Road to the Crown

Chapter 108: Verdict

16th April 1574

"I'm not going to defend myself against false accusations! If you want to abuse your own power granted to you by the entire noble brotherhood, you should remember how our brothers will react when they learn about you bullying one of them!"

With his mind unable to accept the fact that his claims were simply ignored and refuted, Peter added the last straw to the fireplace below his feet, going as far as to openly threaten the governor!

While it was true that all the official positions were in theory granted by King but confirmed and passed to the picked nobles by the senate, just like in any other country of my new timeline, those high and profitable positions both in terms of pension and the possibilities granted by the power turned out to be inherited by the son after the father, with only a few cases of an excelling noble taking over a position of a fallen one!

"Since you refuse to acknowledge your crimes, I will have Mike of Tarnow to step up with his testimony. Mike, your turn."

Unwilling to bother with Peter more than necessary, Jan simply went back to his seat, while gesturing me to take over from him. With no other choice, and actually unwilling to pass the opportunity to make myself, a face for all the investments that I would be doing, turn even more popular with a teary story about the love that just got fulfilled yesterday, I placed a gentle kiss on Elia's cheek and stood up.

"Dear brothers and sisters in the nobilityhood. This trial, this day, are the results of all the incredible efforts I had to put in order to prevent my dearest Elia, from meeting with any harm from the hand of both her step-family and this pesky little brute."

Taking a moment with my story to reach the place just below the stage, I turned my back to the chained Peter, as if in an attempt to show him that he has fallen to the point when not even exposing my back to him would put me in any disadvantage.

"While I don't want to bore you with the long story, there are some things that I need to bring up. It all started when I was going back from the glorious coronation of our new, wise king, back to my lands in Tarnow."

With these words, I started recounting the most important events that brought Elia and me close, while revealing just enough to point the listeners in the right direction. From how our meeting happened to coincide with the bandit raid on my entourage, through the haughty visit of Peter right on my castle, all the way to the preparations for the obvious attack, escape from Pilzno at the battle with his forces ending.

"Just like he accused me to base my strength of the devil's forces, I'm now going to point you all to the place where this strength of mine came from!"

Suddenly reaching for my belt, I pulled out a small pouch that I emptied back in the palace just for this moment before loosening the thread that held it closed and turning it around, allowing the few, silver coins to fall on the stones making up the city floor.

"The guns that allowed me to defeat him, despite losing quite a lot of innocent servants that came with us to make sure no harm would be done to villagers while procuring and preparing the food, the cost of not only making them, but also providing for the immense amount of ammunition to use them, managed to almost empty out all my coffers! If not for the spoils from the battle that we took over, I can't say for sure if I could afford this wedding in the first place!"

While my story was nothing but a fantastic way to wrap all the events in the mystical shroud of love and sacrifice, the fact that using the reapers guns was expensive, was greatly underrated. Just a single magazine without even ammunition for it was worth close to two red goldens, with the cost of all the ammunition that I prepared reaching almost a fifty red goldens!

Calculating all the expenses together, two and a half weeks worth of income from my entire wealth went down the drain just to give me a way to deal with this pesky bandit! And while I didn't really mind it due to how incredible amounts of gold I could obtain from the newly established beer trade, all the other nobles could calculate the worth of my sacrifice according to their own standards, unspoiled by such intricate business!

"I think that's enough, brother."

Standing up just as I neared the absolute end of what I could say before running out of teary stories to bring the spectators even closer to my side in this trial, the governor finally freed me from my acting, allowing me to sit back beside Elia and calm myself with her hand instantly moving to caress my cheek.

"Brothers, I have heard enough. With everything that this trusty soldier of the commonwealth Ah, you didn't know?"

Suddenly bringing up another point that I intentionally decided to ignore after talking with the Governor about how we should go about this trial last night, Jan looked around at the faces of the spectators before shaking his head in the sign of powerlessness.

"This man, Mike of Tarnow, suffered the fate of fighting in the last great, northern war, and to this day, hold the honorary title of the royal lieutenant, had to pay most of his wealth just to have a shot at protecting someone he fell in love with. If that's not the sign of the God-given love, then you can call me a heretic and trial me right now!"

Taking a moment to calm his agitated heart and breath, the Jan suddenly raised his previously lovered face and looked at Peter with scorn seeping out of his eyes.

"I have heard enough, and I'm ready to give the verdict for this trial. I hereby announce that you, Peter Hellan, formerly a lord over the city of Ropian, are from this day no longer welcomed within the borders of the commonwealth! At this very moment, I'm stripping you out of all your wealth, that will be passed in form of compensation and wedding gift for the newlyweds, while you are hereby announced to be infamed and exiled!"