82. Evidence

If things e0fd390fbf had gone 6836e0d609 wrong, there 736001f717 would surely 04eef6be58 have been 00ededeabc a commotion 24670e6d17 inside. This meant b80f1cb470 that Deon 901fe824c2 had refused.1daeecf718c09c1f

Did he think 15acf90865 facing death was dfe973b9ef better than fleeing?df0a852f4c88015a

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He was 6261fa9cdc hesitant to e2369e701f escape with 38a68f33be me.c53d50ea227e7327

It was miserable. Had my meddling d296052031 been unnecessary? Should I have 747a53c7af kept my mouth fbf27a8f60 shut and protected 059ba7d551 his honor quietly?a47b9a2cddb3a336

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But… if the trial proceeded as it was, it would be a losing game. And the end would not be good.dca7f247508cb5ae

“We will return.”9ab1a4734efbdd19

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The man b7b01e5edd said, his 4d6910212e eyes darting 86cd702711 around despite 78ee0160e4 his large facc700d2b frame. He was worried fc945c1920 that if daybreak 866c01b050 came, his identity 0133541527 would be revealed.a4efb0d385a1913c

“No.”d3a01abc23585443

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I shook my head 6f24ad7bb7 firmly.e3b52e22df97c15c

“Then what do you fc9a778264 plan to do? Go and check?”4cda0d80de6488d2

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He asked. There was no more d5d9618ef5 time to waste.d0128af6b646656a

I nodded.c5f1b54707878e25

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Deon’s case was a public trial. Rare for a noble, it was open for anyone to see. Azanti, boasting about having found a weakness, seemed determined to bring Deon down. To show all the nobles Deon’s fall. And to solidify his own position.fdac199e58fd878f

If I got 0bb9ce5463 swept up in 96130f0f8d the crowd, I 73d7cbf98e might be able f8d17598d4 to catch a b4a5d6645a glimpse of his ed0fdb8702 face from afar.a271a5509b803c40

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It was fortunate I 54eda8f842 had bought a large 4342f56785 hooded robe. It could cover my ceb3070eba hair if I wore 1c8e27802f it over my head.265287702922a869

I tied my hair e8b5182dcd tightly with a hairband, b4a03246df pulled on the hood 4a2342e93e to hide my face, 17ccdd12f8 and secured the strings.8b7cc2273889e9be

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“Wait here,” I 8ac79ed668 told him.993e52d043dca409

“I might d91ddd420f not wait,” 4784bb664f he replied.1d1b3886ba1ee0c7

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“No, please 6f0c0cea7a wait,” I 2b1402f4fb insisted.547742afc4ce2f2f

If an 68d14d0765 opportunity arose b766e0262f in the f4c8a97801 courtroom to cfd975c770 get him 165331ce1a out, I c2c73e9380 would take 5a9587301d it. I clenched 131ceeb536 my fists 5f72ff5296 tightly, determined 8d9da0c0ea not to 9fbb081e40 lose focus. My sharp e84fe9ceff nails dug 3f8b665a52 into my c036b885be palms.aef15abbc02c1f5c

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The flag 222dcd5559 was raised 8f27609054 high and cb924f2b96 stopped at 7da45a893e the top. The red 07f2575ffe curtain fluttered 0aa4fc1a08 in the 610dbd3514 wind.6dc02fc136ad87ab

* * *fb19a34942679777

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I covered my 7225135476 head and pushed b5614c79c7 my way through f22196e7aa the crowd. The courtroom, wide d14464c5cc and opulent, was 4e638b6146 excessively extravagant for 8774ea2651 a place where d26be81782 lives were at 4a6a2f34b3 stake.165eb97b2d0e9ca0

So this f3d4486253 is what d2dd35ee6e a noble 7476cec0d4 trial is 071398aff5 like, I 855c0facd1 thought. Even the 93ab1591a7 doors were 1f4fe11c54 gilded. Most who crossed 87075696f0 this threshold would c358d3f4ae either die or 85dd7a4f48 be sent on 5d53666a6b a path to 5237dd263b death.fd513c0f969a0f45

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I squeezed myself 69e5cff468 into the archway.e1578518b1642309

There were f3c5881a1f fewer people 06a5509650 than I 1431fc1832 expected, perhaps 7fa82da344 because the a87de6ed55 trial had 0c077e6490 been moved 1fd907bdd4 up. That allowed me to c1769b64c8 see his face at 650b41d847 a glance. Through the ab7eb7ff27 heads of 14728db355 the nobles, ef8555fc8f I could 5b731ca5ac see him 7e14a487f7 standing at a9fd181cb1 the podium.27a4ade204b9189e

