I Will Be The New Me
CHAPTER 53 JUDGMENT (2)

Raiden let out a long sigh, he was looking forward to the answer to what Quinn would give. his blue diamond netra looked towards the entire human occupying the observer seat. Everyone present was the one Quinn had asked Raiden to present in the room. Most of the people there are from Verenity and are people who are affected by the corruption cases committed by Vincent and his golongan.

"This girl is very clever. He really calculated everything. She deserves to be my queen." muttered Raiden who looked at Quinn with ambition. "Show me how you'll use my kindness by following your wishes" Raiden wondered out of curiosity about the continuation of the trial.

Quinn stared at Julien flatly "Isn't that unfair?"

"Yes?"

"Punishment strikes flat by bringing the whole family..is it not excessive? Our family, especially his own daughter, was not aware of the crimes he had committed during this time. Uncle Vincent cleverly hid all the rot, but why should we all be punished as well?"

Quinn looked back, some of whom seemed to agree with Julien's question. "It seems that you guys are angry that we thought we had saved the Viscount from being punished for a dozen years. In fact, if you were in my position, you would have said the same thing as me."

Quinn slipped her hair "on a hungry stomach, if you see good food so want to eat. If you see an expensive gem, you want to steal it. And if you are given the opportunity to scoop up wealth overnight at the expense of others, you do not have to think twice or feel objected to getting rid of the original opponent can win it. All your life, you've all thought so, right? naturally, it was a human instinct to survive."

"...." silence struck the courtroom. No one can deny Quinn's remarks, both from the elite and ordinary people, especially for the small people who have difficulty facing the food crisis during the war due to embezzlement cases.

"Some nobles are selfish and greedy, they don't care what impact their actions have on the little people they should help while bringing greater benefits to themselves." Quinn pointed at the suspect's desk again, "look carefully. Why are they suspects and we need to prosecute them? what is our difference with them? we have reason and they don't. Because reason makes us know morals, while they are mad and throw away their humanity only for possessions that will not be brought to death."

Quinn used the words 'us' and 'them' to mark the difference as if he was on the side of the small people and instigated them subtly to defend Quinn and further corner the suspects. He delves into the sympathies of the public and makes them guilty of having thought ill of Quinn so as to make them unilateral and support him.

Doc!

Quinn kicked off his pulpit table, "suspecting to have harnessed the power the King had given him to commit the unforgivable and worst crime man could commit, which was human trafficking."

Some of the people who were from Verenity were stunned. Their brains instantly stopped working, what does human trafficking mean?

"Gentlemen, try to recall the time of the royal war..."

"The royal war that has lifted the treasure of Ethereal, it is an incredible victory. But how can that victory come about? is it mere capital of courage and honor without death?

The death that the kingdom has tried only to occur in the middle of the war was also approaching the people in several small villages who fought hard to be able to live every day.

When the war was going on, it happened, a harmonious family in the village was forced to commit suicide by setting themselves on fire along with their home because they had no money to pay for the funeral of their starving daughter. The funeral cost was just a piece of silver coin.

The people in the village were targeted, hating the King who allegedly did not try to make those who were far from the capital still able to eat even though they were in a war. Though the funds stopped on these criminals who have been formulated to spread food aid.

At a time when the community was experiencing the lowest period, three nobles came proudly as if they were very concerned about the community and made a charity by building an orphanage, as an institution dedicated to the people.

The orphanage is not only a comfort to the people in distress. Although it is called an orphanage, but the three of them still include other children who still have parents to help ease the burden. Each year they choose one hundred and fifty of the best children who will be put into the orphanage. They provide free assistance, such as providing clothes, food, dormitories, and education. Just imagine, which people are not tempted to hear that when they are on the verge of death?

Parents are very happy. They flocked to send their children there, not knowing what kind of place it really was."

Nah!

Quinn lifted a single sheet of his report document. "Every year, out of a hundred and fifty children, there are more than thirty children missing. At first glance it does not seem strange, another case if we look at the number as a whole for many years. Judging from his orphanage that was far from the battlefield and had never been attacked at all, wasn't it clearly suspicious? where did the kids disappear to?"

Then Quinn sorted one by one the sheets while mentioning what the contents of the data written there, "kidnapping, murder, selling as slaves to neighboring countries, rape, prostitution, selling organs in humans, etc, the distribution of drugs, and many other crimes is the reason I report the six main noble families that are here now."

