Saved By The Mad Duke
Chapter 204: The Trial, Part I

Chapter 204: The Trial, Part I

Melania slowly blinked her eyes open, roused by the distant clamor, and realized she had dozed off in Loraline’s room while waiting for her return. However, her lady-in-waiting was nowhere to be seen.

There was little time to ponder Loraline’s absence as the uproar from the palace hallway seized her attention. Footsteps, overlapping voices, and the murmur of arguments filled the air, punctuated by the gasps of the palace maids.

Rising from the bed, Melania prepared to investigate the source of commotion when the door swung open of its own accord. Before her stood the palace guards, their expressions grim and resolute.

"What’s happening?" Melania inquired, bewildered.

Before she could make sense of the situation, the guards seized her wrists, pulling her toward the exit. Prince Yanad, equally perplexed, hurried in to confront them.

"Hold on! Explain yourselves! What’s going on? Where are you taking the royal princess?" he demanded, blocking their path.

"The royal princess is now being treated as a defendant, Brother," Valon announced, his signature sly grin adorning his thin lips as he entered the room. Clutched in his bony hands was a white envelope, and Melania recognized it right away—it was the letter intended for her family in Lafad.

’He managed to get his hands on it... Then what happened to Loraline?’

Melania strained her eyes, searching for a familiar figure among the gathered crowd outside the bedroom. However, Valon diverted her attention by waving the letter in front of his face like a paper fan,

"Fear not, Your Highness. Your loyal lady-in-waiting has already been apprehended and will face trial separately," he declared.

"Valon!" Yanad’s patience wore thin. "What’s going on? What is the princess being accused of?"

Turning to leave, Valon motioned for the guards to follow him and said rather coldly,

"Why don’t you join me and find out? The princess is to be taken to trial immediately. The court is already in session."

***

Valon hadn’t fibbed; upon Melania and Yanad’s arrival at the courthouse, it seemed everything for the trial had been meticulously arranged beforehand.

The judge, accompanied by his assistants and the prosecution team, occupied their designated seats, engrossed in either scribbling notes or perusing confidential documents.

Melania breathed a sigh of relief at the sparse attendance for the trial. Only three representatives from the House of Nobles and a lone delegate from the wealthy commoners’ party were present.

As she was escorted into the judging hall, a hush fell over the room, all eyes fixated hungrily on her. Even though they were scarce in numbers, their sharp eyes hurt her like daggers.

’Vultures... Disgusting creatures...’

The princess still couldn’t fathom what she had done to warrant such extreme measures. Her letter to Lafad had been ambiguous; she hadn’t directly accused anyone of plotting war or mentioned any names. Her message had been cleverly encrypted, leaving only the royal family members suspecting her knowledge of the details of their plans.

Did they really find out that she was spying on them that night?

’What’s next? Accusing me of espionage? Absurd! If anything, they are to blame for scheming an attack despite my marriage to the Crown Prince being a symbol of peace!’

Escorted by the guards, Melania was guided to the defendant’s table and assisted in taking her seat. Yanad insisted on remaining by her side, and although it went against protocol, King Euris himself granted permission.

"Whatever unfolds, deny everything, understand?" Yanad leaned in close to his wife, his voice a whisper. "I was kept in the dark about all this, trust me. I genuinely have no clue what’s happening."

To Melania, his ignorance offered little solace. Still, despite being a part of that dreadful family, having him stand by her side, opposing those who accused her, provided some comfort.

With everyone necessary for the trial seemingly in place, the judge still hesitated to begin.

Yanad scanned the hall once more, his brow creasing in concern.

’No jury... An unannounced secret trial meant exclusively for the royal family. It is rare for a judge to forgo a jury... Could it be a sensitive matter? A moral transgression? What on earth could she have done that required a real trial? And why wasn’t I included in this decision?’

His emerald eyes drifted to the royal family seated above the judging side, his thoughts spiraling further.

’Neither the queen nor the king appear surprised or troubled... They are all on the same side. But convening the trial party so urgently... This might not end well.’

"Why the delay?" The judge finally turned to the prosecutor, his bushy gray eyebrows raised, his fingers tapping impatiently on the desk. "Where is the second defendant?"

"Second?" Melania muttered under her breath. "Who’s the second person?"

As if responding to an unheard cue, the door to the judging hall swung open, admitting two more royal guards followed by a young man, his tanned strong hands bound in shackles.

The princess’s eyes widened as the man took his seat opposite her.

’Hayim?!’

The artist met Melania’s gaze with a mixture of confusion and fear, his typically vibrant expression drained of color. The young man was nervous and scared, and the longer the princess watched him, the more she began to understand what was happening.

The judge cleared his throat with a series of rather irritating coughs, then picked up a sheet of paper and began to read aloud.

"With all members of the judging party present, I hereby declare this trial open. Melania Ruan, formerly of Lafad, stands accused of the crime of infidelity, thus sullying the honor of His Highness Crown Prince Yanad Ruan and violating the contractual marital agreement between the kingdoms of Lafad and Geraldion."

"Infidelity?!" Melania exclaimed, her gaze shifting to Yanad, who appeared just as bewildered. Rising to his feet, the Crown Prince spoke in a tone laced with anger.

"Your Honor, this is absurd! These accusations are baseless! I can vouch for my wife’s fidelity!"

Clearly irritated by the Crown Prince’s protest, the judge adjusted his reading glasses and added, "It seems we have evidence suggesting that Princess Melania is engaged in an affair with this young man, the Lafadian artist named Hayim."