Clarissa took the witness stand and told everything.

  She spoke of how the Kairos family had massacred the king and all the nobles of Trisha, sparing no one.

  The revelation was so shocking that the entire Grand Courtroom fell deathly silent, as though everyone had forgotten how to breathe.

  “I have here the official notice of retaliation from that time. As you all know, our kingdom legally recognizes the right of retaliation. It is a formalization of the ancient custom of duels between knightly houses. When both parties consent, it is treated as a private duel, and there are no restrictions on the method used. In this case the conflict took the form of a war with another nation, so interpretation may vary, but the previous king’s death falls within the scope of legitimate retaliation and therefore cannot be charged as murder.”

  For the first time, murmurs rippled through the gallery.

  “Order, please. Defendant, did you participate in the murder of the King of Trisha eighteen years ago?”

  Alexios stared at the floor for a long moment.

  Then he suddenly burst out laughing.

  “Heh heh heh… hahahaha… Since I’m getting the death penalty anyway, I’ll tell you… I was there too. My brother and I slaughtered them all. You married the man who killed your family and slept with him… Heh heh… ugh… aaah…”

  Clarissa glared at him.

  Her face twisted with rage, grief, and humiliation; tears spilled down her cheeks.

  “Tell us exactly what happened.”

  “After the treaty was signed, during the evening banquet, the Kairos family and the Trisha royal family were discussing how to divide the insurance profits. My father demanded half. The Trisha side refused, saying it would ruin their business. When my father pressed them to hand over the business, the King of Trisha insulted him.”

  “Do you remember what he said?”

  “He declared that a man who understood neither honor nor reason had no right to run such a business. That was when Father flew into a rage and cut the king down. After that there was no stopping it. We killed everyone in the mansion. We ordered the guards to clean up the bodies, then told those same guards to take the royal ship out for some fun. We served them wine laced with poison berries and killed them all. Finally we piled the bodies from the mansion onto the ship and set the whole thing ablaze.”

  No one in the courtroom had ever heard this story.

  “Afterward, Father publicly announced that the Trisha nobility had been banished. That’s everything…”

  Everyone frowned.

  Victorias asked Alexios directly.

  “Why did you kill the two princes and attempt to assassinate the princess?”

  “That woman killed my brother for me and gave me the resolve I needed. If I killed three more, the throne would be mine. That’s all.”

  Victorias said nothing.

  He simply motioned for the examiner to continue.

  “Defendant, stand.”

  Alexios could not stand.

  Guards seized his arms and hauled him upright.

  His arm was already black from the elbow down; soon the flesh below would rot and fall away. The tips of the radius and ulna were already exposed.

  “The defendant has confessed to the murders of Prince Herakleitos and Prince Miredias IV, as well as the attempted murder of Her Highness Princess Anastasia.”

  “I will now pronounce sentence.”

  Victorias’s voice rang out.

  Everyone connected to the case rose to their feet.

  “Defendant Kairos Alexios, for the crimes of murder and attempted murder, I sentence you to death. The execution shall be carried out tomorrow morning.”

  At that moment, a voice spoke from the far corner of the gallery where people were standing.

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  “Your Honor, may I say one word?”

  Every eye in the Grand Courtroom turned to the speaker.

  It was a woman with her hair neatly arranged and wearing unfamiliar clothing.

  “Your Majesty…”

  Victorias blurted out.

  Gasps of astonishment rose from the gallery.

  “Could everyone please let me through?”

  At her gentle request, a narrow path opened through the crowd.

  Anastasia walked to the front of the judge’s bench and bowed to Victorias.

  “I believe the Chief Justice’s ruling is perfectly fair. However, I would like to add something. Please forgive me for interrupting the proceedings.”

  Victorias motioned for her to continue.

  “This man has already accepted the death penalty. Therefore, death is no longer a punishment for him. I believe he should be banished while still alive. I hereby declare, using my royal authority, that the Kairos family’s titles, territories, and all assets will be confiscated.”

  A wave of shocked murmurs swept the courtroom.

  The new queen of the Kairos royal house had just announced the complete destruction of the Kairos royal house.

  Anastasia looked straight at Alexios.

  He was so stunned he seemed unable to comprehend what was happening.

  “You should reflect carefully on how blessed an environment you have lived in until now. With the position you held, there were countless things you could have achieved. Yet you chose not to. You used that power only for your own selfish desires. How many people suffered and grieved because of you? How many had their pride trampled, lost those they loved, and still swallowed their tears for the sake of others?”