Quinn did not have to bother thinking about how to engineer the document because he got it from Penelope who brought all the documents to him for free.

The girl held up a piece of paper containing strange codes that seemed like just useless scribbles "This is a copy of the data I've given to the presiding Judge. At first glance this looks like a useless scribble. But if we look deeper, this is the letter of the ancient Ethereal language used by the First King to give identity to his country even though it is now more updated. After I investigated by opening the dictionary, the meaning of this graffiti was 'a drug powder that would be circulated inserted into the stomach of a child who had been dissected so that no one would be suspicious'."

All parents who feel they are sending their children into an orphanage become limp to feel nauseous because of a painful condition. Not only them, but the entire community gathered in the courtroom was stunned to hear the truth revealed by Quinn.

"Worse yet, they toppled Princess Leticia, king Kaisen's cousin as the one who had put up a rebellion and planned to overthrow the King's position to become Queen so that Princess Leticia who was completely innocent must feel the feeling of languishing in the bars for years length of time. Isn't that unfair? for years they have cultivated wealth but never received judgment? Princess Leticia was completely innocent and should have been thrown out of prison because it was a suitable place for them."

Raiden was honestly surprised. He does not know that Kaisen has a brother who is still alive, especially when it turns out to be languishing in a dungeon.

The judge gave the suspects the opportunity to speak "how? did the suspects admit this?" ask the judge who gave them time to defend themselves.

"No."

"Although below this data has the stamp of a noble family?"

"It could've been copied."

Quinn grinned "of course I already thought the suspects would deny it. That's why I've invited some witnesses to come here."

Two robed men came and replaced Quinn to stand in the pulpit. "What Lady Quinn said was all true. Each year the orphanage chooses the best child to put in a certain 'class. In other words, it was grouped according to what supply the client requested, such as the sale of slaves, internal organs, drugs. They lured the boys by saying they would be sent to the best academy in the capital or school abroad. But in reality those who are elected will be killed or sold. Even though I'm just a food supply supplier, I often see them doing violence against children..."

Vincent, Benedetti, and Herrera raised their faces in shock. They paled even more because the witness who appeared was the person they had believed in all this time.

"I swear to God that my statement is true. I didn't witness it myself, there was Mr. Rupert who knew more about what the situation inside the orphanage was like."

Rupert then removed the hood of his robe, he bowed respectfully before declaring testimony. "Yes, what Mr. Robert said is correct. I work as one of the caretakers in the parlour but I do not have high authority so every time I try to ask where the children are going to be sent, I ask, they're just saying that those chosen kids are going to a better place."

"Don't Mr Rupert be the manager at the mail delivery company?"

"But I rarely saw him there. Maybe he's not a manager but a part-time worker."

"Yes, you're right too. He deserves to have another job."

Rupert pulled out a pile of autographed affidavit letters signed by the suspects and their clients. "This is the evidence I stole from the orphanage office. It's about the receipt of the 'goods' and all the covenants to keep each other shut."

Rupert went to the judge's table and gave all the royal letters to them to read and analyze the authenticity of the letter.

The judge again gave the opportunity "does the suspect have a defense for the last time?"

"suspect..? we're just giving you a little time to present your defense."

Vincent who had tried to temper himself had lost his mind, he needed to defend himself "If it were not for us, those children would have long died of hunger and scurvy! are we forcing them to come?! they are the ones fighting to bring their children to us! As long as you know, we give them comfort on par with the nobles! basically they all have a mental beggar who just wants comfort without the need to pay a penny! people don't know the return!"

All who heard felt triggered to beat Vincent to death.

Rupert chuckles amusedly "Pfft! return the favor? Can you really think like that? can you bring back the lives of their beloved children whom you have traded? You are lower than the animals. You are all just human demons. There's not a single good thing you leave behind as long as you live."

Bugh!

A woman from the observation bench approached the suspect's pulpit and boasted Vincent's face until the man fell to the floor. The woman cried while clutching Vincent's collar as tightly as possible "my daughter also went to your orphanage! Suddenly he stopped sending letters and I heard the news that he was missing.His body was not found so I could not hold a funeral for him," the woman cried to the ground, "he said that they all experienced the same thing during the war, so I tried to bury his memories and tried to sincerely let go of my daughter, but it was all you guys."

