Trigger warning: suicide

“—Because of that, my family had to pay with their lives!!”

The man’s voice echoed.

Quentin frowned with a question.

“What do you mean?”

“What sad story?! That pickpocket was lying!! He’d never change? He gambled away the money the princess gave him, and went back to stealing again! He wanted more money to fund his addiction!”

Realizing that the second princess was an easy target, the pickpocket took advantage of Juliet’s kindness.

“My wife ended up becoming his victim. She was on her way to the local pharmacy to buy medicine for our son.”

The man’s fist shook heavily.

“Our son had been ill for a long time, and we could barely afford to buy medicine. After he stole our money, we couldn’t buy it, and our son passed away. Due to the heavy guilt, my wife fell into depression and eventually hung herself.” 

The man’s face contorted as he tried to speak.

“My wife and child—they were my everything…! Had the princess not been deceived or sympathized with him, he’d have been caught! My wife’s money wouldn’t have been stolen, and we’d have been able to afford the medicine… All three of us would still be able to live together! But… that was ruined by her selfish kindness!”

Quentin widened his eyes at the man’s complaint.

“Don’t mess with me! You’re just resentful!”

“So what if I am?! I’m only telling the truth! My wife and child are dead because of the second princess! She has to know that she killed my family!”

Quentin must be furious at the mental gymnastics. However, yelling at each other wouldn’t get them anywhere. Amidst the heated argument, Charlotte calmed Quentin down by holding his hand.

“That pickpocket died in an accident about a month ago, right?”

“Yes, in a carriage accident. I happened to find out about the incident between the pickpocket and the second princess. A passerby came forward and said that the pickpocket who died in the accident was the one that she had taken pity on. I looked into it and found out it was true.”

At his confirmation, Charlotte became certain that it was the same pickpocket she had in mind.

A month ago, in a certain town, a pickpocket was caught red-handed and was chased by his victim. He ran onto the road just as a horse-drawn carriage was passing by, and got kicked in the head by the horse. He didn’t survive.

Charlotte remembered it well because she heard that Juliet had let that man go before.

Startled by the pickpocket, the horse ran into a nearby person, leaving them in a coma for a while. Even though he regained consciousness, one of his arms was left paralyzed.

The carriage itself was carrying a pregnant woman. During the accident, her stomach suffered from trauma, resulting in a miscarriage. A report suggested that she was around 30 years old, of similar age to the only woman in the group of four alleged bandits.

“The people who raided the carriage with you were the victims of that accident.”

As Charlotte turned her gaze to the cell in the back, the man said this.

“A glassworker who lost his job due to being paralyzed. A couple who lost their long-desired child. A coachman who was traumatized by running over and killing someone, on top of being forced to euthanize his beloved horse… I learned of these people while investigating that pickpocket.”

Charlotte also heard about the horse. When it went berserk, the horse injured its leg, and euthanasia was the only option. The accident only happened because of the pickpocket’s sudden appearance. As the speed of the carriage was moderate enough to be safe, the coachman wasn’t held responsible.

However, he still lost his beloved horse. And what about the man he killed? What about the miscarriage? What about the paralysis of the arm? Didn’t he cause them all? He still felt guilty for not being held accountable for the crimes.

These were the lives that were ruined by that pickpocket. Juliet could’ve apprehended the pickpocket and made him pay for his crimes, yet she let him go.

The pickpocket had died, and now that their resentment had nowhere else to go, they turned it toward Juliet.

The expression “resentment” was valid. It also wasn’t unreasonable.

“His argument is quite reasonable.”

“Y-Your Highness! What are you saying?!” Quentin raised his voice in shock.

As a man who was utterly devoted to Juliet, he couldn’t believe that Charlotte would side with a man who thought less of her.

“There are plea bargains, and I think that depending on the situation, it’s possible to reduce a sentence or be released regardless of crime. But it’s not up to people who don’t have the eyes or information to judge whether or not that should be applied to them.”

Frederick pardoned some of the criminals from the tyrannical era. In fact, he didn’t make Dexter’s crime public. Charlotte tolerated it because there was no physical evidence to begin with.

If revealing everything would be inconvenient for the kingdom, then it couldn’t be helped. Nevertheless, careful judgment was essential.

Even Frederick made mistakes. He overlooked something once. It was Dexter who instigated Pascal’s crime.

This outcome made Juliet’s lack of foresight apparent. If Juliet were given the authority to judge, it’d likely lead to even more tragic futures. This was exactly what was happening.

“Juliet’s thoughtless choice ruined the lives of innocent people. Someone that irresponsible and unprepared shouldn’t be a judge. She has too little awareness and sense of responsibility. She probably didn’t realize she was going against the law, which she should abide by.”

Juliet didn’t have what it took to be a member of the royal family, and that was unlikely to change in the future.

“While I understand your motives, there’s still something that doesn’t make sense to me.”

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***T/N: Tho I do agree that Juliet indirectly causes it, but it has very very little to do with her still.

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