  Anastasia paused, then continued.

  “You never cared about any of them. To you, the death penalty would have been a mercy. I have decided to take even that away from you. Until your arm heals, I will see that you are cared for. After that, I will release you into the wild. Learn what people truly think. Try living completely alone. Learn the lives of those without power. And if, in the midst of that, you grow so desperate that you no longer wish to live, then end your life in the most miserable way possible. That is the punishment I, as your niece, give to my uncle.”

  Silence blanketed the Grand Courtroom.

  “The queen has issued her verdict. Kairos Alexios shall receive treatment for his arm and then be banished. This concludes the case.”

  An uproar of astonishment erupted throughout the courtroom.

  Eidonius had been sitting in the gallery and had heard every word.

  He could not hide his shock at having been involved in such an enormous incident, yet he also felt a strange sense of pride that he had played a part in resolving it.

  He might have been grinning as he pushed through the still-excited crowd and stepped outside.

  The news that the Kairos royal house had come to an end spread in an instant from one corner of the Grand Courtroom to the streets surrounding the courthouse, astonishing everyone.

  The outrageous crimes of the former royal family spread across the capital that very day. Voices rose in approval of the new queen’s verdict.

  A former member of the royal family had lost all status and wealth and would be cast out with nothing but the clothes on his back.

  It was obvious what treatment he would receive from the people.

  How much easier death would have been—anyone could imagine it.

  The broadsheets had no time to print special editions; the information spread so fast that detailed reports of the trial appeared days later.

  Most commentators praised Queen Anastasia’s ruthless yet just verdict.

  Immediately after the trial ended, Anastasia issued an official decree confiscating the Kairos family’s titles, lands, and assets. Chief Justice Victorias dispatched two hundred Justice Department guards and auditors to the Kairos mansion to seize everything.

  The minor children of the Kairos family were to be treated with care and, if necessary, placed in orphanages.

  Children bore no sin.

  At the same time, judgment was passed on House Valerius.

  In Victorias’s presence, Clarissa was informed:

  House Valerius would have its titles, territories, and family name confiscated. All assets within the territory would be placed under royal custody.

  The reason given was that the exercise of the right of retaliation had exceeded the bounds of a private duel.

  However, assets outside the former Valerius territory would be left untouched, and Clarissa was free to adopt any surname she wished.

  Clarissa collapsed to the floor in tears.

  The life of endless hatred and self-destruction had finally ended.

  She cried like a child.

  Anastasia could find no words; she simply held Clarissa’s shoulders.

  “Lady Clarissa, may I ask you to summon Prince Critias here?”

  Clarissa looked up at Anastasia in surprise, her eyes swollen from crying.

  A short while later, Critias appeared at the palace and was shown into the audience chamber.

  He was a young man of twenty-three.

  Born as the seventh prince, he had lost his parents at five years old, studied on his own, and entered the Aristera Academy of Magic. Later he had been permitted to join Lunafrea’s Moon Shadow Laboratory and had been sent to Luciana’s mansion as a bodyguard.

  Lunafrea only learned of this afterward.

  While working for the Moon Shadow, he had also been working for Clarissa.

  It was he who had taken leave, traveled to the empire, and negotiated with the emperor.

  Anastasia offered Critias reconciliation.

  Trisha had already declined too far to function as an independent nation, so restarting from the treaty signed eighteen years earlier was impossible.

  “I would like to welcome you into the kingdom as a marquis—though the process will be simplified. If you accept, I will return Trisha to you. I offer my deepest apologies for all the suffering inflicted upon you. Please forgive us.”

  Anastasia bowed her head to Critias.

  Critias and Clarissa embraced each other, tears streaming down their faces.

  Their entire lives had been spent trying to reclaim what had been stolen.

  “I accept your apology.”

  Critias wiped his tears and spoke.

  Thus the new House Atwalt Marquisate was born. The following day, Queen Anastasia transferred the territorial rights of Trisha to House Atwalt, and the Justice Department made the proclamation public.

  Clarissa took the name Atwalt. Together, House Atwalt and House Aelius jointly established the Trisha Insurance Fund.

  Later, an anonymous donation of one hundred gold ingots—two hundred ryo each—was made to the Trisha Insurance Fund.

  The Tsukiyama Company of Ternova had transported them into Trisha.

  The Tsukiyama Company then filed notice to open an insurance business in Trisha.

  On the application documents, the name of the insurance underwriter was listed as Anastasia. be treated

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