[March 6th, 2012 - 11:44 PM]
[The Crystal Ballroom]
Perspective: Rose Valentine
He trusts me...
He wants to stand on my side and protect me.
"Your Majesties," Iris's voice rang out. She bowed elegantly before the dais, her posture flawless. "I request permission to formally address the Court. We cannot allow High Treason to be swept away by sibling sentiment. The Empire demands justice."
Emperor Noctis looked down, his eyes devoid of warmth. "Speak, Iris. Present your case."
Iris turned gracefully, her icy gaze sweeping over me before locking onto Kaiser.
"The dying words of a man with his soul on the line do not lie," Iris began. "The assassin named Princess Rose. He explicitly stated her motive: deep-seated resentment for a lack of love, driving her to usurp the throne tonight."
Kaiser didn't flinch. "A shallow deduction. Princess Rose spent her entire life breaking her bones and spirit just to seek His Majesty's approval and for the future of this Empire. Would a woman who craves nothing but her parents' love risk throwing away that very love for a throne she has never once shown greed for?"
"Desperation breeds greed, Axel." Iris countered smoothly, pacing like a predator in a courtroom. "She knew she was losing favor. So, she created the perfect opportunity. The unprecedented dance performance tonight was a meticulously planned distraction to lower the Imperial Guard's vigilance."
"A flawed premise." Kaiser replied. "I was the one who initiated the dance. Rose had no foreknowledge. I didn't even tell her what I was planning until minutes before I pulled her to the floor. How could she coordinate an assassination around a spontaneous distraction she didn't know was happening?"
"Perhaps she simply adapted her timing," Iris reasoned flawlessly. "The fact remains, they struck exactly when all eyes were on her."
"Or, the real mastermind struck when all eyes were on her to ensure the blame fell perfectly on her shoulders." Kaiser challenged, his blue eyes narrowing.
Iris smiled—a cold, beautiful, terrifying expression. "Theories are weightless, Axel. Let us look at facts." She turned toward the perimeter guard. "Captain of the Gates, step forward. Read the perimeter security logs."
A nervous Royal Knight stepped out, unfurling a magical scroll that projected glowing gold text into the air. "The outer and inner Citadel barriers were bypassed using a Class-A Royal Authorization... specifically, Crowned Princess Rose's personal seal."
Murmurs of horror rippled through the hundreds of nobles.
"A stolen or forged seal." Kaiser stated instantly. "If Rose genuinely wanted to commit regicide, why would she hire cheap, blackmailed amateurs who would immediately confess at the first sign of pressure? Professional assassins are paid in untraceable gold. Blackmailed amateurs are disposable—they were meant to be caught, and they were meant to point fingers."
"They confessed because Asylym forced their hand before they could die." Iris pointed out, gesturing to Asylym who stood silently by a marble pillar.
"No, they died perfectly on cue." Kaiser corrected sharply. "A delayed curse activated the exact second he dropped Rose's name. Who benefits from a dead witness? The one who wants to frame her and silence the truth."
"A delayed curse of that magnitude requires immense mana and authority to smuggle into the Gala." Iris pressed, her voice rising with authoritative command. "Only a high-tier royal, such as the Crowned Princess herself, could bypass the weapon wards with such cursed artifacts."
"Are you certain?" Kaiser took a step forward, his aura flaring with cold, oppressive intellect. "If I examine the residual mana on those swords right now, I guarantee the alchemical trace won't match the Royal Armory. It will trace back to the black market—a market Rose has no connections to, unlike other ambitious individuals in this room."
Iris's eyes narrowed beautifully. "Are you accusing me, Wiezner?"
"I am merely establishing reasonable doubt." Kaiser smiled coldly. "Your entire case is built on convenient coincidences, stolen seals, and disposable pawns."
For a moment, they stared at each other. The perfect prosecutor against the perfect defender. The tension in the Crystal Ballroom was so thick it was suffocating.
Then, Iris let out a soft, elegant sigh.
"Reasonable doubt ends when hard evidence begins." Iris snapped her fingers, her voice dropping all pretense. "Commander of the Inquisition, bring forth what was discovered in the Crowned Princess's private chambers."
My blood ran cold. My chambers?
An Inquisitor walked forward in absolute silence, carrying a black leather ledger and a glowing memory crystal.
"While we were distracted by the assassination, I ordered a precautionary sweep of the royal quarters." Iris announced, her voice echoing with devastating finality. "In Rose's locked safe, hidden behind her personal wards, we found this ledger."
The Inquisitor held it up. "It details the names of the assassins' families, their exact locations, and the blackmail threats used to coerce them into tonight's attack. It is written entirely in the Crowned Princess's handwriting."
"Handwriting can be forged," Kaiser warned, though I felt his hand tighten slightly around mine.
"Not when it is sealed with a Blood-Mana Lock." Iris delivered the killing blow. She pointed to the glowing crystal. "The crystal contains the exact residual mana signature of Rose Valentine. The Inquisition has already verified it. It is her unique mana, her blood, her handwriting."
The Court erupted into deafening gasps. Consort Anastasia covered her mouth. Even Emperor Noctis's eyes darkened further, a terrifying storm brewing behind his gaze.
"You cannot debate hard evidence with psychological theories, Wiezner." Iris said, her voice dripping with triumphant sorrow. "Her mana, her handwriting, found hidden in her own chambers. She planned to kill our parents, and when the assassins failed, she played the victim."
Kaiser's eyes narrowed into absolute slits.
The trap was perfectly sprung. It was a flawless checkmate.
Iris turned to the thrones and bowed her head. "Your Majesty, the evidence is absolute. I move for the immediate arrest of Rose Valentine for High Treason."
Emperor Noctis raised his hand slowly. The hall fell dead silent. He looked at me with eyes that held no daughter, only a traitor.
"Guards. Seize her."
As the Royal Knights stepped forward, their armor clanking heavily against the marble, my fear vanished. It was replaced by a sudden, desperate, blinding clarity.
I looked at the black ledger. I knew my own safe. I knew my own magic.
"That's wrong!" I screamed, my voice tearing through the hall, stopping the knights in their tracks. I stepped past Kaiser, my eyes locking fiercely onto Iris.
"That evidence is fabricated, and I can disprove it right now!"
I stepped forward, snatching the black leather ledger right off the Inquisitor's silver tray.