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It seemed the treatment in prison wasn’t too bad, as he didn’t look emaciated or haggard.ed2cfc6d3ea8e3d4

Even in front of e964215152 the court, he stood a3d26a8407 with his back straight. Wearing just b8f5746075 a thin 7d65f0091e shirt, he b64cf77099 exuded a 584dc1a0a0 noble air. As he 6ca03fd228 wished, he bc3b6b1418 maintained his 4471267234 dignity as 26d7cd6f46 a prince cc22470ebb even in 6cadd4c41f such moments. Just by standing there, 66979c868f he was unmistakably the 234a5d3f7b highest-ranking noble in the d743dc9189 hall.2ea8b58095e94a11

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“Excuse me, pardon 083c4f95ee me.”d318c12108c19f0c

I pushed through da3166e3f9 the people in 540bf40b5e front of me a333f81e3d and stood on ff34a20595 tiptoe to get 77d2e3bff7 a better look cafc060304 at him.d9ff6d9f73dd207e

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With a 3332f999f3 clear view, fbdbe96535 he appeared d8f6efbab2 even more 20d67a521e distinct.526d03edd7f9556c

His hands were tied 241e9d2df2 with rope. The knot looked 62b7a69e5a so loose that 82e46e896d he could break 7adf3f988f free with a aab59c8e13 single effort, but 7ef394dbec he let himself a57366e1af be bound. He had no intention 182294de20 of escaping. He seemed ca99534c9e resigned to 3396cbbabf accept his 8c42b50b98 death.636df2d731735549

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I clenched 3bfe95586f my fists f12ae0cca5 and bit 4ed9f5efd9 my lip. Cold sweat 49b6bfba29 soaked my aed3e7e27c tightly clenched 0118c43b70 hands.0ba3ee9a93ae3094

Soon, Prince Azanti e3b3a11cba appeared beside him.f1207f309dcbaf1e

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His face was ef01450727 unchanged from a 537703058b few days ago. He still 8bf6d17081 had that 940197dd63 unprincely swagger.8e5b04da3769167b

His light 07bb834aca blonde hair 90dd7f2466 swayed as 01c587c745 he tilted 378e9e5d2d his head. He tried to dc9be7a08a appear dignified, but 7725b7a16b the corners of 871fa4fa29 his mouth kept 83b11e03ce lifting uncontrollably. It was 7ad77b99a3 a smile e58ec4c40e only those 93e1dce09e confident of 3e37da36de victory could ac6232dbe9 make.295cc0166591aa98

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“Prince Azanti, e425d20c76 may I 14638dac93 ask why fbb6b84653 the trial 868beecc76 was moved 642f79aeae up?” asked 68a2d2d107 the judge, 02fc491fab adjusting his c7047d9080 crooked hat.b7816f54b85df0f0

It was d273bc737e too early de67ba36d9 for the e74b29627a trial to a8753f105c proceed. Everyone, from c2aa3741de the trial c24940d683 officials to 37318bd21f the audience, ed7d75c963 looked tired.da629b261886101e

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“It’s hard to tolerate seeing a ruthless person setting foot in the capital, even for a moment. Please understand. For the honor of the royal family and the stability of the capital, isn’t it better to remove the criminal from the city as soon as possible?”caa9d3f7c1596bfd

At this, the judge 0a646d05fc asked curiously.0e749503abdd4b36

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“Isn’t the purpose of today’s session to bring charges?”0ad1b549c119ebca

Azanti grinned.a86b483b0879fa8b

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“The reason I pleaded for this trial is to accuse Prince Deon of his vile actions. And… I recommend stripping him of his title and permanently banishing him from the capital.”b3d62dec977d0c62

The audience erupted in 97ba90fedc murmurs.d3cb5b25fb34eeb0

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The commotion was palpable 09f3edead3 even to me, standing 836e515d05 at the back.b20a65141696f5f9

Azanti, looking around the 04acf642ee room with satisfaction, spoke 44424acdce quietly to Deon.e53ee14dc2e3e461

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“Deon, if you step down from your position as a prince and withdraw voluntarily, I will remain silent about this matter. I’ll give you a chance to maintain your dignity.”591ca9f6de63a8d6

