Marquis Lavallee obediently retreated. However, this was no victory for Tullius. From the beginning, the Marquis had no intention to rush the trial.
“Furthermore, I wish to request that if the Marquis continues under this assumption, the guilt will be assigned to Count Cartan, who ordered her to pretend to be Miss Anrietta. Well, as the master of Uni, I might have to bear some responsibilities… Marlan has enough funds to provide sufficient compensation.”
In other words, it was not a problem because he was prepared to pay.
Reassured by her lord, Uni began to speak once again.
“…I will continue. Madame Josephine was brought here today to serve as witness to my accusation of the Count’s misdemeanors. As you can see, I am merely a slave taken under false pretense to be the Count’s daughter. It is up to the court to return me to my rightful master. I end my accusation here.”
The long statement was finally over.
Uni was originally a young woman of few words; speaking at such lengths was unlike her. She was relieved to finally have a quick rest, but that was all it proved to be. Her heart sank when she thought that Marquis Lavallee would soon be called on next. However, this had all been for the sake of returning to her master. She had no choice but to grit her teeth and persevere.
“Understood. Then, we shall turn to the defendant for his argument.”
“Ahem. Count Cartan is currently feeling unwell. Might I be permitted to perform a cross-examination in his stead?”
“Very well. Now then, Marquis Lavallee, as before.”
The Marquis stood to address the court, smiling briefly before beginning.
“Are you sure, Miss Anrietta?”
“Objection. My name is Uni.”
If she had responded, “Yes, what about it?”, she would have fallen into his trap.
Such intricate plans were bread and butter for the practiced schemer, Marquis Lavallee. After all, his modus operandi was that the means justified the end, no matter how vile.
“Objection overruled. This hearing is for the purpose of that determination.”
“Understood, judge. My apologies.”
She followed up the judge’s decision with a bow. Although it was aggravating, this helped facilitate the continuation of a smooth trial. In addition, the Marquis would no longer be able to use her name as leverage.
Marquis Lavallee continued after a light chuckle.
“Then, I shall continue to address you as Miss Anrietta. Is that acceptable, Miss Anrietta?”
As soon as he was granted tacit permission to continue calling her Anrietta, he repeatedly attacked her with it. He was a truly disgusting old man. The frustration of being wrongly addressed should not have appeared on her face, but perhaps his methods lay in reading her emotions from her words. She would have to be more careful in her future actions.
For the time being, she assented.
“Very well…… Miss Anrietta, when did you first come under the care of Sir Tullius?”
“Eleven years ago, Marquis.”
“It was eleven years ago that Miss Anrietta was lost, and eleven years ago that you were found. A curious coincidence, don’t you think?”
“I judge it mere chance.”
“The count’s daughter and you both have dark hair and green eyes.”
“Yes. There are many women in Broussonne alone with such characteristics.”
“In addition, it seems you have high magic power. I believe those to be the exact characteristics we are looking for in a daughter of Count Cartan, who was once a court magician.”
“I disagree. It is uncommon, but not unheard of for a child of common birth to be in possession of high magic power.”
Whether a child had high inborn magical capability was dependent on heredity, but occasionally children were born from common parentage with a mutation that enabled them to use powerful magic.
The majority of the remodeled slaves were such uncut jewels picked from the markets by Tullius.
By this argument, it could not be determined that Uni was truly the daughter of Pierre Simon Cartan on basis of magical power.
“However, there are many features that are shared between you and the Count’s daughter, and yet you claim to be a completely different person. Could there truly be such a chance?”
“Because of such coincidences, the Marquis made his mistake.”
The Marquis’ interrogation was slow and relaxed, but like a sinister tide slowly surrounding her.
He must have been waiting for the golden opportunity to use his trump card to win in one fell swoop.
“—Then, let’s change the subject.”
The Marquis’ eyes narrowed.
The tension in the room tightened palpably.
“What do you think of Tullius Shernan Oubeniel, your master?”
“I hold great respect and admiration for my only master.”
Uni quickly regretted giving such a hasty response.
Why? Why had he asked such a question at this point in the trial?
“So you respect and admire him even though there are so many terrible rumours about your master?”
“…!”
It was easy to read the intentions of the laughing Marquis.
