Duke Daughter 64: Inquiry Meeting

The moment I opened the door, all eyes turned to me, and, when they realized who I was, the gallery of nobles went up in an uproar. The only ones unaffected by my arrival were my father, the Queen Dowager, who knew I was coming, and the priest, Christopher.

I proceeded to walk to the back. The room was filled with nobles and other dignitaries. The back of the room was designated for royalty, and the only people sitting there now were the Queen Dowager, Lady Ellia, and a representative from the Church.

Everyone’s gaze pierced me like needles, and I felt my hands tremble even with my father’s words of encouragement.

It will be fine. I have to think this way. Even when I tried to clench my hands to stop my shaking, it wouldn’t stop.

It felt like it took me a long time to reach the back of the room, but, in reality, it was only a minute. Thankfully, I managed to get there alright, but, on my way back, I glimpsed a certain person.

Priest Christopher is a thin, intelligent man who wear spectacles. His face was expressionless, but I felt his gaze was different from everyone else’s.

It was a gaze that said, Will she succeed or will she fail and disappear into oblivion?

The moment I felt his gaze and identified him, my hands stopped trembling. That priest is the person who has connections to that man who helped me get that piece of evidence.

I will not disappoint you. I will respond to the trust that you and everyone else has placed in me.

I walked up to my father and stood beside him. I directly faced the vacant throne that stood betwixt Lady Ellia and the Queen Dowager. The representative for the Church sat a little bit in front of them.

“… Why are you here?” (Ellia)

Lady Ellia stared at me coldly.

“I felt it necessary for me to explain and report the actual details of the situation.” (Iris)

“There is nothing more for you to report or explain. The fact that you have destroyed the hallowed place of the Lord will not change. This meeting is not for you but instead for your father, who will take responsibility for your actions as the Duke of Armelia.” (Pope/Church Representative)

These words came from the Pope of the Church of Daryl who was the father of Van, one of the second Prince’s cronies.

“Iris Lana Armelia, you are charged with the crime of destroying a sacred house of the Lord without consulting the Church. This is an insult to our Lord and the conduct of a nonbeliever. The Lord is deeply saddened by this action that was carried out by one of his children, let alone one holding the status of a noble.” (Pope)

“It is exactly as you have said: A sacred house of God was demolished. This act clearly signifies your refusal to speak with the Lord.” (Ellia)

The color of mockery was reflected in the eyes of the Pope and Lady Ellia.

“Yes, I do agree with that sentiment. However, much more egregious is the story of how the sacred house of God was sold for profit. Would you like to hear it?” (Iris)

“What are you trying to say, little girl?” (Ellia)

Lady Ellia laughed through her nose, but hid her face behind her fan.

“Even if you ask me that, I meant exactly what I said.” (Iris)

“I am asking, because the meaning is unclear, little girl. Destruction of a sacred place is evil. Thus, transferring the grounds to others is better… There is no such thing as… Both acts should be considered an insult and treason against the Lord.” (Ellia)

“Yes. I am in agreement with Lady Ellia. As it turns out, this did indeed happen. I have the contract of the sale of that land in my hands right here.” (Iris)

I pulled the contract out of my purse and offered it to the Queen. This was the deed for the land that the church was once on. It contained the name of the seller, the Church, and the buyer, the human trafficking ring.

The gallery of fools who were previously noisy fell quiet. I think they now want to see who will win this case… Although… The second prince’s faction remained noisy.

“I was shocked to see that the sacred land of the Lord was sold! It is as you say, Lady Ellia, the sale or even the thought of selling the land of the Lord is outrageous. However, this transaction was conducted and the land was sold after the original manager died. The priest who signed the receipt for the deed has his name written here. How do you intend to explain this?” (Iris)

“What stupidity! There… There is no priest in the Daryl Church who would be so stupid as to sell the Lord’s land. This is a felony and an affront to the title of ‘priest’!” (Ellia)

“I am in full agreement, my Lady… I also believe that no one in this country would conduct such an act. However, it is a fact that this buyer and seller combination had planned to attack the Sister, vandalize the chapel, and sell off the orphans living there.” (Iris)

“What nonsense do you speak of?! It is impossible for someone who serves the Lord to do such a thing… Has your family fallen so far as to stoop to deception? This is quite disappointing.” (Ellia)

Lady Ellia made attempts to deny my words and ridicule my family.

“I understand your disbelief, my lady, but, as you may know, I hold the position of temporary lord of the fief. My father granted me this title and I have conducted my duties on his behalf. I have done many things as the acting lord of the fief, including government reform, tax auditing, trade route establishment, and, lastly, oversight of land transfer and transactions.” (Iris)

“… And your point is?” (Ellia)

“We record the state of properties of the land, of course, and I have visited all of the properties with a named owner. I have also visited the church to ensure that it rightfully belongs to the person on the deed. It was stipulated at the time that the land the chapel was on did not belong to the Church, meaning that the Church no longer owned that land anymore.” (Iris)

It was quite unexpected, but it worked in my favor that I was able to advance the clarification of the land ownership early on.

“I was astonished to find that the Daryl Church themselves said they did not own that land, even though a chapel stood there. I have, in hand, the letter with the aforementioned correspondence as well.” (Iris)

I raised the letter again so that everyone could see the lower part of the letter with the names of the priest who was involved.

“As one of God’s children and acting lord of the fief, I was surprised that there was no chapel in my city. Thus, I decided to demolish the old one and build a new chapel to provide my people with a new place to worship the Lord. I had also informed the Church and kingdom officials of this decision and its subsequent transactions. I have with me the letter from those individuals, as well.” (Iris)

“This case is with the officials of the kingdom then… But you still do not have evidence that the Church was informed as well. I will say this now: This work of selling God’s land may be the work of a person who falsified the Church’s name and signatures. It is entirely possible that someone conspired with you to create all these documents, is it not?” (Ellia)

Lady Ellia asked stiffly and demanded evidence of the Church’s involvement.

“If what you say is true, then any transaction or deal with the royal palace or kingdom officials would also be meaningless. You are insinuating that any man, woman, or child can use the seal of the royal palace to commit fraud. Is that acceptable? If so, then all of the transactions and deals by the royal palace should be nonexistent, right, Lady Ellia?” (Iris)

I retorted back. Lady Ellia shut her fan loudly with displeasure and spoke.

“How amusing. However, I will not retract my previous suggestion… Unless you have evidence to prove that the Daryl Church did actually do this. Any further talk from you is meaningless unless you provide it. Stand do—” (Ellia)

As she began to tell me to “Stand down”, I cut her off.

“If you are asking for evidence, then I have it here in my hands.” (Iris)

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