My Contract Husband Demands a Divorce - Chapter 5

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Yulisian Kleinheits.
The lord of the southern metropolis of Kleins and an Archduke of the Melbern Empire.
Though born as the fourth prince of the vast Melbern Empire, he received the title of Archduke at the age of fifteen and moved down to the south.
Since becoming the Archduke, he had rarely set foot in the Capital.
As such, it had been a truly long time since he last faced his father.
The problem, however, was that this reunion took place in a courtroom while he was bound in handcuffs.
“Yulisian, is it true that you attacked Prince Kildian’s forces?”
In the border regions of Melbern, skirmishes both large and small were a frequent occurrence.
Kildian often dispatched troops to stack up military achievements, even sending mercenaries he hired personally if resources ran short.
Yet Yulisian had attacked their own allies in the disputed territory—more precisely, the mercenaries hired by Kildian.
If found guilty, Yulisian would face decapitation.
The surrounding crowd murmured anxiously.
Even though he had retreated to the south, he was still the most prominent candidate for the position of Crown Prince.
If his head fell, the entire political current of the imperial capital would shift.
With every eye in the room fixed on Yulisian, he raised his head.
“It is true.”
There was no fear on his face as he confessed.
In his green eyes, gold flecks were scattered like constellations of stars.
His mind drifted back to the border where Melbern and Sproxen met.
The screams of children, burning houses, and brutal hands grabbing fleeing people by the hair.
In the aftermath of a small battle, the foreign mercenaries hired by Kildian had committed horrific atrocities against the citizens of Melbern.
“They kidnapped our people, set fire to civilian homes, and plundered our food supplies.”
Kildian’s face twisted in immediate outrage as he protested.
“Your Majesty, such things are common occurrences in war. To attack our own allies over mere trifles and destroy military morale is utterly unacceptable.”
Among the nobles watching the trial, Kildian’s supporters raised their voices in agreement.
“Furthermore, that territory did not even belong to the Archduke!”
Yulisian scoffed.
“No matter whose territory it is, anyone who belongs to Melbern is a subject of Your Majesty. As royalty tasked with a noble duty, is it a crime to protect our people?”
Intimidated by his fierce aura, the noble shut his mouth.
Yulisian looked back at the Emperor.
“I am both a son and a subject to Your Majesty. Having sworn allegiance to Melbern, should I have simply stood by and watched our citizens be slaughtered?”
“Hmm…”
“It is a fact that I turned my sword against our allies. If Your Majesty chooses to dismiss me, I will accept it gladly. However, I have no regrets.”
His broad shoulders and straight back, his lifted chin, and his golden hair catching the sunlight to glow like a halo.
Though kneeling and bound in chains, he showed not a shred of servility.
The nobles who had gathered to witness the trial found themselves completely captivated by his presence.
The Emperor remained silent for a moment.
After staring down at his son for what felt like an eternity, he finally delivered a stern verdict.
“Since the crimes of the mercenaries are clear, Yulisian Kleinheits shall not be held guilty.”
At this unexpected ruling, Kildian erupted in protest.
“Your Majesty! To completely absolve him of the crime of attacking our own forces makes absolutely no sense!”
“If a knight of the Empire plunders our own people, he is executed on the spot. How much more so for mere mercenaries!”
Kildian bit his lip at the Emperor’s unyielding stance.
“They are also men who have brought Your Majesty countless victories.”
“Indeed. Therefore, in recognition of their service, I shall spare them from execution. However, all rewards granted to them are to be revoked.”
Kildian’s supporters rose up, clamoring that this was absurd.
But the Emperor was absolute.
He raised a hand to silence the commotion and swept out of the room.
The moment the Emperor departed, the courtroom devolved into chaos once more.
Kildian gripped his armrest tightly, his knuckles turning stark white from the pressure.
For a long time, he glared at Yulisian with murderous eyes.
Then, he stormed out of his seat.
Every stride toward his younger brother surged with fury. Striding forward until he blocked Yulisian’s path, Kildian looked down at his brother with eyes gleaming with hatred and arrogance.
“You meddle in my business at every single turn, Yulisian.”
“If you continue to wage these useless wars, brother, I intend to keep meddling.”
“What?”
“I mean that you should stop sacrificing the lives of innocent citizens and soldiers just to fulfill your own ambition.”
Grinding his teeth, Kildian curled his thin lips into a distorted smirk.
“If that is what you truly want, then give up the position of Crown Prince.”
“I never had any desire for it in the first place.”
