Freedom's Heart

Chapter 30

"The trail of lady Angelina Lamonia, the firstborn daughter of house Lamonia, S Rank Adventure, and betrothed to the crown prince Marshall Malone, will now begin. , you stand accused of treason by feeding the Great Eastern Empire classified information. How do you plead?"

In the royal castle's largest hall, there is typically the sound of laughter and music as people partied into the night. Today, however, is far from those happier scenes. Instead of dancing, there is me, kneeling and in chains as my trail begins. In the place of music, all I can hear is people calling for my head.

"Not guilty,"

Everyone stares at me. Most of them already think I am guilty. Or they will do everything in their power to ensure I am found guilty. They cast glances and exchange nods with one another.

"Foolish girl,"

As it turns out, my grandfather is the prosecutor in my case. He shakes his head and smirks to himself. The only person who doesn't seem to be against me is the king, who today will be my judge, jury and, if things go badly, my executioner. At least the king is giving me a sympathetic look.

"Very well. We will do this the hard way," The speaker who stands next to the king has already found me guilty. He glares at me before turning to my grandfather. "The prosecution will now make its case."

"This won't take long," My grandfather slowly gets up from his chair and walks over to a table to the room's left. "These documents contain troop potions and defence plans along our kingdom's border with the Great Eastern Empire. They were found in my granddaughter's room at the Royal Magical Academy. We also have testimony from a spy from the said empire. According to the spy, he was to meet with my granddaughter and buy these documents for a hefty sum."

Looking at the statement for a minute, my grandfather looks at me with a smile that reeks of victory. With only a moment's pause, he begins to read out whatever has been written.

"The captured spies exact words upon confessing are," Taking a deep breath before he continued. "I was to meet with a contact on the grounds of the Royal Magical Academy at midnight. I do not know her identity, only that they were a female first-year student. Upon obtaining the documents, I was to kill the contact to cover my tracks."

He puts down the statement and reaches for a knife.

"This dagger was found on the spy," He held up a small-looking weapon that didn't look deadly. "At the time we arrested the spy, the blade was coated in poison."

Putting the dagger down, my grandfather returns to his seat as the crowd starts screaming.

"Guilty!"

"Don't waste our time with this traitor!"

"Off with her head!"

It's clear the crowd is only here for blood. They howl and scream for my death, but the king silences them with a wave of his hand.

"We are a kingdom and people with law and order. We are bound by these laws for the good of all," The king tells the rowdy crowd. "Speaker, please continue."

"Yes, your highness," The speaker bows before glaring at me. "Lady Lamonia. Present whatever feeble excuse you have to defend your actions."

This really is a setup. Witnesses aren't allowed to testify in court in this world. Instead, they write statements that are present to the court. On paper, it is said this is to avoid nobles intimidating the lower classes during the trial. Still, in reality, it only serves to allow the nobles to corrupt the trials. For instance, the witness statements my friends gave have mysteriously vanished. I glance at the empty table where they should be.