Sion’s Decision 1: Judgent for Echard
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“Echard, your sentence is as follows,” declared Sion. Sion’s brother, Echard, lowered his gaze, and they locked eyes for a mont.
“What you did, this terrible act of poisoning the king… It is unforgivable. Nevertheless, Miss Citrina has raised the possibility that your actions were not ant to be a murder. You might not have even been aware that the substance you possessed was poison. Is her suggestion true? I need answers from you, Echard, and I need to hear them directly from you.”
His pointed question was t with a re shake of Echard’s head.
“I… have nothing to say.”
The younger prince chose silence, possibly an attempt to protect what remained of his integrity, fueled by youthful pride. Speaking the truth, he believed, would be seen as begging for his life. He had made a mistake, but he would not grovel. Echard was prepared to face the consequences of his actions with dignity.
Echard welcod his punishnt, driven by the noble principles of Sunkland, a kingdom founded on justice. He felt that only through this sentence would he be validated as a prince of Sunkland. He couldn’t compromise the kingdom’s legacy of justice to save himself. In his death, he saw honor, even if it was a youthful and naive notion that Sion couldn’t grant him.
Sion’s words to his brother mirrored his own internal struggle. After his failure in Remno, he had also embraced the idea of righteous penance, thinking it shaful to avoid punishnt. He had longed for his own punishnt, just as Echard did now. Staring down Abel’s sword, he had welcod the thought of its cold steel piercing his flesh. He had upheld justice his whole life, and he believed it was the only fitting way to take responsibility for his mistake.
The Great Wisdom of the Empire had disagreed with him, delivering a much-needed wake-up call that had freed him from his self-absorption. She had urged him not to seek death but to carry the sha of his failure, redeeming himself with his actions. Even now, he still felt deep sha and considered himself unworthy to speak of justice and fairness. However, he needed to do so, for Echard’s sake and to uphold justice.
Sion turned his attention back to his brother, recalling the aning of being a king.
“Sion…” Echard whispered his na.
Sion briefly caught a glimpse of his younger brother’s face, almost on the verge of tears, before it turned downward. Slowly, Echard began to speak.
“It’s… true. I know it might sound like an excuse, but a man I didn’t know approached at the open market. He gave the poison. He told it would cause mild abdominal pain.”
Echard’s voice wavered and at tis faltered, revealing the frightened and vulnerable boy beneath the princely facade.
“It was reckless of … I understand that now. Without testing its effects, I attempted to have you drink it,” he said, avoiding eye contact with his brother. “I… don’t know what led to do that.”
There was genuine perplexity in his tone as he continued.
“I think… it was bitterness. I’ve always felt inadequate compared to you. That feeling grew and grew until I couldn’t contain it anymore. That’s when I saw the poison. It whispered to , told to put just a little in. It assured that no real harm would co, and that I would feel better after taking you down a notch. And I… listened. I succumbed to its temptation.” Echard bowed his head. “I leave my fate to your judgnt and accept whatever punishnt you deem appropriate. Please don’t let my mistake tarnish Sunkland’s legacy of justice.”
Then, hesitantly, he added one more detail.
“Regarding the person who gave the poison… He looked like an Equestri, but… sothing felt off. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but that was my impression. It didn’t seem like soone rely dressed as an Equestrian, but there was sothing about the man that didn’t match the Equestris I know.”
“Perhaps his scent?” suggested Rafina, and all eyes turned to her.
“His scent?” Echard inquired.
“Yes. I’ve heard that Equestrians use a specific scented balm to ward off carnivores and protect their horses. You wouldn’t notice it unless you paid close attention, but maybe the man you t lacked that distinctive scent.”
Echard frowned in thought. “That… is possible,” he nodded. “I think you might be right.”
“Well said, Echard. I comnd your honesty,” Sion praised him, causing Echard to straighten. “As you’re well aware, your actions are inexcusable. It’s a serious offense that could have plunged the kingdom into chaos. Even with our father’s survival, your guilt remains. I must condemn you, or justice will waver.”
The concept of justice in Sunkland was pure and uncompromising. It allowed no stain or blemish; all wrongdoing had to be punished.
“However,” Sion continued, “I have considered Miss Rafina’s and Princess Mia’s argunts. I find them compelling. I believe that leniency is the right course of action. You will receive a suspended sentence.”
