"This Kent Debus must be the third child of the Debus Family," Clyde said softly with a chuckle to Lin Lei beside him. Lin Lei nodded in agreement. Lin Lei and Clyde were simply watching events unfold, but the members of the Debus Family were gripped with terror.
In the public gallery, quite a few of the Debus Family members were trembling with nervousness.
Clank!
The sound of chains rattling, and under the escort of two soldiers, a pale-faced, gaunt, blond middle-aged man was led into the courtroom. Every pair of eyes in the courtroom fixed on him, including those of Bernard, Kalan, and Nimitz.
When he saw the blond middle-aged man appear, Bernard let out a low sigh and closed his eyes.
"It really is the Debus Family's third child, Kent!" A murmur of discussion rose from the public gallery. As the third child of the Debus Family, most of the nobles of Fenn City knew Kent Debus. At this point, the Debus Family could no longer deny anything.
Merite, seated in the chief judge's chair, looked toward Clyde, who gave a slight nod.
"Bernard," Merite turned to Bernard. "Do you have anything else to say at this point?"
But Bernard was not looking at Merite. Instead, he turned to look at his third brother, Kent, his gaze burning as he stared at Kent. Kent equally fixed his gaze upon his elder brother Bernard. The two brothers stared at each other in silence.
"Third Brother, why did you do this?" Bernard's eyes held disbelief, and his whole body trembled with grief and fury.
"I'm sorry," Kent said softly.
Bernard gave a bitter smile and shook his head, speaking solemnly: "You're not apologizing to me. You should be apologizing to the entire Debus Family. Over many years and generations, our ancestors labored to build what we have today. And yet you… you…" Bernard was too overcome with pain to continue.
Thud!
Kent knelt heavily in the center of the courtroom, two streams of tears rolling down his face.
"Big Brother, I deserve to die!!!"
His chain-bound hand struck his own face hard as he sobbed bitterly: "Big Brother, I'm sorry. It was all my fault. I was consumed by greed. I was dissatisfied with the meager power and wealth I held in the family, so I embezzled family funds for smuggling. It's my fault, Big Brother. It's all my fault!"
This scene left the people in the public gallery stunned.
Lin Lei and Clyde both raised their eyebrows, and even Merite in the judge's seat furrowed her brow.
"It's come to this," Bernard said, looking upward, fighting back his tears, his entire bearing desolate. "Third Brother, there's no point now in discussing whose fault it is. What you've done has plunged our entire family into an unprecedented crisis. I, Bernard Debus, as the current head of the family—even in death, I could not face our ancestors."
As he spoke, tears continued to slide down his cheeks.
Bernard suddenly turned to Clyde and dropped directly to his knees before him, weeping in anguish: "Your Majesty, the Debus Family has produced such a traitor to the Kingdom. It is our family's misfortune. I, Bernard, as head of the family, cannot escape blame. I am willing to die, if only Your Majesty would spare the rest of the Debus Family. After all, the vast majority of our family members are innocent!"
Clyde looked at Bernard.
He then turned to Merite and gave her a slight nod.
Merite understood Clyde's meaning and immediately announced in a clear voice: "The court is now adjourned. Final sentencing will be delivered in fifteen minutes!"
All the noble spectators had to leave the courtroom one by one and could re-enter only after the fifteen minutes had passed. The situation was now perfectly clear. How the Debus Family's crime of smuggling would be sentenced was entirely up to Clyde's decision.
For a crime of this magnitude in smuggling, the guilt of one person could implicate the entire family. Even wiping out the Debus Family entirely would be justified.
Of course, Clyde could also choose to show mercy, and only punish the Debus Family to some degree—at least allowing them to survive.
The outcome, everything, rested in Clyde's hands.
Outside the courtroom, Duke Bernard was talking with Lin Lei.
"Lin Lei, did you see that? The direct-line heirs of the Debus Family really are quite something. That Kent—he was actually caught some time ago. He didn't kill himself, and instead waited until he was brought to the courtroom to put on this little performance," Duke Bernard said with a smile.
Lin Lei nodded in agreement.
"If Kent had killed himself, the Debus Family's situation would be even more passive," Lin Lei said with a smile.
If Kent had committed suicide, his body alone would have been proof that the Debus Family was involved in smuggling, and the family would have had no way to argue. But now Kent had confessed to acting alone. This at least gave the Debus Family a sliver of hope.
Whether that hope would become survival, however, ultimately depended on His Majesty Clyde.
"Kill them, kill them all!" Bei Bei, perched on Lin Lei's shoulder, bared his fangs and sent Lin Lei a soul transmission: "This Debus Family—they're too good at putting on an act. Even I can't stand watching it."
Lin Lei couldn't help but laugh.
Creak~~~
The doors of the courtroom swung open. The fifteen minutes were up, and the nobles outside filed in, once again taking their seats in the public gallery. During the recess, only His Majesty Clyde, Merite, and a handful of others had remained inside the courtroom.
"Lin Lei, can you guess what the verdict will be?" Clyde asked Lin Lei with a smile.
"I couldn't possibly guess," Lin Lei answered directly.
Clyde smiled mysteriously.
"Rise!"