BRRC CH 27

Chapter 27 – The Empress Dowager’s Fury

Camilla sat stiffly in the defendant’s chair, her face pale and frozen.

Across from her, on the plaintiff’s side, sat Sharon Abner and Wendel.

The rest of us—including me—were seated right behind them.

Soon, the heavy doors of the courtroom opened.

I quietly watched as people in judicial robes filed in, filling the front seats.

Some of them were surprisingly short—almost child-sized.

“See those three wearing the fanciest robes?” whispered Joe, one of Sharon Abner’s attendants, grinning with excitement. “Those are the chief judges.”

I gave him a polite, awkward smile.

“The rest will sit in the observation seats. They’re Imperial officials, but they don’t have any authority here—they’re just spectators.”

When I first met Joe back at the mine, I hadn’t realized something very important—

He talked a lot.

“And look there, behind the judges’ bench—you see the statue holding a chalice? That’s the first emperor! You already know the Holy Grail symbolizes the Tarantha Empire, but let me tell you why he’s holding it—”

…He was unstoppable.

My ears were starting to ache, but I nodded along anyway.

It was obvious he loved children.

Ever since our first meeting, he’d followed me around, calling me cute.
always eager to teach me something new,
and constantly saying how nice it felt to have a child around the Abner estate again.

Miel and Soya told me I didn’t have to listen to his endless chatter.
But I chose to let him talk anyway.

‘You can never have too many allies,’ I thought.

You never know when they might come in handy.

‘I’ll give it a few more days before officially writing Joe’s name in my notebook,’ I decided.

That was when—

“Everyone, please be seated.”

The presiding judge, sitting in the middle, spoke in a solemn tone.

The room quieted immediately.

“We will now begin the trial regarding the falsification of the Lides Mana Mine contamination report…”

And so, the trial officially began.

What followed was… painfully boring.

The senior judge read through the Abner family’s accusation line by line,
then accepted each piece of evidence one by one.

Wendel submitted the magical recording crystal as key evidence—
the one that clearly contained Camilla’s voice.

It captured her attempt to bribe the new mine manager—
proof so solid it was practically unshakable.

There were also witnesses to support it.
and the gold coins that had once belonged to Baron Roman.

‘Then why do I feel uneasy?’

I frowned, narrowing my eyes.

Something about the judges’ expressions felt… wrong.

Especially the head judge—the one leading the trial.

“Marchioness Camilla Coel,” the presiding judge said,
“Do you admit to the charges brought forth by House Abner?”

“…No. I deny them.”

“And which parts do you deny?”

“Our Coel family had a business partnership with the Abners.
Those payments were not bribes—they were goodwill incentives.
After all, increasing mining output benefits both our families.”

“Please, go on.”

“And as for the contamination report—there was no manipulation.
There are documented cases of contaminated land suddenly purifying itself for no apparent reason. It’s right here in this record.”

“So, what you’re saying is the mine was indeed contaminated before.
but then the pollution suddenly vanished.
and the Coel family was simply caught off guard?”

“Exactly!”

The exchange between the judge and Camilla sounded completely off.

‘He’s basically helping her come up with excuses.’

Sharon Abner must have noticed it too; her face darkened.

I glared at the presiding judge.

‘…He’s been bribed. Big time.’

Nothing else made sense.

They had clear proof—a magical recording of Camilla trying to bribe the new manager.
Yet this was how the trial was going?

‘Or maybe she’s using her connection with the Empress…’

I was still running through the possibilities when—

“To summarize,” the head judge announced smoothly,
“The Coel family denies all accusations.
Furthermore, the claim that they’ve been embezzling mine profits lacks evidence.”

A wave of murmurs rippled through the observers.

The judge met Camilla’s eyes—and continued.

“Her argument is quite reasonable. The Abner family’s evidence is vague and insufficient.”

Sharon’s fist clenched tightly on the table.

But I took a deep breath and forced myself to think clearly.

‘There’s no winning this. Even solid evidence doesn’t work here.
So Imperial trials really are all about bribery.’

There was only one path forward now.

Call for a delay—
then find a way to win the judges over before the next trial.

‘We can’t win with just witnesses or proof. We need a bigger card to play.’

But what could possibly match the Coels’ bribes?

We couldn’t outspend them.
We had no allies in the Imperial court.

Then, suddenly, a thought struck me.

‘Wait… how’s the Crown Prince doing lately?’

If he’d listened to my advice, things should’ve improved for him by now.

‘Maybe that’s our only shot…’

I was lost in thought when—

“What a disgrace this has become.”

A commanding voice echoed through the courtroom.

The presiding judge—who had been fawning over Camilla moments ago—fell silent.

Everyone turned toward the voice.

In the observation seats, a figure in a deep robe slowly stood up.

Then, in one smooth motion, they pulled back their hood.

Gasps filled the air.

I froze, eyes wide.

‘W-wait—why is she here?!’

The person glaring coldly at the judges was none other than—
the very person I’d just been thinking of.

The Empress Dowager of the Taranta Empire.

***

“Evidence that the contamination report was falsified!
Proof that embezzled funds went straight to the mine workers!
Even a recording of Marchioness Camilla trying to bribe a new inspector—
and you dare call that ‘insufficient’?!”

The Empress Dowager marched right up to the front.

The judges stared, frozen with shock.

“When did the Imperial Court become this filthy?!
I step away for a few years.
And you’ve turned my empire’s justice into a cesspool!”

I gawked at her, stunned.

In both my past and present lives, this was the first time I’d ever seen the Empress Dowager in person.

‘I’ve only ever seen her in portraits…’

In my previous life, she had secluded herself completely—
never showing her face to anyone.

‘So why is she here now?’

Then I realized it.

There was only one explanation.

‘The Crown Prince must’ve listened to me!’

Months ago—
the day I first met Prince Tian—
I’d whispered something in his ear.

***

“If that old man bullies you again…”

“…”

“Tell your grandmother—the Empress Dowager!”

In my previous life, when Tian was stripped of his title,
The Empress Dowager had been the only one who stood by him.

Even after losing her beloved husband,
even while being isolated by Empress Karin’s faction,
she’d protected her grandson until the very end—
ready to give up everything for him.

“She’ll definitely be furious if she finds out,” I’d told him.

“Her Majesty, angry—for me?”

“Of course! She’s your grandmother!”

I’d seen the way his eyes had trembled then.

Tian had always believed he was alone.

Surrounded by the Empress’s cruelty and the servants loyal to her,
He must have felt powerless.

And that kind of helplessness—
Children learn it far too easily.

“Promise me you’ll go to her.
Tell the Empress Dowager everything—that Empress Karin is hurting you.”

“…”

“Promise, okay?”

And now, unbelievably…
He’d actually done it.

He’d gone to her—and she’d come here herself.

I stared in awe when suddenly—

“You useless, greedy worms feeding off the Empire’s wealth!”

The Empress Dowager snatched up a stack of papers from the judges’ desk.

Then she rolled them up and—

“Y-Your Majesty!”

“P-please forgive us!”

—started whacking the judges over the head.

Whap! Whap! Whap!

Everyone in the courtroom froze, too stunned to move.

“When I was the Chief Justice of this Empire,
The courts weren’t like this!
Do you have any idea how hard I worked to build this institution—
and you’ve turned it into garbage?!”

…Wait.

The Empress Dowager was a former chief justice?!