Chapter 40

Agnes faced the priest and explained everything one point at a time.

The House of Overhen had been secretly committing the terrible crime of child trafficking.

The witnesses present were those who had taken part in that crime and were now confessing voluntarily, claiming remorse for their sins.

Of course, it was not remorse but fear of death at the hands of the knights that had made them talk, yet it served better to move the priest’s heart and highlight the cruelty of Rickman’s misdeeds.

When Agnes finished reporting that they had even forged artworks to hide their crimes from the public, the priest’s brows drew tightly together.

“I do not know such vile people!”

Rickman protested furiously, but it was a hopeless defense. The kidnapped children had been rescued from an abandoned building owned by Overhen, and these witnesses had been arrested in the same place.

As Rickman cried out and stamped his foot in rage, Agnes watched him with calm eyes, then turned her gaze slowly around the courtroom.

There were very few people present. The priest, Agnes, Rickman, and Dylan, along with several lesser priests assisting and the guards assigned to the secret trial.

Even when counted all together, they did not number more than fifteen, and every one of them was bound by oath to keep what happened there a secret.

After confirming everything, Agnes spoke in a composed voice.

“Bring in the final witness, Hasel Overhen.”

The moment the name was spoken, Rickman froze completely, unable even to blink.

It was only when Hasel entered, supported by guards, that Rickman slowly turned his stiff neck toward him.

Hasel’s eyes wandered around the room with a vacant smile before they locked onto Rickman.

“Rick… man… you… killed… me… ah…”

Hasel’s speech was broken into fragments rather than full sentences, making it hard to understand.

By the time he tried to finish speaking, his breath caught, and he hunched over in pain, making it impossible to ask for further testimony.

Even so, Rickman’s face had already turned pale, and his body shook as if he had been plunged into icy water.

Yet he still tried to wriggle out of the situation with desperate excuses.

“That man once worked for our family long ago. He committed a grave offense against the house, and I punished him for it. Is that such a problem?”

Rickman’s face could not hide his nervousness, though he raised his voice even louder as if to convince himself.

“Besides, I locked him up before the abolition of slavery took effect. Now that slavery has been abolished, are you saying I should have released him? Look at the state he is in. Do you think a man like that could survive on his own? I was merciful enough to keep him alive and care for him.”

The wicked words made Agnes so sick that she had to press her hand briefly over her mouth. She steadied her breath, then looked back at the priest and argued.

“Rickman Overhen is lying before the holy representative of God. As I said earlier, that man was not a servant but the rightful heir to the House of Overhen, Hasel Overhen.”

“Agnes Everchen! How dare you…! Every word that woman says is a filthy lie!”

“Silence!”

The priest scolded the raging Rickman. He flinched and fell quiet, and Agnes took that moment to continue.

“Hasel Overhen was well known in noble society. If we question those who once socialized with him, the truth will come out easily. And just now, Rickman confessed himself that he was the one who locked Hasel away.”

After listening carefully, the priest asked Agnes another question.

“Do you know any noble or noble family who was close to Hasel Overhen?”

Having already investigated this beforehand, Agnes listed several names without hesitation. The priest then turned to the guards and ordered them.

“Summon the people Lady Everchen just named. It does not matter if it takes time. I doubt the witness will be able to appear before the court again.”

The priest’s eyes, as he looked at Hasel, were filled with both pity and contempt.

“If this man truly is Hasel Overhen… then Rickman Overhen, you will not be forgiven by God.”

His words meant the trial was turning in Agnes’s favor, yet she could not help feeling a bitter taste in her mouth.

The priest placed more weight on the tragedy of a single noble, Hasel Overhen, than on the fact that Rickman had kidnapped and sold poor children as slaves.

Rickman, sensing the tide shifting against him, spoke in a pleading tone.

“Priest, it is true that this man is my elder brother, Hasel Overhen. But I had no choice but to confine him!”

Even in this situation, Rickman paused to draw a dramatic breath before continuing, as though performing before an audience.

