His words trailed off. His gaze flickered toward the Crown Prince before returning to me.
"Was there something you wanted to say?"
I tilted my head, puzzled. He looked a little anxious.
"Is this... your first time seeing the Crown Prince?"
"Yes, I suppose it is. Why do you ask?"
"No... It's nothing."
Maybe he was uncomfortable with his lawyer getting into a heated staring contest with the Crown Prince.
Surely he wasn't worried I'd lose.
Come on, Your Grace. You've got the wrong woman.
"I wanted to see just how impressive he was, but he's nothing special. Don't worry. I'll crush them at the trial."
To reassure my client, I finally tore my attention away from the Crown Prince and gave Benedict a bright smile, as if to tell him to relax.
No matter how composed he pretended to be, anyone facing a trial for the first time was bound to feel nervous.
Only then did a faint look of relief seem to cross his face.
A short while later, the proceedings began.
"The court will now hear the case against the defendant, Benedict Richard, charged with the murder of Baron Devon Hayden."
Following the judge's solemn declaration, the Chief of the Police Bureau rose to deliver his opening statement.
"The victim, Baron Hayden, was found murdered in the garden of his own estate. He had been stabbed in the left side of his back with a sharp dagger."
After speaking, the Chief removed his hat and bowed respectfully toward Vivian, who was looking down at the courtroom with a rigid expression. His gesture seemed intended to convey his condolences.
Vivian's beautiful face, meanwhile, was so utterly expressionless that it was almost chilling.
"On the day of the murder, a banquet was being held to celebrate the successful establishment of trade between the victim's merchant company and the Kingdom of Grace. Even Their Highnesses the Crown Prince and Crown Princess attended."
"Was the defendant invited to this banquet as well?"
"Yes. According to the other guests, however, he disappeared partway through the festivities."
"Continue."
The judge nodded, listening attentively.
With a grave expression, the Chief pointed toward Grand Duke Richard.
"At approximately the same time the defendant disappeared, a maid working at the estate discovered the victim lying in the garden with a stab wound. More precisely, she found the defendant standing beside the victim's body, covered in blood."
Horrified murmurs rose from various parts of the gallery.
Benedict's jaw tightened as he clenched his teeth.
The judge continued.
"Did anyone witness the defendant stabbing the victim?"
"Yes. I call Hesperano, the gardener employed at the victim's estate at the time, to testify."
The Chief raised a hand with an air of confidence, summoning his witness.
A man whose hair was liberally streaked with gray entered the courtroom.
"Uh... I, the witness... hereby..."
Furrowing his brow, he stumbled through the words of the oath.
Once he had finally finished, the judge addressed him.
"Witness, did you see the defendant, Benedict Richard, stab Devon Hayden with a dagger?"
Hesperano blinked his deeply sunken eyes several times, staring up at the judge.
"That night, I saw His Highness the Grand Duke standing in the dark garden with a dagger in his hand."
His answer came without the slightest hesitation.
The gallery erupted into murmurs once again.
Apparently deciding that this was his cue, the Chief rose from his seat with a triumphant expression.
"Witness Hesperano saw the defendant prowling through the darkness with a weapon, intending to commit his crime under cover of night. I therefore submit the dagger identified by the witness as the murder weapon into evidence."
As though to substantiate his claim, the Chief raised the dagger high above his head.
Several spectators even stood to get a better look.
"This dagger is a standard item supplied to the Imperial Army. Naturally, the defendant, who served as an Imperial Army commander, possessed one as well."
I narrowed my eyes, studying the dagger.
It was undoubtedly the most important piece of evidence in the entire case. Not only was it the weapon used to kill the victim, but it was also an item directly associated with the Grand Duke through his position in the Imperial Army.
"The dagger was embedded deep in the left side of the victim's back. If the attacker had approached from behind and used his right hand, the wound would have been on the right side. The fact that the victim was stabbed on the left indicates that the murderer was left-handed."