"Careful, sister." Iris warned, her voice silky but laced with venom. "You wouldn't want to accidentally incinerate the only piece of evidence."
"I don't need to destroy it," I snapped, holding the ledger up for the Court to see. "Look at this! Look at the cursive on the letter 'V' in 'Valentine'. My hand always sweeps upwards on the crest in a single, fluid motion. This one breaks midway—a classic sign of a copyist hesitating to match the stroke."
"In a moment of nervous treason, handwriting often degrades." Iris dismissed smoothly. "A trivial discrepancy born of your own guilt."
"Then what about a Veritas Spell?" I demanded, my voice ringing with absolute certainty. "Cast it on me right now. Let a High Inquisitor ask me under oath if I planned this assassination!"
"A Veritas Spell is unreliable against a Class-A mage." Iris countered, crossing her arms. "A simple memory-partitioning charm, prepared in advance, can deceive the spell. You had days to prepare for this exact contingency."
"You think I partitioned my own memories just for a dance?" I scoffed furiously. "Fine! Then look at the mana!"
"The Inquisition has already verified the Blood-Mana Lock," Iris said coldly. "The signature is yours."
"They verified the signature, not the purity!" I yelled. "Celestial magic is inherently tied to the soul's truth!"
Without hesitating, I summoned my white-gold celestial mana, letting it flare around my hand, and pressed it directly against the glowing memory crystal on the tray.
Instead of harmonizing, the crystal sparked violently! It repelled my light with a sickly, distorted hum, flashing a corrupted red hue before pushing my hand away.
"See?!" I shouted, turning to the nobles. "My true celestial mana rejects the signature on this crystal! It's an artificial imprint—a grafted copy, not a genuine manifestation of my soul!"
Iris's eyes twitched for a fraction of a second. "Or perhaps your pure celestial mana is simply rejecting the dark, murderous intent you harbored when you created the lock. Magic is volatile, Rose."
"Stop twisting reality!" I glared at her, stepping closer. "You're ignoring the most glaring logical flaw in this entire farce!"
"And what is that?"
"If I truly wanted the throne tonight, why would I risk a public, chaotic assassination where I am the literal center of attention?!"
"To create the perfect alibi." Iris replied, her tone patronizing. "You thought performing would make you the least likely suspect."
"It's idiotic!" I yelled, throwing my hands up in exasperation. "If I wanted them dead, I would have slipped a tasteless poison into their wine during the private family dinner we had days ago—like a competent schemer! I wouldn't hire incompetent thugs with flashy dark magic to jump from the ceiling!"
"Poison points to the inner circle." Iris argued. "It points to the kitchens, the staff, the family. A public assassination by cursed mages points to external terrorists. It was a calculated risk to keep your hands clean."
"My hands are clean!" I roared, my chest heaving. "The evidence is flawed, the mana is a grafted copy, and the strategy is completely contradictory to how I operate!"
"A desperate performance from a desperate traitor." Iris sneered softly.
"I am innocent! And anyone with half a brain can see this evidence was planted!"
"I love my family... I won't do such a thing."
Silence fell over the Crystal Ballroom. Then, the whispers began again—but this time, they were different.
"The celestial mana did reject the crystal..."
"She's right, poison would have been much easier..."
"She's right..."
"The Crowned Princess makes a frighteningly logical point..."
Murmurs of agreement swept through the crowd. The nobles were actually believing me.
I had proved it. My defenses were holding.
Iris fell uncharacteristically quiet, her eyes narrowing as she realized she was losing the narrative.
I let out a shaky breath of relief.
I had done it.
"Enough."
Emperor Noctis stood up from his golden throne. His dark aura flared, suppressing the entire room into terrifying, suffocating silence.
"Your parlor tricks with celestial mana and hypothetical poison plots prove nothing but your capacity for deception." Noctis stated.
My heart completely stopped.
"F-Father...?" I stammered, my confidence evaporating in an instant. "But I just showed you... the mana rejected the crystal. The handwriting—"
"Are trivialities," Noctis cut me off mercilessly. "You have always been desperate, Rose. Desperate for attention. Desperate for a crown you felt slipping away from you."
"No!" Tears instantly welled in my eyes. "I-I never wanted the crown! I only wanted you to look at me! To love me!"
"And this was your way to ensure we looked at you forever." Noctis said coldly, looking down at me as if I were a piece of dirt on his shoe.
"By burying us."
"Father, please!" I begged, stepping forward, my voice breaking. "I-I am your daughter! Look at me, look into my eyes! D-do you really think I could do this to you and Mother?!"
"I see a girl who went so deep into her own vengeful delusions that she forgot her place." Noctis replied, completely unmoved.
"Iris's judgment is sound. The evidence stands."
A sob tore out of my throat. I looked toward the other throne. "Mother... please! Say something! I-I didn't... I love you both!"
Empress Rosaline didn't even look at me. She turned her head away, her expression blank and completely distant.
"You love the power we hold. Nothing more." Noctis declared.
"You are a disappointment to the Valentine name."
My entire world shattered into a million jagged pieces.
"P-please... don't do this..." I wept, my legs giving out as I dropped to my knees on the cold marble.
Noctis looked at the knights. "Guards. Capture the Crowned Princess. If she resists, break her legs."
Why?
Why was I the daughter he always hated? I ruined my life, I bled on the training grounds, I smiled when I wanted to cry, all just to get a single nod of approval. Iris could breathe and be showered in praise, but no matter what I did, I was always the traitor in waiting.
Was my existence truly that repulsive to them? I didn't want the empire. I didn't want the throne.
I just wanted a family.
And now... he is throwing me away like absolute garbage.
The heavy, armored footsteps of the Royal Knights approached me. I couldn't even raise my head.
I just stared at the floor, letting the tears fall.
"Take one more step, and I will sever your heads from your shoulders."
The voice was a dark, lethal promise that sent a shiver down the spine of every person in the room.
I slowly lifted my head.
Kaiser had stepped directly in front of me. His dark eyes symbolizing a terrifying killing intent washing over the Royal Knights and freezing them perfectly in their tracks.
"Stand down, Wiezner," Noctis commanded, his eyes narrowing at Kaiser. "You are interfering with Imperial Justice."
"I am preventing an Imperial slaughter." Kaiser retorted, his voice dripping with absolute venom. "This is not justice, Your Majesty. This is a sham dictated by personal bias, in direct violation of the Lex Asura—the Imperial Code."
