Chapter 124: Chapter 124 Don’t come to the coronation at noon (5)
The buying and selling of status was done only among commoners. Those involved in such transactions were mostly fugitives who committed crimes or those with ill luck. When they were caught, they were given heavy punishment, but linking them to their innocent families gradually disappeared.
here was a universal consensus that collateral punishment was too severe and unjust.
Punishing the families of those involved in the purchase and sale of status was not a written law, but it had been established for a long time as the common law declared by Emperor Nicholas.
This was only known in detail by those who long studied the history and statutes of the empire or those who were working in the field. Because of this, Wendy did not know that there was room for punishment based on the guilt-by-association system.
The application of the system had lots of loopholes. In addition, in contrast to the usual case, Wendy abandoned her status and bought the commoner’s status, so it was difficult to apply the system to Wendy’s case.
In other words, the relevant clause was open to varying interpretation.
But if Lard had to interpret, he would be able to make the case against the problem of the guilt-by-association system without any ambiguity. He could persuade them with his status, but he would not make such a bad situation because it was only a means to protect Wendy.
Nevertheless, what Wendy was concerned about was the possibility that the Hazlet family could beat him at his own game. What’s more, they could take issue with the negotiated punishment terms for Francis to threaten Lard. Wendy was so nervous when she made such an assumption.
She was even worried that Lard might be implicated in her crime because of the guilt-by-association system.
“…I, Isaac von Benyahan, will follow and devote myself to Benyahan, engraved in my name, according to Nicholas Benyahan’s will. I am Benyamin, and Benyahan shall be me. ”
When he recited the last line of the oath, the pages wrapped up the scroll and knelt before him. Beginning with that, all the nobles in the hall knelt simultaneously in a rare show of their unity and loyalty to the new emperor.
Shortly afterwards, the Chief Justice stood in front of the crown prince, holding the crown. The prince bowed before him. As soon as he put the magnificent crown on the prince’s head, the orchestra began to play majestic tunes.
It was the historic moment when the new emperor Isaac von Benyahan was crowned. The hall was filled with overwhelming emotions.
“Everyone, get up, please!”
Emperor Isaac, who looked around the participants, allowed all the nobles to stand up. There were shouts of congratulations everywhere.
“Thank you.”
Although the new emperor appreciated their congratulations briefly, he was deeply touched.
Princess Marian, who was sitting in a high position near the platform, wiped her tears with a handkerchief. Some wives were also shedding tears, overwhelmed with emotions.
Wendy blankly watched them without being touched.
“Captain!”
At that moment she heard a knight calling Lard sharply. The knight urgently came over and whispered to him with a serious look, even forgetting to salute. After hearing him, Lard’s face quickly hardened.
Feeling ominous, Wendy watched them closely. Looking around, she noticed several knights moving around the hall urgently. The royal guards who escorted the new emperor were also being briefed by one of the 2nd Knights wearing a blue shoulder patch.
“Sir Simuan, escort the emperor.”
After exchanging a few words with Jean, Lard instructed him with a low voice.
“Wendy, please go with him, too.”
He held her wrist without any explanation and had her stand next to Jean.
In surprise, she grabbed his hand when Lard was leaving in a hurry. He stopped and looked back at her.
Reading her anxiety, Lard raised her hand and kissed the back of it. When he breathed in and out while kissing it, it numbed the heart. She couldn’t be more nervous.
Letting go of her hand, he signaled to Jean behind her with his eyes. The moment Jean grabbed her arm, Lard turned around and left the hall.
Dylan Lennox, who was on duty in the southeast of the Imperial Palace, was walking along the long corridor of Cheddar Palace with Badger Enos, the Lottea of the 2nd Knights. It was noisy around them because many servants and maids were packing up their things. It was a massive move from Cheddar Palace, the prince’s temporary residence, to Kingsbray Palace, the new emperor’s residence.
The crown prince could not move to Kingsbray Palace until he officially put on the crown as the next emperor. It was a time-honored practice of the Imperial Palace.
“I didn’t know that the crown prince would have the coronation so quickly. I thought it would take five years, or even ten years for him to succeed the throne. Even if the emperor abdicated the throne, I thought he would live to watch his son rule the empire for a long time…”
“Any emperor would do so,” Dylan agreed with him bitterly.
They wanted Isaac von Benjahan to succeed the throne, but not like this.
That’s why they had mixed feelings about the coronation of the prince.
The black flag fluttering here and there had been taken down while the new flag of Benyahan rejoicing the crowning of the new emperor, was now taking its place.
Dylan looked at the red flag fluttering in the distance with his empty eyes. He once looked at the flag in excitement. The flag was embroidered with four unicorns on all sides raising their hooves and guarding the crown in the middle. The pattern embroidered on the flag was vivid in his eyes. The four horses represented the knights, the officials, the aristocracy, and the people, respectively. Unfortunately, none of them defended the crown they were supposed to keep.
Dylan, only recently officiated as an imperial knight, felt helpless at the death of the emperor. The ambition of this young knight, who felt he could achieve and keep anything, crumbled overnight. Looking back, he thought there was nothing left for him. He was suffering from a deep sense of loss and despair after he lost Olivia. There was nothing he could do about it. He was exhausted.
“…Sir Enos, as for my vacation leave you mentioned the other day, can I take it before the season changes?” he asked Badge lonely.
Looking at him briefly, Badge nodded. He also sensed Dylan had been devastated. That’s why he had been asking this junior knight to take vacation leave several times despite the urgent situation.
“Okay. Let me talk to the captain after the coronation. As you refused to take vacation leave after the explosion accident, I think you can take it without any difficulties. ”
Dylan was one of the few knights who survived the explosion. He needed time to heal from the shock and suffering that he felt after his colleagues’ death. It was something any knight had to go through several times, but overcoming it was not as easy as it sounded. As he was not the type of man who confided his emotional distress to his friends, many around him were concerned all the more. Badge was also concerned about him in many ways.
“Have a good rest this time and refresh yourself. No training is as important as mental stability.”
“Yes, I will.”
The two walked around silently for a long time afterwards. They were silent as if they were detached from the noisy surroundings around them.
“What the heck…? Those guys…”
Their silence was broken when they reached the corner of the corridor. While staring at the far end of the corridor, Badge tilted his head. In response to his unusual tone, Dylan also followed his gaze.
There were six, all told, wearing the attendants’ costumes, but their movements were suspicious in many ways. Even their small movements were unusual in their eyes as knights. Remembering their look and clothes clearly, Dylan watched their actions carefully.
They quickly gathered under the shady roof and dispersed after whispering among themselves. Dylan and Badge also glanced at each other quickly and went to the corridor on the opposite side imperceptibly. They stopped three of the servants who were heading in the same direction.
“Hey, guys! Can you stop there?” When Badge called them, they noticeably flinched.
After glancing at each other, they went to the imperial knights, lowering their heads.
“Can you show me your IDs as the servants of Cheddar Palace?”
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