'Why do they ask the same question?' Thyra could say her thoughts out loud. Even without the presence of the king, Thyra knew there was no way she could be disrespectful here.
"This subject is unaware of why this subject is being called here."
"So, you are denying colluding with the Eder empire and conspiring against the kingdom?"
"Huh!" Thyra looked at the person who was speaking. It was the chief royal courtier. Although his rank was just a count, he was the person who would conduct the royal court.
Count Borg Daman. He was a childhood friend of the king. He was from a neutral faction, not supporting any of the heirs of the king. However, he was the king's most trusted person.
"Lord Daman, can you explain what you mean by that?"
"How dare you ask for an explanation from the royal courtier?"
This was the first time Thyra saw the first person in Duke Dent's family. Although this person had yet to receive the title, no one could question the fact that this man would be the future Duke of the kingdom.
Thyra smiled at him before turning towards the royal courtier, asking, "Lord Daman, I can help you if you already have a story and just need a pawn to fit. If that is the case, nobody is a better fit for the position than me."
"Lady Hoax, you should choose the words wisely." The Royal courtier warned.
"Yes," Thyra answered.
"Sorry?" The royal courtier frowned, not understanding what Thyra meant by that.
"I deny colluding with the Eder empire and conspiring against the kingdom."
"How dare you lie in the royal court?" Stam, the firstborn of Duke Dent, screamed.
"Sorry, Lord Daman, can you confirm whether you or Lord Dent are the Royal courtiers?"
"You…"
Before Stam could say anything, Borg said, "Lord Dent, please behave yourself."
"But, that bi…"
"Lord Dent," Borg's voice was one pitch higher than Stam's. He looked at Borg before sitting down. Still, he continued to glare at Thyra.
"What proof do you have that proves your innocence?"
"Forgive me for the disrespect, but shouldn't the proof that accuses me of my wrongdoings be put forward first?"
"Guard…" As soon as Borg called, the guard came with a tray. Borg grabbed something and showed it to Thyra.
'It's an emblem of the Eder empire.' Thyra has no problem identifying it. Thyra could somewhat guess where the story was going.
"This is an emblem of the Eder empire," Borg said. "It was recovered from the mansion of Viscount Hoax."
Thyra suppressed her smile, asking, "And?"
"We have also recovered a letter from a former royal knight who is also working under the lady."
"What does that letter say?" Thyra had no problem understanding who they were talking about.
"Shouldn't you know?"
"How could I know if I didn't write it?"
"You didn't write it?" Borg pulled out a paper. "But it has your name on it."
"Please wait a moment." Thyra couldn't stop herself from smiling. "Before anything, I would like to ask where my father and Jullia are."
"So you are accepting the fact you are colluding with the empire?"
"Why? Because I asked where my father is. Isn't it normal for the children to look for their father? If my familial ties make me a suspect, why do you not go after my mom and brothers?"
"They didn't write the letter. You did." Stam said.
Thyra looked at Stam before looking at Borg, asking, "Does Lord Stam know about the letter's content?"
"It was Lord Stam's knights who had intercepted the letter." When Thyra looked at him, she felt there was a smile at the edge of his lips, while Borg added, "He is also the one who recovered the proof from the Viscount mansion."
"Sorry, Lord Daman, let me ask again, where are my father and knight?"
Borg looked at Thyra, sighed, and said, "Viscount Hoax has been arrested. He was injured during the fight with the knights of Duke Dent's house and hadn't woken up yet. Julia had escaped."
Thyra stopped, took a deep breath, and stood there without moving. She knew money and power could transform a lie into truth. Her previous world was no exception, nor was this one.
However, the absurdity of the logic dumbfounded her. She looked at Borg, saying, "Forgive me one last time, but my lord, if you're carrying an important letter, where are you carrying it?"
"Stop wasting the time of the royal court!" Stam shouted. Although Thyra didn't notice if Stam signalled them to do so or if they were doing it independently, some nobles also voiced their dissatisfaction.
"Lady Hoax, please…"
"If it were me," Thyra didn't let Borg finish, "I would be carrying an important document inside my dress or somewhere safe. I wouldn't be carrying it in hand while fighting the enemy and escaping, leaving only the letter behind."
There was a momentary silence in court. Expectedly, Stam was the first one to open their mouth, "That's because our knights had heavily injured her, and she couldn't get the chance to recover it."
