North x Northwest

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The people of Sesbron were passionate about love stories till the point where they would publicly have lovers or mistresses in search of their one true love, even after marriage. And Mireille’s pathetic plea consisted mostly of declaring Liloa as the only love of his life. The more pitiful he sounded, the more sympathy he won from the crowd. Even adding that he tried his hardest to combine duty and love, but unfortunately, he couldn’t achieve it.

‘I knew that Mireille would come out with everything he had, but that doesn’t lessen the absolute loathe and disgust I feel when hearing him emphasise this so-called love he has for me…’

When her turn came, Lil recited the sentences that she seemed to have already uttered dozens of times.

“…I do not want to go back to being part of the Mireille household again. In fact, I do not know why the Duke is doing this to me. I have never felt even a single moment of affection or respect for me. I am sure he has other motives. This love he is referring to or whatever grand reason he is trying to sell us, is clearly a lie. Is going so far worth doing so at the expense of hurting Jeanne and the rest of his already established family?”

Lil declared distinctly towards the emperor’s podium.

“My reason for coming back to Sesbron was to definitively break off an engagement that ended ambiguously, not to renew it.”

Afterward, Lil and Mireille exchanged a tedious battle of words. The world, however, seemed determined to ignore her words. Rumours even started circulating that it was no other than Lil herself who had seduced the duke, leading him into filing for annulment of his current marriage. To make matters worse, the emperor was slowly getting uncomfortable with the chaos caused by his niece. Like others, it was Lil rather than Mireille that the Emperor found easier to hate because there were no conflicts or lawsuits before she showed up.

“The Duke harassed me throughout our engagement. Some people here have heard what I said on the ferry. It was the truth without an inch of falsehood, and I do not want to be treated the same way ever again.”

The Supreme Court justice, wearing a curly white wig, raised his glasses.

“Please specify, what was this harassment or molestation done to you?”

Yet Lil could only repeat herself like a parrot. But no matter how many times she repeated her words, there was no change of heart. The reasons that were of grave importance to her were trivial to the rest of the world. Mireille neither raped nor abused her to the point where she could actually die.

‘Do I have to be raped or reside on the verge of death before I’m allowed to reject him?’

As Lil’s testimony continued, more and more faces in the audience frowned behind their fans or hands. While closing their eyes, they turned away from her.

It was then that a shout erupted from somewhere in the audience lined up on both sides of the testimony table.

“How can this young lady, who is not even married, speak of travesties?”

“..?”

Lil looked back at the audience on her left. The afternoon sunlight poured in through the large windows behind their seats, causing her to strain her eyes. The speaker was Count Lazilière, who sat in the front row.

“In this case, His Grace, who is the source of this scandal, needs to take responsibility for the young lady!”

The audience was also there as a means to listen to public opinion, so anyone could express their thoughts. Lil stared at a middle-aged man wearing a fluffy wig and grey justaucorps.

‘Lazilière is Mireille’s business partner and one of those who frequented Mireille’s residence. I still remember the gaze that scanned my body tirelessly… He was more persistent and blatant than anyone else…’

“His Grace has defamed himself in front of so many people and declared that he has not been blameless. So who else could take responsibility but the Duke? We must understand the feelings of the Duke of Mireille, with his heart full of atonement, who only wants to take care of the woman who suffered a terrible thing…”

Some members of the Council and the Supreme Court nodded at the Count’s speech.

“…That is correct. A woman whose honour is damaged will have problems with her marriage in the future…”

“…I agree to that…”

‘Their incomprehensible way of thinking is far more bitter than their insult… A kind of thinking that’s deep and firm, like the roots of an old tree. I know all too well that those old roots have come together to form an insurmountable mountain. In the past, it seemed like it could never be overcome because I fell while climbing and gave up. Never knowing how far I made it up…’

Lazilière looked around the audience. His rough voice echoed through the hall again.

“I believe that consummating her marriage to the Duke of Mireille is the only way to protect the lady’s honour!”

