That girl tried to murder the crown prince in her young age. We have to get rid of her before she manifest her powers.
The Imperial blood was nothing but a myth to the recent people of Cordenia. But when Anthonette was born, people started to think if this was more than a myth and because of Anthonette's mother, it struck fear at the Imperial Pillar's heart.
Soren in particular felt bad for the little lady. All she wanted was to survive but she was left to fight for her life with no one to lend a shoulder. To him Duke Ezra took this as an opportunity for his own selfish gain. Soren again, could not help but feel bad for Anthonette.
She will surely die just by staying by his side.
He couldn't do anything about it, he was a mere judge passing a verdict. A hypocritical one at that since Anthonette did nothing wrong, she is only a product of fear to the Imperial Pillars.
"Your Honour the Imperial Pillars are here to see you." Again ? At this point Soren couldn't wait for this case to be over. When he saw Ezra a few days ago he had to be concerned and intrigued.
Normally Ezra would have had people running this errands for him as well as going back and forth to the court room.
It stirred bewilderment within Soren and that why he questioned the Duke. As expected he did not acknowledge it.
Soren gets up picking up the case he was skimming through and head to the board room.
This was where they held meetings concerning the trials, it was big but not as huge as the court room.
An apprentice stuck by Soren, she was there to document anything that might be used against Anthonette, so far she was already exhausted because they often had nothing to do but yell at Soren to show his loyalty to the throne.
"The Imperial Judge has arrived. The meeting has started. I am Penelope Seripth. I will be documenting everything that happens at the meeting. Keep in mind the last meeting concluded about Duke Ezra involved with the case, he has brought enough evidence insisting that Lady Anthonette is innocent." Penelope turns to the next page.
"All the evidence presented points back to the Imperial Pillars involvement with the death of Sage Hivera." Penelope noticed Soren raise his hand so she paused.
Soren adjusted in his seat planting his elbow on the desk, his fingers laced together, forming a nest to rest his chin. "So what is the Imperial Pillars going to do now ?" Everyone in the room could feel the tension. The previous meeting they were all at Soren's neck but just now Penelope relayed to them the current situation at hand.
If they just banished her like he suggested, it would not have interested the duke. "You all are quiet ? I'm sure someone said this would happen but you all paid deaf ears. The girl's charges would soon be dropped."
"How am I supposed to do as you say without losing my life. You didn't expect I'll do as you wish since the duke is involved, did you ?" Everyone still remained quiet. This gladdened Soren's heart, he kept his cool during their entire meeting for a moment like this, a moment to look down at them.
"Forgive us for our rash behavior. We only wanted what was best for Cordenia. We didn't know it would go this far.." But I told you this would happen.
Soren wish he could punch the man that just spoke but that would be unprofessional.
"It seems the Duke has taken a liking to Hivera's daughter. We were sure having him as a candidate for marriage that he wouldn't be interested in her affairs."
"To be honest I'm not surprised, the duke despises the Imperial family. He might want her to reclaim the throne as revenge since the lady is of imperial blood." Soren watch as Penelope writes down what each of them said.
His gaze left her and back to them.
"We can't be sure that's his goal. With the crown prince in hiding the duke would have taken the throne and hand it to her long ago. Unfortunately we don't know his goal except his obsession to murder the crown prince and the Empress.." Soren agreed to this fact. Everyone knew how much Ezra hated the Imperial family but nobody actually knew what is his actual goal, the duke was quite unpredictable.
"Well his goal isn't our problem for now. If he has taken a liking to her soon or as a matter of fact bear an interest towards the lady, we can't just kill her. We will be starting a war.." A war ? Would Duke Ezra would really turn the country upside down for a woman he has no feeling for ?
"That's why we need to destabilize her before it is no longer possible. If possible we should strike her dependant, death will take course later.."
"Duke Ezra has gotten this far and he knows we are responsible for Sage's death. For now he's playing dumb we should not mistake his compassion. Why don't we try negotiation ?" It seems one of the members of the Pillars have common sense after all.
But of course. "Negotiate with an imperial blood ?" Others refuse to use their common sense at all.
"We will never negotiate with the enemy, not after what her ancestor did. This is why Lady Charlotte was killed." Everyone went mute on the woman's name.
Soren remembered that tale, the story they often told at law school. Her tale was always used as a practice trial. Back then Charlotte legally tried take back the kingdom.
The Imperial family grew afraid of the support she got and tried to silence her but she put them in their place.
Eight hundred Imperial warriors turn to ashes, no corpse returned home. Their memorial was a living proof to as what Lady Charlotte did.
But then she had her first child, she was vulnerable the most at the time and she was hacked to death by assassins. Her daughter possessed none of the Imperial traits so they let her live.
"We can't let history repeat itself for the good of Cordenia." But sadly Those who do not learn history are doomed to repeat it.
Soren was now bored out his mind. The pillars resolve was the same and he got tired of meeting them if nothing was going to change. He was as damn as Penelope who has to read outloud the same thing over and over again.
Soren even considered sending another apprentice with her, anything that would stop him from attending them.
He suspected it was coming to an end the minute they began murmmuring. They really were hopeless.
"Princess Charlotte manifested her powers at birth even though she turned out to be an enemy to the Imperial family, we can't deny she was the most powerful of all the imperial blood."
"So what has that got to do with anything ?" One of the Pillars grumbled.
"Lady Anthonette hasn't shown signs of her powers, has she ? We still have time." Soren pitch in, the conversation
"That's why she's dangerous, if any chance she does manifest her powers she will be the end of Cordenia. Late manifestors often can't control their powers."
"We had 21 years to rid of her, we no longer have time. The lady is fit to manifest in her prime. We have to put her to death, before she obliterate us all."