“Hasel was the heir to the Overhen title, but he lost his mind in an unfortunate accident. I only wanted to protect the honor of our proud house. My brother would not have wanted his disgrace to be known to the world. I loved and cared for him as my family.”

“Priest, please judge according to the will of God. What Rickman Overhen did to his own brother is a clear act of wickedness.”

“That is not true!”

Rickman shouted furiously. It was a behavior far too rash before a priest, but by now he had lost his composure completely as his crimes were being exposed one after another.

“Even if I am guilty of something, that woman has no right to be called my son’s mother! She is not Noah’s real mother!”

“Priest, this claim was already made in the previous trial. I trust you have investigated it thoroughly. I believe in the temple’s judgment. Was there any proof that I am not Noah’s mother?”

The priest turned calmly to Agnes and replied.

“There was none.”

“Because I destroyed it all!”

“In any case, there is still no proof that Agnes Everchen is not Noah Overhen’s real mother. Blood ties are sacred and cannot be severed without evidence.”

“The priest speaks the truth. Noah Overhen is my real son.”

Agnes spoke with a face of radiant joy.

She did not truly believe blood alone defined a family, but now was a time to use whatever she could to win.

Rickman clenched the podium hard and glared at her, as if he thought such words might make her flinch or cower.

But the woman standing before him was not the same Agnes he once knew.

Like a caterpillar becoming a chrysalis and a chrysalis breaking free as a butterfly, Agnes now spread her still-damp wings toward the sky.

Her flight was still uncertain and fragile, yet she was rising.

Rickman hated that sight more than anything.

Even though he must have realized that bringing Hasel Overhen here would expose everything, he still refused to mention the truth about Noah’s father.

Did he really think he could still win after discarding one of his last remaining cards?

Rickman wanted nothing more than to shatter that calm expression on her face.

And he had already prepared his next move.

He stepped forward toward the priest, his expression a strange mix of humility and triumph.

“Priest, I believe the most important matter here is my son’s will. I ask that we hear Noah’s opinion officially in this courtroom.”

Agnes stared at him in shock.

The last time she checked, Noah had said he wanted to stay with her. Rickman must have known that much.

So for him to bring this up now…

‘What did he say to the child? No, could it be…’

She already knew. If it was Rickman, there was only one answer.

‘He told Noah that I’m not his real mother.’

“Priest, Noah Overhen is too young to endure such a tense and painful hearing.”

“That is not true, Priest. Noah Overhen is the proud heir to the House of Overhen. He can endure it.”

“Rickman!”

“Or are you afraid that if Noah speaks here, it will turn against you?”

“Rickman, your crimes are already undeniable. Shouldn’t you at least let the child live in peace? You call yourself a father, how could you—”

Agnes pleaded, but Rickman only glared at her with burning eyes and shouted even louder.

“Bring my son, Noah Overhen, and ask him his will before us all!”

The trial was descending into chaos. The priest sighed as he looked between Agnes and Rickman’s heated exchange but eventually nodded to Rickman’s request.

“I will allow it. Where is the boy now? At the Count’s residence?”

“He came with us to the trial. If you command it, he will come at once.”

Rickman’s face twisted into a mixture of false humility and self-satisfaction. Agnes cried out desperately.

“Priest! The child should not—”

“Agnes Everchen. Regardless of his father’s sins, a son bears the family name and the duty to continue its line. We must confirm whether Noah Overhen understands that responsibility.”

“Noah is still a child! He is far too young to make such a judgment!”

Without even looking at her, the priest ordered the guards to bring the boy in.

The heavy courtroom doors opened, and a small child walked inside beside the guards, dwarfed by the enormous entrance.

Noah’s anxious eyes searched the room. When they met Agnes’s gaze, he flinched and quickly lowered his head.

That small movement alone brought a solemn silence over the room.

To everyone watching, it looked as if Noah no longer wished to stay with Agnes.

The hand holding her dress began to tremble.