“It’s the request of Juliet, the victim. Is there a problem?”

The request of the victim was generally taken into consideration when deciding a case. Such was firmly stipulated in the laws of the country.

As such, Juliet’s opinion shouldn’t be the only deciding factor.

“Although Juliet was unscathed, some of the Royal Guards who protected her were seriously injured. Shouldn’t we take their requests into account?”

After being attacked by Malcolm, Quentin merely suffered a thin cut on his cheek. However, because of Malcolm and the four bandits, some of the Royal Guards lost arms, became partially blind, and even hovered the brink of death. Just because there were “no fatalities” didn’t mean they were unharmed.

“The Royal Guards pledged their lives to protect the Royal Family. Julie was unharmed and doesn’t wish for the death penalty. We cannot execute with a homicide.”

“Regardless, there were multiple victims. Not only are they no longer employed, they’ve been forced to live with disabilities for the rest of the lives.”

“Death isn’t necessarily atonement. I have no intention of letting the perpetrators waste their time in prison. Even if there’s no death penalty, I intend to grant the knights’ requests as much as possible. I’ll also provide sufficient compensation.”

Although Charlotte shared the opinion that death wasn’t necessarily atonement, she still couldn’t accept it. Frederick was skipping a necessary step.

As for Malcolm, Charlotte was also attacked. He attempted to murder the Crown Princess. Even though Charlotte was also a victim, Frederick wouldn’t hear her opinion, let alone consider it.

Juliet came first no matter what.

He never wavered.

“—Juliet is really important to you, isn’t she?”

Even though she knew that she should have held back, she couldn’t help but vent her frustration. Three pairs of suspicious gazes were directed at Charlotte.

“You only apologize because you got caught by Juliet. I’ve lost count on the number of times you’ve hit me, but this is definitely the first time you apologized.”

Charlotte laughed. Even though it wasn’t that funny, she laughed.

“If Juliet errs, you console her. If it were me, I’d be punished. That’s how His Majesty does things. You didn’t feel sorry, you just didn’t want to upset Juliet. You were merely performing to restore your honor—and I have to admit, it was pretty good! It’s rare to hear His Majesty apologize, but in the end it was merely an act.”

“…Charlotte.”

“Ah, right, who cares about what I have to say. Let’s get to the point, Chancellor Sargent.”

With Charlotte urging them to continue, the discussion about the treatment of the count’s family progressed in an indescribable atmosphere.

***

A little less than two weeks had passed since the incident at the territory of Elms. Charlotte was visiting the former Marquis of Allport, Dexter.

She sat in a chair beside the bed, took a sip of the tea prepared for her, and exhaled lightly.

“You look even more haggard.”

Dexter, lying in bed, was emaciated. It couldn’t be helped, as he could no longer eat properly.

He was steadily approaching death.

“I’ve discovered how you obtained that poison. We’ve also recovered that same poison, but unfortunately, there seems to be no antidote. Not even the herbs used in the ingredients can help.”

Dexter’s gaze softened when he heard the report. It seemed to be a satisfactory result. Charlotte was also glad that she could fully meet his expectations.

The plant used in the rare poison that Dexter drank only grew in the southern part of the continent. Furthermore, there were only two countries in the southern part that would trade with the kingdom.

The poison in question was among the things Rex smuggled.

“The Elms Company has been fully suspended. The former count has given up his title, and the second and third sons, as well as those involved in the smuggling, are likely to receive life imprisonment. The company accounts for a large proportion of the kingdom’s distribution, so it’ll be difficult to completely disband. As such, some of the business will be auctioned off, the scale has been significantly reduced, and the eldest son will take over under a different name.”

Luckily, all of the smuggled goods were recovered. Rex only started smuggling to frame his brother, and had no other motives, so he kept the contraband under his control.

Dexter seemed to have noticed the company’s smuggling and threatened those involved to obtain the poison. He probably thought it’d be a good way to end his own life. At the same time, he also used the poison to hint at the smuggling.

There were several other cases of smuggled goods being leaked, such as those taken by members of the company for personal use, but they were able to recover everything safely.

“Actually, there’s a way to obtain an antidote.”

If Charlotte were to ask Ethelbert, who could teleport, they’d probably be able to acquire it. However, Charlotte had no intention of doing so.

“There is, but since you don’t want it, I’ll respect your wishes.”

At such an advanced stage of poisoning, Dexter could no longer reply to her. It was a one-sided conversation, but Charlotte was still grateful.

“But, it’s a shame. I wish you’d able to see the future of this kingdom. It’s not often one can see that man suffer.”

Dexter’s eyes widened slightly, and he moved his mouth quickly. It was inaudible, but from the slow movement of his lips, he seemed to be calling her, “Your Highness.”

“I understand very well that you want to bring harm to that man. I long for it too.”

Dexter could no longer speak properly. He was bedridden and couldn’t write. So even if he understood what Charlotte was trying to do, he had no way of telling anyone.

“I apologize for telling you something so disturbing despite your condition.”

Charlotte was currently under house arrest for not keeping Juliet safe. She didn’t have time to waste. She wasn’t even allowed to go out. …Well, she was almost never allowed to begin with, but now it became even more difficult.

Still, she managed to obtain permission, and made a considerable effort to find time to stay here.

She didn’t negotiate with Frederick directly, but applied for permission through Curtis. Frederick probably felt that it’d be better to let her meet Dexter, considering he didn’t have much time left. Permission was granted surprisingly easily.

The next time she’d see Dexter would be at his funeral.

In retrospect, this was their final meeting.

It’d have been nice if they could’ve reminisced more. At heart, Dexter might not have been very different from the other, but he was one of the few people who taught Charlotte warmth and kindness.

She thought of him as a grandfather.

But of his own volition, he took “one of those few people” from Charlotte.

—Actually, I wanted you to live.

So this was nothing but a one-sided and selfish revenge.

“It depends on the person, Lord Dexter.”

Charlotte smiled gracefully.

“But I do wonder about that man.”

It was a pity that Dexter wouldn’t come to see the spectacle of Frederick’s newly formed, twisted royal family plunged into the depths of despair.

---

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***T/N: HURRY UP BRING THE DOWNFALL AND DOOM

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