The Demon Lord's Bride (BL)
Chapter 245: You don’t have a movie theatre in your neighborhood? Try the Courthouse

Chapter 245: You don’t have a movie theatre in your neighborhood? Try the Courthouse

"I won’t let you be here anymore if you can’t control yourself, okay?" I whispered sternly toward my two little companions, wondering if I should have just left them back home.

Ignis grunted, but quickly defused the flame dancing on its head. I could hear Izzi whine at the loss of sudden warmth, however, which made me sigh as I looked at Jade.

Jade was harder to appease, but I sent the bird my happiest thought, and the tensing bird gradually grew calmer.

Now that my companions had been handled, I glanced toward the Judge’s podium, and saw Natha was closing his eyes, head leaned back on his seat.

Ah...he was pissed.

Well, of course, he would. I was sure he already heard everything firsthand, but I couldn’t imagine him not getting angry as it was being repeated. He made a clear effort to suppress his raging fury, though. The room was cold enough as it was, and Izzi would probably suffer from hypothermia if Natha let out his anger.

Talking about Izzi, I heard him whispering in the back. "Don’t cry, you’ll make them think Boss is afraid," he hissed quietly, but also sounded worried.

Ah, was Zia crying? She did a good job of not making any sound if that was the case. I patted Jade and told the bird telepathically to stay with the succubus and console her. Perhaps that would distract them both.

Obediently, Jade shrunk back and jumped over my shoulder. Now that things were much calmer, I shifted my gaze toward the defendant’s stands. Perhaps because they felt my gaze, the three of them suddenly looked up and our eyes met.

Ah, this was what I had in mind when I decided to come to this trial. I looked at them straight in their eyes, one by one; the one that looked rather scared, the one that seemed to be resigned to their fate, and the one that was staring back defiantly.

Hmm...there was something like this in the past. I saw it when I snuck around my grandfather’s house when I was but a child; some people were bound and kneeled in front of him, and they too, each had different expressions.

What kind of face did my grandfather make that day? I tried to recall that face as I kept taking their gaze. In my vision, suddenly, I saw an ant walking over the railing in front of me, and I remembered it.

"Ants," I muttered.

Right. He looked at them as if they were ants. Nothing but a mild inconvenience that could be dealt with anytime.

Yeah, those demons too, could be dealt with easily. Isn’t that so, my Lord?

I looked at Natha, and found that the silver eyes were already looking at me. I gave him a small, nonchalant shrug before leaning back on my seat, and his lips curled deeply. He shifted his gaze toward the court hall and gave a single command.

"Proceed."

The judicial committee members, who also acted as the prosecutor, continued providing proof of the three clans’ involvement, including the contract that they made with the agents, the trace of purchasing the poisons, and so on. They even traced it back to the time Natha discovered the ’rats’ and made it a case of premeditated murder.

"Based on the evidence and the witness testimony, the High Council had found the three defendants to be guilty of treason by attempting to harm the life of the reigning Lord’s betrothed."

I saw the guilty clans’ family members flinched and shrieked, although the exact sentencing hadn’t been made. It might be a genuine sadness--but sadness over the clans’ wrongdoing or the clans’ expected downfall, I had no idea. I was sure they already knew the patriarch was found guilty, but it probably hadn’t felt real enough before.

The guilty parties themselves did not give much reaction. A twitch of facial muscles, a frown, a glare...just things like that. Well, after all, it wasn’t over yet.

The next process, as it turned out, was the defense. There was a team of solicitors, and while they were representing different clans, they seemed to have decided on a united front.

"The sentence for treason is ranging from life imprisonment to a death sentence," Lesta explained to me.

"The agents who accepted the contract to...eliminate you, was given the death penalty," Arta added. "It wouldn’t be a public execution, however, since the attempt itself was not successful."

I see. Arta did not include it, but I also heard that those agents already had impaired cognition due to the usage of truth serums--which was why it needed the Council’s approval as well as witnesses while administering it.

"These clans’ objective, however, would not be to negotiate the patriarchs’ sentences," Lesta said.

Huh? Wasn’t the defendant usually defended themselves so they could get pardoned? They could not plead ’not guilty’ because of the conclusive evidence and the High Council’s decision--which acted as juries. But I thought the whole trial’s objective was to plead for lightening their punishment. Was that not the case?

"They would not plead for their own life, but rather, for their clans," Lesta explained further as I was making a confused face. "If it’s just an attempted murder, the sentence lies solely on the perpetrator. But in the case of treason..."

"The whole clan got impacted," I finished the sentence, feeling my heart getting pricked by invisible needles all over.

I couldn’t help but look at Natha; a byproduct of a ’treason’ case, even though his father was not actually guilty of anything. He lost his family, his estate, his reputation, and almost his life.

