Chapter 128: Chapter-128

Lord Marcus swallowed. “She came to my residence uninvited. Threatened me. Said she had evidence of crimes I’d committed—embezzlement, illegal trade—and that she’d have me arrested unless I helped her.”

“What did she want you to do?”

“Break into my grandmother’s residence and steal from her private safe. I refused at first, but she pressured me. Said if I didn’t cooperate, she’d destroy me.” His voice shook convincingly. “I was terrified. So I agreed.”

“And you went through with it?”

“Yes. I stole a letter from my grandmother’s safe, gave it to the Fourth Princess, and then immediately reported the crime to the authorities. I couldn’t live with what I’d done.”

“Thank you, Lord Marcus. No further questions.”

The prosecutor sat down.

Duke Romian stood. “Lord Marcus, you testified that the Fourth Princess threatened you with false criminal evidence. But was the evidence false?”

Lord Marcus hesitated. “I… I don’t know if it was false or real—”

“You embezzled twelve thousand gold from the merchant guild over the past two years. True or false?”

“I—that’s not—”

“You engaged in illegal trade of restricted magical artifacts through intermediaries. True or false?”

Lord Marcus’s face went red. “Your Honor, I’m not on trial here—”

“You are if you committed perjury,” Duke Romian said sharply. “The Fourth Princess didn’t threaten you with false evidence. She threatened you with real evidence of actual crimes. That’s not coercion—that’s leverage in a legitimate negotiation.”

“She still forced me to steal!”

“Did she? Or did she offer to clear your gambling debts—all twelve thousand gold worth—in exchange for access to a letter you had legitimate reason to retrieve from a safe you had legitimate access to?”

“I—it’s not—she made it sound like I had no choice—”

“You had choices. Take her offer. Refuse and face your creditors. Or report your grandmother’s possible criminal evidence to the authorities yourself. You chose to take the money, retrieve the letter, and then—only after securing payment—claim you’d been coerced. That’s fraud, Lord Marcus. Not victimhood.”

The prosecutor objected. “Your Honor, defense counsel is badgering the witness—”

“Overruled,” Lord Justice Harwick said. “Continue, Your Grace.”

Duke Romian walked closer to the witness stand. “Lord Marcus, after you took the Fourth Princess’s payment and cleared your debts, who approached you?”

“I don’t know what you mean—”

“Someone offered you additional payment to testify against the Fourth Princess. Who was it?”

“No one offered me—”

“You’re lying.”

A new voice, clear and calm, came from the back of the courtroom.

Everyone turned.

Helena stood in the entrance, wearing simple traveling clothes. But there was something about her—a presence, an intensity—that made people stare.

She walked forward, ignoring the guards who tried to stop her.

“Your Honor,” she said. “My name is Helena Ashford. I have unique magical ability that allows me to detect deception. And Lord Marcus Chen is lying. He was paid by the First Consort’s representatives to change his testimony after taking the Fourth Princess’s money.”

The room exploded.

The First Consort shot to her feet. “Who is this woman? She has no authority to interrupt these proceedings—”

“She’s my daughter,” Duke Romian said clearly. “Helena Ashford. And she’s volunteering as expert witness on truth verification.”

The Emperor leaned forward, eyes gleaming. “Approach, Helena Ashford.”

Helena walked to the front, completely composed despite every eye in the room on her.

“Your Majesty,” she said, bowing. “I apologize for the dramatic entrance. But I couldn’t let false testimony stand unchallenged.”

“You claim you can detect lies?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. Through magical resonance. It’s not perfect—people who believe their own lies confuse the reading—but deliberate deception creates distinct magical signatures I can sense.”

“Demonstrate.”

Helena turned to Lord Marcus, who’d gone pale. “May I?”

He tried to object, but Lord Justice Harwick overruled. “Allow the demonstration. If her ability is genuine, it’s relevant to determining witness credibility.”

Helena extended her hand toward Lord Marcus—not touching, just sensing.

“Lord Marcus, did the Fourth Princess threaten you?”

“Yes—”

“Truth,” Helena said. “The threat was real. But you’re omitting context.” She focused more intently. “Did you commit the crimes she accused you of?”

“I—no—”

“Lie. You did commit them.” Helena looked at the judges. “His magical resonance is chaotic. Multiple layers of deception woven together. He’s telling partial truths surrounded by lies.”

“This is absurd!” the First Consort said. “You can’t admit magical lie detection as evidence—it’s unreliable, unverifiable—”

“Then let’s verify it,” the Emperor said. He looked at Lord Justice Harwick. “Test her. Ask questions where we know the true answer.”

Lord Justice Harwick nodded. “Very well. Helena Ashford, I’m going to make several statements. Tell me which are true and which are false.”

“Ready, Your Honor.”

“I am seventy-three years old.”

Helena focused. “True.”

“I have three daughters.”

“False. You have two daughters and one son.”

Lord Justice Harwick’s eyes widened. That information wasn’t public—his son lived abroad under different name.

“The current Empress is the Emperor’s first wife.”

“False. The current Empress is his third wife. The first two died.”

The Emperor’s expression didn’t change, but something flickered in his eyes.

Lord Justice Harwick looked at the other judges. They conferred quietly.

“The ability appears genuine,” he said finally. “We’ll allow expert testimony on witness credibility. Continue.”

Helena turned back to Lord Marcus. “After you cleared your debts with the Fourth Princess’s payment, did someone approach you with additional offer?”

“No—”

“Lie.”

“I—maybe someone mentioned—”

“Lord Marcus, did the First Consort’s representatives pay you to change your testimony?”

“That’s not—I didn’t—”

“Answer the question,” Lord Justice Harwick ordered.

Lord Marcus’s face crumpled. “Yes! Yes, they paid me! Five thousand gold to testify that I’d been coerced instead of fairly compensated. But I was also coerced—both things can be true—”

“But you took both payments,” Duke Romian said coldly. “The Fourth Princess’s twelve thousand to clear your debts, and the First Consort’s five thousand to lie about it. You’re a professional fraud, not a victim.”

The courtroom erupted again.

The First Consort was on her feet, face white with rage. “This is a setup! The girl is lying—her ’ability’ is fabricated to support the Fourth Princess—”

“Then test me on you,” Helena said calmly. “Your Honor, I’ll demonstrate on the First Consort herself if she doubts my ability.”

The First Consort went rigid. “I will not submit to this farce—”

“Why not?” the Emperor asked quietly. “If Helena’s ability is fraudulent, exposing it would strengthen your case. Unless you’re afraid of what she might detect.”

Trapped.

The First Consort looked around—at the judges, at the assembled nobles, at her daughter Eleana who was staring at her with something like horror.

“I have nothing to hide,” she said finally. “Fine. Test me.”

Helena walked toward her slowly.

“First Consort, did you arrange for Lord Marcus Chen to be paid to change his testimony?”

“No—”

“Lie.”

The First Consort’s jaw clenched. “The girl is mistaken—”

“First Consort, did your sister Lady Chen murder Lady Lin Mei forty-three years ago?”

“That’s absurd—of course not—”

“Lie. You know she did. The guilt signature is very strong.”

The room went completely silent.

The Emperor stood.

“First Consort,” he said, his voice deadly quiet. “Did you know your sister murdered the woman I loved?”

The First Consort’s face went from white to gray. “Your Majesty, this is a misunderstanding—Helena’s ability is being manipulated—”

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