"I am the Emperor." Noctis declared, his aura clashing against Kaiser's.
"My word is the Code."
"According to Article IV: The Sovereign's Limitation, an Emperor cannot unilaterally sentence a Royal Heir to death or imprisonment without a Tribunal of Peers if the evidence is contested by magical dissonance!" Kaiser's voice boomed with the authority of a supreme judge.
"Rose just demonstrated a Dissonance of the Soul, officially invoking Article VII: The Celestial Right of Purity!"
"A parlor trick does not invoke Article VII." Noctis fired back.
"It does when the accused demands a secondary verification!" Kaiser countered flawlessly, stepping closer to the dais.
"Furthermore, under Article IX: The Evidentiary Chain of Custody, the ledger was retrieved by Iris's private inquisition without a neutral arbiter present! It is legally inadmissible! And under Article XII: The Doctrine of Motive, the prosecution has failed to establish a coherent timeline!"
Kaiser stared directly into the Emperor's eyes, unafraid of the ruler of the continent.
"You are attempting to convict her on the Emperor's Opinion, which directly violates Article XV: The Founder's Mandate on Tyranny!" Kaiser declared, his political philosophy tearing Noctis's logic to shreds.
"She is not proven guilty; she is merely targeted! You are not applying the law, Emperor Noctis. You are applying your prejudice. If you arrest her now, ignoring the very constitution that gives your throne legitimacy, you aren't a ruler enacting justice. You are a tyrant silencing his own daughter because it's easier than admitting you were wrong."
"You speak of tyranny, Wiezner," Empress Rosaline interjected, her voice like cracking frost. "You dare lecture the Emperor on his own throne?"
"No, let him speak," Noctis raised a hand, his dark eyes fixed on Kaiser with terrifying intensity. "If the boy wishes to invoke the Lex Asura to delay justice, he shall face the absolute weight of it. Summon the Imperial Adjudicators. Bring me Jurisconsult Irena Seraphil, Chancellor Rozen Meltron, and Framer Destan Zaltar."
The massive double doors of the ballroom opened. Three figures walked through the parted crowd, exuding centuries of absolute legal authority.
Leading them was Jurisconsult Irena Seraphil, Iris's mother. She walked with the dominant swagger of a woman who held the power of life and death over the nobility. Beside her was Chancellor Rozen Meltron, an elderly man with piercing hawk-like eyes, and Framer Destan Zaltar, a stoic constitutional delegate who helped draft the modern laws of Asura.
"Wiezner." Noctis declared, his voice echoing with imperial finality. "You demand a constitutional debate to override my royal decree. I will grant it. But to question the Emperor's authority demands equal weight on the scales. If you fail to prove her innocence against my masters of law, what is your wager?"
"My life." Kaiser answered without a second of hesitation. "If I fail, you may execute me on this very floor."
My heart leaped into my throat. "No! Axel, stop! You don't have to die for me!"
"I won't die, Rose." Kaiser said, not looking away from the Emperor.
"You're going against the creators of the Code! It's suicide!" I pleaded, grabbing his arm.
"Trust me." Kaiser whispered, giving me a confident, sideways glance.
"I won't hold back."
Irena Seraphil stepped forward, a condescending, elegant smirk playing on her crimson lips.
"A boy offering his head for a traitor. How romantic. And how utterly foolish." Irena mocked, her voice dominating the room. "The Lex Asura is not a shield for sentimentality, Wiezner. It is an anvil of pure logic."
"Then let us strike the anvil, Lady Irena." Kaiser challenged, his aura sharpening.
"Let me correct your first delusion." Irena said, tapping her gilded staff on the marble. "You cited Article IV. But Article IV contains the Sovereign's Exception Clause. In the event of immediate Regicide, the Emperor bypasses the Tribunal to preserve the State."
"Precisely." Chancellor Rozen agreed coldly. "High Treason voids the Dissonance of the Soul. The threat to the Crown supersedes magical technicalities."
"You rely on procedural loopholes, boy." Framer Destan added. "But the Constitution's primary directive is the preservation of the Emperor's life."
"The Sovereign's Exception applies to immediate threats." Kaiser fired back instantly. "The assassins are dead. The immediate threat is neutralized. The Exception does not apply to the aftermath!"
"Wrong," Irena dominated, taking a step closer. "The mastermind is still alive. The threat persists as long as Princess Rose draws breath. Thus, the Exception holds."
"You assume she is the mastermind without due process!" Kaiser countered, his voice booming. "You are applying the Exception to validate the accusation, rather than proving the accusation to invoke the Exception! It is a circular fallacy!"
"The ledger found in her safe breaks the circle," Rozen stated flatly. "It is concrete evidence of premeditation."
"Evidence retrieved illegally under Article IX!" Kaiser retorted. "The Inquisition raided her chambers without a neutral arbiter."
"Article IX has a caveat, Wiezner," Destan lectured. "'Except in circumstances where National Security is compromised.' An assassination attempt on the Gala is a compromise of National Security."
"Only if the raid was initiated after the assassination!" Kaiser's eyes flashed with predatory brilliance. "But Iris ordered the sweep during the dance, before the assassins ever struck! How did she know National Security was compromised before the attack happened?!"
The court gasped. Hundreds of nobles exchanged shocked looks.
Irena smiled. "A brilliant deduction, Wiezner. Truly. But Princess Iris is the Head of Internal Intelligence. Sweeping VIP quarters during a major event is standard protocol. Her timing was protocol, not premeditation."
"Standard protocol? Then where is the sweep log for the Consorts' chambers?" Kaiser demanded ruthlessly. "Or yours, Lady Irena? Why only the Crowned Princess?!"
"Because the Crowned Princess has the most to gain. Motive directs the Inquisition."
"Motive?" Kaiser laughed, a cold, mocking sound. "She is the Crowned Princess! Her ascension is already guaranteed by bloodright! Why on earth would she commit regicide for a throne she already owns?!"
"Because His Majesty has lived for decades, and her patience waned." Rozen argued fiercely. "She wanted the power now."
"If she wanted power now, she wouldn't have spent the last decade subjugating herself to the Emperor's every whim!" Kaiser roared, his intellect overwhelming them. "She would have built a military faction! She would have rallied the Dukes! She didn't. She has no army. She has no conspirators. She has only a single forged ledger!"
"A ledger sealed by her Blood-Mana." Destan pressed.