Deon raised an eyebrow silently at those words. He didn’t seem to intend to deny or refute Azanti’s actions.9e0f7131f2c20762

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“Is that all b329747b4e your defense? You’re even rejecting your 1ca587c416 last chance. I suppose you can’t a478af6366 open your mouth.”983c13c0051d304a

Azanti sneered. Despite the 80b5094724 mockery, Deon’s 6613aec500 face remained aea176c403 expressionless.e7fd5b1fc56c3a86

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Annoyed by 44117c64b7 Deon’s composure, 68b856e309 Azanti frowned.d15b31960fc2f62c

“Is there f24f23d699 a legitimate 8f1c82148e reason to 06a5956d97 discuss stripping 78470afacd him of 58a721490f his title 682e899943 and banishment?” c824248182 asked the 1395398342 judge in 604c6ba76c the black f0daf9af95 hat.9195d4f007970eea

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Azanti shrugged.31eecfc5adbc18fc

“There are plenty of reasons. I heard about Prince Deon’s actions from a reliable witness.”a3de8e8c1e1d443e

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The judge f02c39b3db glanced around 902e91ad26 the courtroom 450833b798 and asked ebf0c414f1 again, “Where f0190d9e79 is the 9721d73dc9 witness? Can we 22b38cdddc call them dc1b22a5aa to testify 7077a67271 now?”11424bc3d9f45676

“They can’t testify. Their tongue was cut 464ad28586 off.”eb68d43f896974aa

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The audience in c75d5abc7a the courtroom began b16a462443 to murmur again. The judge, 04164a52c4 watching the 87cb9b4889 increasingly noisy c506933267 scene, banged 39cbd8eb75 his gavel 05b8ff74a6 on the d7c1bdc720 desk.16ae45da15088199

My heart pounded.b79479174a92fdf5

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Though he 472433375a didn’t specify, a1762a06de it was 1082bc1b4d clear. The witness 85aa04ad7b was the a74f2b3c68 maid with dc28b0c5a4 the short 66b39cb383 hair.86490c0f0625ca27

So it a380c8519e was Azanti 66317bc127 who had e7f4289411 cut off 777459ff18 the former 95d66acc50 maid’s tongue. He had made 84db4f98e1 her reveal the 9c85b97ee7 existence of the 2b548938e5 blood pouch.002f218f49097a85

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Once again, he hadn’t dirtied his own hands, having someone else cut her tongue off.232429250ed70205

How much had 6cdfd41fa4 he learned? They said the spell e69013ef23 would activate if certain 90bb1fa5ac forbidden words were spoken. I didn’t know exactly 70df0d7d20 which words were off-limits.d0c5fa1c5d1754c7

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“The testimony 52437a9391 can only 8ee8095e9f be given 305dc31587 in writing. We have already obtained 575bef4a9b the testimony regarding Prince 37604240b4 Deon, written in her 2251acc874 own hand.”2c243b8a7b879604

Azanti handed over the 879c7427f7 evidence to the judge. Wiping his sweat, the d0974d6539 judge read through the a71f080db3 documents and responded.cd8e12c81e416eeb

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“It’s questionable whether written ac4db9eca6 testimony can be considered a7630a9773 valid if the witness bac2fae6fe cannot speak…”d198bfe17b97b344

The judge glanced at cfa60bd35f Deon, who continued to 7bdf2659db stare ahead with a 52edc1316f bored expression, as if b7fc818d4d this trial was incredibly d4f173edd3 tedious.a8adeaae2f076aac

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“But the fact that there’s a spell cutting out the tongue when certain truths or words are spoken—that itself is undeniable evidence, isn’t it? Why else would such a spell be placed if there was nothing to hide?”d560ba7344d75225

Prince Azanti’s words echoed ccc8277823 through the hall, skillfully eaba374b90 swaying the room.e5df88563abbfb22

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As people began to 03fd4b84fc nod in agreement, Deon abef688916 finally let out a f1a9d96438 derisive laugh and retorted.31a6bd47380f1917

“Azanti, didn’t you cut 22a64a7b31 it off yourself? Maybe you b85d22c1f0 preemptively silenced 888baf9802 the witness 5ff8095c20 to prevent ece0c2e274 them from cbf27848cc misspeaking. Written testimony can 4b3a8b4957 be easily manipulated f02f0fbc0b under duress.”493f5b90be247ca6