"She was fighting and heavily injured." Thyra smiled, asking, "Then why was there not a single mark of blood or dirt on the letter? It is like the letter was written and delivered here directly."
"What are you saying? Are you accusing me of conspiring against someone like you?" Stam didn't try to control his voice, "If you are not trying to harm our kingdom, do you think a fly like you would have had the ability to come into the eye of my ducal family?"
"That is also what I am saying." Thyra turned back at Borg and said, "Even the duke of our kingdom wouldn't care for a fly like us, yet one of the empires decided to join hands with us, a viscounty with neither a prosperous domain nor a strong military."
Nobody answered her question. Thyra looked at Stam, adding, "If I were the empire, I wouldn't have joined hands with a viscount family. Instead, I would have joined hands with a ducal family."
"What are you trying to say?" Stam's voice was louder.
Borg also warned Thyra, "Lady Hoax, choose your words wisely. You can't accuse others of treason without any proof."
Thyra smiled, saying, "Let's forget that only Lord Stam knew we were connected with the empire but didn't report it to the Majesty. Also, they could beat a grade five knight but couldn't arrest a grade seven knight."
"That knight had special abilities to escape."
Thyra looked at Borg and said, "Does not my lord find it amusing that she had a special escape skill but escaped after she dropped the letter?"
"What are you trying to say? My Ducal family is conspiring against you?"
"I am not saying that." Thyra paused, adding, "I am not denying either."
"You…" Borg jumped out of his seat. He glared at Thyra, asking, "Where is the proof?"
Thyra smiled and threw away three pieces of armour with the mark of the ducal family on them. Thyra didn't know what happened to the two pieces she had given to Jullia, but she could guess when she saw a smile on Stam's face.
"What is that? Those armours? Those were stolen from the main house over a month ago. We have also reported it. They couldn't find it." Stam laughed, asking, "So you have joined hands with the thief and are trying to blame it on us?"
"Funny how the 'great' Ducal family can beat a fifth-grade knight, find the information of us conspiring with the empire, but couldn't stop a thief from stealing from their home and had needed the kingdom's help to find them."
"How dare you?" Stam came running to slap Thyra.
"Silence!" The thunderous voice shook the entire court. The door behind the throne opened, and a man with a crown walked into the hall.
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The entire court jumped to their feet and bowed to the man who had just entered the hall. Thyra had no problem understanding who it was.
It was Tier Ardour. It was the reigning monarch of the Ardour kingdom and the man who was supposed to be her father.
"Sit." After he sat down, the others were allowed to sit down too. Then he added, "Continue."
Although the king had ordered them to continue, none of the nobles dared react. On the other hand, Thyra was trying to steal glances at the man who was supposed to be her father.
There is a rule that one shouldn't directly look at the monarch of the land. Naturally, Thyra couldn't look at him directly. However, The pressure she was feeling from him was real.
Thyra had read that he wasn't just a third-grade knight but also had the unique essence of the beast called Shishi. It had both the characteristics of a canine and a feline species.
Although both of their essence beasts were of similar rank, Thyra's instinct told her that she was no match for him.
Thyra pulled out a pouch and gave it to Borg. As soon as he opened it, the first thing he noticed was the bad stench. And it wasn't just him. Everyone could smell it. It smelled like rotten flesh, but what came out of it were pieces of tooth.
"What is this?" Borg shouted. He hadn't expected Thyra to give him something like that.
The Knights standing behind her were a lot stricter as the monarch entered the hall. They didn't know what happened, but they quickly pulled out a sword and put it on Thyra's neck.
"Those are the remains of Orcs and Kobolds that we have hunted."
Thyra's words dropped like a bomb. There was a momentary silence before people started whispering.
"Explain." However, one word from Tier silenced everyone.
Thyra explained everything from start to finish. After she had finished, the first one to speak was Borg.
"The bandit was active for more than a decade. The knights were never able to subdue it." He looked at Thyra, continuing, "They sent you, and you took care of them within a week? And your soldiers are just rookies?"
Thyra smirked, saying, "I can understand your surprise. I, too, couldn't understand why they would send someone who had her coming-of-age ceremony just a week ago to fight a bandit group that they have failed to suppress for a year."
'I am not talking about that.' Borg wanted to say it, but he couldn't say it out loud because what Thyra said was more surprising. It is not logical to send a noble child on such a mission without a group of well-trained knights.