"A ledger sealed by a corrupted Blood-Mana Lock! She proved the Dissonance! Do not circle back to debunked evidence!"
"You are loud, boy, but you lack historical precedence." Irena sneered, losing her patience. "In the Case of Duke Kern, a corrupted mana signature was still ruled as guilty because the intent of treason corrupted the soul."
"Duke Kern was a convicted warlock!" Kaiser shot back. "Rose is a Celestial Mage! You are comparing a sewer rat to a star to justify a conviction!"
"The law is blind to the stars, Wiezner!" Irena shouted, her composure cracking. "The law only sees the blood on the floor! We protect the Emperor at all costs!"
Kaiser stopped. His dark blue eyes locked onto Irena.
"If the law is blind to truth just to protect the crown..." Kaiser lowered his voice, delivering the most dangerous sentence in the history of the Empire. "Then it is no longer the Lex Asura. It is the Valerion Dictate."
The entire ballroom froze in absolute, bone-chilling horror.
"You dare invoke the name of the Tyrant Kingdom in this hall?!" Rozen bellowed, his face turning purple with rage.
"I dare to speak the truth!" Kaiser roared, taking over the entire court. "378 years ago, King Malakor of Valerion executed his own son, Prince Jaeus, using fabricated ledgers and the 'Sovereign's Exception'! He bypassed the courts! He ignored the magical dissonance! He executed him on the spot! And what happened?!"
"That is irrelevant history—!" Destan tried to shout over him.
"It is the precise reason the Lex Asura was written!" Kaiser yelled, completely dominating the Framer. "Valerion burned to the ground because the people realized justice was just a tyrant's whim! If Emperor Noctis arrests Rose tonight on fabricated evidence and royal privilege, there is zero constitutional difference between the Asura Empire and the tyrannical ashes of Valerion!"
"Treason! You advocate for rebellion?!" Irena shrieked, pointing her staff at him.
"I advocate for the preservation of the Empire! Because I demand punishment for those who fabricate evidence to destroy the State!"
"What do you mean?" Rozen asked, suddenly looking very nervous.
"This trial is no longer private," Kaiser smiled—a dark, victorious, devastating smile. "The dance. The grand performance. Did you think I only projected the illusions inside this ballroom? I connected the visual-audio crystals to the Capital's public broadcast network!"
Silence slammed into the room like a physical weight.
"Millions of citizens watched the Crowned Princess dance!" Kaiser declared. "Millions of citizens saw the assassins! And they are listening to this very trial right now!"
"You... you broadcasted a royal trial to the commoners?!" Destan gasped in sheer horror.
"I broadcasted the truth!" Kaiser answered mercilessly. "If you imprison the beloved Crowned Princess tonight without a fair, undisputed judgment, you will not just face a courtroom debate. You will spark a massive rebellion! The citizens will see Emperor Noctis not as a just ruler, but as King Malakor reborn!"
"You absolute madman..." Irena whispered, staring at Kaiser as if looking at a monster. "You weaponized the public."
"I weaponized the Constitution! Article I: The Emperor serves the Empire. If you destroy the law to kill her, you destroy the Empire itself!"
He didn't just broadcast the dance for a spectacle.
My mind spun as I stared at my brother's wide back. He did it as a political shield. He knew they would try to corner me in private. The Lex Asura... I have it memorized too.
I was so paralyzed by my father's betrayal that I forgot who I was.
I am the Crowned Princess. And my brother was fighting a war for me.
It was time I fought beside him.
I wiped my tears and stood up fully.
"Article XXII of the Lex Asura," I spoke, my voice steadying as I walked to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Axel. "Public transparency in trials of High Treason. Axel did not commit a crime by broadcasting this; he enforced a Constitutional mandate that you all conveniently forgot."
"Princess... you—" Irena stuttered, completely taken aback.
"She is right," Kaiser nodded. "And since the public is watching, let us address the forged ledger. Rose, what is the penalty for forging a Blood-Mana Lock against royalty?"
"Death by the Guillotine of Light." I answered firmly, my voice echoing across the silent hall. "It is considered an act of terrorism against the Crown."
"Exactly," Kaiser turned his piercing gaze toward Iris and the Inquisitors. "So the real question isn't whether Rose is guilty. The real question is: who among the Inquisition or Internal Intelligence forged that crystal? Because whoever did it is the real traitor."
Irena Seraphil fell silent. She looked at Princess Iris, and then back at Kaiser. Rozen and Destan looked away, sweating nervously.
"The prosecution has failed," I declared, raising my chin proudly. "The evidence is contested, the timeline is flawed, and the public is watching. I demand my right to a formal, neutral Tribunal, as guaranteed by the Constitution!"
Nobody spoke.
Not the Chancellor. Not the Framer. Not even the great Jurisconsult Irena Seraphil.
They all just looked at Kaiser. The man who had single-handedly hijacked the imperial narrative, weaponized history, cornered the Emperor of Asura with unbreakable law, and shielded me from the entire world.
The man who simply could not be argued against.
"You speak of Customary Law and Ancient Tradition, Framer Destan?" Kaiser pressed the attack, stepping forward with the sheer dominance of a legal god. "Under the Edict of the First Dawn, a royal heir's blood cannot be spilled unless three independent oracles decree a corrupted soul. Did you consult the oracles? No!"
"The Edict is antiquated!" Destan stammered, sweating bullets. "It has not been used in five centuries!"
"Statutory and Criminal Code supersedes antiquity!" Kaiser fired back, quoting absolute text. "Section Four, Article Eight: The Law of Nations and Treaties. If a Crowned Royal is executed on contested domestic evidence, foreign treaties are nullified! You will invite war with the Elven and Dwarven Kingdoms because you failed basic Natural Equity and Ethics!"
"You stretch the treaties, boy!" Rozen argued weakly. "This is an internal Asuran matter!"
"It is an ethical abomination!" Kaiser roared, pointing at the shattered memory crystal. "By the Doctrine of Divine and Religious Right, the gods bestow magic based on the soul's purity! Rose's celestial mana violently rejected the dark crystal! That is Divine Law standing against your fabricated Criminal Code!"
"A clever misdirection of Natural Law," Irena argued, desperate to regain her footing. "But Imperial Precedent dictates that intent to harm the Emperor overrides the divine right of the child."
