episode_0193

Lucius, who was working at his seat.

-bang!

The guards open the door and shout as if they are about to break it down.

“Lucius From now on, you will be arrested for forging official documents!”

“What?!”

He then thrust the tip of his spear at Lucius and shouted as if he would stab him with the spear if he resisted even a little.

“Don’t move! You have the right to defend yourself and to hire a lawyer!”

Then the other person begins to tie his hands with rope.

“This… Let go of this! Oh… let me see His Highness the Grand Duke!”

-What… what are you talking about?!

-They say it’s a forgery of official documents?

-That can’t be possible… Mr. Lucius forged official documents?

Hearing a commotion around them, people start to gather one by one.

“Ugh!”

A guard gagging Lucius.

Like that, he dragged Lucius out of the imperial palace.

Lucius is dragged away in a prisoner convoy.

‘Uh… what should I do? Girl… did you get caught? Anyway, right? ‘I can’t believe you’re arresting me like this!’

Lucius cannot escape his confused thoughts.

Lucius was soon taken to the Ministry of Justice and locked in an iron cage.

He sighs as he manages to gain freedom by removing the rope and gag before he is trapped.

“What should I do…?”

He thought that even if he was caught, he would be reprimanded by the Archduke and that would be the end.

Of course, Lucius is famous for his thoroughness as an archduke.

The orders given by the Archduke are carried out even if it means staying up all night.

That’s why the Archduke liked Lucius so much that he even provided him with a carriage for commuting to work.

So everyone envied and feared Lucius.

His authority was so great that even the ministers of each department with outstanding abilities and experience had no choice but to respect Lucius.

The Grand Duke stands at the center of imperial politics.

Lucius, who assists the Archduke next to him.

The information he sees and hears is no different from the country’s top secret information.

As long as you know that information in advance, it is not easy to become extremely rich, and that is not all.

Since the Grand Duke cared so much for Lucius, some nobles introduced their own daughters to Lucius in order to establish a connection with the Grand Duke, and some nobles even sent a huge amount of money to the point of making people close to Lucius.

But Lucius categorically refused all of that.

Part of his heart is that he truly respects the Archduke.

“In the end… it happened like this.”

Lucius knows what kind of favor his father, Marius, received from Yom.

If Yom ends up on the streets, his father Marius will likely suffer for a long time.

Even though he forged official documents, Lucius thought that even if he got caught, the matter would end well if he explained his circumstances.

But the reality is completely different.

“Lucius?”

The Justice Department’s security forces call his name.

“We will conduct an investigation from now on.”

The security team said that and opened the iron cage.

“Follow me.”

To prevent Lucius from doing anything foolish, two guards grab his arms and drag him to the interrogation room.

The inside of the interrogation room is not very big.

A room of only about 5 pyeong.

In that room, a man with dark brown hair and a cold expression and a man with a familiar face to Lucius were waiting.

“Minister Savinelli?”

When Lucius calls Sabinelli, Sabinelli nods.

Long ago, when Ioannes was alive.

Savinelli frequently visited the archduchy.

Savinelli is not at ease because Lucius is the first person to welcome him when he visits.

“Secretary Lucius… What is this?”

Savinelli looks at Lucius with pity.

Lucius spoke to him with an embarrassed expression.

“That’s… Haha…”

“Minister… Can we really conduct an investigation?”

Savinelli nods at those words.

“Do the research first.”

So says the brown haired man.

“Please sit here first. Secretary Lucius.”

It’s strange to use the expression ‘nim’ for the defendant, but he was a man who was called the archduke’s hand and foot.

If he is reinstated, he, a prosecutor under the Ministry of Justice, could disappear without anyone noticing.

After hearing the prosecutor’s words, Lucius sits across from the prosecutor.

Normally, you would have to start by asking about their name and occupation and treat them condescendingly.

“Uh… What are the circumstances of the incident? Secretary?”

Right now, the prosecutor just wants to cry. I don’t know what will happen if I offend him during the investigation.

Until there was confirmation that he had been abandoned by the Archduke.

Prosecutors have no choice but to be cautious.

“Whoa… I want to talk to you two while you go out.”

Savinelli must have been displeased with the frozen prosecutor, but when he was ordered to go outside, the prosecutor looked alive…

“Yes!”

Leave the interrogation room.

“What is this?”

When the prosecutor left, Savinelli sat down in the prosecutor’s chair and asked in a low voice…

Lucius explains the incident with a puzzled expression.

“So… you forged official documents and smuggling?”

Savinelli’s expression hardens at Lucius’ words.

“Yes.”

Savinelli’s mind becomes confused at those words.

As Minister of Justice, he has the obligation to indict Lucius, but he has the right to defer prosecution as a privilege of the Minister of Justice.