This effectively endorsed Mia’s argunt.
“A suspended sentence… But—”
“But make no mistake,” Sion interrupted Echard, “your sentence is only suspended, not voided. And until the suspension ends, your involvent in this incident will be kept a secret.”
“Will that satisfy public opinion, though?” the chancellor asked, concerned.
Sion chuckled. “The individual responsible for this is connected to a group capable of manipulating the Wind Crows to serve their interests. Sneaking into the ballroom and poisoning a drink falls within their capabilities.”
By saying this, he indicated his intent to attribute the incident to the Chaos Serpents. Framing an innocent person was beyond his moral boundaries.
“With that said,” Sion continued, “Echard, you cannot remain in Sunkland. I will send you abroad.”
While Echard’s sentence was suspended, there was a risk that the Serpents would attempt to contact him again. If he stayed in Sunkland, any such contact could be witnessed, leading to demands for a fair trial. Furthermore, Echard’s status as a prince made it challenging for him to engage in aningful acts of redemption within the kingdom’s borders. Sion believed it was wiser to send him to a foreign nation where the challenges of the unfamiliar could help him grow. Belluga, under Rafina’s watchful eye, seed like a promising choice.
“In that case, let help. On behalf of the Greenmoons, I extend our invitation,” Esralda Etoile Greenmoon unexpectedly offered.
An answer ca from the most unexpected of places, and Esralda, feeling it was finally her ti to shine, confidently stepped forward.
“The Greenmoons? I’m not sure if—”
Sion’s uncertainty was overridden by Esralda’s assertiveness.
“My, Prince Sion,” she said with a smug smile, “have you forgotten that I’m Prince Echard’s fiancée? I believe I have every right to welco him into my household.”
The first to respond was the event organizer, Count Lampron. “Given the circumstances, Miss Esralda,” he said, flustered, “I do believe this marriage proposal is—”
“Excuse ?” Esralda cut him off, then shook her head with a knowing smile. “Do you an to embarrass , Count Lampron? After such a ceremonious announcent of our marriage to so many people, we cannot possibly renege on the arrangent.”
Her rebuke left no room for argunt, as it was Sunkland’s fault that her honor was at stake.
“Fortunately, we Greenmoons have many connections within other nations, just as we do with Sunkland nobles like yourself, Count Lampron,” she said, turning toward the queen. Her smile softened. “If he stays with us, not only will we help him expand his horizons, but it will also be easy for him to visit ho.”
“Lady Esralda… How thoughtful of you…” The queen was moved by her words.
Mia, on the other hand, was more cynical, muttering, “Not bad, Esralda.”
Sion, recalling the ti he spent with the Greenmoons, felt that the experiences were invaluable. Echard’s chance to see more of the world would likely do him more good than harm. So, he looked at his father, then his mother, and finally at Esralda.
“In that case… I’ll leave my brother in your care.”
Seeing Sion lower his head, Mia released a breath she had been holding for a long ti.
Phew, I think this case is finally closed. Things worked out pretty well for everybody, I’d say. Esralda has a cute future husband, and she even gets to take him ho. She must be happy. Granted, we’ll have to make up so official excuse to bring him to Tearmoon, and Duke Greenmoon probably has to be filled in about what’s actually going on. That’ll probably make it hard to have an actual ceremony… That wasn’t all. She glanced at Echard.
We didn’t do anything about Prince Echard’s hang-ups. If anything, all this thoughtfulness is probably making his inferiority complex worse.
So problems still existed, yes. But most of them were solved! And that was enough for Mia, because it ant that at long last, her job was done. Surely, she could exit stage left now.
Then, unexpectedly, Sion spoke up. “Oh, there’s one more thing I’d like to do. Could soone summon Prince Abel?”
Mia wondered why he wanted Abel’s presence.
Mia gave Sion a quizzical look, and he laughed.
“Echard, I’d like to show you sothing.”
Author’s Note:
As you may have guessed, the Sunkland arc will be over soon (?), but the fourth part will continue a little longer…well, it’s still quite a bit. The Sunkland and Peruvian arcs have been extended longer than expected… It was planned that there would be about 80 episodes between the two… strange.
So, it looks like Part 4 will be longer than the previous chapters.
I would appreciate it if you could stay with for a long ti.
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