"There is no intent!" Kaiser's voice shook the very foundation of the ballroom. "You have zero constitutional continuity, zero ethical standing, and zero philosophical legitimacy! Under the Axiom of Legal Philosophy, a law applied selectively is not law—it is oppression!"
"You—" Irena choked.
"Silence!" Kaiser completely silenced the Jurisconsult. "The Lex Asura is an absolute! You cannot sever her head today without severing the very foundation of the Empire tomorrow! Your prosecution is a joke, your evidence is a fraud, and your jurisprudence is a disgrace!"
"This... this level of constitutional mastery..." Destan whispered in pure awe.
"He is reciting laws even the Citadel scholars have to look up..." Rozen muttered, completely defeated.
"I don't just read the law." Kaiser said, his blue eyes glowing with unmatched intellect.
"I understand its history. And the history of Asura does not execute an innocent daughter."
The heavy, oppressive tension in the room shifted. Kaiser turned away from the Adjudicators and looked directly up at the thrones. His sharp, aggressive aura melted into something incredibly soft, vulnerable, and deeply emotional.
"Emperor Noctis..." Kaiser spoke, his voice dropping to a gentle, heartbreaking tone. "Your daughter loves you. More than the crown. More than the power. She cried for it."
Noctis's terrifying aura faltered for a fraction of a second. The Emperor's dark eyes narrowed, a strange hesitation crossing his stoic face as he looked down at me.
"She spent weeks practicing that dance just to impress you." Kaiser begged softly, his words carrying the heavy weight of the tavern night we had shared. "She didn't want to kill you. She just wanted you to look at her... without disappointment. To not cast her out over a dead rat in her soup. To hold her hand when she needed it. Give your daughter a chance. Please."
"Wiezner..." Noctis muttered, his jaw tightening. "You overstep your bounds."
"I am defending a girl who just wants her family back." Kaiser pleaded, his eyes shining with absolute sincerity.
"Reconsider, Your Majesty."
The dam inside my chest broke.
"Father... please!" I said, my voice cracking. "I swear on my life, on my soul, I would never hurt you! Mother, look at me! I am your daughter!"
Empress Rosaline's lips parted slightly, her eyes trembling as she looked at me, but she still didn't say a word.
My hands clenched into tight fists as I looked at Axel... no, at Kaiser.
Why? Why is he doing this?
He was throwing away everything. He was declaring war on the Emperor, on the Adjudicators, on the entire empire... for me. He had been more family to me than anyone in this entire empire. He gave me a safe place in the Rustlantern tavern when my father looked at me with pure disgust. I felt like I had known him since birth... like a brother I lost and met again after years. But he is a commoner. He has no magic. If the Emperor snaps, Kaiser will die.
Why is he willing to go against the world just to protect me?
Even so... even with his brilliant defense, I wasn't proven free. There was no other candidate. The assassins were hired. The ledger existed. I knew Iris had something to do with this. The timing of the raid, the smirk on her face, it was all too perfect.
But if I accuse her now, without hard proof, I will just look like a desperate, guilty sister trying to drag the golden child down with me. It would validate their belief that I am a jealous traitor.
"This is enough!"
Iris stepped down from the dais, her angelic face twisting into a furious, ugly scowl.
"You speak of justice, Wiezner, but you are just spinning riddles to protect a murderer!" Iris shouted, losing her perfect composure. "She hired the assassins! The ledger proves it! She is guilty!"
"The only thing that ledger proves," Kaiser turned to her, his voice dripping with absolute venom, "is that you are a cheap, conniving bitch who couldn't even forge a proper handwriting stroke."
The entire court erupted in massive gasps.
"How dare you!" Iris shrieked, her face flushing crimson. "I am Princess Iris Valentine! You will address me with respect!"
"Respect is earned, you greedy rat." Kaiser insulting her, stepping closer, his presence completely dwarfing hers. "You want to be in the spotlight so badly, don't you? Always playing the victim. Always acting like the pure, innocent little angel while you stab everyone in the back."
"You are a peasant! You know nothing of my struggles!" Iris screamed.
"I know I danced with Seraphina and Rose tonight because they are true princesses!" Kaiser insulting her, destroying her fragile ego. "Women of actual grace, talent, and honor! You? You're just a parasite who orchestrated an assassination against your own parents just to frame your sister!"
"Wiezner!" Irena Seraphil snapped. "That is a baseless, treasonous accusation against the Second Princess!"
"Baseless? Let's test it!" Kaiser challenged fearlessly. "The Lex Asura allows three absolute mandates of magical truth: The Resonance of Blood-Guilt, The Echo of Malice, and The Law of Transferred Intent! If Iris submits her mana to the Echo of Malice right now, it will trace the exact origin of those cursed mages directly to her private funds!"
Iris stepped back, real panic flashing in her eyes. "I... I will not submit my royal blood to the whims of a lunatic commoner! This is an outrage!"
"You won't submit because you know I'm right, you two-faced bitch!" Kaiser spat.
No! Kaiser, stop!
My heart hammered against my ribs in absolute terror.
He had put Iris on the suspect list... the court treated her like a living saint, the absolute favorite of the Emperor. They wouldn't accept this language. They wouldn't accept a commoner degrading her in front of the nobility!
Why, Kaiser! Why are you pushing it this far?!
"Asylym."
Emperor Noctis's voice dropped to a sub-zero, earth-shattering frequency that made the very air in the ballroom stop moving.
In less than a fraction of a heartbeat, the air cracked.
Asylym Vexley appeared in high speed, manifesting directly by Kaiser's side.
But my eyes widened. Before Asylym even materialized, Kaiser's bright blue eyes were already looking to his side. His eyes tracked the movement, slowly following Asylym even faster than the monstrous bodyguard could move.
And Kaiser... smiled.
Wait... My breath caught in my throat. Are you setting yourself up for pain... just to ensure I'm proven innocent by making Iris lose her temper?
Before I could scream, Asylym's massive, armored hand grabbed the back of Kaiser's head.
With a sickening THUD, Asylym slammed Kaiser face-first into the marble floor, right at Iris's feet.
"Nobody is permitted to speak to Princess Iris in such a foul manner." Asylym said coldly, his voice devoid of emotion.
"Your knowledge of the law does not grant you immunity from respect, cur."
Asylym lifted Kaiser's head and brutally smashed it into the marble again. Blood splattered across the white stone.
