The crowds were still murmuring, wondering about the woman who had just walked in. They've never heard of Daphne Klein before. What could this woman possibly have done to disprove all of Duchess Smith's allegations?
"For those unfamiliar with Daphne Klein, she is one of the servants who accompanied me to my 'meeting' with Princess Isis," Duchess Smith clarifies Daphne's identity to the court.
"Didn't the rumour assert that all victims were dead?"
"Didn't only Henry survive?"
"I object, Your Honour! We cannot rely on her credibility as a witness to such an act because she is a servant in Smith's household. She could be impartial in her testimony!" Harren makes his case to the head judge.
"Oh, she's becoming more cunning by bringing her servants to save her!"
"What a despicable woman!"
"In the Empire, there is no such law that a servant from a specific household is not held accountable. The last case from the nobles comes from Lykaois's household, where the only witness is the household itself. The victim was killed, and the suspect is one of the noble's daughters. If it can bring justice to their children, why can't it bring justice to Daphne and this case and be impartial to my household as well?" Duchess Natalie said this while looking directly at Harren, piercing now to his mind.
"Objection sustained," the head judge said, allowing the defendant to continue questioning the witness.
Natalie begins her question by thanking the judge.
"Can you tell us what happened that day, Daphne?"
"The day was perfect, and Princess Isis wanted to surprise the Duchess by taking her to the waterfall. Her Highness also instructed us to bring other spare clothes for Her Grace in a discrete manner. So we enjoyed ourselves that evening until the light was consumed by the darkness of the night. Henry asked me to bring something to the waterfall as we were leaving. But that something did not exist, so I wasted a lot of time looking for it while being watched by one of the kidnappers.
Finally, I was apprehended and restrained. They put clothes in my mouth to keep me from screaming while they dragged me around to wait for the others. The assassins surrounded everyone who had been lured into the trap. Princess Isis fought back, but they threatened her by attempting to kill Henry here, unaware he was their accomplice.
As soon as they finished apprehending us, they blindfolded all of us until we reached the carriage. I suppose we'll all be separated and go to a different location after that," Daphne concludes her story.
As expected, Daphne's story collides with Henry's. This would be complicated and bad for Harren's side because it would invalidate both claims.
"So, there was no accident at all?"
"No, we arrived safely at the location but were separated," she explained.
"We still don't believe her credibility on that!"
"However, what if she's telling the truth?"
"Separated?"
"Yes, we were separated from the Crown Princess. She was on the other side while we were tortured for fun because we were useless. The other friend who was with me was in a critical condition and was still being treated at an unknown location for her safety," Daphne continued to respond to Natalie's questions.
"That made me think of one thing: you said you were apart from Her Highness, Princess Isis, correct?"
"Yes, Your Grace," Daphne nods.
"Does that mean Duchess Natalie and Princess Isis were never in the same carriage in the first place?" Natalie's question prompts everyone to consider this.
"Yes, as we travel to an unknown location. When the assassins removed our blindfolds, we realised Duchess Natalie wasn't there," Daphne continues to answer the Duchess' question bit by bit.
"Thank you very much. That's all I have to say, Your Honour," Natalie stated as her throat became itchy.
The audience is quiet as the judges continue to deliberate on both claims. Finally, they contradict each other, but they decide to go along because Harren may want to cross-examine the witness.
"Does the opposing party want to cross-examine the witness?" the head judge asks, looking at Harren.
"Yes, Your Honour," he replied.
Harren walks over to Daphne and stands in the middle of the court. Every gaze fixes on him except Medea, who looks up at the Imperial families, including Hera. The Crown Princess of the Angelos Empire feels happy when she meets the Duchess' gaze, but she must act in public to avoid being caught up by people, particularly Ares.
Then her gaze was drawn to a certain blonde being held as a criminal. Harren's interrogation of Daphne continues.
"You mentioned that you had other friends with you and Her Highness, Princess Isis, at the secret location, correct?"
"That is correct. As I previously stated, we were both confined to another room while Princess Isis was separated from us," Daphne tries to be transparent as possible.
"Have you ever seen Princess Isis in the flesh, in your presence?"
