I’m A Doll, But The Tyrant Is Obsessed With Me - Chapter 98
Chapter 98
Declan, unable to bear seeing Jennifer’s behavior, spat out annoyedly.
“That’s enough. I will also add the crime of attempting to harm Princess Este to this. Is there any objection?”
Even though Caleb tried to retort, his lips couldn’t move.
“Right. Then, let’s move on to the next one.”
“The last crime was the crime of attempting to assassinate the Emperor.”
Hearing the mention of an assassination attempt on the Emperor, astonished exclamations erupted from the audience.
“Trying to murder His Majesty? This is a trap!”
Eventually, Caleb, impatient, jumped up from his seat and shouted.
“The Emperor of the Empire is trying to frame a powerless woman.”
Unlike him, who argued furiously, Jennifer opened her mouth with a sneer.
“How could I, who adores Your Majesty, harm you?”
“You’ll know that when you see it. Noah, bring me the proof.”
When Noah opened the box, it contained the brooch Jennifer had given the doll.
“It is a gift prepared with great care to make up for the shortcomings of the last birthday party.”
Caleb again protested against the injustice.
“Thorough inspection was done in advance to make sure that nothing unpleasant would happen.”
As Declan waved to Liam without answering, a man was brought out, and he continued his words, “This man is a shaman. So he can tell you if there is anything wrong with this brooch.”
The man hesitated at Declan’s command and walked over to examine the brooch. The next moment, he opened his eyes wide.
“Your Majesty, this brooch has a spell in it.”
The audience stirred.
“Yes, what spell is it?”
“The… the enchantment spell.”
People’s stinging eyes turned to Jennifer.
“Hoo, such foolishness!”
“How dare someone like Tierra try to cross the Empire?!”
“The marriage alliance was all a ruse, too.”
While the nobles were outraged and insisted on Jennifer’s punishment, Declan raised his hand and the audience fell silent.
“I don’t know.”
When she denied the guilt, the people’s accusations poured out.
“Isn’t it a gift from you?”
“Just because the brooch is under a spell doesn’t prove it was me.”
“You’re right. Someone must have tried their hand to frame my sister,” cried Caleb, rising from his seat and adding his words.
“Prince, haven’t you seen it as well? Your sister had used hallucinatory spells.”
“I admit to having hallucinations, but could it be that another shaman did it?”
“Now I see, the Princess must have been deceiving her family as well.”
Declan raised a corner of his lips.
“Deceived… My sister is not such a child.”
“If it’s still hard to believe…”
The knights put several sheets of paper on the table, and Declan’s words persisted.
“Chancellor, explain.”
“Here’s a secret letter the Princess exchanged with her collaborator.”
People’s expressions hardened at the words collaborator and secret letter. At the same time, Jennifer’s eyes shook for a moment, but she became provocative, as if she wanted to try something.
“This document uses special ink, so you have to use a special method to view the contents.”
Saying so, Mason chose one of the secret letters and showed it to the people. People who confirmed that it was a blank page were bewildered. After heating the white paper over a candle for a while, he showed it again, and people let out a groan.
The face of Duke Otien, who was always relaxed, was also cracked.
“Then, let’s read the contents of the secret letter.”
The contents were a request to create an opportunity to meet the Emperor, as she had cast an enchantment spell but could not complete it.
“Are you still going to argue that you didn’t cast a spell on the brooch?”
“That, that… It was not written by me.”
“You’re making excuses till the end.”
Hearing her words, Declan glared at Jennifer with eyes of contempt.
“Is it okay if I check?”
Caleb walked over and received a letter from Mason. His hand trembled slightly as he checked the contents and handwriting of the letter.
“Brother, I really don’t know.”
Jennifer shook her head and denied it.
“Are you still going to deny it?”
The cold question made Caleb drop her to his knees.
“…Please, save my sister.”
“Brother…!”
Jennifer yelled at Caleb’s act of admitting her guilt.
“Her heart for Your Majesty was so deep that she made the wrong choice for a moment… so have mercy on her.”
“This is no different than the Princess planning treason.”
People gasped at the word treason.
“Tre, treason…!”
“Is it not treason to use magic to make me a puppet and control the Empire?”
“The method may be wrong, but there’s no traitorous reason!”
“Why did she try to reveal where I was going when I went undercover?”
