If she had remained in the status of an employee because she had not received her severance pay, then it would not have been strange even if she had received it on behalf of her master.
‘Gaol’s side was probably aiming for this too.’
The fact that they had laid out a scheme of this scale showed that it was not something they had tried just once or twice.
Crystal, perhaps thinking she had finally found something to seize on, raised her voice even more aggressively than before.
“When we asked people around the Eastern region, they all said that House Rovans was one of the wealthy Houses. And yet they exploited an employee who worked there for over thirty years.”
“Exploited?”
Listening from behind, Hedmilton’s eyes widened as if he had just heard the most astonishing thing in the world.
Lady Rovans, who was seated beside him, also let out a long, heavy sigh.
It was an absurd lie, but Crystal continued speaking as though she were condemning a truly vicious Head of household.
“We legitimately won half of the Rovans estate at auction. However, since Mrs Hezela did not leave due to the severance pay issue, we had no choice but to watch our share of the estate being unlawfully used.”
It sounded as though, because Hezela was living there, they had been unable to use their share of the estate.
‘You do not even know where half of the estate is in the first place? You talk as if you were definitely going to move in and live there.’
It was nothing more than an excuse made for the sake of the trial.
In other words, it was Lady Rovans’ fault, so they were demanding that she pay residence fees for living in her half of the estate, including Hezela’s share.
It seemed they had piled up every amount that could simply be accumulated.
That way, they could stack the debt up to the value of the remaining half.
The actual rental fees were utterly laughable.
Liselotte let out a hollow laugh and asked back,
“Who would pay ten gold a month to rent a shack? That amount is enough to rent a small estate in a rural area of another region.”
Ten gold a month to rent that ramshackle shack. Ten gold!
That very shack Liselotte had thought was a storage shed.
But Crystal was shameless.
“Setting the rental price of an estate is entirely up to the estate owner.”
Liselotte immediately shot back at her words.
“There is no evidence that it was rented for ten gold a month. And half of the estate belongs to the plaintiff. Mrs Hezela, who is not even a proxy, does not have the right to dare sign the auction confirmation…”
Creeeak. Just as she was calmly presenting her argument, the sound of a door opening came from somewhere.
An odd sense of dissonance settled over the already quiet courtroom.
When she turned toward the direction of the sound, the first thing she saw was embroidery bearing the seal of the Perida Empire.
It was a pattern most commonly seen on the clothing of Imperial Family members.
Except for her, who had already been standing, everyone rose from their seats.
As if he had been waiting for this moment, Eren also stood and bowed his head toward the visitor who had just entered.
“Glory to the Perida Empire. To what do we owe this visit, Your Majesty?”
Violet hair identical to Valen’s. Pale aqua-colored eyes. No matter who looked, he was unmistakably the Emperor Perida.
‘Why is the Emperor here?’
Liselotte had to make a considerable effort to swallow her inner agitation.
The one who had likely pushed this trial forward in such an abnormal manner was probably him.
But she hadn’t expected him to show such interest as to attend in person.
Liselotte offered a formal greeting out of obligation.
The presiding official also stood up on the dais and paid his respects.
“Your Majesty, you have arrived.”
There was not the slightest hint of surprise, as if he had anticipated the Emperor’s arrival in advance.
After all, the Senate was ultimately under direct Imperial authority, so it would have been stranger not to know.
“Do not mind me and continue. I am merely here to observe.”
Emperor Perida smiled gently and waved his hand.
‘As if anyone could not mind you!’
Though he was smiling, the dignity of one who ruled the Empire and a strange sharpness could be felt.
Only the corners of his mouth curved pleasantly; his eyes were keen and piercing.
At the very least, he had not come simply to watch.
Emperor Perida calmly took the seat beside Eren that Ail had prepared, that is, directly behind Liselotte.
With the Imperial guard knights standing densely behind him, the courtroom, which had been fairly sparse, quickly became crowded.
As a result, the expressions of the Gaol couple stiffened.
The husband, in particular, seemed to be protesting to a court official standing behind him.
‘He must think the Emperor came because of me.’
In any case, he was her father.
Unlike Valen, who had at least sent a letter despite their lack of warmth and his poor manners while she was staying in the North, this man had sent no word at all.
Yet now he had openly come to see Liselotte in person, returning as a new form of pressure.
Once Emperor Perida took his seat, the others had no choice but to sit down as well to continue the trial.
The presiding official merely stroked his beard quietly, observing the situation.
“Hmm… where did we leave off?”
Liselotte, who could not even be bothered to add any further explanations, simply stated her main purpose.
“Honorable Presiding Official. We request Mrs Hezela as a witness.”
Hedmilton’s eyes, which had been suspicious of Matella, grew even more bewildered.
It seemed he had naturally assumed they would call Hezela’s daughter.
Liselotte gave a small nod to signal that it was fine.
Fortunately, the presiding official also accepted her request quite readily.
“Granted.”
Hearings were held multiple times.
There was absolutely no benefit in getting impatient now.
The presiding official let out a groan and stretched his stiff body, muttering,
“In the end, the issue is whether Mrs Hezela continued living in the estate, isn’t it? Well then, there’s nothing to do until Mrs Hezela arrives.”
After finishing an exaggerated yawn, he picked up the gavel and struck it twice, bang, bang, declaring,
“The first hearing is adjourned. We will meet again at the next session.”
Rising slowly from his seat, he offered his respects to Emperor Perida, then, unlike when he had entered, walked out with steady steps.
It seemed he really could see after all.
Even in this situation, the Gaol couple looked completely self-assured.
‘They must have already coordinated their story with Hezela anyway.’
After offering deep bows to the Emperor, they left the courtroom with soft, chuckling laughter.
Those who remained were only the people gathered at the plaintiff’s side.
There was no one who would dare to speak up first in front of the Emperor…
‘Actually, there is one.’
“Your Highness, what shall we do now?”
At Hedmilton’s brave question, Emperor Perida crossed his arms without a word and observed them.
When his eyes met Liselotte’s, he simply looked at her quietly with an expressionless face.
She had not expected a warm reception, but why was he glaring at her?
‘Did he come to keep watch in case I cause trouble?’
Liselotte turned her head sharply and flashed a bright smile at Hedmilton.
“Before the next hearing, file a lawsuit against Mrs Hezela for trespassing. Then calculate it at ten gold a month and claim damages.”
“Why are we doing that now?”
The damage had already been done long ago, and the trespass had been confirmed for quite some time.
It was an issue that could have been filed together with the complaint.
At Hedmilton’s sincere question, Liselotte smiled more brightly than usual.
“Because if we do it in advance, it gives them time to prepare.”
“Ah. Your Highness, are you a genius?”
Leaving the Emperor, who was quietly observing, Liselotte casually continued the conversation as if nothing were happening.
When Eren, who had been watching the scene, cast a sidelong glance.
His eyes met those of Emperor Perida.
As the Emperor let out a small sigh and rose from his seat, everyone’s gaze naturally turned toward him.
All those who stood up to see him off bowed their heads.
Emperor Perida, however, casually gave Eren’s shoulder a light pat.
The gesture looked strangely familiar.
“My, I arrived too late. I will make sure not to be late for the next hearing.”
‘He is coming again?’