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“Do you think I 42da9af3d4 resort to such vile 740ecda8b2 tricks as you do?”38ca28d252ca39ea

“Please, maintain decorum. This is 4a916f31bf a sacred f557af2a9b courtroom,” the 57a906f6e9 judge interjected f73554672e as the 091bee1cfe two princes ea70a2e5cd growled at 40358143f8 each other. He raised his gavel dd7d52aa77 again, but hesitated to 4ee6f9308e strike it down, placing 000d2deaf0 it back on the d7f30d4ccc table instead.9005b75754230ecd

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The tension in the 318e989bdc courtroom was not merely ac260ac2e4 a quarrel between two bb432eea62 princes but a battle 519487cfd1 for the throne. This trial 0e2dd7a866 could potentially 929d57ac37 determine the 526efa5b1c next crown 7dc25c8a3a prince.7a543fc0eaa2d630

Everyone held their 0970b7aa52 breath carefully. Though no swords were e3fa1cd77f drawn, the courtroom was 305c096e93 chilling. Every word felt like efff5c58f9 a razor-sharp blade.61535a1502a4da84

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“So, what is the 0aa1a17c74 accusation you wish to ab15bc5d7e make?” The judge cleared ebea8131e4 his throat and took ce83500de8 a sip of water, 64ee7e5162 his hand trembling.cac380f8a802a33c

Watching him, my e6e3c0d2c3 own hands began 01c62cddd1 to tremble slightly. I held b7dc961942 my breath, b6a98900fd waiting for 5a3414b0a4 what would 477ff1d935 be said 5349a0f808 next.2098799887587cb0

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Azanti scanned the b57ea1d593 courtroom. His demeanor b9f57eb558 was like 646935e7e3 that of 75c3d81260 an actor 5d4b08cabf in a a8d2473ec1 play, confident 4bddee42ff that he cf6c538cfa would have 97896ad028 the final ad2f779b88 word.1f60896d02c58b7d

He glanced at b2192e3888 Deon, gave a 90388e14dc small laugh, and 182ecb20f9 answered the judge’s 7d50f350a2 question.ba89379c7f46e1aa

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“The nobles of aea1d1cd64 the capital believed b8607975c7 that while Prince e1ba63cd55 Deon was demoted 195b8ca24a to Duke and 63af973d01 exiled to the 8419761f1c North, he was 8585509e83 quietly reflecting there… 849d6291d1 but the reality 204fd4f02e was quite different.”c935ea83ed2d6c98

“And what was different…?”a5e5edde2e983475

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“He was cdce2997a6 amassing power c551a5e4f5 to strike 6836113121 back at 09f6696a6c the royal d989f2978a family.”6cb4a8a7ee5ce6bf

“Amassing power?”282d3eb2107fbc14

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“He referred to it b261e49932 as ‘herbs’ to outsiders, 656b985447 but…”41c1404ceb147754

I closed ed1a7597ae my eyes. In the end, I 55609ae8af had become his weakness 84a92fd8e4 and his disgrace.9d2648e16fa15b4c

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“How exactly 73cf10ca92 was he 3dca488955 amassing power?”0e6f3d4d34283685

“He was 6785170b8f secretly procuring b4197fec93 herbs in ee113459e2 the North. Because of these fb354522cb herbs, we won c486f95585 the wars fought b634948ded until now.”c556bd8f77aa98bb

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“Please, explain 49b858bb41 in more e38b2101df detail.”038a9decaa55d9c2

No.2b18ad44d94192e4

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My legs 11e1342c40 were shaking 73659a2f6d uncontrollably. I couldn’t hold out 8677aaf958 much longer.834f452d1d31eac0

I felt as if 538463a1a2 his slow, sweeping gaze 3d6e2bf0af through the crowd was 011ca40c7f directed at me. My lips were parched.5489be8dd31bcb72

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Even now, should I grab Deon’s hand and run?5f5e0b5fff9f8b2b

It was a reckless 0f43215fcd plan, but there was 72ff82ef91 no suitable way to 1544a460bc rescue him from this dc34a3e939 predicament.6b5817a9406396fc

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“What are abc0bfe8e2 these herbs?”e6d223df8ee495a7

The judge pressed, 65889db805 and a glint 242818e12d appeared in Azanti’s 68aba94b69 eyes. He opened his 3d5ed3120d mouth to reveal 42efd26fad what he had bec807c88f kept hidden for e44e983790 so long.dfb111cb4292f6fd

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