In the Imperial Palace Court.
The upper seat in the center was divided into steps. The presiding judge and two judges sat on the lower platform, and the Emperor sat on the upper platform. On the left were the observers, and on the right were the witness inquisitors and the Babyloa witnesses. All those involved in the trial were already in the courtroom.
Meldenik quietly entered the courtroom. With her calmly styled blonde hair and a black square-neck dress, she looked strangely detached. On the other hand, Duchess Hildegard Babyloa maintained a composed expression. She had already finished bribing the presiding judge. The presiding judge had said that the Emperor had also taken the lead in excommunicating Meldenik. He had handed envelopes to the reporters and told them to spread the word about Meldenik's scandal.
The Duke of Babyloa, who knew nothing, grumbled and scratched his earlobe. "No, I won't do anything about excommunication anyway!"
"…First of all, you have to match the assortment."
"Is this a disgrace to some kind of family?"
The Duke of Babyloa did not want to excommunicate Meldenik. It wasn't a smart move, but he would notice it right away after Meldenik was excommunicated. The fact that it was Hildegard and himself who ordered this job. Surely the suspicious Duke of Babyloa would hold a grudge against him for this. But it couldn't be helped. After excommunicating Meldenik, he had no choice but to slander the Duke again.
"I will start the noble trial type B No. 301." The presiding judge's stern words made the surroundings quiet as if cold water had been poured on them.
"Today's trial will be abbreviated and the verdict will be read out immediately." The reporters exchanged meaningful glances. It was good news because there would be no boring arguments.
"Over the past month, I have read and reviewed the documents related to excommunication sent by the Duke of Babyloa." The presiding judge winked at the judge sitting on the left.
"Princess Meldenik Yves Babyloa did not submit any documents to refute it. Is that right?"
"Yes."
"Do you have anything to say here?" Everyone's eyes turned to Meldenik.
"No, there is none. Isn't the verdict already decided?" Meldenik replied calmly. However, her provocative words and actions caused a stir within the court.
The presiding judge coughed and rubbed his mustache. "I understand."
The presiding judge held the verdict in his hand. The back of his hand was sweating. In the entire nearly three hundred years of peaceful reign, there had been no excommunication of the nobility. Perhaps this would be the first time. He tried to do something unprecedented, but even though it was exhilarating, his back was wet with sweat.
But he had to do it. The presiding judge cast his gaze towards Duchess Hildegard Babyloa. The Duchess, who was watching the trial with her arms crossed, gave him a glance. Only then did the presiding judge, who gained courage, coughed.
If this work is done well, there will be additional income.
What Duchess Hildegard offered was an irresistible temptation. I will give you more than a billion dollars. That's each! The presiding judge wiped the corners of his mouth as if saliva was about to flow. In fact, he was living a life of poverty. A judge was a professional honorary position with the modifier of integrity and innocence. It was the maximum job that the lower nobles could reach. In other words, it was a poor honorary job where there was no money and you had to live on a salary of a rat's tail.
…Besides, it's not about doing anything bad, it's about excommunicating Meldenik, who is famous for her viciousness, from the Babyloa family.
There had been talk that Lady Meldenik Babyloa had recently been a "dog" (meaning, very active or perhaps aggressive), but in fact, she was not cursed. But he didn't even witness it himself! The presiding judge did not even feel a sense of guilt in his heart. Everything was already agreed between the presiding judge and the judges. At first, the Emperor, who asked how he could excommunicate the nobility, eventually seemed to agree with Meldenik's excommunication. Everything was going according to their will.
Finally, the presiding judge began to read the judgment order leisurely.
"I will read the verdict." Everyone's eyes, including the Duchess of Babyloa sitting in the observer seat and Meldenik standing in the defendant's seat, reached the judge's face.
"Main text." The presiding judge took a long and deep breath. "Defendant Meldenik Babyloa…"
The eyes of all the nobles and journalists shifted. To the presiding judge spitting out the ruling, to the Duke of Babyloa in the observer's seat, and to Princess Meldenik Babyloa in the defendant's seat. Among them, only Hildegard was relaxed.
Meldenik lowered her head and couldn't see any expression on her face. Some of the nobles were worried that Meldenik would be excommunicated.
"Excommunicate."
