CHAPTER 17
She was a thin, young woman with deep golden hair and blue eyes.
‘Lizette?’
The moment I saw her, a thought crossed my mind.
‘Could she have been the one who helped Arthur escape…?’
No, that couldn’t be it.
How could she possibly have extracted Arthur from a remote village?
‘I really want to know who’s backing him.’
Judging by Lizette’s smug expression, she seemed utterly convinced that the trial was in their favor.
Unfortunately for her, that wasn’t going to happen.
‘After all, Duke Dinero is among the spectators today.’
My gaze shifted to Duke Dinero.
Yep. As intimidating as ever.
The way he stared at Arthur, who had stolen the blueprints, it wouldn’t be surprising if he drew his sword on the spot.
“Defendant Agathe, do you admit to the violent conduct?”
The trial had officially begun.
“I… I really don’t know anything about it…”
Sitting in the defendant’s seat, Agathe followed our instructions perfectly—pretending to be a meek, innocent maid, shedding tears.
A woman who appeared so fragile claiming to have beaten up a large man? No one would buy that.
Naturally, the audience clicked their tongues and shook their heads at Arthur.
“My daughter says Lady Jacqueline was never home during school breaks.”
“I heard that too. With an uncle like that, no wonder she avoided the house.”
Sensing that things were turning against him, Arthur looked around as if searching for a new target—then met my eyes head-on.
“Your Honor! There is a hidden party behind this entire incident!”
Oh? Look at this guy.
He claimed that I had ordered someone to knock him out and dump him in a mining village.
‘Well… technically, he’s not wrong.’
So far, what he said wasn’t entirely false.
But his next words made me scoff involuntarily.
“To think this is what I get after devoting myself to managing the household in my brother’s absence… It’s truly miserable and unjust!”
I’d expected something like this, but his pathetic act still managed to infuriate me.
‘Managing the family meant letting Melin grow up to age nine without knowing how to read?’
And now he started crying like he was the real victim.
“I promised my brother—who’s now buried in the ground—that I would take care of the family until Clemence came of age in three years. But now… to have it end like this… sniff!!!”
The audience began murmuring.
“She’s young, but that girl doesn’t have a kind face. She really could have done it.”
Hey! I didn’t ask for this face!
“How can she be so ungrateful to someone who looked after her…”
“Poor Viscount Arthur Vince.”
The spectators, swayed by Arthur’s performance, began criticizing me. Cold-hearted, ungrateful niece, they muttered, shaking their fingers at me.
Glancing at the crowd to gauge the mood, Arthur sobbed even more pitifully and added:
“Can we really entrust the Jacqueline family to Clemence in such a situation? I fear for the family’s future.”
I gave a hollow laugh. Arthur was masterfully dodging all responsibility while shifting the blame to me.
Then, with a dramatic flair, he stood and raised a hand.
“Therefore, Your Honor, I formally request that Clemence Jacqueline’s right of succession be suspended.”
I couldn’t stay silent.
Seated next to Agathe’s witness stand, I rose immediately.
“This trial was convened solely to determine the existence of a violent act. Arthur Vince’s statements have no relevance to that matter.”
“Ahem…”
The judge glanced at me and cleared his throat.
Things were clearly not going in my favor.
To be fair, it was expected.
In the Empire, sons were generally favored as heirs. Daughters were expected to marry into powerful families, not lead one.
‘Of course an old snake wouldn’t find it hard to push aside a niece who’s not even of age yet.’
If the court accepted Arthur’s argument, I could lose the family entirely.
This was exactly what he was aiming for.
‘Smarter than I gave him credit for.’
Still, if you’re going to scheme, do it properly.
Only Arthur would leave so many gaps for a counterattack.
“What does the judicial advisor think?”
At the judge’s prompt, the advisor sitting next to Arthur spoke as if he’d been waiting for this moment.
“If the violence stems from a succession dispute, then it’s not entirely unrelated. Arthur Vince’s claims deserve some consideration.”
“That’s reasonable.”
The judge nodded. I ground my teeth.
“In that case, we will also determine whether Clemence Jacqueline is qualified to serve as head of the household.”
“That’s absurd!”
My legal team beside me objected, but their protest was overruled.
“Fine. If you’re going to assess my qualifications, then you’ll need witnesses, correct?”
As I said this, I looked toward a group of older men and women sitting in the gallery.
“We’ll testify to that.”
Gasps rippled through the courtroom at the sight of the well-dressed, distinguished middle-aged couple and another scholarly man.
“Lord Kylas! Dowager Lady Harry Mackerman! And Dean Delano?!”
People were stunned—not only were they academy professors, they were former members of the Elder Council.
Once advisors to the royal family, their words carried nearly as much weight as the emperor himself.
It was shocking to see them at a public trial like this. They almost never appeared at such events.
This—this is why I’d spent so much time fetching coffee and running errands at the Academy.
‘If you don’t have money or connections, at least build some connections.’
“You can’t bring in unregistered witnesses!”
The judge protested in a panic, but I replied smoothly.
“I only just learned this would involve evaluating my qualifications. When was I supposed to register witnesses?”
“Really, the youth these days have no sense of procedure~”
One of the professors chuckled, and the judge fell silent.
“L and Al were supposed to come too, but they said their knees hurt today, ho ho.”
‘L’ referred to Elihu Cedrian, the current Tower Master and professor of magical studies at the Academy.
‘Al’ was Albrecht Heint, the Academy’s headmaster.
Everyone here knew that—except Arthur.
“Old people like us might as well drop dead, huh~”
A few eccentric jokes flew, but no one laughed.
‘Well, the trial is basically mine now.’
I knew exactly why these professors came to testify on my behalf.
Research assistant. Thesis runner.
They were absolute authorities in their fields, and both the volume and quality of their papers were unmatched. I was the only one at the Academy who could keep up.
I’d spent a total of six years as a grad student in my past life—a.k.a. a professor’s minion—and never thought that hellish experience would pay off like this.
After slaving away in a lab for years, I’d even changed career paths completely.
‘I swore I’d never do grad school again.’
Who could’ve guessed that the Academy was just grad school in disguise?
‘Still, thank you.’
I shot a blazing glare at Arthur—the one responsible for forcibly enrolling me in this place.
He alone still looked confused, unaware of who these people were.
“Clemence not fit to be head of the family? I’ve never heard such nonsense. Hah!”
“Where else will you find a young person this diligent and respectful these days?”
“Indeed.”
The professors eagerly showered me with praise—exactly as I’d hoped.
Here’s the twist: they still didn’t know I had already graduated early.
‘They probably think I’ll help with their next research projects if they support me…’
If they ever find out the truth…
‘I’m sorry, Professors.’
Please don’t hate me too much.
I’m escaping from that hell before any of you notice.
