193 – Episode 197
Lucius, who was working at his desk.
-Bang!
The guards opened the door as if they were going to break it and shouted.
“Lucius, we are arresting you for forging official documents!”
“What?!”
And they push the tip of the spear at Lucius, shouting as if they would stab him with the spear if he resisted even a little.
“Don’t move! You have the right to defend yourself and the right to appoint a lawyer!”
And another one starts tying his hands with a rope.
“L… let go of me! L… let me see His Highness the Grand Duke!”
-Wh… What is this?!
-He forged official documents?
-No way… Lucius forged official documents?
Hearing the commotion around him, people start to gather one by one.
“Ugh!”
The guard gags Lucius.
They drag Lucius out of the Imperial Palace like that.
Lucius, who is being dragged into a prison carriage.
‘Wh… What do I do? I… I’m caught? No matter what, right? They’re arresting me like this!’
Lucius cannot escape his chaotic thoughts.
Soon, Lucius is dragged to the Ministry of Justice and thrown into an iron cage.
Before being locked up, he sighs, relieved to be freed from the rope and gag.
“What should I do…?”
He thought that even if he got caught, he would be questioned by the Grand Duke and it would be over.
Of course, Lucius is famous for being the right-hand man of the Grand Duke.
He executes the orders of the Grand Duke, even staying up all night to do so.
That’s why the Grand Duke favors Lucius enough to provide him with a carriage to commute to and from work.
So everyone envies and fears Lucius.
Even the ministers of each department, who have brilliant abilities and careers, have no choice but to respect Lucius because his authority is so powerful.
The Grand Duke, who stands at the center of the Empire’s politics.
Lucius, who assists the Grand Duke.
The information he sees and hears is no different from the nation’s top secret information.
If you could know that information in advance, it wouldn’t be difficult to become incredibly wealthy, and that’s not all.
The Grand Duke cherishes Lucius so much that some nobles have introduced their own daughters to Lucius in order to build a connection with the Grand Duke, and some merchants have sent huge sums of money to make friends with him.
But Lucius rejected all of them with a single word.
His heart sincerely respects the Grand Duke.
“In the end… it turned out like this.”
Lucius knows what favor his father, Marius, received from Yome.
If Yome were thrown out into the streets, his father Marius would probably be miserable for a long time.
Although he forged an official document, Lucius thought that even if he was caught, his case would end well if he explained his circumstances.
But the reality is completely different.
“Lucius?”
The Ministry of Justice’s security team calls his name.The security team says so and opens the iron bars.
“We will conduct an investigation from now on.”
The security team says so and opens the iron bars.
“Follow us.”
Two guards grab Lucius’s arms so that he can’t make any excuses and drag him to the interrogation room.
The interrogation room is not that big.
It’s just a room about 5 pyeong in size.
In the room, a man with dark brown hair and a cold expression and a man with a face familiar to Lucius are waiting.
“Minister Sabinelli?”
When Lucius calls Sabinelli, Sabinelli nods his head.
In the old days, when Johannes was alive.
Sabinelli, who often visited the Grand Duke’s Palace.
Lucius was the first to greet him when he visited, so Sabinelli feels uncomfortable.
“Secretary Lucius… What is going on?”
Sabinelli looks at Lucius with regret.
Lucius tells him with an awkward expression.
“That’s… Haha…”
“Minister… Can we really conduct an investigation?”
At those words, Sabinelli nods his head.
“Let’s investigate first.”
The brown-haired man says so.
“First, please sit here. Secretary Lucius.”
It’s weird to use the word ‘nim’ for the defendant, but he was the man who was called the archduke’s right arm.
If he gets reinstated, he could disappear without a trace as a mere prosecutor under the Ministry of Justice.
Lucius sits across from the prosecutor as he speaks.
Normally, he would start by asking for the name and occupation, and be humble.
“Uh… How did the incident happen? Secretary?”
Right now, the prosecutor just wants to cry. He doesn’t know how he might be treated if he happens to offend him during the investigation.
Until he has definite proof that he has been abandoned by the archduke.
The prosecutor has no choice but to be careful.
“Hoo… I want to leave you two alone to talk.”
Sabinelly doesn’t seem to like the frozen prosecutor, and at the order to go outside, the prosecutor makes a relieved expression and…
“Yes!”
He leaves the interrogation room.
“What is this?”
When the prosecutor leaves, Sabinelly sits in the prosecutor’s seat and asks in a small voice…
Lucius explains the incident with an awkward expression.
“So… you forged official documents and smuggled?”
Sabinelly’s expression hardens at Lucius’s words.
“Yes.”
At those words, Sabinelly’s head becomes complicated.
