The hall went into an uproar, whispers and murmur, and accusation gazes falling on the Marquis. It was so much, the confusion, the roundabout confession, and the weight of the sin of a father ordering an assassin to kill his son.

"Anyone who wants to use the chaos from my death to strip the Duke of his title and make the plot of rebellion seem like a reality."

The judge cleared his throat and then beat his gavel, the sound ringing like a gunshot.

"Order! Order!"

It took a while for the hall to quiet down, and Julian remained still, feeling no pressure. This felt like one of those times where the Board of Education called a one-on-one meeting with each teacher, asking them about the happenings of the school. It was just to hear their opinion, but it felt very much like an interrogation.

Teachers who had something to hide always seemed to falter and make mistakes, but Julian—Kim Jowoon—never fell victim to that pressure. He was a model teacher, followed the rules, and was excellent at his job.

And not just thanks to his experience, it looked like ’Calm mind’ was active again, and he could stay calm... even in the presence of the Emperor.

The Great Hall finally fell silent, and the Head Judge turned to Marquis Astrea.

"Marquis Astrea, do you have a response to these... accusations?" he asked. "Now, it is not just the Duke, but the victim, your son, who is also testifying against you."

The Marquis opened his mouth, but no sound came out. He looked toward the balcony, a silent, desperate plea for the Emperor to intervene, but Aurelian remained still, watching the spectacle with the detached interest of a man watching an ant being crushed.

"I... I deny these slanderous claims!" the Marquis finally croaked, his voice thin. "It is all a lie. This boy is delirious from the fever! He is a liability, a broken thing seeking to drag his betters down with him! An ungrateful child!"

Julian let out a short, dry scoff.

"A liability? Perhaps. But a liability that survived, and that is why you feel cornered." He said and then shrugged again. "Besides, I didn’t exactly say it was you, so why are you acting up?"

"Can you elaborate on that?" The Judge asked.

"The assassin might’ve claimed it was the Marquis, but there was no solid proof that the Marquis indeed commissioned him. It might’ve been one of his enemies, and made the assassin deliberately say the Marquis was behind it just to spite us against each other."

The Marquis was a bit stunned. Yes, he suddenly thought, the corner of his wrinkled lips slowly wrinkling up. The Boy still knows his place. He cannot accuse his father and send him to the cell for an assassination attempt, if not, his own status will be revoked and he will have no standing in society.

Julian could see exactly what his father was thinking. It was written all over his face, that twisted thinking of his. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

"Then, do you have an idea behind who it is that is working behind the scenes to try and harm a noble and frame the Marquis?"

Julian took a moment, as if thinking, and then said,

"Of course, it could’ve been anyone." His voice was smooth, but it was not the kind of response they were looking forward to. "Anyone who wants to use the chaos from my death to strip the Duke of his title and make the plot of rebellion seem like a reality..." his eyes landed on his father again, before glancing towards the Emperor. "could very much be the mastermind."

The word rebellion hit the room like a physical weight.

The nobility shifted in their seats, and the Marquis looked like he had been struck. By using that specific word, Julian wasn’t just accusing his father of murder; he was suggesting that the Marquis was part of a larger conspiracy to topple a Grand Duke—an act of high treason.

"In times of instability," Julian continued, his voice dropping to a sharp, clear register, "people do desperate things to climb a ladder that wasn’t built for them. They hand over secrets, they open gates, and they pay for silences. It’s sad, but it’s the kind of world we live in."

He tilted his head, his eyes boring into the Marquis’s soul. Behave, his gaze said. Because if I fall, I’m dragging the entire House of Astrea into the executioner’s square with me, and that definitely includes you.

How frightening. Julian thought, but he held no single fear.

"But as I said, Your Honor," Julian turned back to the Judge, the lethal edge in his voice replaced by a mask of weary innocence. "It’s all speculation. After all, why would my own blood want to kill me, right? And just what would the Marquis gain from seeing the North in shambles? It wouldn’t make sense... unless they were very, very certain of a promised reward. There is definitely a mastermind, and my father isn’t one."

It was all lies woven with truth, words that the court could not deny and ignore.

But that very last part was a solid truth. The Marquis wasn’t the mastermind because the mastermind was sitting up on a podium so all eyes could gaze up at him, as though he was the sun.

The Emperor, who had been resting his cheek on his hand, suddenly straightened.

He looked at Julian, then at the Duke standing like a silent sentinel behind the chair. The predator in him was no longer just amused—he was intrigued. He had expected Julian to be a broken tool that he no longer had to worry about, but instead, he became a blade that cut back.

How did he recover so quickly? The Emperor wondered, his eyes fixed on Julian’s unyielding ones. He even came back as more of a nuisance. This angers me. But he did not express his thoughts on his face.

"A spirited defense," the Emperor purred, his voice carrying a dangerous edge of delight. He stood up, the gold embroidery of his robes catching the light. "It seems the Marquis has been quiet... negligent. And his sons, quite short-sighted."

He walked to the very edge of the dais, his white-gloved hand dropping on the railing as he looked down at Julian.

"However, Julian Von Astrea, your ’wish’ for peace has caused a significant disturbance in my capital. My brother has defied my guards, and my court has spent two days in an uproar." The Emperor’s eyes narrowed slightly. "If you are as healthy as you claim to be, and as loyal as you say... then you will have no trouble proving it. I will dismiss the charges against the Grand Duke, on one condition."