He was trying to say that Uni insisted that she was not Anrietta because she loved her master more than she enjoyed being a countess. While it was not surprising for Uni, it was unthinkable for the general nobility. So much so that many might mistake the slave, Uni, and the noble, Anrietta for two different people. Such a line of argument carried some weight.
This was the true aim of the Marquis.
‘This was all to establish the idea that I would willingly serve my master, whether I am in truth Uni or Anrietta?!’
The more Uni expressed her loyalty to Tullius, the more she revealed her desire to serve under him.
What if there was strong evidence that Anrietta was actually Uni?
Regardless of her true identity, the judge might rule that she had was biased to help Tullius in this trial.
If the trial were to proceed favorably for the Marquis, the audience would begin to see Anrietta Pola Cartan as a slave who fanatically served Tullius for eleven years.
That was entirely true, unfortunately. After all, Uni was certainly once known as Anrietta. She saw herself as an entirely different person from the child before her spiritual collapse and subsequent eleven years of rebirth, but that could only be seen as a psychological aberration.
Even though she understood this,
“……Yes, Marquis Lavallee.”
Uni gave her affirmation without hesitation.
Any delay on her part only made her situation worse. In short, Marquis Lavallee’s plan to reveal her motivations was inescapable, as long as Uni was actually Anrietta.
Her best option remaining was to face Lavallee’s onslaught head on and reverse the situation with her own hands.
“Master is Master, no matter what other people say. If he is vulnerable in any regard, I know it my duty to support him with all my might.”
“…Ahaha!”
The Marquis laughed heartily. After all, it would be incredibly amusing to him for her to face him head-on with no defenses to speak of. Did he think she was a fool for being unable to read the situation, or a fool for charging in anyways? That notwithstanding, it was a ridiculous laugh.
“A superb loyalty! Even though you are only a woman, it truly makes me happy to see you youngsters develop so.”
“……I am honored, Marquis.”
“Is it true that Sir Tullius is so worthy of your servitude?”
“Yes, my master is most wonderful—”
Uni said.
If he was willing to hear her platitudes, she was eager to serve them up.
Even if he did not realise it then, he would one day know that a person who loves her master so would never forgive anybody who obstructed him.
“—and I am happy to serve my lord, no matter if I may die today or the day after.”
……Even if it was by her own hands.
“…Uni.”
She heard Tullius mumbling softly.
She knew he realized exactly what she meant.
This trial depended on the depths of Marquis Lavallee’s cunning, and whether she could crush him at his full strength.
She had no intention to lose, but in the event that the worst came to the worst… She reaffirmed her resolve to sacrifice herself if they failed here.
(There is no need to speak, master.)
Uni knew better than anyone else Tullius’ crippling fear of death and burning desire for immortality. For those reasons, he abhorred conflict and violence. Even if she did not tell him to do so herself, he would immediately trigger Plan D and escape if she were to fail in her duty. In tandem with his escape, Uni would take her own life. It was the plan of last resort, used only in case of irrecoverable defeat. There was no need for further confirmation.
Even then, she wanted to declare that proudly.
Above all, she wanted him to know that she was content.
She had said what she had wanted to. So, she urged him on.
“…So, Marquis, what is the meaning of your question?”
“A-ha-ha…”
Marquis Lavallee was laughing again. How could she be wondering what he thought now, of all times?
Uni once again observed that it was an abhorrent and inferior way of laughing. However, she could not express this due to his elevated peerage. Faced with such a vulgar display, her desire to tear him limb from limb resurfaced when she thought of his repeated attempts to stymie her lord.
“Judge, in this woman’s heart, loyalty to Sir Tullius seems to be first above all. I wonder if this is the result of eleven years of training?”
“Surrogate of the defendant, your statement is irrelevant to this hearing.”
“Not at all, judge, not at all. It appears to me that she has been educated over the course of eleven years to value Sir Tullius above her own life. That is to say, regardless of whether she was Anrietta in the first place or just a slave…”
Still laughing all the while, the venomous old fox spun his words into foul nets.
“My desire was merely to show you what kind of person Miss Anrietta here is. Whether that impacts her credibility is up to your own interpretation.”
“Surrogate of the defendant, do you have witnesses?”
Uni could not believe it. Was there even time for him to prepare witnesses?