Of course, if you want to postpone it, it’s only for subsistence crimes or misdemeanors.

But that doesn’t mean it’s difficult to let Lucius rot in prison.

The high-level information he has is about what the Archduke is thinking and what plans he is making.

Because it is valuable information to know.

‘We need to attract Lucius to us.’

Of course, it would be nice if he became a spy for the imperial faction, but the Archduke is not a fool and it is natural that he would probably demote Lucius even if the indictment is deferred.

Savinelli, who recently heard a complaint from the Pope regarding the demon worshiper, is very curious about what the Archduke is planning and what will happen if it goes wrong.

“Lucius. As you know, the minimum sentence for forging an official document is 15 years. Maybe even smuggling could result in the death penalty.”

Forgery of official documents is a serious crime that destroys the credibility and trust of society as a whole.

Since it is such a crime, it starts with a minimum of 15 years in prison, and since the crime committed by Lucius is not of a good nature, the sentence is at least 30 years, and if platinum smuggling is confirmed, he will be sentenced to 35 years in prison. Or, it is a problem that could lead to the death penalty.

Lucius’ eyes waver at Savinelli’s words.

“Is it really that bad?”

Savinelli nods with a heavy expression to Lucius, who looks at Savinelli in disbelief.

“Well… Isn’t there a way?”

Lucius, who has finally understood the situation, speaks urgently.

“If you go to trial, the judge will rule like that. No matter how hard you try to hide the evidence, your handwriting and the handwriting on the forged order have already been identified in the Intelligence Department materials.”

‘The smuggling part is still being tracked by the intelligence department.’

In fact, they are tracing the path of the authentication details issued with the forged order, and it is inevitable that they will be caught in the near future.

‘There is solid evidence from the Archduke and the Ministry of Intelligence, so they must have filed the complaint.’

Savinelli swallows his saliva and falls into conflict.

‘It is too serious a crime to be handled with deferred prosecution. If that’s the case, it would be more advantageous to issue a pardon through the emperor’s prerogative.’

The emperor’s prerogative, the right to pardon, is the absolute right to release any criminal.

However, if you make a mistake in releasing corrupt public officials who forged official documents and smuggled money, you may face backlash from the Grand Duke and the people of the Empire.

Currently, the overwhelming support of the imperial people is the power that allows the imperial faction to control the centrist faction.

Savinelli sighs because it is difficult to give advice easily.

“Be investigated first. I personally will tell you not to torture.”

Saying that, Savinelli leaves the interrogation room.

His thoughts are complex.

***

Joy and I are enjoying tea time.

“What are you doing these days that makes it hard to see your face?”

Joey hesitates at my words.

“Yo… these days? Ta… I don’t have anything special to do?”

I feel like teasing Joy a little as she rolls her eyes and looks like she’s saying, ‘I’m doing something.’

If you’re going to lie, don’t let it show… If you do this, you’ll want to keep asking me questions, right?

Maybe it’s because I’m pure, or maybe it’s my nature that I can’t lie.

I feel like I want to bother Joy, who is anxious, a little more.

“You’re not writing another strange novel, are you?”

“No?! Because you don’t write strange novels?”

I’ve written a BL novel before, and I’m saying this because I’m worried as Joey looks more anxious now.

“It’s Joy. You are the princess of this country. You shouldn’t write a novel like that. How sad would you be if you knew that the people of the empire looked up to you and wrote such bizarre articles?”

When I saw Joy avoiding eye contact with my words, my suspicions grew even more.

-smart!

I am puzzled by the knocking sound that comes during tea time.

No one is coming?

With that in mind, I look at the door and say:

“What’s going on?”

-Your Majesty, Minister Savinelli came to visit, saying he had urgent matters to discuss.

“Savinelli?”

“Sister, you said you were free today?”

“Yeah… That’s what it was originally?, tell them to come inside first.”

At my words, the door opens and Savinelli comes in and greets me.

“Meet His Majesty the Emperor.”

“Okay, what brought you here?”

Savinelli glances at Joey at my words.

“Joy is Jim’s younger brother and is in first place for the next throne. Please speak comfortably.”

Savinelli opens his mouth cautiously at my words.

“That… Your Majesty. Do you know the archduke’s secretary named Lucius?”

At those words, my eyes and Joy meet.

Why Lucius?

“I know. But what happened?”

“Lucius has been urgently arrested. The charges are forgery of official documents and smuggling.”

Joy says that, surprised.

“Are you Lucius oppa?”

The word oppa is meaningful, but that’s not what’s important right now.

“What is that? Did the Archduke give permission?”

Sabinella nods.

“The Grand Duchy reported it. It seems like he came forward himself.”

“Tell me the situation in detail.”