Liselotte’s eyes widened at the sudden action.
But she soon smiled brightly and casually left a request with Hedmilton.
“Stay and rest with Lady Rovans. I will step out for a moment.”
Perhaps the shock had been too great, as Crystal remained seated at the defendant’s bench with her head bowed deeply, unmoving.
With an elegant gait, as if deliberately provoking them, Liselotte leisurely left the courtroom.
In a secluded corner of the courthouse, Liselotte sat on a bench in a small, quiet garden and frowned at the glaring sunlight.
Eren quietly came to a stop in front of her.
The shadow he cast fell over Liselotte.
She smiled brightly up at him.
“Your Highness, you saw it, right? I counted exactly three times.”
“I am glad it was of help.”
“It was more than just helpful. I cannot imagine what would have happened without the Word of Command.”
On top of that, it activated once and then disappeared. Perfect destruction of evidence.
Of course, it was not a result achieved by her efforts alone.
Liselotte looked up at him and asked,
“I did not expect you to even get the Southern bank confirmation. How did you do it?”
“I asked Jeyord. It seemed he went directly to the bank’s main branch himself.”
So it was not just Jeyord’s one-sided familiarity after all.
He seemed to be quite a decent person.
As if he had sensed Liselotte’s curiosity, he lightly tucked a strand of her hair, tousled by the wind, behind her ear as he answered.
“He is trustworthy. His House was also the only one that did not withdraw its support when the previous Grand Duke passed away.”
“I see. His personality seemed straightforward and likable.”
For a moment, his eyes narrowed.
He looked somewhat displeased, though it was hard to pinpoint exactly why.
“…Thanks to that, there was a time in the North when we had to eat nothing but seafood every day.”
“That is good, though. It is healthy and tasty.”
“…There are also long-legged, boneless, disturbing things.”
He seemed to be referring to octopus or squid.
Since there was no sea in the North, they might indeed look unsettling.
“If you blanch them lightly, they are amazing.”
Smack. As she smacked her lips, he stared down at her.
“…Unexpected, for someone from the Capital.”
“Why? Does the Capital not eat mollusks because there is no sea? Or is it the blanching that is the problem?”
‘When you are surrounded by land, do you usually salt them instead?’
As she wondered whether freshness would really be an issue when there were teleportation magic stones anyway, he let out a small chuckle.
“The mollusk you are imagining will be enormous. Because it is a monster.”
“Ah, that kind. I understand. I will take back what I just said.”
Only then did his expression soften noticeably.
While they were exchanging such trivial jokes.
Eren’s eyes suddenly shifted to the right.
Not long after, familiar footsteps approached, followed by a familiar voice.
“Excuse me, Princess Liselotte.”
When she peeked out from beside Eren, Crystal’s husband was standing there holding documents.
As Liselotte simply blinked and watched him, he cleared his throat and asked,
“I came to ask whether you might be willing to reach a settlement.”
It was the procedure of agreeing to end the lawsuit before a verdict was delivered.
When Liselotte continued to look at him silently, he glanced at Eren and, keeping a certain distance, continued,
“We will transfer to you the Rovans estate registered under my wife’s name. With that, we would like to conclude the lawsuit.”
“…That’s it?”
Liselotte tilted her head.
His words were far too brief. There should have been much more following after that.
“If I win, I get my legal fees too, you know?”
“…Then based on the average legal fee…”
He looked as though he wanted to wrap up the lawsuit even if it meant paying out some money.
Perhaps, since they were intertwined through the estate, he assumed that he could apply just as much pressure on Liselotte as she could on him.
Perhaps because he was a swindler, his head seemed to work quickly when it came to money.
‘This is why I hate sharp ones.’
Feigning ignorance, Liselotte replied,
“I am Royalty. That makes me extremely expensive.”
“And just how much would that be?”
“I don’t know!”
At Liselotte’s breezy answer, the corner of Crystal’s husband’s mouth twitched.
Legal fees here could be calculated to astronomical levels.
Not only labor costs, but even the expenses incurred while investigating the case could be claimed.
Of course, baseless demands were not allowed, and only expenses that could be substantiated would be recognized by the court.