So I couldn’t say I didn’t get it. I was sure there were other people in the clans who knew about this plan and corroborated together with the Elders--finding the poison and the agents, most likely, wasn’t something that the patriarch would do by himself. But I was also sure some would have no idea about it. The servants, the children, the members who knew nothing about the realm’s politics. They might know that the patriarch and the clan’s executives didn’t like me, but it was hard to think a whole clan, the whole fief, would plan for my murder.

"Depending on the result of today’s trial, we could see anywhere between a whole seizure of their asset, or just a single time fine."

"Hmm..." I nodded, feeling grateful that Lesta was here to explain these things to me. "What do you think would happen?"

"They would pull something we all hate," Lesta smiled bitterly, and right after, I heard their defense.

"I’m a foolish old man who acted rashly because of my emotions," the angry-looking old demon--the one from the Ma clan, said with a voice that sounded angry but sad at the same time. "At my twilight, I want to see the Demon Realm thrive at the hand of our beloved Lord,"

I couldn’t help but raise my brow, and it didn’t need a keen eye to see the way Natha’s eyes twitched in anger. Ma Dirga continued his defense--or rather, his oration--still with a sad but angry voice.

"Is it so wrong of me--of us," he paused to point toward the other two guilty Elders, "--is it so wrong for us to want the best for the Lord and the realm? All we wanted to do was keep the blood of the King persisting for the glorious future! All we wanted to do was keep the realm from getting harmed by our kin’s slayer!"

Ah, yeah...the defense we all hated. Should I call it patriotism, chauvinism, or even puritanism? Your pick.

I couldn’t really call it a defense. It was a speech. A hate speech for that matter. He even held back from glancing at me, although his bound wrist energetically pointing at me. Arta was hissing, and Caba was literally growling. I could hear the sound of Zia standing up and stomping the floor, accompanying the sound of Haikal’s spear. Jade and Ignis were jumping to my lap again, as if ready to fight the whole building.

It was so chaotic in my box, and the only one who didn’t react much was Izzi--because he was quite literally a fugitive and was busy clattering his teeth from Natha’s blast of cold. This time, even Lesta clenched his jaw and did not bother to maintain his usual calm.

All of these reactions were nice, don’t get me wrong, making me fuzzy and warm and wanted. But I also didn’t think aggravating the situation would help with anything, so I slammed my palm to the armrest.

"Quiet!"

I did not say it loudly. I did, however, use the cold tone Grandpa used when he scolded his children for constantly fighting among themselves. Which, I know, wasn’t really what happened here, but it did make them silent.

"Get back, the trial is still ongoing."

With pressed lips, Arta returned to her seat, and so did Zia and the others. Jade flew to my shoulder and snuggled against my neck in apology, and I let out a sigh, looking at the Judges’ stands, and nodded slightly to apologize for my entourage’s behavior.

The sleep-deprived Uncle, the Head Mage Sol Eldriga curled his lips and for the first time opened his mouth. "But Elder, the Lord’s betrothed had passed the trial the Council asked for, and received Lord An’Hyang’s acknowledgment," he said. "Considering this, you are not only guilty of treason, but also of blasphemy."

The courtroom was filled with noises and whispers then. I had never met this sleep-deprived Uncle before, but may your bed be soft and warm tonight, Uncle.

"It seems to me that your sense of righteousness is greater than your faith in Lord An’Hyang," this time, it was Hagai’s grandfather. Ah, well...I guessed I’d give him a brownie point this time.

Ma Dirga paused for a few seconds, but I commended his wit to stay calm despite the High Council seemingly rejecting his appeal. In a calmness that could only be gained from his experience, the old demon spoke again, this time only sounding sad, with a dash of tremble as if he was heartbroken.

"Oh, I am but an old mind whose unstable emotions get the best of me all the time. I promised you that I have no malicious intention toward the realm, and it is not my intention to deny His words. I merely think about what’s best for the realm, even though it was wrong of me to do so," he clutched his chest, and with his old, fragile-looking physique, it was easy to incite pity.

With glazed eyes, the old demon looked up toward the High Council and pleaded. "Esteemed Council, this old demon confessed his sin. But I do it out of my own misplaced sense of loyalty, and my clansmen have no part in it. Please find it in your heart to give this old body some leniency."

Wow...it was fascinating how he could switch from being angry to being sad. He made himself look small and pitiful, grasping his upper arms as if he felt scared of my entourage’s reaction. I could clearly see how some of the High Council members--the Elders and the magicians--as well as the audience looked at Ma Dirga in pity and sighing. They looked at each other and it was clear that they were getting swayed.

Haa...yeah, demons were sly.

But you know who else is a demon? My fiance. He raised his hand and said in his deep voice.

"I would like to add another charge to this trial."