Irene walked with and on the stairs, I asked her a question, "where exactly are we going?"
I could not imagine that we were going to the great hall. Whatever his aunt planned, could not be hosted in the throne room where the public would attend once in a blue moon. I could not imagine we would be hosting that many people at this hour.
"We are going to a different room. It is a room occupied by the Queens or the concerts that are interested in handling public disputes. Until now, Lady Chiara has been hosting them. Today, you will be introduced."
Which would explain how I was dressed today. I looked no less than a new princess that had just made it to the public eye.
I rembered quite well when I had been pushed away from Tristan’s side after being told that I belonged there. Tristan had remained silent when his aunt had asked to leave and asked his sister to stand beside him when they made the official statent as the new ruling family of Astria.
I still rembered the feeling like it had been yesterday. It was at an early age that I was taught to control my emotions in front of an audience but at that mont, I cried, and I did not bother hiding it.
How the tables had turned.
"Here we go," Irene whispered as we ca closer to the doors that I rembered Anastasia introducing to . "Rember to keep your composure. Everything just cos with it."
The advice was sothing she had heard my entire life and rembered from the countless months I had heard it from.
I nodded once but deeply. "Open them."
The loud noise that would gather the attention of anyone when the doors opened, only made stand straight. I had been prepared for this. I would be prepared for this.
Right in front of were three seats, beside which Chiara was sitting, leaving the middle and the one next to it.
Chiara stood up, turning towards , and then she proceeded to do the courtesy required to be done in the presence of the higher royal family mber than her.
"Your highness," she said, loud and clear as she continued bowling in front of .
"Lady Chiara."
She stood up, receiving the acknowledgent as her reward. "Please, join ."
That was the thing. It was like she had noticed what I was wondering about her hand discreetly pointed to the seat in the middle.
The first step that I took into the room made aware of how everyone’s eyes were on . I could swear to God that I even heard soone gasp.
I was not the only one who found difficulty breathing. The pressure in the room that I felt was felt by everyone else as well. Everyone was holding their breaths.
Lowering myself on the seat, I nodded my head slowly and everyone proceeded to sit down. Chiara sat next to , just as everyone released the breath that they had been holding and resud the position they had before.
"Your highness," a man stepped into my line of sight and bowed, "may we begin today’s session?"
Alvin, I recognised him. He was one of the friends Tristan had when I had first t him. He was also one. I had not seen for a long ti.
"We shall, Alvin."
Sothing changed in his eyes, sothing like appreciation. He might not have expected to rember his na or him.
Turning around, he read the first na on the sheet of paper, handed to him before introducing the case to us.
"Today, we have a plaintiff who refuses her sister and her husband of immoral relations. The defendant, her sister, has yet to say anything about it."
What?
The defendant was not saying anything? How was she not already defending herself? It would rather an that she was guilty.
Three People were brought forward. The man was in the middle, on his right, was a woman with a red face. She was clearly crying, and on the other side of the man was a woman who stood with her back straight and her hands clasped in front of her.
If I could say, she was not guilty about what she had done. Her actions told so.
"Plaintiff," Alvin spoke loud and clear, " we have read your statent. Is there anything else you would like to add?"
She shook her head, a sob leaving her as she did. "I just.. I just want to say punish her well. She did it."
"Do you know it," I asked, "or did you see it?"
"I saw it." The plaintiff whispered, "with my eyes as I ca back ho with my children. They.. they saw.."
"And you?" Chiara asked the defendant when it was clear that the crying woman was not going to say anything more. "Do you have anything to say for yourself?"
The defendant stood loud and proud, she was not ashad at all.
"If you are not ashad at all, then you are just as guilty." Chiara announced before before taking the na of the husband and announcing the punishnt first, "for cheating on your wife, as a married man, receive the punishnt of moving out of the house you live in, but taking care of all the expenses, your wife and your children demand. If your wife wants to leave you, she is still allowed to do yet. Even after that, you will have to take care of the expenses until she does not want you to anymore."
"and for the woman who committed adultery with her brother-in-law, you will be sent to live in the house of God where such acts are forbidden."
Priestess. That was prior to sending her to live in. Given the conditions that had led her there, those won were going to be the enemy of this one.
The plaintiff appeared relieved. The relaxation was more visible when Chiara had allowed her to leave her husband in the eyes of God and the king. She wanted that, she did not want to stay with him.
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