"You cite the Lex Asura, but you forget the Imperial Edict of Royal Dignity." Asylym justified, his brutal punishment completely valid under imperial rule.
"A commoner who slanders a member of the Royal Blood forfeits his physical safety."
CRACK.
He smashed Kaiser's head into the floor a third time. The marble floor splintered under the force.
"You have a sharp tongue, Wiezner. But that is all you have." Asylym mocked, pressing Kaiser's bleeding head against the cracked stone. "You can only talk. You cannot fight. You cannot disprove. You are nothing but a pest."
Asylym looked down at him with absolute apathy.
"And pest can easily be silenced."
No... No!
I watched in absolute horror as the crimson blood pooled around Kaiser's head. The brother who had protected me, the boy who had smiled at me in the tavern, was bleeding on the floor because of me.
My chest tore open, a scream ripping through my throat as my world came crashing down.
"Stop! Please, stop it!" I screamed, my voice tearing through the horrified silence of the ballroom.
"Axel! Fight back! Why aren't you fighting back?!" I sobbed, reaching out toward him, but the Royal Knights blocked my path.
"Father, please! Tell him to stop! He's going to kill him!" I begged, looking up at the thrones.
"Iris, call off Asylym! Haven't you done enough?!" I shrieked, turning to my half-sister.
Iris just stood there, looking down at Kaiser with a sick, satisfied smile. "He is receiving the respect he demanded, sister."
CRACK.
Asylym smashed his head into the floor again. The surrounding nobles gasped, many looking away in sheer horror. On the throne, Empress Rosaline's eyes narrowed, a cold, sharp glare fixed entirely on Asylym's brutal, excessive display.
"You speak of the law, but you show utter contempt for the Crown." Asylym stated, his voice a mechanical drone of violence.
CRACK.
"The Emperor's presence demands absolute submission. You dared to raise your voice to the ruler of the continent." Asylym gripped Kaiser's hair, pulling his head up just to slam it down again.
"You slandered the Second Princess with vile profanity. A crime punishable by permanent disfigurement."
CRACK.
"Your intellect means nothing when your body is broken." Asylym whispered coldly. "Learn your place, pesant."
"He didn't even draw a weapon! He was just speaking!" I cried out, my throat burning.
"You are a monster! You are a knight and he is just a child!"
"Just because he can't fight back, you are forcing your strength on him! You are a coward, Asylym Vexley!"
Asylym ignored me. He simply released Kaiser's hair.
Kaiser's head dropped onto the shattered marble with a sickening, wet thud. A thick pool of crimson blood rapidly spread across the pristine white floor. He lay perfectly still, face down. He wasn't moving. He wasn't breathing.
Everyone in the court assumed he was gone.
"That is enough, Vexley."
Captain Lionel stepped forward from the perimeter, his hand gripping the hilt of his sword, his voice tight with an unusual, suppressed panic.
"Step away from the boy."
Asylym slowly turned his head, his expression icy. "Captain Lionel. This is Imperial justice. The Emperor ordered me."
"I said, step away from him." Lionel commanded, taking another step. "Stop violently hurting Axel Wiezner."
"Why?" Asylym demanded, his eyes narrowing. "Does the sight of a commoner bleeding offend the great Captain of the Royal Knights?"
Lionel fell completely quiet. He didn't answer.
"Give me one valid reason to stay my hand, Captain." Asylym threatened softly. "Or I will resume his punishment."
"Because you do not know what you are doing, Asylym." Lionel warned, a bead of sweat dripping down his temple. "Stop."
"I know exactly what I am doing," Asylym dismissed coldly. "And until he begs for forgiveness at Princess Iris's feet, I will not stop."
Why? I looked at Captain Lionel through my tears.
Why is Captain Lionel sweating? Why is his hand trembling on his sword?
Then, it hit me.
Lionel knows.
Lionel knows that if Kaiser went serious, he could kill Asylym in a heartbeat! Kaiser defeated Lionel and his entire elite squad single-handedly in the forest without even drawing a weapon! He was forcing himself to endure this brutal pain! Out of everyone in this entire ballroom, Lionel was the only one who knew the terrifying, monstrous threat lying in that pool of blood.
But why... brother... please stand up.
Asylym reached down to grab Kaiser's collar again.
Something inside me snapped. The despair vanished, replaced by an erupting, blinding inferno of rage.
"If you touch him one more time, Asylym..." I snarled, my celestial mana exploding from my core. The sheer force of my aura blew the Royal Knights away from me.
A terrifying combination of red and white celestial energy flared around my body, illuminating the ballroom in a blinding, aggressive light.
"I will burn you down to ash! I will incinerate your soul until nothing is left!"
The entire court gasped in absolute shock. I had just used combat magic—strictly banned at the Gala—and I had just called the magicless boy my brother.
Asylym turned to me, his hand hovering over his sword.
"O Stars that sever the dark, descend and tear! Celestial Sunrise!" I chanted at the top of my lungs.
Massive, crescent-shaped arcs of red and white celestial magic ripped through the air, tearing the marble floor apart as they flew directly at Asylym.
But Asylym was terrifyingly fast. He moved like a phantom, effortlessly side-stepping and dodging the barrage of high-tier magical slashes. The wind pressure from his movements alone was overwhelming.
I knew I couldn't beat him. He was a master martial artist, an apex predator of close-quarters combat, and I was just a student. But I didn't care. I couldn't watch him hurt Kaiser anymore.
Asylym dashed forward, closing the distance in a millisecond. He unsheathed his longsword, aiming a flat, blunt strike at my neck to knock me out.
The silver blade swung down with devastating speed.
I squeezed my eyes shut.
Clang.
The impact didn't hit me.
I slowly opened my eyes.
A bare hand had reached up and grabbed the blade right in the middle. The devastating momentum of the sword slowed down, inch by inch, trembling under a terrifying, monstrous grip, until it stopped mere inches from my face.
Half of the silver blade was completely covered in thick crimson blood.
Kaiser was standing in front of me.
"I... I told you..." Kaiser stuttered, his voice exhausted, ragged, and breathless. Blood was pouring down his forehead, dripping into his dark eyes, and flowing freely from the bare hand that was gripping the razor-sharp edge of Asylym's sword.
"I told you... if you take one more step... I would sever your head." Kaiser warned, his dark, bloody gaze locking onto Asylym.
"You can beat me... into the floor... you can break my bones..." Kaiser swayed slightly, his grip on the blade never loosening.
