Judgement and storming in, and then the usual

 
 
 ☆
 
 
 After Duke Oswell collapsed while screaming and was carried out of the assembly hall.
 
 The discussion’s conclusion… didn’t seem to have come about.
 
 Although that thing the Duke did was like a confession, in order to confirm his guilt, there was just one piece of evidence remaining.
 
 What on earth could that be?
 
 It was the [communications record] that Graham-nii-sama had mentioned earlier.
 
 Graham-nii submitted the evidence regarding the [communications log and code table] confiscated at the relay hut in the farming region.
 
 He also presented the telegrams with their codes deciphered.
 
 The contents were shocking.
 
 It seems that the attack by the dragons was planned and arranged for for at least half a year, and that the Duke had been looking for an opportunity to carry it out.
 
 ——— with His Majesty and His Highness the First Prince both in attendance, while the Royalist Faction would be absent, it was the perfect timing.
 
 On that day, the opportunity they had been waiting for had finally arrived.
 
 No wonder the enemy was so deft.
 
 In the timeline before time was rewound^[1], there has been no such opportunity, and so in the end, dragons were used to burn the First Prince along with the Second Knights Order while on the battlefield.
 
 I guess they gave up on having His Highness and His Majesty present together, and instead decided to serve him poison or something.
 
 Though there’s no way to confirm that now.
 
 Ultimately, this communications record was the decisive blow.
 
 Once it became clear that the Duke had leaked the schedule for the day of the incident, and that he had schemed to signal the dragons using the transmitter, the Royalist Faction’s nobles could no longer say anything.
 
 The Duke was convicted as guilty by majority vote.
 
 The couple of members of the Royalist Faction that tried to sneak away amidst the discussions were seized in one go.
 
 Father told me this later, but the trial also served to gather together all the Duke’s collaborators and [shoo them away].
 
 
 ☆
 
 
 ”——— for the aforementioned crimes, the Duke is sentenced to death.”
 
 Once the judge handed down the sentence, the assembly hall erupted with cheers and applause.
 
 But the judgement did not stop there.
 
 ”In the investigation of this case, there are still many unknowns regarding the flight route of the dragons and collaborators in various places. This court requests the prosecution to conduct further investigations.”
 
 That request, to some people in the assembly hall, was tantamount to a death sentence.^[2]
 
 The presiding judge slammed his gavel down.
 
 ”With that, this court is adjourned!”
 
 The crowd raised a cheer once more
 
 At that moment, the door behind the Congress seats^[3] opened with a bang!
 
 
 
 ”?!”
 
 
 Everyone got startled by that sound, and that feeling, and turned around.
 
 Of course, myself included.
 
 Without a moment’s pause, the knights rushed into the Congress seats.
 
 ”O-, Otou-sama!”
 
 I quickly grabbed my father’s arm, who was sitting next to me, and with a tap tap, he patted me on the shoulder.
 
 ”Lettie, it’s alright.”
 
 Looking at my father’s face, whose voice was frightfully calm, I saw him nod while smiling gently.
 
 ”Everyone, stay where you are!!”
 
 Before anyone noticed he had moved, His Highness the First Prince Gerald was standing at the centre of the assembly hall.
 
 His Highness then made an announcement to everyone with a sonorous voice.
 
 ”I apologise for conducting an arrest in the House of Senate, where free opinions should be respected. However, the incident this time was a major incident that shook out country. I hope you will understand that it was therefore necessary to take all possible measures to secure the custody of suspects. ——— all hands, secure the suspects!!”
 
 ””Understood!!””
 
 The knights move out once again.
 
 ”Secured!” “Suspect secured!” “Secured!!”
 
 One after another, the knights restrain the Royalist Congress members.
 
 Of the restrained nobles, some were in a stupor, while others were sobbing, as they got arrested.
 
 
 ☆
 
 
 A dozen or so members of Congress were arrested, and then taken away.
 
 ”Otou-sama, did you know about this?”
 
 When I asked him this, Otou-sama replied with “well,” and smiled silently.
 
 Based on that, I guessed that [this was one of various things happening].
 
 By the way, based on the extent of Hubert-nii-sama’s reaction, it was just as much a bolt from the blue for him as it was for me.
 
 A short while later, Graham-nii-sama came up to us.
 
 ”I’m going to move from here to do the procedures for moving our dear guests into their cells… our Highness is a slave-driver, it’s troubling.”
 
 Saying so, my older brother shrugged his shoulders.
 
 I held the hand of that brother of mine.
 
 ”Is something the matter? Lettie.”
 
 ”Thank you for taking the role of prosecutor.”
 
 When I said that, my brother had a wry smile.
 
 ”It’s my job, so it’s fine. Rather, it’s thanks to Lettie doing her best that we got here. You did good, Lettie.”
 
 Onii-sama stroked my head as he said so.
 
 ”Onii-sama, th-, that’s embarrassing. People are also watching.”
 
 When I hid my face with my hands, my brother laughed [Ha ha], then said,
 
 ”Well then, be careful on your way back”
 
 before going back to where the other knights were.
 
 ”Haah…”
 
 I let out an involuntary sigh due to the embarrassment.
 
 Seriously.
 Why do my own family embarrass me so?
 
 As I thought so, I suddenly realised.
 
 (Huh, family???)
 
 My negligence then led to the last of my luck running out.
 This time, two hands reached out from the other side.
 
 ”Letty. You’re the pride of our family.”
 
 ”You did great, Lettie.”
 
 While saying so, the two of them patted me on the head as if competing to be the first to do so.
 
 ”Wai-, Otou-sama! Hubert-nii-sama! Are you trying to kill me from embarrassment?!”
 
 They just looked on blankly in response to my protest.
 
 ”No, it’s just because, Lettie is so cute when she’s embarrassed.”
 
 ”Right?”
 
 My family exchanged such a conversation.
 
 ——— right.
 
 I was an idiot to ask.
 

TL Notes:

[1]I’m playing around with this term for now. It sounds better than saying “before the redo” or whatever ↩

[2]I assume they mean it’s a death sentence for the corrupt nobles, not the prosecution. Though if it were an impossible task, then it could also be the same… ↩

[3]last chapter, I mistranslated this as senators seats. ↩

 

Eid Mubarak to all those celebrating!