I Became the Master of the Empress - Chapter 195
195 – 199
The next morning.
I called Savinelli to the Imperial Palace.
Watching Debien, who was in pain like yesterday, I vowed that I couldn’t just leave him alone.
In the first place, he told me not to exercise my right to pardon, not to use Savinelli.
That’s why I urgently called Savinelli first thing in the morning and asked.
“Sabinus. Is there no way to save Lucius?”
At my words, Sabinus says with a puzzled expression.
“Aren’t you going to use the right of pardon?”
I nod at Sabinus’ words.
“He says he won’t stay still if he does, but when I see him in pain, my heart feels like it’s being ripped apart. Is there no way to save Lucius?”
Sabinus says, lost in thought at my words.
“In this case, we proceed to trial… The verdict of the trial is the authority of the court and the judge in charge, so there is no way for the Ministry of Justice to do anything… But this morning, Lucius asked for one thing.”
I ask, curious about what Lucius asked for.
“What is it?”
“He requested to be judged by a jury.”
Jury.
It is a long-standing system in which nine Roman citizens are called to court and make a decision by vote.
“Perhaps… It seems like he’s aiming for innocence at trial.”
“In a situation where evidence and confession have already emerged, are you aiming for innocence? Is that possible?”
Sabinus shakes his head and says.
“In my personal opinion, I think it’s impossible. There’s no way the Roman people will take it positively that he forged official documents and smuggled.”
“Then why a jury?”
Sabinus shakes his head at my words.
“I don’t know that either.”
“Has Lucius’ defense attorney been secured?”
“I understand that he hasn’t appointed a lawyer yet, but if necessary, I’ll contact a competent lawyer I know for Lucius.”
I nod at Sabinus’ words.
“Yes. Use your authority to the fullest to save Lucius.”
“That’s… The trial is under the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court… No matter how much the emperor or the Grand Duke says, it’s impossible to get the desired verdict.”
I nod at Sabinus’ words.
“I know. But can’t I just sit still?”
“It doesn’t matter if you stay still. It’s impossible to get acquitted in this trial. The evidence and confession have already emerged, so even if I step forward and help, all I can do is request a sentence of 30 years in prison, not the death penalty.”
I sigh at Sabinus’ words.
“Ha… Really, is there no other way?”
Last night, he, who usually doesn’t drink, took out some alcohol and drank.
He pretends not to care, but he must be heartbroken by Lucius’ betrayal.
Maybe he really wants to save Lucius.
However, if he tries to save Lucius, he will not be able to save him because the severity of the law will collapse.
Thinking about what he has done so far, that is probably correct.
Debian’s nature is extremely reluctant to kill someone.
It was the same during the former era. During the previous civil war, he even cried when many of his soldiers died.
He always looks strong, but his heart is soft.
That’s why… Perhaps he is troubled because his personal feelings of wanting to help Lucius and his position as a ruler are opposed.
So. Lucius must be saved unconditionally.
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“Sabinus. Please do your best to make Lucius innocent.”
Sabineli hesitates at my words.
“As I mentioned earlier…”
“Somehow, recover it with all your authority. This is an imperial order.”
-Gulp.
At my words, Sabineli’s body stiffens and he stares at me.
And…
He bows his head and says.
“I will obey the imperial order.”
“Yes, go in now.”
At my words, Sabineli nods and goes out.
No matter what happens, I will not leave you alone in sorrow.
I promise and promise again.
***
“Lucius, sign this.”
Muller hands Lucius a paper. Lucius reads it carefully and says.
“Really… Can I really make my brother a senior?”
Muller is annoyed at Lucius’s uneasy words and says.
“Tch! Don’t you trust me? I’m telling you I’ll make you innocent. And did you apply for the jury?”
Lucius nods slightly at Muller’s words.
“Yeah, I applied for that.”
And Lucius signs the paper stating that he will appoint Muller as his lawyer.
“Yes, good job. Then now I’ll make you innocent.”
And he gets up from his seat.
“Huh? Where are you going as soon as you get here?”
“Now that I’m a lawyer, I have to go to court and submit it to the judge. I also have to select a jury.”
And Muller stares at Lucius.
“So don’t worry, I’ll take care of it.”
Lucius sighs as he watches Muller walk out of the interview room.
“Ha… Will it be okay?”
A few days later, one afternoon.
Lucius’s prosecutor and Muller are called to court.
“The defendant, Lucius, has requested a jury, so here is a list of potential jurors.”
Lucius and the prosecutor examine the list.
A slender figure in black stockings.
And a black-haired, dark-eyed beauty in a short skirt.