"But do not... ever... touch my sister."
The ballroom was frozen in a tableau of absolute shock.
Then, the Emperor stood up.
A wave of pure, unfathomable darkness erupted from Noctis Valentine. The space around us warped, twisting and folding inward. The music completely vanished. The hundreds of nobles, the lights, the sheer noise of the Gala—all of it disappeared in the blink of an eye.
When the darkness faded, we were standing in an isolated Imperial Domain. It was a perfect, silent replica of the Crystal Ballroom, but completely devoid of the public.
"This farce has gone on long enough." Noctis stated, his voice echoing in the vast, empty domain.
"The public broadcast has been severed. We are no longer in the physical ballroom." Noctis descended the golden stairs. "I have pulled the core figures into an isolated Imperial Domain."
"We do not need an audience to exact justice." the Emperor continued, his eyes glowing with terrifying authority. "The nobles have seen too much."
"When we return to the real world, the memories of everyone outside this Domain will be rewritten by Imperial Decree." Noctis stopped at the bottom of the stairs, looking directly at Kaiser. "Now, there are no laws to hide behind, Wiezner. Only consequence."
I quickly looked around. The only people left in this replica ballroom were Iris, Empress Rosaline, Consort Anastasia Mooncrest, Seraphina, Captain Lionel and his squad, Asylym, and Noctis himself.
Asylym slowly stepped back, pulling his longsword free from Kaiser's grip. Thick drops of Kaiser's blood fell from the silver blade, staining the pristine domain floor.
Kaiser stumbled backward, his body finally giving out as he fell to one knee.
"Kaiser!" I screamed, rushing forward and dropping to my knees beside him. I grabbed his bleeding hand. "Kaiser, your hand! You're bleeding everywhere!"
"I'm fine, Rose..." Kaiser swayed, offering me a weak, bloody smile. "It's just a little scratch."
"A scratch?!" I cried, my heart breaking all over again. "Your head is cracked open! You let him beat you half to death!"
"I had to... sell the performance." Kaiser coughed, leaning heavily against my shoulder. "If I fought back... they would have called it treason..."
"You idiot! You absolute idiot! I told you to stop!" I sobbed, desperately tearing a piece of white silk from the bottom of my dress to wrap his bleeding palm.
"Hey..." Kaiser whispered, his bloody hand weakly reaching up to wipe a tear from my cheek. "I promised I wouldn't hold back... did I do a good job?"
"You did... you did perfect..." I cried, pressing my forehead against his.
"But please, don't talk anymore. You're suffering too much."
I saw the deep cuts on his palm, the severe bruising on his skull, and the blood soaking his formal clothes. I knew exactly how much pain he was in. He was a monster in combat, capable of destroying Asylym without breaking a sweat, but he forced himself to endure all of this agony just so he could comfort me.
Just so he could protect his sister.
"Speak," Emperor Noctis commanded, his voice devoid of all warmth as he looked around the isolated Domain. "The public is gone. The facade is no longer necessary. Give me your true thoughts on this trial."
He turned his dark, imposing gaze to his daughter. "Seraphina. What say you?"
"I... I don't really like Rose, Papa," Seraphina mumbled, nervously gripping the edges of her dress as she looked at me.
"But... she wouldn't hurt you," Seraphina continued, her voice trembling but surprisingly firm. "She's sad when you ignore her. Someone who cries for you... wouldn't try to kill you."
Noctis's expression didn't change. He shifted his eyes to the stunning woman standing beside Seraphina. "Anastasia?"
"Your Majesty..." Consort Anastasia Mooncrest bowed her head gracefully. "I must agree with Seraphina. I vehemently believe Rose is incapable of High Treason against her own blood."
Anastasia looked at me with deep sympathy before looking back at the Emperor. "She has spent her entire life trying to become worthy of your love. Please, Noctis... think again. You cannot do this. You cannot execute her based on a single, highly contested ledger."
"Emotion has no place in the Domain of Law, Consort Anastasia." Irena Seraphil stated coldly, stepping forward. "The evidence stands. The intent is clear."
"She is right, Papa!" Iris spoke up urgently, stepping closer to Noctis. "Rose hired those cursed mages! She tried to kill you and Mother!"
Iris's eyes flashed with venom as she pointed at me. "If you let her go now, you are showing weakness to the Empire! She must be executed for her crimes!"
Noctis slowly turned his head. He looked down at Iris.
It wasn't a look of fatherly affection. It was a freezing, absolute death glare that seemed to suck the oxygen out of the entire Domain.
"Did I give you permission to raise your voice, Iris?" Noctis asked, his voice a terrifying whisper.
Iris physically recoiled, her face draining of all color. She was completely stunned, her mouth hanging open. "I... I apologize, Papa..."
"Hold your tongue until you are addressed." Noctis ordered, completely dismissing the golden child before turning his attention to the knights.
"Captain Lionel. Your assessment."
Lionel stepped forward, bowing deeply. "Your Majesty. I have served as the protector of the Crowned Princess for years. I have watched her train day and night just to make you proud."
"I do not believe she is the mastermind." Lionel declared firmly. "I believe she is innocent."
Noctis absorbed the words in silence before shifting his terrifying gaze to the apex predator of the room. "And you, Asylym."
"I am a knight, Your Majesty." Asylym replied mechanically, his eyes empty. "I do not have opinions. But whoever the perpetrator is, they should be punished appropriately, without mercy."
Noctis closed his eyes for a moment, crossing his arms over his broad chest.
"My intentions tonight were to resolve this matter silently." Noctis finally spoke, his voice echoing with absolute authority. "To handle the rot within my own family without shaking the foundation of the Empire."
He opened his eyes, glaring down at Kaiser, who was still bleeding heavily against my shoulder.
"But this boy... Axel Wiezner. He took that option away."
"He bypassed the Imperial censors. He broadcasted a royal trial to the commoners. He turned a family matter into a public spectacle," Noctis said, his aura growing heavier with every word.
"Because of him, the citizens saw an assassination attempt on their Emperor. They saw the Crowned Princess accused of treason. The Empire is already demanding a head to roll for this atrocity."
Noctis took a slow, heavy step toward us.
"A silent resolution is dead. A massive political crisis has been born. And someone must take the fall to appease the masses."
The Emperor looked down at Kaiser like a god looking at a sacrificial lamb.
