The King's Mistress

Chapter 141: Put It To The Test

Lord Wimbly hit the gavel on the sound block, "Sustained. Princess Agnes, please refrain from hearsay."

Each time Princess Agnes attempted to slander Sierra in her statements, she would counter it. Though she had never defended anyone in court before, Sierra had seen her fair share of court cases.

The military court in Cair was similar if not the same. During the years of war, she had lived through, she was no stranger to the military court. General Leon was often the judge.

After Princess Agnes finished giving her statements, the prosecutor called for the next witness. They also presented a few pieces of evidence that they claimed were taken from Sierra’s room that proved her involvement.

It did not take Sierra long to realize all of them were fabricated. When a series of letters that depicted supposed correspondence between Sierra and General Leon was brought to everyone’s attention, she knew those had been fabricated too. frёeωebɳovel.com

By the end of the prosecutor’s session, Sierra was painted as a criminal. All the evidence pointed toward her. They even brought forward the archer instructor whom Sierra had an altercation with to prove a point.

All the signs pointed her to be a very likely suspect.

"Why isn’t she doing anything else to defend herself?" Roxine leaned over and whispered to Alistair anxiously.

She could feel the sweat trickling down her forehead from all the tension. Things did not seem to bode well for Sierra as time went on. Alistair noticed it too. Sierra did not tell him what her plan was, but he was well prepared for any outcome.

He tightened his grip on the armrest of his seat as he shifted uncomfortably.

"I’m sure she’ll figure it out." He whispered back.

At the back of the hall, Ida’s palms were sweating as she listened intently to the court proceedings. Even those around her were beginning to worry for Sierra. Will the princess be able to successfully prove her innocence?

All of the assassins involved in the assassination attempts had been killed. Sierra was the only one who remained. There was no evidence collected from the assassins that pinpointed their involvement with Sierra.

There was still hope.

"Now, Princess Sierra, you may make your opening statements and call for your first witness."

"Thank you, Lord Wimbly," Sierra got up to her feet and began to make her opening statements.

She pointed out that there were many loopholes in the prosecutor’s evidence and she was going to prove them wrong one after the other.

"I will kick things off by summoning my first witness," she turned to Princess Agnes who had an undeniable grin on her face.

The moment their eyes met, the color drained from Agnes’ face.

"Princess Agnes, would you be so kind as to take the stand? I have a few questions to consult you before the court." Sierra declared.

The throne room erupted into whispers and conversation. Why would Sierra call Princess Agnes, of all people, as her first witness? She could have called anyone else and it would have made more sense.

For example, she could have called for Ida to take the stand. The maid would vouch for Sierra’s integrity which would present her as someone trustworthy. She could also call for Princess Myra and Princess Taita, who would be able to prove Sierra was kind-hearted.

Both would bode well for her.

Yet she chose to bring her enemy to the stand.

"Has she gone mental?" Roxine gulped in shock at Sierra’s choice.

Alistair, on the other hand, realized what Sierra was trying to do. He realized just how much thought and effort she had put into this.

"Calling Princess Agnes to the stand works to her advantage. Just wait and see," Alistair mused.

Sierra addressed the court, "I have decided to call Princess Agnes to the stand as my first witness for a simple reason. I believe she’s lying."

"Objection, your honor. Hearsay."

"Sustained. Princess Sierra, where’s your proof?"

"I call for a magical item that would help us in proving that I’m right. I call for the Book of Truth to be brought and used for this purpose."

The judge looked to King Alistair for approval on the matter, to which he gave it willingly. Conversation erupted amongst all the spectators on what the book could do. Sierra gave a quick run down of its function to those in the audience.

"Objection, your honor! How would we be able to tell if this item truly works as intended?" The prosecutor questioned.

"Princess Sierra?" The judge turned to her to provide the answer.

"Simple, let’s put it to a test." freewebnoveℓ.com

Without any hesitation, Sierra placed her hand on the book.

"My name is Sierra. I am a woman," Sierra declared before everyone, unaffected as she had spoken the truth.

"Should any false information be spoken while the person’s hand remains on the book, they will be faced with excruciating pain. Until the truth is spoken."

Sierra even allowed the prosecutor to inspect the book as they pleased. Hardly anyone had ever seen anything like this before. The look on Agnes’ face said it all too. Though she had attempted to keep a straight face, the undeniable look of horror in her eyes was there.

Once the inspection was complete, Sierra picked up the book and placed it on the witness stand.

"Princess Agnes, could you please place your hand on the Book of Truth?"

"How do I know if this isn’t just some ploy of yours to harm me?"

Sierra bit her tongue. She was desperate to reply with if she had wanted to, she would have already done so. But she was well aware of how negatively that would paint her to be.

Hence instead, she looked extremely stunned, "Why would you ever say something like that about me, Princess Agnes?"

Sierra placed her hand on the Book of Truth as she continued to speak, "I have never done anything to cause you any intentional harm."

The spectators gasped when she remained unaffected by the supposed effects of the book.

"Are we even certain this book works?" Agnes scoffed as she crossed her arms.

Sierra gently patted the cover of the book as she gave her a smile, "Place your hand here, answer my questions, and you’ll see for yourself."

Not wanting to lose to her, Agnes relented and did as she asked.

Sierra turned her back to Agnes, walking back to the center of the floor before turning back around to start her list of questions.

"Princess Agnes, are you jealous of me?"

"Objection your honor," the prosecutor attempted to stop the question right out of the flood gates.

"A simple yes or no will suffice, Princess Agnes," Sierra reminded.

"Overruled on the objection, please reply to the question, Princess Agnes," the judge ordered.