Despite Yulisian’s sincerity, Kildian merely scoffed.
Kildian was always like this.
He was perpetually wary of Yulisian, who was constantly praised for his excellent character.
That wariness soon manifested as aggression, and Kildian frequently orchestrated assassination attempts to eliminate his brother.
Conversely, Yulisian held no great greed for power.
Whether it was the position of Crown Prince or the throne itself, he had no wish to spill his brother’s blood over meaningless titles. That was precisely why he had volunteered to go south.
Yet Kildian refused to drop his hostility, convinced that even that move carried a hidden agenda.
“Still acting like a hypocrite preaching righteousness, I see. It’s utterly disgusting.”
“Seeing how you resort to insults the moment you run out of arguments, it seems you haven’t changed either, brother. That brings me peace of mind.”
Having his own behavior thrown back in his face, Kildian’s expression contorted.
“We shall see how long that smug face of yours lasts.”
“My word. In that case, you will have to live a very long life.”
A gentle smile played on Yulisian’s lips.
Kildian looked as though he wanted nothing more than to spit on that smile. Had there been no witnesses, he likely would have strangled Yulisian right then and there.
“Go ahead, act arrogant while you still can. I am preparing something quite amusing for you.”
Leaving behind those ominous words, Kildian swept out of the courtroom.
Only then did the guards approach, respectfully unlocking the handcuffs.
Yulisian rotated his stiff wrists as he scanned the remaining nobles in the room.
They were whispering among themselves, their gazes locked onto him.
They were clearly gossiping about him, but he turned away with utter indifference.
Papilion, his aide who had been waiting in the gallery, quickly hurried down to follow him.
“I haven’t lived a particularly long life, yet I truly see everything. To think I’d live to see the day Your Grace is put in chains.”
Though grumbling, Papilion carefully draped a cloak over Yulisian’s shoulders.
“This is exactly why I told you not to get involved personally. You must think of your dignity.”
“If ignoring such atrocities is what it takes to maintain dignity, then that sort of dignity is worthless.”
“It is not! Do you have any idea what the nobles are saying? They are all whispering that Your Grace is a violent and dangerous man.”
“My conscience is clear, so it doesn’t matter. Why should I care about my reputation?”
“You absolutely should care!”
Yulisian chuckled as he watched his subordinate dramatically beat his chest in frustration.
Adopting a serious expression, Papilion reached into his robes and subtly flashed a resignation letter.
“If you don’t want to receive this resignation, stop laughing and start behaving properly.”
“How terrifying.”
His tone suggested he wasn’t frightened in the least.
As Yulisian stepped outside and mounted his horse, Papilion quickly climbed onto his own.
“The rain is getting heavier, so we should hurry.”
Papilion assumed they were finally heading back down south, but the path Yulisian took led toward the forest on the outskirts of the Capital. In fact, it was heading back toward the metropolitan area.
Frowning, Papilion spurred his horse to ride alongside him.
“Your Grace, you’ve taken a wrong turn.”
“No. I am going exactly where I mean to.”
“Kleins is in the completely opposite direction.”
“Indeed. This is the path to the Grand Temple.”
“The Grand Temple?”
“Yes. My brother has been steadily moving military supplies to the border. Meanwhile, rumors are spreading that the atrocities committed by the mercenaries were actually the work of the enemy nation.”
“Does that mean he intends to stoke hatred between the citizens of both nations to instigate a full-scale war?”
“Most likely.”
He undoubtedly planned to lead a war to secure military achievements, and then appease the public by resolving the hatred he manufactured to win their hearts.
It was glaringly obvious how many people would die just to feed his hunger for power.
“I intend to ask the Pope to mediate regarding the battles and atrocities occurring in the disputed territory.”
Papilion’s jaw slowly dropped.
Kildian always kept a watchful eye on Yulisian’s every move.
Had Yulisian traveled to the Capital on his own accord, Kildian would have realized his purpose, contacted the Vatican, and sabotaged the plan in advance.
Instead, Yulisian had been brought to the Capital under arrest.
“…Don’t tell me you got yourself captured on purpose?”
“It served a dual purpose.”
“How can you explain something like this away as a dual purpose? What if you had been executed? Did you somehow know you would be acquitted?”
“I was prepared to be locked in a dungeon for a few days, so this was actually a pleasant surprise.”
“Have you perhaps lost your mind…?”
As Yulisian merely laughed it off, Papilion clutched the back of his neck as his blood pressure spiked.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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