The Chief paused for dramatic effect before continuing triumphantly.
"And Grand Duke Richard is well known to be left-handed."
The atmosphere in the courtroom changed instantly.
"Well, that settles it, doesn't it?"
"What flawless deduction by the Chief!"
Comments like these reached my ears from every direction.
Even those who had been insisting moments earlier that the Grand Duke was incapable of breaking the law were now shaking their heads in disapproval.
The Chief continued, looking thoroughly pleased with himself.
"Furthermore, if the defendant were innocent, he would have produced his own dagger for inspection. Instead, he attempted to evade suspicion with the obvious lie that his dagger had been stolen several days before the incident."
I immediately stood to object.
"Your Honor, the prosecution is making speculative claims about facts that have not been established. There is no evidence whatsoever that the defendant was lying when he reported his dagger stolen."
The judge gave a disinterested nod.
"Objection sustained."
Apparently, with so much evidence and a witness already presented, he saw no harm in granting me this minor objection.
"Thank you, Your Honor."
I smiled sweetly.
The Chief's face twisted slightly in displeasure before he gave a dismissive snort, as though the interruption hadn't affected him in the slightest.
Then, in a loud, carefully enunciated voice, he concluded his argument.
"The defendant brutally murdered Baron Devon Hayden, a nobleman and, moreover, the father of Her Highness the Crown Princess. This is an appalling and most serious crime. The Police Bureau therefore prosecutes the defendant for murder and requests the severest punishment available: the Death Penalty."
Scattered applause broke out across the gallery.
The judge glanced toward the Crown Prince and Crown Princess seated in the elevated royal gallery.
It was obvious that he was acutely conscious of their presence.
Then he turned a distinctly doubtful gaze on Benedict and me.
Compared to the prosecution, which had arrived with the Chief and a whole procession of investigators, the defense looked almost pitiful.
There were only two of us sitting at our table: Grand Duke Richard and me.
"Does the defense wish to respond?"
He sounded as though he expected very little.
Given the apparently overwhelming evidence, he probably couldn't imagine any argument capable of turning the situation around.
"Of course, Your Honor."
I rose slowly and swept my gaze around the courtroom.
Skeptical eyes watched me, wondering whether a mere commoner would even be capable of speaking properly in court.
Others regarded me with condescending smirks, clearly doubting that anything I could say would be persuasive in such unfavorable circumstances.
I met their gazes with an easy smile.
Then I began.
"My name is Elena Richard, and I am the defendant's lawfully appointed Defense Counsel. I am also his wife."
My introduction drew a mixture of cheers and jeers from the gallery.
I savored the attention for a moment before adopting my most solemn voice.
"Before beginning my defense, however, I have a confession of the utmost importance to make."
Another wave of murmurs swept through the courtroom.
A momentous confession from the defendant's own lawyer?
What could it possibly be?
Curiosity spread across the spectators' faces.
Benedict, of course, maintained his usual composed expression.
But I caught the slightest flicker of unease in his eyes.
Even he seemed to be wondering whether I was about to betray him.
The Chief evidently reached the same conclusion, because a smile of unconcealed arrogance spread across his face.
Apparently, he thought the Police Bureau's impeccable case had finally crushed me into admitting the Grand Duke's guilt.
"Ah, so you're finally prepared to confess. In that case, we may take your admission into consideration when determining the sentence. Perhaps Life Imprisonment rather than the Death Penalty."
At his pompous declaration, I arranged my eyebrows into a pitiful expression.
It was time for a little showmanship.
I folded my hands demurely over my chest and gave him an exaggerated bow.
"How very merciful of you, Chief. However, what I actually wish to say is..."
With those words, I spun around to face Grand Duke Richard.
His eyes widened in surprise.
I caught his gaze and held it, looking deeply into his eyes.
Then, with the most beautiful smile I could muster, I opened my mouth and delivered the most important words of the moment with flawless, perfectly clear enunciation.
"I love you, darling."