Chapter 572 The Verdict
The child's father positioned himself between Nora and the child, watching her with a guarded and serious expression.
Nora offered some explanations, but those present were unsatisfied.
The atmosphere within the villa increasingly hinted at familial discord.
After Portia reported the events of the previous night to Howard, Howard pursed his lips, asking, "How did Nora deal with those people?"
Portia replied, "Apart from her nephew, even members of the Habsburg family were killed.
None of the servants or maids involved in the incident survived."
Howard frowned, commenting, "She remains as bloodthirsty as ever, whether strategizing for me in the past or acting now, she always displays such a cold and merciless demeanor."
Portia inquired, "Your Majesty, the forces we infiltrated with our gold have been eliminated. What shall we do next? My men are still stationed outside the villa, and they have already blocked dozens of attempts by people wanting to leave."
"Nora has gone too far; she killed a member of the Habsburg family." Portia speculated on Howard's intentions, "Does that mean Nora will soon be overthrown by her own family?"
Howard nodded in affirmation.
"How is Neplon's condition? Has he woken up today?" Portia's expression turned peculiar.
"He's doing well, and my vassal Metinnis has been by his side, watching over him."
After a moment of thoughtful consideration, Howard decided to visit Neplon personally.
Neplon is currently lying in the palace built by the Habsburg royal family years ago.
Indeed, the palace is grand and exquisitely beautiful, sprawling over a vast area, so allocating a room for Neplon was no issue at all.
Upon seeing Neplon, Howard found him still in a comatose state.
Metinnis, evidently having not slept all night, was by Neplon's side.
Startled by the arrival of Howard and Portia, he quickly scrambled to his feet, panic-stricken, and paid his respects.
Traditionally, Metinnis would have been expected to bow only to his direct lord and offer merely a courteous phrase to Howard.
However, times have changed, with the monarchy in the Fran Kingdom growing increasingly authoritative, even to the point of Lois proclaiming "I am the state."
Thus, Metinnis now found himself bowing to Howard.
Portia cast a glance at Metinnis, feeling a twinge of discomfort.
He considered Metinnis his protégé, having plucked him from Bosiden's diplomatic corps.
Despite Metinnis's eloquence and diplomatic prowess, he was underutilized and not favored by Bosiden.
After spending three years in a subordinate role within Bosiden's team, without any prospect of promotion, it was Portia who, during an investigation into Bosiden, identified Metinnis as a valuable asset.
He then negotiated Metinnis's transfer, appointing him as his own vassal.
Now, Portia felt a sense of investment gone sour as Metinnis chose to honor the king before him, a sign of misplaced priorities in Portia's eyes.
However, it was clear Metinnis hadn't thought so deeply about his actions; he was simply overwhelmed and under significant stress.
Howard, oblivious to the tension between Portia and Metinnis, was solely focused on Neplon's condition.
He inquired of the doctor, "How is his injury?"
The doctor assured him there was no serious harm; the knife had been removed, the bleeding stopped, and with some rest, Neplon would recover well.
Ness rushed to the infirmary, briefly speaking with Howard upon arrival.
Her demeanor towards Howard had improved significantly from before, shedding some of the previous distance and aloofness for a subtle sense of reliance.
Howard, puzzled by this change but always generous in his treatment of vassals, listened as Ness apologized for encouraging the apple-on-head duel that resulted in Neplon's injury.
"Don't apologize to me; apologize to Neplon. He's the one who got hurt," Howard replied.
Ness pouted in response.
Seeing this, Howard advised, "Don't be so impulsive next time," to which Ness nodded vigorously.
After leaving the room, Howard instructed the palace's medical team and maids to take good care of Neplon.
By noon, a dramatic turn of events had unfolded at the Habsburg villa: Nora was expelled.
Upon her exit, Portia and others, who had been waiting outside, escorted her to Howard.
Howard, in a fit of anger, shattered a cup and scolded Nora for daring to harm his vassal.
Nora, with her cunning eloquence, refused to admit any wrongdoing, claiming there was no evidence to prove she plotted against Alonso.
Howard then brought up the matter of Boshni and the Habsburg military officer, urging Nora to stop her evasions.
Nora, with a flick of her head and a swirl of her white pleated skirt, retorted, "Where is this Boshni? Bring her out to face me!"
"And this military officer from my Habsburg family you speak of, call him too!"
Howard's expression darkened as he glanced towards Portia.
With a blink, Portia confirmed the grim reality: both Boshni and the officer had been executed, leaving no living witnesses to testify.
Howard found himself in a quandary, reluctant to act the tyrant, so he summoned Bosiden and Vettel to discuss the matter.
Bosiden, having left yesterday's banquet early to indulge in excessive drinking, was still intoxicated and thus, a disappointment to Howard.
Vettel arrived but showed little interest in dealing with Nora's case, his comments veiled attempts to shield Nora.
As the situation seemed to drag on towards a deadlock, Howard called over servants and maids from Alonso's castle to attest to Boshni and Nora's crimes.
One man recounted, "I was moving furniture that day, heavy stuff, so I took a break. That's when I overheard the Duchess and a man whispering. I listened closer and discovered they were plotting to kill the Duke with a slow-acting poison."
A woman shared, "I was hanging laundry on the balcony and watering plants. I accidentally splashed water on the Duchess. Normally, she would scold me, but that day, she didn't."
"Later, I found the poison the Duchess was giving to the Duke. I figured she was acting out of guilt, not daring to cause a scene, which is why she didn't scold me."
Howard also summoned the designer who had overseen the renovation of Alonso's castle three months prior, asking him, "It was you who designed the renovations for Alonso's castle, right?"
The designer affirmed.
Howard continued, "Then why did you design a huge hole in the second floor of Alonso's castle, connecting it to the first floor?"
The designer replied, "That was not my design at all. It was a Habsburg officer named Krei who forced me to do it. I refused that day, believing such a design would tarnish my career as an architect. But Krei drew his waist knife, pressed it against me, and coerced me into complying."
Howard summoned Maximilian and inquired about Krei's identity.
Facing reality, Maximilian revealed who Krei was: a close confidant of Nora's, her first cousin once removed, and a member of the Habsburg family.
Pointing at Nora, Howard said, "With that, it seems we have a complete testimony. Do you have anything to say?"
Nora, defiant, responded, "Complete testimony? It's all been one-sided from the start. Boshni and Krei are dead, without any chance to defend themselves. It's just you slinging mud."
"Howard, if you want to kill me, then do it. You're the king, with vast power and a realm that spans the entire empire. The capital is under your control. You're powerful enough to want to kill me, your former strategist and secretary."
Howard, inexperienced in matters of adjudication and now regretting the hasty executions of Boshni and Krei, realized the impossibility of bringing them to testify against Nora.
Rubbing his head, he felt unable to reach a verdict, pondering the complexities and challenges of justice and retribution within the confines of power and loyalty.
Catherine approached Howard, whispering in his ear, "You indeed cannot judge her here, but the Habsburg family can. Nora has committed murder within the family, including the killing of a Habsburg member, an act universally acknowledged by their family."
"You could return her to the Habsburg family, allowing the newly appointed head of the Habsburg family to deal with Nora."
Howard found this suggestion appealing and sent Nora back to the Habsburg villa, where the new family head, Ferdinand, exiled her.
Nora was stripped of her noble title and Habsburg membership, becoming an ordinary person without any claim to her former status.
...
Bosiden and Vettel were frightened by these developments.
Bosiden turned to Vettel, asking, "How long have we known each other?"
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