"And Axel Wiezner... is the perfect scapegoat."
My blood ran cold.
"I am offering you a choice, Rose," Noctis said, looking directly into my eyes. "Stand with me. Be innocent. And let this boy take the execution block for orchestrating the assassination."
"What?!" I screamed, hugging Kaiser tighter. "No! Axel is innocent! He didn't do anything!"
"He can't be the one!" I sobbed. "He protected me! I won't let you kill him!"
"The public demands a traitor, Rose." Noctis repeated coldly. "Let it be him, and you walk free."
"No! I refuse!" I cried out, my celestial mana flaring defensively around us.
Noctis stared at me. He realized that mere survival wasn't enough to make me abandon the boy who had just bled for me. The Emperor closed his eyes for a brief moment, the terrifying dark aura around him settling into a suffocating, heavy calm.
"If survival is not enough, then I will offer you the three things you have chased your entire life."
My breath hitched.
"First, absolute certainty over the throne," Noctis declared. "I will formally declare your ascension tomorrow without contest. You will hold the highest political authority under me. No noble, no adjudicator, and no sibling will ever be allowed to challenge your claim to Asura."
I stared at him in disbelief.
"Second, you will be under my direct, personal protection," Noctis continued, his voice echoing in my very soul. "I will oversee you from this day forward. Nobody will scheme against you. Nobody will hurt you. I will personally speak to your siblings and end this blood feud. No more shadows. No more fear."
Iris gasped loudly, her eyes wide with absolute, horrifying shock as Noctis casually discarded her ambition to protect me.
"And finally..." Noctis's dark eyes softened, just a fraction. "I will give you the love you have never received. I will treat you as my true, beloved daughter."
I stopped breathing entirely.
"I have always overseen your progress, Rose. I have worried about you from the shadows, watching you break yourself to become stronger. Tonight, despite the accusations, you have proven your unwavering loyalty to the Empire by refusing to yield. You are deserving of my affection. You may call me 'Papa', just as Seraphina and Iris does, and I will be the father you have always cried for."
"And I will be your mother," Empress Rosaline finally spoke, her voice trembling with emotion as she took a step toward me. "I had to hold back... I had to remain cold because of the Emperor's decrees. But if you accept... I can openly display my affection for you, Rose. We can be a true family."
My heart completely shattered.
The throne. Protection. The end of the sibling war. And... their love.
It was everything.
It was literally everything I had ever dreamed of since I was a little girl crying alone in my room. The validation, the affection, the chance to finally be a daughter instead of a political tool. He was handing my lifelong dream to me on a silver platter. All the pain, all the bleeding on the training grounds, all the lonely nights... it could all end right now. I could finally have a real family.
All I had to do... was sacrifice the magicless boy bleeding on my shoulder.
"Why do you hesitate, Rose?" Noctis questioned, extending his massive, powerful hand toward me. "This is everything you wanted."
The Emperor looked down at me, delivering the ultimate ultimatum.
"Take my hand, and have your family. Or refuse... and be executed as a traitor alongside that stranger you call 'brother'."
A stranger.
I looked down at the boy bleeding on my shoulder.
He wasn't a stranger. Do you know what the worst feeling in the world is? It's the feeling of losing your other half. The feeling of losing a brother.
I knew from the start that we weren't related by blood. I knew he was just a commoner from Class C. But my heart reasoned against all logic, because every single second I spent with him felt like I was with the brother I was supposed to have since birth.
He treated me with actual love and affection when my own family treated me like trash. He wiped my tears in the Rustlantern tavern when my father threw me out. He made me laugh when I was drowning in stress. He accompanied me in the silence, for absolutely no reason other than to be there for me. And his overprotectiveness... he fought an elite squad in the forest for me. He fought the entire Imperial Court for me. He took a brutal beating for me at the Gala, just to protect my smile.
How can I make this choice? How can I choose between the family I was born to have, and the family I actually chose?
Kaiser shifted against my shoulder.
Slowly, painfully, he raised his arm. The same hand that had just grabbed Asylym's silver blade, the hand that was wrapped in the bloody, torn silk of my dress. He raised it... and pointed toward Emperor Noctis.
"Go."
His voice was a ragged whisper, but it hit me harder than any sword strike.
"What...?" I whispered, my voice breaking. "Kaiser, no..."
"This is what you wanted," Kaiser smiled weakly, blood still trickling down his pale forehead. "You've been crying for this since the day you met me. The Emperor is handing it to you. Go to him."
"I won't leave you here to die!" I argued, tears streaming down my face. "You're my brother! I'm not leaving you!"
"Rose, listen to me." Kaiser sighed, his dark eyes looking deeply into mine. "We're not real siblings. We're not a real family."
My breath hitched.
"Remember what you told me in the forest?" Kaiser smiled softly, recalling our fight in the rain. "It's not like I'm your brother by blood. I'm just a commoner. I'm just a boy you met at the academy."
"Stop it... please stop it." I sobbed, gripping his bloody uniform.
"I'll be alright, Rose. I always am," Kaiser whispered gently. "But you? You need a real family. You need to be loved. You deserve to have your mother and your father."
"Kaiser... please..."
"Go to your real family," Kaiser said, giving me the warmest, most devastating smile I had ever seen.
"Go, Cilla."
I knew you were going to break my heart... My chest tearing open. But a part of me really hoped you wouldn't. I never thought you'd break my heart by telling me to choose someone else over you.
He was doing it again. He was pushing me away just so I could be happy.
My legs felt like lead. Slowly, trembling uncontrollably, I let go of him.
Kaiser just stood there, swaying slightly on his feet, refusing to look weak in front of the Emperor.
I turned around. I took one step toward my father. Then another.
Each step felt like walking through broken glass.
Strangers again.
I looked back over my shoulder. Kaiser was still standing there, still bleeding, still smiling at me. Even now, even when it meant his own execution, he was bleeding for my happiness.
As I took another step toward the Emperor's extended hand, I felt like I was leaving half of my soul and heart behind. The person who reached his hand out for me when I was on the ground, looked down on by the entire empire... only him...
I fought back the tears blinding my vision, my body screaming at me to stop.
I feel like I am leaving someone who I was with before I was born, completely behind...
I stopped walking.
I looked at the Emperor's massive hand. And then I looked back at the bloody hand wrapped in white silk.
How can I let his hand go... after he held mine first?