had since birth and has maintained through desperate efforts."
Indeed, in the novel, that man stands out more for his striking treatment towards Liena than for his defensive skills. I didn't know that even such a rational and sensible person would be defenseless against Liena's killer tenderness.
"The accused tried to protect his family even while leading a busy life where he couldn't eat on time due to the heavy workload he took on initially. He paid his wife, the plaintiff, a huge amount of personal allowance, gave her expensive items, and supported the plaintiff's family in financial difficulties."
Anyway, he really liked Liena so much that he was a likable character at that time.
"Of course, it is true that the time couples spend together is absolutely insufficient due to the limited time. However, understand that even that short period of time was barely granted to the accused, who had none."
It really was like that....
"Unfortunately, the plaintiff, who celebrated a lifelong contract as a life companion, did not consider the defendant's circumstances at all. She made unreasonable demands such as receiving unconditional time and repeatedly ignored her in-laws and domestic employees who approached her first in an attempt to establish a friendly relationship."
Bastard, when did I do that?