"I've never met her in person. When the rescue party led by Duchess Medea arrived, Princess Isis screamed and tried to fight them off. We can't help them because we're confined. Then, while the Duchess and Crown Princess were elsewhere, I accompanied a friend to the secret location to avoid the assassins returning to them."
Harren simply nods off, concluding the cross-examination with Daphne with two simple questions. Many would think he is at his wits' end trying to overturn this trial because Henry's testimony appears useless against the Duchess. But instead, Medea observes Harren's demeanour, noting how calm he seems to be for someone so clumsy and messy.
"He is so calm, although Daphne's testimony can make Henry's testimony to be useless. His question is not like he wants to search for any hole in her story, but instead, he tries to confirm something," Medea thought, crossing her hands while watching the trial.
As Medea looks up, she notices Ares' face, which has a creepy grin but quickly vanishes. She feels terrible about this as if missing out on something. She intends for this to be better, but if a surprise element is about to arrive, it could derail part of the entire plan.
"I am well aware that witnesses from both sides are at odds with one another. That is why I am calling another witness to clarify the situation," Harren asserts, throwing off the court again.
"As Daphne has stated, her friend has been severely injured and is being treated at a secret location. However, yesterday, a Crassore Empire citizen wandered into my area needing immediate medical attention," Ares smiles internally as it turns out this way.
The Crown Prince was thinking about a backup plan. He manipulates everything because what Harren says is true: the servant stumbles into his area and 'accidentally' meets him. But do it on accident? Of course not. Ares had planned this all along, considering every possible outcome. But, to be honest, Ares expects Henry to blow up the testimony because he is a coward and useless in public.
"Let's see how this unfolds," he crosses his fingers and legs as he considers his current plan.
Ares has manipulated the Crown Princess by recommending the location himself. Isis appreciated his advice on how to deal with the Duchess' heart by going to nature. Then he allows one of his men to seduce the servants by giving her a necklace that can be used to track their whereabouts. The woman imagined that spring had arrived and that love was about to bloom in her heart. She has no idea how the world works. Ares sees her as nothing more than a pawn to be discarded when not required.
That's why he knows and storms in, threatening the woman's life if she doesn't cooperate in the trial. She was recovering and couldn't think straight at the time. The poor woman has no choice but to comply, only to 'accidentally' run into Harren while being pursued by 'Natalie's assassins.'
It was Ares' shadow knights who chased after her. And now she's back, causing another uproar in the audience.
"Now that I'm curious, where do you want to run away, dear Natalie?" he thinks as he moves his body forward.
The audience began to murmur once more.
"Is there another witness?"
"How many do we require?"
"As we are treating her, we discover that she is one of the servants who were with Her Highness and Duchess Natalie," Harren claims as the judges allow the extra witness.
Things started to get downhill for Natalie. The Duchesses could only think one thing, and the only person capable of doing so was none other than the Crown Prince himself. The blonde woman looks up at the Imperial families as the Crassorean looks disgusted when looking at her.
"That woman is bad news and a walking red flag." "It is what they would've thought, right?" Aurora chuckles bitterly but still believes she can turn the tables.
Aurora looks at them, remembering how the looks give her a sense of deja vu as if it reminds her of 'Natalie's memories' before getting executed in front of the Empire. How their eyes darken, filled with hatred, throwing rocks at her. Although Ares was the mastermind, she got the most hate compared to him. Simply because she is a woman. A woman is expected to obey and follow a man, and a woman does not deserve to be a leader. A man is always correct.
That misogynist seed causes her to be hated the most for seducing the Crown Prince and causing him to ruin himself for the Empire.
Yes, she recalls that from that look. She also recalls Apollo's appearance that day and how shabby he was, waiting for his fate, but he never regrets following Natalie until his last breath. So that reminds her: did he ever experience love while being by Natalie's side at the time?
She also recalls Hector's usual hatred for her and wonders if she deserved it at the time. What's more frustrating is Medea's expression. Her eyes don't fill with disgust as she expected; instead, they fill with emotions she can't even fathom. So what's the point of remembering that moment in the first place?
The woman began her testimony by taking an oath, as Henry and Daphne had done earlier. Delphia is her name.
It's the same thing; Isis keeps wanting to surprise Natalie, so they go to the waterfall. Until that point, their stories began to collide.