He also knew that, although it wasn't logical, it still happened. This practice of eliminating potential heirs was common among aristocratic families. And with Viscountess Hoax not being her mother, it wasn't surprising.
'Now that I think about it, the Viscountess is from the Dent ducal family,' Borg thought, looking at Stam, whose face looked anything but good.
And Stam was the one to shout out, "You are lying. You couldn't kill them. Even the knight couldn't, without any help. And those beasts…" Stam paused, adding, "Could it be that you have brought them from the slave traders?"
Thyra sighed, saying, "Forgive the disrespect." After saying those words, Thyra raised her hand and let out a bolt of lightning. The thunderous boom shook the entire hall.
It was too much of a shock. Even The knights weren't sure what to do.
"Interesting."
After Tier, it was Borg who said, "You have absorbed an essence! How old are you?"
Thyra wanted to keep it a secret but knew she couldn't. She had no backing. And with Justin out of the picture, there is no way she could win against the Ducal family.
Even if the high nobles knew that she was speaking the truth, they would still discard her while trying not to alert the enemy. She would die one way or another.
And the only way to survive was to show them her worth. As long as they felt that she was worth protecting, they would protect her. And that will give her time, time to get stronger.
"I am fourteen."
"Didn't you say you just had your coming-of-age ceremony?"
"I am going to join the war after the winter. So, I had to go through the ceremony."
Another wave of whispering rose in the hall. After all, the first thing Hure told her after she had come into this world was that even the royal heirs couldn't do it.
Expectedly, the monarch was also surprised, "What is your essence beast?"
"Thunder bull." Thyra didn't need to state its rank. As a unique beast, it was quite a popular choice for the noble children. However, it was neglected for years because it was a herbivore and an elemental beast, which is harder to control.
"Oh!" Brog was not sure what to say. He heard about this daughter of Justin for the first time last week. However, he had never expected that this girl would be such a wonderful jewel.
'To think that these bastards are thinking of sacrificing her for their own interest…' Brog couldn't help but glare at Stam as he thought about it.
"There is one more thing." Thyra pulled out another pouch with a nastier smell than the tooth.
Borg opened it and pulled out pieces of skin with weird marks on them. Thyra explained, "It's the slave's marks of the beast. With the slave marks, you can track down the slave traders. I think we can get many answers when we find many answers."
"I think the empire is going to use these beasts in the war."
"Does that matter? Whether they use soldiers or beasts?" Brog couldn't help but take Thyra's words seriously.
"I feel from fighting with these beasts that they would act differently from humans. And a normal soldier doesn't know how to fight them. I even lost a few of my soldiers in these skirmishes."
"Didn't your rookie soldiers win in the end? How hard can they be?" Stam was one to interfere, adding, "However, all those you have reported didn't prove your innocence. If anything, it proves that you have contact with the empire."
"Sorry?" Thyra couldn't understand whether the lack of normalised education had created such an idiot or if he was born to be one.
"Didn't you say the slave traders sold them? Couldn't you buy such a thing and show it here? And it didn't explain how the emblem of the empire appeared in the mansion."
"Does it prove anything? Anyone can put it there, whether it's as a maid, knight, servant, or guard. Even the investigating officer can put it there."
"You… Are you telling me we have planted it there?" In anger, he couldn't even control himself.
"I had never said that." Thyra smiled, saying, "Finding it doesn't mean anything."
"It does. It is an important piece of evidence. You won't go to any other noble's house and find the emblem of the empire. It's because you have joined hands with them, and they have given you that."
"Are you saying one badge is enough proof?" Thyra asked.
"Yes," Stam didn't notice the smile at the corner of Thyra's lips as he turned towards the king, saying, "Please don't be swayed by the lies of this woman. Please give your judgment and punish her."
Thyra could feel eyes on her, but she smiled proudly, saying, "Yes, my lord, we are guilty."
A smile appeared on Stam's lips, but he felt something wasn't right.
"We have colluded with the empire. But we aren't alone. Other nobles have joined us also. And as proof, I will show you the emblem of the Dent Ducal family."
"What?" Stam screamed. He was about to jump towards Thyra, but Borg blocked the path.
Thyra pulled out an emblem and poured her mana as the symbol of the Dent Ducal family appeared in the air. It proved that it was a legit thing.
Thyra smiled at Stam, adding, "The ducal family had given us this when we had joined hands with the empire."
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