Queen of Revenge - Chapter 88

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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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Chapter 88
The Princess continued in a businesslike tone.
“First. Both the defendant and the victim are nobles. Second. The victim publicly insulted the defendant in an open setting. The defendant’s exact words are recorded on page two of the case summary. Allow me to read them.”
“Read— wait, Your Majesty?”
“‘There’s a rumor you’re impotent, Johan. Is that why Veronica kicked you to the curb? What good is studying if you can’t even be a man? Aren’t you ashamed, you worthless eunuch?'”
The courtroom fell silent at the refined voice reciting such crude words.
The clerk who had been about to interrupt the Princess squeezed his eyes shut.
Only Iolet remained composed.
“Before explaining the third condition, I shall establish the circumstances more precisely—details not recorded in the incident log. There were witnesses to their confrontation in the courtyard. Marquis Deloras?”
“Yes, yes? Ah, yes.”
The eldest son of Marquis Deloras, seated at the witness stand, rose hesitantly.
“What conversation took place before the Duke’s Son and the Duke’s Son of House Montfer went to the courtyard?”
“Well, there was an exchange of insults. The Duke’s Son of House Uter retorted, asking where such vulgar language came from…”
“And?”
“Someone shouted that they should settle it outside before bringing shame to their house—I’m not certain which of them said it. Both young nobles were quite agitated.”
“So one of them invoked the family’s honor?”
“Yes? Ah, yes. That’s correct.”
“Sufficient. You may be seated. This confirms the third point: a public duel was formally proposed at the scene, with the family’s honor at stake.”
At this, the elders’ expressions began to shift.
Count Sernan, who had been slouching in his chair with a bored expression, straightened his posture.
“Wait. These conditions… could it be…?”
“Since both parties proceeded to the courtyard together, the fourth condition is met: explicit acceptance by the opponent. And fifth: there were witnesses present. Veronica Robert witnessed the event.”
Iolet gestured.
The Butler carefully carried the evidence to the central table. Two swords with dried blood lay within a glass case.
“Finally, the sixth condition. The weapons used in the duel were two standard-length, standard-thickness self-defense swords readily available on the market. No poison or other dishonorable means were detected—”
“Wait! Surely Your Highness isn’t suggesting this isn’t a murder case? You’re not claiming mutual fault, are you?”
Count Montfer interjected loudly.
Iolet ignored him.
“—therefore, all six conditions have been satisfied. The conditions I have enumerated are the requirements for a duel of honor between nobles, as preserved in Elovis customary law.”
“When did duels of honor cease to exist? What sort of sophistry is this…! Even if it were truly a duel, a man still died!”
“Unless the Crown formally establishes and prohibits it by law, custom remains custom. And typically, damages incurred in a duel of honor cannot be claimed from the opponent. Such duels continue until one party dies. Since the founding of Elovis, seventy-eight official duels of honor have been recorded, and seven of them bear similarity to this case.”
Her voice continued with terrifying composure.
“The most recent of these seven duels occurred fifty-four years ago, and the victor was recorded as Cesario Montferr, the third son of House Montfer when it held baronial rank. Since it was not a crime, it appears in the Royal Chronicles rather than court records.”
Gasps erupted from the nobility section.
Among House Montfer’s ancestors, there was one who had been acquitted in a similar incident.
While not decisive proof regarding this case, it made it difficult for House Montfer to argue the duel was unjust.
Count Montfer began to stammer.
“Then… no charges can be brought? How is that possible? My son died a sudden, violent death in a single night, without even striking back once—”
“However, this case lacks sufficient witnesses, and there are certainly points that make it difficult to interpret as an honorable duel. There are also circumstances suggesting the duel was spontaneous, or conversely, that the Duke’s Son of House Uter may have planned the crime.”
Iolet paid no attention to the uproar sweeping through the nobility section.
She turned toward the King with an air of indifference.
“Therefore, Your Majesty, I believe it is appropriate to sentence the defendant, Prince Uter, to hard labor, strip House Uter of its ducal status and reduce it to an earldom as punishment for his crimes, and remove Duke Uter from his position as a senior member of the Royal Council.”
“I ask for nothing else, Your Majesty!”
Count Montfer’s cry pierced the silence of the chamber.
“The very fact that my son’s murderer still draws breath is unbearable torment. I need no other punishment—I beg you to impose the death sentence…!”
Now every eye in the hall turned toward the King.
The King, who had been observing the proceedings with his head tilted slightly, cleared his throat.
“Count. I do not fail to understand your grief.”
The King spoke gently, tempering Count Montfer’s outburst.
“Yet your son was hardly blameless. How could a nobleman conduct himself with such vulgar provocation toward his opponent?”
“Your Majesty…!”
“But I comprehend the sorrow of losing a son. In addition to the sentence the Princess has proposed, House Uter shall compensate House Montfer with thirty thousand gold planks and jewels.”
The nobles gasped at the staggering sum—enough to bankrupt even the greatest houses in a single blow.
Yet Prince Uter had saved his life.
The Prince in the defendant’s seat bowed his head in relief, while the Duke closed his eyes firmly.
“Crown Princess, do you have any objections?”
The King turned to Catherine with the question.
Catherine, who had observed the proceedings with an expressionless face, fell silent for a moment.
A duel of honor.
An archaic custom, tediously outdated.
The last recorded duel of honor in history occurred two generations ago, yet I never expected such a worn-out practice to be invoked as justification. I could easily have countered it.
But what mattered was how the King would accept it.
The King needed not new evidence to overturn the case, but rather a pretext to honor House Uter while appeasing Count Montfer. The nature of that pretext was irrelevant.
Iolet had grasped that point precisely.
The King had upheld his teacher’s dignity while maintaining the appearance of fairness. He seemed quite pleased with the outcome.
There was no need to voice objections here and draw unwanted attention. With Duke Uter stripped of his position in the Royal Council, the true objective of this case had been sufficiently achieved.
Yet my mood was foul nonetheless.
The fact that she had once again produced a move I could not anticipate.
The fact that she would ultimately obtain the qualifications I desired.
The fact that Iolet had moved one step ahead of me—it made my blood boil with rage.
Catherine bit the inside of her lip until it bled.
“…I have no objections, Your Majesty.”
“Then let the case be concluded as decided.”
Duke Uter bowed deeply at the waist.
“I am grateful, Your Majesty.”
“Truly wise, Your Majesty.”
The nobles rose in unison and bowed before the King.
Duke Uter gazed at the Princess’s retreating form as she bowed like a butterfly, filled with admiration.
‘To so completely transform the very nature of the case….’
From the beginning, there had been no intention to adjudicate this matter with impartiality.
I had already decided on the answer and arranged the evidence to match it.
The predetermined conclusion wasn’t baseless either—I had drawn it from the customs of nobility, which were difficult to refute outright.
There was no joy or relief in the Princess’s composed expression as she organized the case details. If anything, a hint of grim resolve flickered across her features.
Today’s proceedings were merely a side branch; the true ordeal I had to overcome was only beginning now.
Duke Uter sensed instinctively that the aid she truly needed from him lay precisely there.

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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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