‘…But now, I will do whatever it takes even if it means tearing that whole mountain down.’

With this in mind, Lil strengthened her will, but then…

“…What nonsense are you talking about!”

A higher but clear voice rang sharply, however it was neither Lil’s nor Jeanne’s.

“I dare not praise you for your courage to hurl nonsense words…”

Annette’s throat trembled.

“…but how dare you spout such filth, Count Lazilière?”

She grabbed the armrests of her throne and squeezed them so hard that it felt like she could tear them off. Tears hung on the corners of her eyes. Her raised upper body shook, ready to lunge at Lazilière at any moment.

“What you are suggesting is never a way of preserving a lady’s honour, but it’s trampling on it. Does this mean that if a man destroys a woman’s honour, he will have the right to take that woman?”

“That is not what I mean, Your Majesty. What I am proposing is for the Duke to be held responsible for it.”

“Count Lazilière, does it make you a responsible person if you took the things you have broken? No, let me rephrase it. If someone stabs a person and insults them, is responsibility shown by forcing them to your side? Is that the Count’s idea of responsibility? Throughout the history of this Empire, no has ever taken responsibility the way the Count speaks of! It is easier to call a mere stone gold!”

The roar rising from her thin body echoed through the hall. The space became cold as if it had been frozen over. Annette, after having calmed down her intense breathing, spat out while glaring at Lazilière as if she were going to pierce him.

“I cannot agree with your terrible thoughts. If you set a precedent like this… countless innocent girls will be trampled on in the future.”

Annette then turned towards the emperor and declared.

“Your Majesty, I, Annette, am against the marriage of Liloa Obernyu and the Duke of Mireille.”

“..!”

Although the empress was said to assist the emperor in his reign, she never expressed her own opinions in public. This was because even though she was the empress, she couldn’t avoid public opinion that might brand her as arrogant.

The crowd, who had witnessed everything, became silent as they waited for the emperor’s decision. However, it was the Supreme Court Justice who cleared his throat loudly, lifted his glasses, and spoke.

“With all due respect, Your Majesty the Empress, women do not have the right to raise their hands.”

Annette’s jaw tightened as she glared at the Supreme Court Justice. The back of her hands, which were holding the armrest, gradually became bulged with veins and joints. Finally, Annette rose from her throne.

Unable to overcome her anger, her body trembled slightly, but as her small figure stood upright with her chin held high, she looked bigger than anyone else.

The emperor straightened his back and faced her, but Annette didn’t look back. Even the smallest of murmurs stopped as the crowd froze once again.

“To sit me down, you will have to cut off my legs first.”

“..!”

The Supreme Court Justice dropped his quill. He visibly stiffened as his jaw opened wide. The faces next to him were not much different either. Even Lil was astonished to the point she couldn’t move. She could only roll her eyes to look at the emperor, who rubbed his forehead while staring somewhere in the distance. 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃𝘰𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝒸𝘰𝑚

No one dared to move… No one dared to make a sound… Until someone unexpectedly rose from the audience behind Lazilière. A tall shadow passed the testimonial and reached the bottom of the podium.

The noble lady raised her head towards the front of the seats and said.

“Sit me down, too.”

The woman’s gaze passed Lil and headed to the side of the podium. Her sad eyes were directed toward the Supreme Court Justice.

Breaking the silence, the elderly woman next to her also stood up, leaning on her cane.

“Please make me sit down too.”

Her cane struck the ground firmly as if it were rooted. And just before the echo that spread across the marble floor stopped…

“…I will not remain seated either…”

“…I cannot agree with the Count…”

“…I agree with Her Majesty the Empress…”

“…Me too…”

Shadows of people wearing veils, hats, and hair up or down stretched out to the witness stand. There was a woman who shook off the hand of the person next to her just to get up, while another who hesitated at first eventually stood up with her eyes tightly closed…

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This 𝓬ontent is taken from fre𝒆webnove(l).𝐜𝐨𝗺