“My hair color changed, and this is now my natural color. But previously, I had black hair. I’m sure those of you who were in the same class as me would know this. Latifa’s werebeast traits are being hidden by a magic artifact.”
“S-See? I was right!”
Stewart had also swallowed his breath, but the next moment, he was cheering with joy. However, seeing how easily Rio had admitted his background made him feel suspicious at the same time. He started to wonder if this really was a favorable turn of events for him.
“However, I have objections to everything else. First, I have no recollection of pushing Princess Flora off a cliff, and I believe I had an adequate reason to release Latifa from slavery,” Rio said, appealing his innocence.
“L-Liar! This man is lying!” Stewart immediately wailed.
“It’s true that the only means we have of proving this is human memory,” Francois said.
“That’s right! That’s why there’s no way of proving his innocence! I was the one who was shoved first, so I know. There were other male students who witnessed the whole thing and testified. That was why he was deemed guilty. You can’t overturn that ruling now!”
Just prove it if you can, Stewart said through his gloating smirk.
“No, Sir Amakawa is innocent,” Christina objected.
“Yes. Sir Haruto... No, Sir Rio never pushed me!” Flora chimed in immediately.
“H-Hah?! What are you...?” Stewart stared at the two princesses in astonishment. “Princess Christina, back then you said you didn’t see who it was that shoved me! Princess Flora, you also said you didn’t know who did it!” he said to the two of them in confusion.
“Indeed, I didn’t see who did it. But I’m saying I believe Sir Amakawa over you.”
“I also believe Sir Rio!”
Christina and Flora both supported Rio unanimously.
“Th-That’s ridiculous! That doesn’t even count as a witness testimony!”
Stewart expressed his anger at the purely emotional argument.
“No, there was a witness.”
However, Duke Huguenot interrupted him with a look of resignation.
“What do you mean?” Francois asked dubiously.
“I also had suspicions about Sir Amakawa’s background after yesterday. When I investigated the incident once more, I discovered there was someone who gave an account that differed from the truth they witnessed.”
“What...?”
“Elise, please describe what you witnessed back then with full honesty.”
Ignoring Stewart’s spluttering, Duke Huguenot requested Elise Brandt’s testimony.
Everyone in the room focused on Elise.
“Huh? Um...”
Elise was extremely flustered by being addressed so suddenly, but she didn’t have the nerve to refuse to give testimony under such conditions.
“I-It wasn’t Sir Amakawa who shoved Stewart aside,” she confessed.
“Then who did?” Francois asked.
“It was the male student who tried to pin the blame on Sir Amakawa alongside Stewart. We had just been attacked by monsters, so everyone was panicking. Stewart was injured in the commotion and sought help from the male student by grabbing at him... But when he was thrust aside for being in the way, he collided with Princess Flora. All Sir Amakawa did was save Princess Flora and fell off the cliff in her place...”
“Why did you stay silent about this?” Roanna, who was standing beside her, asked, aghast.
“I-I’m so sorry! I couldn’t defy Stewart back then, and the male student who was actually the culprit agreed with him, so I couldn’t speak up!” Elise bowed her head, face pale in terror.
“You’re lying! It’s a lie! That’s absurd!” Stewart yelled. His face was also as white as a sheet.
“In short, the one who should have been punished was the male student who actually did the pushing, and Stewart, who lied to shift the blame,” Francois concluded, slowly turning to Stewart.
“Vanessa, arrest the criminal,” Christina said, ordering Stewart’s capture.
“Understood.”
“Wha?!”
Vanessa pinned Stewart down from behind as she gave her reply. She then placed her entire weight on him, crushing him as he lay face-down. “Allow me to assist,” Gouki said, immediately approaching to help hold Stewart down. He had no mercy for the man that had wronged his master; he secured his arms behind his back and twisted his wrists.
“O-Ow! That hurts! Gah!” Stewart screamed in pain. “Y-You must be kidding me! Why am I being treated like this? Do you know who I am?! I’m the son of the Huguenot family!”
He ranted and raved, raising all hell. This prompted Duke Huguenot to get out of his seat and walk over to where Stewart was being held down on the floor.
“As of this moment, I declare your disownment,” he said.
Disownment—in other words, completely cutting off their relation as parent and child. It was a heavier punishment than disinheritance, which only took away the inheritance of court rank.
“D-Disownment?!” Stewart yelped, losing his composure in shock. “Y-You’re joking right? Don’t say that, father! Father?!”
“I wish you had never been born,” Duke Huguenot spat in disgust, glaring down at him.
“Wha...”
The blood drained from Stewart’s face. It would be the end of the line for him; he could not afford to be stricken like this.
“Wh-What kind of parent are you? How could you believe the words of that woman over your own son?!” he objected, appealing for sympathy.
“I-I am not telling any lies!” Elise screamed in a panic.
“You! You dare speak over me with your lower status?!” In his restrained position, Stewart glared at Elise for interjecting.
“Eek!” Elise instinctively backed away.
“Have you all forgotten?! That man stole a slave belonging to the Huguenot family and freed her! Do you even intend on addressing that?!” No longer caring for his appearance, Stewart evaded the question at hand by attempting to bring Rio down.
At that moment, Duke Huguenot raised his foot in a rage. He looked like he was about to stomp down on Stewart’s face—but changed his mind and slowly brought his foot back to the ground. Then, he turned to face Rio.
“Haruto—no, Sir Amakawa... Please accept my sincerest apologies!” Duke Huguenot got on his hands and knees before Rio, bowing with his forehead pressed against the floor.
“Wha...?”
Stewart was rendered speechless. He couldn’t believe he was seeing his father prostrate himself before someone, nor could he understand what reason he had to do so.