Caleb, who couldn’t find anything to refute because there was talk of undercover in the secret letter, shut his mouth tightly. Because the Emperor’s clandestine activities, especially the destination, were strictly confidential, there was nothing to refute.
“I was attacked several times in the dark. Can I really say that the Princess has nothing to do with it?”
Raising my head slightly, I saw Duke Otien in the audience.
His brow was slightly furrowed.
“Besides, you wouldn’t have anything to do with it as well.”
“…What do you mean?”
“Bring him in.”
The knights came in with another attendant. Seeing the attendant, Caleb’s face went into contemplation.
“Did you pay this servant to send a letter?”
“It was a letter to my country.”
“Yes, there is nothing wrong with sending a letter to the mother country.”
A momentary relief flashed across Caleb’s face, but Declan’s words continued, “However, the other letter was very problematic… do you remember this letter?”
Then, he waved a letter.
“You asked for help from her collaborator. That means that you know who her collaborator is, isn’t it?”
Declan sneered at Caleb, who turned white.
“Did the Prince also join this treason?”
“No. Absolutely not!”
Caleb, who suddenly came to his senses, knelt down and begged.
“Otherwise, how do you know who your collaborator is and send secret letters?”
“That, that’s…”
He could only bite his lips at the pressing question.
“The only chance to save your life is now.”
As if chasing prey, Declan pushed him closer and closer.
Meanwhile, Caleb, distressed at not knowing what to do, turned to Jennifer. The spark in his eyes met hers. Although he was on the verge of running out at any moment, he seemed unable to do so because of the knights.
“…Jenny, I’m sorry. He didn’t reply.”
At the last word, Jennifer shattered the banister of the prison seat.
‘…We’re abandoned.’
Judging from the situation so far, it was clear that Duke Otien had abandoned her.
‘What choice should I make now?’
Jennifer trembled with her head down.
“The Princess’s sin of trying to harm me has been clearly revealed. In addition, the circumstances of the treason between the Princess and the Prince have been revealed.”
“Wait, wait. Your Majesty…”
Caleb exclaimed urgently.
“Do you have anything else to say?”
“I did not conspire against treason. I just did my sister’s request to send a letter.”
He turned his head to look at Jennifer.
“Jenny, this is the only way we can live… I’m sorry.”
There was a mixture of guilt and sadness on his face.
“When my sister was taken away, she told me the name of the collaborator and how to send the letter.”
“You mean you didn’t know before that?”
“Yes. I just sent it with the feeling of wanting to grab a straw to save my sister.”
“Well, the Prince is never mentioned in the secret letter.”
While it was a trivial comment, Caleb raised his head as if that alone seemed hopeful, and he added.
“That’s the only thing I’ve sent. Trust me.”
“But, it seems to me that you considered him as a lifeline.”
“.…?”
“Isn’t that what you mean by thinking that they are someone who can defeat my will?”
His face turned even more pale when Declan raised a corner of his mouth as if saying, “Isn’t that so?” before hurriedly denying it.
“Oh, no. That, that’s not it.”
Caleb, who had been talking gibberish, fell on his face again until his forehead touched the floor.
“Please forgive me. I will tell you who the collaborator is.”
“Really?”
He nodded eagerly.
“Good. If you reveal everything, I’ll excuse you.”
“…The collaborator is Duke Otien. Apparently, Jenny said so.”
Everyone looked at Duke Otien in amazement. Even though he wasn’t terribly agitated, his displeasure was evident.
“Your Excellency, you may be surprised though since you have already been pointed out, you should respond to the questioning.”
Mason approached Duke Otien and asked politely.
“You’re trying to put me on trial with just the words of a criminal without any evidence.”
He protested without even getting up.
“This is an insult to me, the head of a family of contributors to the founding and a great noble.”
“But, what can be done? You have already been pointed out, so it can’t go on like this.”
“Bring proof, and I will be duly investigated.”
Duke Otien’s action showed how much he ignored Declan by not even flinching at the Emperor’s command.
Even so, Declan took it easy. I was the same.
“Don’t get me wrong. I have been considerate of you since if you leave the suspicions as they are, your prestige will not diminish.”
Despite his persuasion, the Duke did not move.
“I can’t help it. There’s no confirmation either.”
Declan stroked his chin as if he was lost in thought. At that moment, Jennifer, who had been keeping her head down all that time, lifted her face. Her black eyes were burning fiercely as if they would burn everything she touched.
“My collaborator is Duke Otien.”
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