From noble mtl dot com
As the Minister of Justice, he has the duty to indict Lucius, but as the Minister of Justice, he has the right to suspend the indictment.
Of course, the suspension only applies to capital crimes or minor crimes.
However, it is difficult to leave Lucius to rot in prison.
The high-level information he possesses is what the archduke is thinking and planning.
It is valuable information to know.
‘I have to bring Lucius to our side.’
Of course, it would be nice if he became a spy for the emperor’s faction, but the archduke is not a fool, and it is natural that Lucius will probably be demoted even if the indictment is suspended.
Having been scolded by the pope for the recent demon worshiper incident, Sabinelly is very curious about what the archduke is up to and what will happen if it goes wrong.
“Lucius. As you know, the minimum sentence for forgery of official documents is 15 years. You could even be sentenced to death if smuggling is included.”
Forgery of official documents is a serious crime that undermines the overall credit and trust of society.
Since it is such a crime, it starts with a minimum sentence of 15 years, and the crime that Lucius committed is probably not very serious, so it is likely to be around 30 years, or it could be 35 years or even the death penalty if the smuggling of platinum is confirmed.
Lucius’s eyes waver at Sabinelly’s words.
“I… is it really that serious?”
Sabinelly nods heavily at Lucius, who looks at him as if he can’t believe it.
“I… is there no way?”
Lucius, who has finally grasped the situation, speaks urgently.
“If it goes to trial, the judge will rule that way. No matter how much you try to hide the evidence, the Intelligence Service has already finished examining your handwriting and the handwriting on the forged order.”
‘The smuggling part is probably still being tracked by the Intelligence Service.’
In fact, they are tracking the path of the certification issued with the forged order, and it is inevitable that they will soon be caught.
‘Since the archduke and the Intelligence Service have solid evidence, they must have filed a complaint.’
Sabinelly swallows hard and is conflicted.
“It’s too serious a crime to let it go with just a stay of prosecution. It would be more advantageous to issue a pardon with the Emperor’s prerogative.”
The Emperor’s prerogative of pardon is an absolute right that can release any criminal.
However, releasing a corrupt official who committed forgery of official documents and smuggling could easily provoke a backlash from the Grand Duke and the imperial citizens.
Since the overwhelming support of the imperial citizens is the power that allows the Emperor’s faction to control the neutral faction.
It’s hard to give advice easily, so Sabinel sighs.
“First, he’ll be investigated. I’ll tell them not to torture him myself.”
Sabinel leaves the interrogation room, saying so.
His thoughts are complicated.
***
Joy and I are enjoying tea time.
“What have you been up to lately? I hardly see you anymore.”
At my words, Joy hesitates and says,
“Th… these days? No… nothing in particular?”
Looking at Joy rolling her eyes around as if to say, ‘I’m up to something,’ I feel like teasing her a little.
If you’re going to lie, don’t show it… It makes me want to keep asking.
Is it because she’s innocent, or is she just bad at lying?
I feel like teasing Joy, who’s getting anxious, a little more.
“You’re not writing another strange novel, are you?”
“No, I’m not! I’m not writing a strange novel?”
I’m worried because she has a history of writing BL novels, and I say, looking at Joy, who has an even more anxious expression now.
“Joy. You’re the princess of this country. You shouldn’t be writing such novels. If the imperial citizens, who look up to you, find out that you’re writing such strange things, how sad they’ll be.”
I grow more suspicious as I watch Joy avoid my gaze at my words.
-Knock, knock!
I’m surprised by the knock during tea time.
Who could it be?
With that thought, I look at the door and say,
“What is it?”
-Your Majesty, Minister Sabinel has come to visit, saying he has something urgent to discuss.
“Sabel?”
“Aren’t you busy today, Sister?”
“Well… I was, but? Tell him to come in first.”
At my words, the door opens and Sabinel enters and greets me.
“I greet Your Majesty, the Emperor.”
“Yes, what brings you here?”
At my words, Sabinel glances at Joy.
“Joy is Your Majesty’s younger sister and the first in line to the throne. Please speak comfortably.”
At my words, Sabinel carefully opens his mouth.
“Th… Your Majesty. Do you know Lucius, the Grand Duke’s secretary?”
At those words, Joy and I make eye contact.
Why Lucius?
“I know that. But what happened?”
“Lucius has been arrested. The charges are forgery and smuggling.”
Joy was surprised and said,
“Brother Lucius?”
The word “brother” was meaningful, but that wasn’t important now.
“What? Did the Grand Duke permit this?”
Sabinella nodded.
“The Grand Duchy accused him. It seems he took action himself.”
“Tell me the details.”