Dark makeup and dark circles under her eyes.
She examines the list carefully, her face wrinkled.
The judge who called for the jury selection.
The jury selection randomly selects 27 citizens of Rome to create a list.
Then, after consultation between the prosecutor and the defense attorney, 18 are excluded and only 9 are finally selected to make the verdict.
‘Well… First of all, let’s eliminate civil servants as much as possible.’
Lucius’ deeds were for his father, the head of the household.
In order to increase the probability of an acquittal, they had no choice but to eliminate civil servants who would follow their principles too closely for this kind of thing…
From the list, they examined those with strong patriarchal backgrounds, namely farmers.
That’s how the list of jurors was gradually determined, with the prosecutor in charge and Müller excluding one by one.
Müller excluded as many highly educated people as possible from the various occupations, including farmers, craftsmen, merchants, and priests.
Was it because the prosecutor also knew about the details of the case?
Müller felt that the prosecutor in charge seemed to prefer highly educated people or scholars who typically represented the intelligentsia.
‘Hmm… No matter what, the proportion of farmers, craftsmen, and merchants is greater than the number of intellectuals, so it shouldn’t go entirely your way, right?’
This case required appealing to the emotions of the patriarchal citizens.
Lucius, who committed an illegal act to repay his father’s favor.
Müller planned to portray him as someone with strong filial piety, wisdom, and honor over life itself, so he was satisfied with the final list of jurors.
Three farmers, one craftsman, two merchants—six jurors that he was aiming for. In addition, one priest, one civil servant, and one academy student, Müller felt a sense of satisfaction when the final list was confirmed.
‘Well, it’s not bad for now.’
Legally speaking, Lucius was a clear criminal.
Therefore, if the judge made a judgment on the trial, he would never be able to avoid a guilty verdict.
However, the jury system was a part where citizens participated in making the judgment, so it was less professional than a judge.
They often made judgments based on emotion rather than the legally defined punishment.
That’s why Müller planned to use that.
He felt that the current situation wasn’t so bad.
“Then, can we both proceed with this list?”
When the judge asked, Müller nodded.
“Yes, I have no objections.”
“Me neither.”
Looking at the young female prosecutor in her early 30s with a stern impression, Lucius felt a little uneasy.
‘Will she stick to her principles?’
Usually, when a trial was held for a high-ranking official, the prosecutors would sometimes show leniency.
Since they were high-ranking, they might be retaliated against by someone close to them.
There were many prosecutors who would rather show leniency to high-ranking defendants and later receive some kind of compensation, but…
He didn’t think she would do that.
‘It won’t be as easy as I thought?’
***
Aria Pirene
She was the only daughter of the Pirene family and had been designated as the future countess.
That’s why she received successor education from a young age and studied law at the Imperial Academy in her 20s.
Originally, successors to noble families returned to their family’s territory after graduating from the academy, but she wanted to take on a new challenge while her father was still healthy, so she applied to the prosecution.
As a result, although she was appointed to the prosecution as a low-ranking official and had the least experience and was the lowest-ranking prosecutor, Sabinel noticed her and appointed her as the prosecutor in charge of Lucius.
As Sabinel saw it.
She was inexperienced and barely passed the entrance exam, so it was an internal arrangement to intentionally help Lucius get an acquittal.
However, she didn’t take it that way and had been doing her best to prepare for the trial.
It’s her first trial, so it’s only natural that it’s a big one.
Of course, Savinelli called her because he saw her working hard to prepare for the trial.
“I have high expectations for you.”
Savinelli said with a serious face.
It was difficult for him to tell the prosecutor to lose on purpose, so he said it in a roundabout way.
“His Majesty the Emperor, who is close to Lucius, is also very interested in this trial. He will probably come to watch the trial, so you should be fully prepared.”
From Savinelli’s point of view, he couldn’t tell her to favor a corrupt official, so he mentioned Theodora, who was close to Lucius.
However, she took it differently.
“Ah… His Majesty is coming in person to see the end of Lucius, who bothered His Majesty as the Grand Duke’s lackey.”
Of course, Savinelli didn’t mean it that way.
“This is a trial for the Minister to test me, and as a noble, I must unconditionally sentence that villain to death.”
Savinelli felt awkward telling her to acquit him outright, so he gave her a hint, but the names of the Minister of Justice and the Emperor were taken differently by her.
“Lucius… I will sentence you to death and serve justice.”
Perhaps if Theodora and Savinelli had heard, they would have scolded Aria… but the clueless girl took it at face value.
And she arbitrarily raised Lucius’s sentence to the death penalty.