I was struck by the presiding judge's unstoppable ruling. Most of them began to gossip about Meldenik's tragic ending and began to attack each other.
"Are you really being excommunicated?"
"Your Majesty's judgment is still there!"
The presiding judge looked around and shook his head. "Silence!" With a loud word, the air around him suddenly became cold.
Now it was the Emperor's turn to speak. The people looked towards the throne. Soon after, the old Emperor's cheeks shook.
"Now it's my turn."
"Your Majesty, give me an order." The presiding judge stood up and bowed towards the Emperor.
"Yes." The Emperor took the words and wiped the sweat from his forehead. At this moment, everyone was just waiting for the Emperor's final verdict.
The Emperor looked around. From the Duke of Babyloa to Hildegard, who distorted his expression as if he had made up his mind, and to Meldenik with a calm face. He smiled and opened his mouth as he agreed.
"It's easy."
It was finally the moment when the disgrace of the Babyloa family, the villain Meldenik, was excommunicated. Everyone looked towards Meldenik.
"I understand." However, Meldenik was surprisingly calm and composed. It was a face that thought it was just coming. Naturally, those who expected him to be distraught and unacceptable were puzzled.
Of course, Meldenik was thinking like this.
The family register has finally been made.
She curled her lips inward, trying to hold back her laughter.
"I am no longer the daughter of the Babyloa family."
The excommunicated Meldenik nodded, but the Duke of Babyloa had a different attitude. He opened his eyes and jumped up.
"No, what is this!"
The nobles, who had been watching the magnificent Duke of Babyloa, began to grumble again. Hildegard sat down the Duke of Babyloa and said, "It was already scheduled."
The Duke of Babyloa, conscious of the eyes around him, looked at his wife with a disapproving and distorted expression and scolded her sternly.
"It's your idea! Are you doing this cocky thing behind my back?"
"Meldenik is a rotten root that needs to be cut off. I don't know if I still have the ability—"
"Do you dare to hit me in the back of the head?"
It was truly a dysfunctional family itself. He was not angry at Meldenik's excommunication itself. Meldenik's excommunication was out of his control, so he was.
The Duke of Babyloa, who was secretly noticing his surroundings, jumped up and put on his bowler hat. He left the courtroom angry at the thought that his authority had been ignored.
"There are ten thousand things." He was going to do something to reverse the scandal.
And Hildegard, who was looking at his back, made a mockery. "There is no way to reverse the scandal. What should I do?" She glanced at Meldenik standing in the guard's seat with a wistful face.
Is this how I feel when I have lost my illness?
Finally, she got rid of the cheeky thing that dared to stand in her way with her daughter.
"The defendant should treat His Majesty alone to repair the excommunication letter."
"I understand." She laughed heartily as she looked at Meldenik's back as she walked away.
Meldenik left, but the observers were in an uproar over the issue they had discovered for the first time in a long time.
"Oh, this is happening!"
"This is the first excommunication of a high-ranking nobleman, probably?"
"I didn't expect Your Majesty to approve."
"That's right, that woman said that she knew His Majesty the Emperor alone!"
"I heard it too. Your Majesty is a person full of warmth, so of course I thought he would not excommunicate me."
As the presiding judge did not quiet the noisy surroundings, the nobles were constantly chattering.
"You said it's not a cursed bloodline, so what's the story?"
"…Actually, that doesn't matter anymore. He was excommunicated from the House of Babyloa… In the end, that's how my life ends. Mourn."
Hildegard smiled contentedly and beckoned to the man in the black robe standing beside her.
"Go."
"Yes, I will accept the order." The man wearing a black mask at the corner of his mouth quickly stood up.
"The Duke of Babyloa can be re-released after some time." For now, the priority was to trample on Meldenik, who was trying to grow suddenly.
Hildegard looked down on Meldenik arrogantly. My stepdaughter just left with her head down. It was the perfect ending. And she was about to get rid of Meldenik completely.
Hildegard winked at all the reporters present. Now the breaking news would be scattered. The fact that Meldenik had awakened her abilities would be buried, and only the fact that she was expelled from Babyloa would be talked about. After that, Meldenik would lose everything and die without the knowledge of a rat or a bird.
Hildegard chuckled.