"My daughter must have been very disappointed in her own mother for never trying to find her son who was wasted out of nowhere..."

Rupert approached the woman trying to calm down, "You don't get too emotional, ma'am. I've managed to save a few kids from there, it's possible that the mother's son is among them."

"Eh?! really?! are you not lying? please don't give this poor woman false hope..."

Rupert gave a small nod and stood before the Chief Judge. "Your Highness Judge, before I got out of the place, I managed to get some children out of the orphanage and I had already taken them to Helldelune to receive an examination. They are absolute witnesses to the truth of his statement, but they still need mental treatment."

After conferring with the other two Judges, he nodded in agreement "We will immediately examine them after the trial is completed."

Dock

"Please return to your seats. The complainant, Lady Quinn, still has one more charge against the suspect Viscount Vincent van Marchetti."

The nobility watching became excited to hear what else Quinn was going to throw out in addition to corruption and human trafficking cases.

"Is this about the relationship of the Viscount and his family?"

"She's definitely gonna fuck up about the kidnapping."

"What a pity the fate of the Viscount."

Quin smiled "Thank you for giving me a chance, Your Majesty."

Quinn took out a small bottle of his blood sample which was confirmed by the palace doctors that contained two toxic substances that, when used together, would be deadly poison. "I don't really understand my uncle's mindset. As is well known, my family and uncle's family lived far apart. My sister and I very rarely interacted with him so I concluded that I did not have any faults that could make him this grudge."

Quinn covered her mouth shaking in tears, "even before rumors spread about the Word of God, uncle was cold to us as a family member. For no apparent reason, Uncle who had heard the rumors became extremely wary of me. Sometimes he raises his hand to me. My father, Count Savero witnessed it himself."

Killian gasped in surprise, she turned her head to look at her father's calm face, "A-dad, is that true?"

"Yes. I saw it for myself and I'm the one who kept him away from your brother."

"He had the thought of killing me first before being killed for fear that the Word of God would actually happen. Besides, after knowing I had brought the evidence of his crimes he poisoned me in order to bury me along with all the criminal acts he had committed. It's my blood that's been taken to prove that I really have swallowed poison."

The judge glanced at the palace doctor, "Is that true, doctor?"

"Yes, Your Highness the Judge. There are two different types of poison from rare plants, even the antidote for the poison is still difficult to make due to the limitations of the ingredients."

Vincent growled against "His Majesty the Judge, he poisoned me first! he planned to get rid of me so that he could seize the position of Grand Duke!"

"You haven't been allowed to interrupt, Viscount."

Quinn smiled slantedly "I have also conducted an investigation that the Viscount did not only violence to me, but to the people in his house. She has her own daughter, Penelope van Marchetti. He dared to testify that his father was indeed a violent offender who made one of the servants in their house even die."

Killian stiffened when he saw Penelope coming into the room as a witness. It was only fitting that he had looked for Penelope not there. "So, a bruise on the back of his neck at that time." he muttered, only to realize that the mark was a trace of Vincent's torment.

"Loh, so is it true that she's light-handed?"

"I've seen waiters who've worked at his house come out with a lot of bruises on the face."

"It's awful."

"Is he really human?"

Now it's Penelope's turn to stand on the pulpit to give her statement regarding the violent case her father committed in their home. "I swear by God that the statement I made after this is a whole truth that has not been added or subtracted in the least."

"What Quinn had said just now was true. We often get tantrums whenever we don't do what he asks or don't go his way."

Penelope wept as she continued, "He always poured out his anger on me for thinking I had ruined all his happiness, including the death of my mother.

I was very rarely given new food or clothes if I did not try to make money myself. That's why I opened a florist business so I could stay alive.

But, when I got home, he asked for all my money and beat me up leaving a mark that was very difficult to remove. But he himself has also repeatedly matched me with higher-ranking nobles to reap more profits. Doesn't that include mental torture? I can't be a day free from his rage.

As proof, I still have a lash mark that my father chastised."

Penelope unzipped the dress on her back and showed how the lash wound was still half wet and flushed from the continued rubbing of the dress.

Killian and Savero glared in disbelief at the severity of the scar on the back of Penelope's body.