Which meant.
‘I would have to calculate myself how much was spent at the shop, and how much it cost for Jeyord to personally go to the Southern bank.’
Despite her somewhat uncooperative response, he grinned broadly.
Turning smoothly, he stepped closer to the side and held out a sheet of paper.
“This is a provisional settlement agreement we drafted. Would you like to take a look?”
Casually taking the document, Liselotte read through it and let out a hollow laugh.
“There is not a single word in here about transferring ownership of the Rovans estate.”
“There is too little trust between us. At the bottom, it states that after the lawsuit is concluded through mediation, the estate will be transferred.”
He rubbed his hands together and smiled slyly.
Liselotte tore the document apart with a sharp rip.
“What am I supposed to trust you on? Mediation has failed. Anything exchanged needs to be clear.”
A swindler was still a swindler.
“Your Highness, let’s go. That was a waste of time.”
As Liselotte stood up, Eren stepped in protectively between her and Crystal’s husband.
From behind her, she heard his snide voice.
“You do know that with a damages claim, it will be difficult to get a ruling that orders the transfer of the estate, right?”
He was correct.
She could claim that amount in damages, but a ruling forcing the transfer of ownership of the estate was rare.
She had wondered why he was being so obstinate. It seemed he thought the estate transfer rights were his leverage.
“In any case, as time passes, rental fees for our share will continue to accumulate. Would it not be better for both sides to settle here?”
Holding Eren’s hand as they walked away, Liselotte did not even turn back, simply waving her free hand over her head.
“Go ahead. I will too.”
***
“I will now deliver the verdict.”
The courtroom returned to a solemn atmosphere.
Matella and Crystal’s husband, who had been ordered removed, were also present, escorted by guards on either side.
Ollas, still lacking any semblance of dignity, sat leisurely in his chair and continued reading from the documents.
“In this case, the court recognizes that due to the defendant’s falsified documents, the estate was at risk of being sent to auction, and also…”
Every time she saw it, Liselotte found herself questioning whether the laws of the Perida Empire were truly sound.
That man was supposedly the greatest legal scholar in the Empire.
Sniff. Ollas sniffed lightly, adjusted the documents with a flutter, and recited,
“Accordingly, as the plaintiff has suffered considerable distress as a result, the court recognizes the full amount of the claim and rules that ownership of the defendant’s share of the estate shall be transferred to the plaintiff. All costs incurred in this lawsuit shall be borne in full by the defendant, based on the amounts submitted by the confirmed date.”
Good heavens.
Even Liselotte opened her mouth in shock at the unexpected ruling transferring the estate.
Crystal’s husband, who had been shouting triumphantly just moments ago, stood there speechless, as if his soul had left him.
Only Ollas’s voice, sounding as though he were reading from a book, echoed through the courtroom.
“…because the nature of the fraud deceived the rules stipulated by the Perida Empire, and there was concern for additional harm if the estate remained jointly owned. Well, that is roughly the content. The detailed ruling will be sent to both sides.”
“I-I will appeal!”
No sooner had Ollas finished speaking than Crystal sprang to her feet with her hand raised.
“I will appeal.”
As if she had already coordinated with her husband, Crystal declared boldly.
“I request an appeal duel.”
“Oh? Very well. Will the defendant step forward personally?”
Unexpectedly, Ollas accepted it readily.
As Crystal turned to look behind her, someone stepped forward from the back of the spectators’ gallery.
Bump, bump. He shoved his way through whenever he brushed against nobles’ clothes or shoulders, and even his swaggering gait.
At a glance, he did not look like a man of good character.
Crystal answered with a confident smile.
“This is Kaul Rigol, the son of a close friend of mine. He worked as a mercenary and recently signed a contract to join an official subjugation force.”
She straightened her shoulders as if certain of victory.
As an appeal mercenary, he was high-grade.
Ollas, who had been watching the scene with mild indifference, crooked his finger toward where Liselotte was standing.
‘Me?’
When she looked around in confusion, he shook his head and pointed behind her.
“Grand Duke Keilos. Do you perhaps need some pocket money to buy cookies?”
