Fifteen minutes later...
The first to arrive in Francois’s office was Celia from the mansion. She was accompanied by Charlotte, who had sensed something had happened, and Gouki as her guard.
Shortly after her, Christina, Flora, Roanna, Elise, and Duke Huguenot arrived. Vanessa accompanied them as their guard.
The moment Duke Huguenot entered the room, his expression froze over.
There was so much information to process, his brain couldn’t handle it. Why was Stewart sitting across from Rio? Why was Duke Gregory sitting beside him? And why was Stewart wearing the knight uniform of the Galarc Kingdom?
“My deepest apologies, Sir Amakawa.”
Christina had also stiffened, but she must have realized the situation wasn’t good. Even though she didn’t have a clue what happened, she bowed her head at Rio and apologized in a fluster.
The heir of a kingdom—one who had declared their accession to the throne and was acting queen, no less—had lowered their head to the noble of another kingdom before even hearing an explanation. It was an impossible sight.
“I should apologize too,” Rio replied, standing up and returning her apology with a frown.
Stewart immediately stood up as well and yelled, “H-Hold on a minute! Why are you apologizing to him?!”
“Shut your mouth!” Duke Huguenot snapped.
Stewart flinched, but he still tried to explain himself. “F-Father, I...”
“I told you to shut your mouth. Why are you sitting there? What is that uniform? What mess have you gone and created?”
Duke Huguenot marched forward with the intent of grabbing Stewart in anger.
“Wait. Let me explain the situation first. You may speak afterward,” Francois said, stopping him.
Duke Huguenot barely managed to stop himself. He silently glared at Stewart with a look that could kill.
“Clement and Stewart, vacate your seats. Queen Christina and Princess Flora will take your places. Huguenot, you may sit as well. Charlotte, you take your seat beside Haruto. The others shall remain standing,” Francois ordered. Everyone moved to their assigned position. Rio was sandwiched between Liselotte and Charlotte, while Flora, Christina, and Duke Huguenot sat across from them.
“Now, Liselotte. Give a summary of the situation and issue at hand.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Liselotte nodded respectfully and began her logical summary of the events.
“...and so, that is why you have all been called here as witnesses. At present, there are two points of issue to be resolved: first, whether Sir Haruto is the same person as the Rio who once attended Beltrum’s Royal Academy, and second, whether Lady Suzune is the same werebeast slave that belonged to the Huguenot family.”
She concluded her explanation with a succinct list of the matters to be addressed. The reactions from the members of the Restoration were all varied.
Christina was staring at Rio apologetically with a look of complete resignation. Flora had every intention of defending Rio, so she had a rare look of sullenness on her face. Meanwhile, Roanna didn’t appear particularly surprised. She may have had a faint inkling that Haruto was Rio already. Either way, she appeared to have conflicted feelings about something, as there was a bitter look on her face.
In contrast, there was someone whose eyes were darting about the place in shock. It was Elise Brandt. Her former classmate—one who had been bullied for being an orphan—had achieved astounding success in a foreign kingdom and was now in a position far superior to hers, making her shock even greater. The color drained from her face.
However, there was someone who had been backed into a corner more than anyone else.
This idiot...!
Duke Huguenot. He had just decided to accept his sin and confess to Christina when this had happened. He had even planned on making an official apology to Rio, but now everything was ruined because of Stewart. For some reason, Latifa, whom he had sent out as an assassin, was here as well. This must be what it meant to be struck by a bolt from the blue.
Did this idiotic son of his have something against him? Duke Huguenot turned to glare daggers at Stewart behind him. Stewart let out a squeak of fear.
But this wasn’t the time to be distracted by that fool. Duke Huguenot opened his mouth to apologize to Rio, when...
“First, let’s hear the statements from both parties,” Francois said first.
“I-In that case, please allow me to give my statement first!”
Stewart hurriedly requested the chance to explain himself first. The father he feared had arrived, and the air in the room was different to what he had expected.
“W-Wait a moment! Instead of having this fool talk, allow me to explain things!” Duke Huguenot interrupted in a hurry. However...
“Why not? Let the fool speak,” Charlotte interrupted with a cheerful smile.
“Wha...” Stewart was flabbergasted by being so openly called a fool.
“If you miss this chance, you’ll never be able to speak again, no? I think it’s fine to give you the time to make one last struggle in vain—as a parting gift to the afterlife.”
Even though no verdict had been given yet, Charlotte’s words assumed Stewart’s defeat.
“What do you have to say, Stewart?” Francois said with a sigh, urging Stewart to give his statement.
“This person is the criminal who once shoved me into Princess Flora, sending her off a cliff! On top of that, he stole our family’s slave and keeps her with him now! These are all reasons for due punishment, are they not?!”
Unable to understand why he was the one being backed into a corner, Stewart pointed a finger at Rio and ranted in a fluster.
“If what you say is the truth, that is,” Francois said.
“It’s the truth!”
“Then let’s hear Haruto’s statement.”
Francois looked at Rio calmly.
“First, the fact I once attended Beltrum’s Royal Academy is the truth. Rio is my other name, and my little sister’s name is indeed Latifa. Out of fear of a situation such as this, we used fake names for ourselves.”
Even without testimony from his former schoolmates, Rio readily revealed his own background. Hearing him acknowledge it himself had Roanna and Elise swallowing their breaths.