"What did the assassins do once you were apprehended by them?"
"I saw Duchess Natalie hit the Crown Princess before moving to another carriage as we were being dragged to different carriages. After that, I was crammed into the same carriage as Daphne and Her Highness until we arrived at our destination," she stated, lying effortlessly, much calmer than Henry.
"So, do you believe Duchess Natalie is capable of doing that?"
"Yes," she simply says, occasionally looking down as if terrified of something.
People are taken aback by her claim, which matches Henry's.
"However, can you testify regarding Daphne's claim that the search party came to your rescue and then travelled with her to another location?"
"Without a doubt," Delphia nods.
"Previously, the second witness, Daphne, stated that you were both together after the search party decided it was safe for you to not follow them to the capital. Correct?"
She answered the question once more with a yes.
"What do you do with Daphne, and why does she claim you were hurt?"
"The torture did not cause my injuries. Of course, it could still be there, but most of it is because of Daphne--" she began to cry, choking in her tears as Harren handed the woman his napkin.
The audience began to sympathise with her act and ridicule the ones who knew better about it.
"She torments me more than the men. Before they wanted to kill me-- the-- the guys almost raped me! Finally, I manage to flee and end up in Count Harren's area," she completes her sentence, covering her face with her hands.
"What a performance, Ares. You planned well on this," the Duchesses thought, amused by his detailed plan.
"That means, Your Honour, the second witness is attempting to deceive the entire court by changing some of her stories. As a result, we cannot rely on her credibility in her testimony," Harren completes his claims.
As is customary, the judge will ask Natalie if she wishes to cross-examine the woman. She nods off quickly, allowing the session to begin. To be honest, she has no idea why she did it, but it appears that her chance of surviving the trial is slipping away.
"Have you ever been blindfolded before and after entering the carriage?"
"No, never," Delphia turns her head side to side.
"So, why did Henry say you were blindfolded before boarding the carriage?"
"He was one of those who were blindfolded. We never wear blindfolds," Delphia babbled to avoid becoming flustered.
"What exactly do you mean by 'we'?"
"Everyone except the guys who boarded at different carriages," she said flatly.
"That's very strange; if assassinations occur, why would assassins target mere men but not the Duchess and Crown Princess?" she questions, more likely to ask the audience.
"I don't know what's on their mind, but that's what happens. Moreover, at that time, we heard your conversation with the Her Highness as she provoked you that a low woman like you doesn't deserve to be her Empress. That she made the right choice to choose Duchess Medea instead," she retorts back, pouring fuel to Aurora's anger.
The audience now puts two and two together, figuring out what happens. Unfortunately, Daphne's testimony is not helping her, as Henry and this woman, Delphia, contradicted hers. So when Duchess Smith asks Daphne to testify in the deposition, the woman knows there is the possibility that she will end up being the frame. But Daphne's loyalty lies in the House of Smith, so she is not wavering on testifying, wanting to save her lady.
If Daphne's testimony is invalid, she would probably get executed by the court for conspiring with the traitor.
But, if Natalie asks for Medea and Hector's testimony on this. What would they say? If Ares knew about their alliance, it would be the end. They would indirectly declare war against him. So, the blonde woman ends her question, not wanting to worsen the situation.
"It's all clear now, Your Honour. Duchess Natalie is capable of orchestrating such an act. The evidence is all pointing at her," Harren thundered.
The blonde wants to object, wanting to summon Medea as a last resort for her survival. But, if she wants to declare war on Ares, so be it. She had had enough of his shit. This is the second time she is about to get executed once again. But she doesn't want to let the emotions cloud her judgement.
Ares sits at the top, watching Natalie's poker face. But, even at this time, she won't let anything get her.
"Natalie, you are so arrogant even in the face of death. I'm curious how long you'll keep that mask on before the people."
As the judge is about to say it is time for a rest before the verdict, a raven-haired beauty walks into the room in a wheelchair and shouts as loudly as Harren. The commoners are perplexed by such a grand entrance, whereas the nobles know who has just walked in.
"Who said Duchess Natalie was the wrong one? So tell me," the figure smiles, making a grand entrance.
Medea observes the scene, her smirk hidden.
"Surprise!"