Harem System In A fantasy World

The lanky councillor sighed this time.

"Please, Duke Dawncrest, stop this farce..."

Cain froze.

"The Young Lady works for you, does she not? You already stated that she has been in your service for nearly a year."

His gaze briefly shifted toward Liora before returning to Cain.

"As your subordinate, her actions are ultimately your responsibility, and so are her faults. If you allowed this matter to escalate to such an extent because of information you never bothered to verify yourself..."

The councillor’s expression hardened.

"...then I worry greatly for the domain under your rule." Dawncrest’s face seemed to darken further with every word the councillor spoke.

The Duke was breathing heavily now, his eyes bloodshot as he remained standing.

"If there’s nothing more, we shall now pass—"

Bang!

Dawncrest slammed his fist into the table in front of him.

A thundering crack echoed throughout the chamber as the table shattered beneath the force, pieces of wood exploding outward into splinters.

Many people flinched.

Liora most of all, considering she was sitting directly beside him.

And under everyone’s shocked gaze, Cain Dawncrest turned to the side and began walking back up the flight of stairs without saying another word.

He didn’t look back even once.

When he reached the doors, he threw them open with enough force to make them slam against the walls, stepped through without breaking stride, and then violently slammed them shut behind him.

Bang!

A stunned silence settled over the entire court as People exchanged shocked glances.

’Did he just...’ Elion blinked, equally stupefied ’...throw a tantrum and leave?’

For some reason, Elion looked back toward the front, a part of him expecting someone to go after the man and drag him back.

But nothing of the sort happened.

"Well, that was certainly an ugly sight," the lanky councillor said.

No one had expected the Duke to react in such an unbecoming manner, especially someone of his standing, even if he had just taken a huge loss.

No doubt, after this, he would be losing quite a bit of influence, and his reputation would take a massive hit.

’Not that it matters...’ Elion leaned back slightly in his seat. ’He won’t be alive for much longer anyway.’

Regardless, the rest of the court meeting unfolded exactly as one would expect.

"Seeing as all matters have now been put into perspective, we shall proceed with our judgement of the situation. We will pass our decision on to Miss Wendy to announce, and since His Majesty is present here today, we shall also ask whether he approves of how the matter has been handled."

The lanky councillor paused briefly.

"After that, there will be one final, important announcement that we need to make."

Unanimous nods came from the stunned congregation.

After that, a document was briefly drafted by the six councillors while everyone waited, and it was soon passed to the formally dressed woman who had been overseeing the proceedings up until now.

Wendy accepted it, briefly scanned the contents, then began reading aloud.

"The six Royal Councillors have come to the unanimous decision that the accused, Elion Nova, is innocent on all accounts, and accusations presented against him by the accusing party, Duke Cain Dawncrest and Lady Liora Wynfell Blossom."

She paused briefly, looking up from the papers in her hand, perhaps gauging the crowd’s reactions, but there were none of interest, so she continued.

"In accordance with that decision, and considering the damages that have accrued as a result of the Duke’s actions up until now, his conduct has been deemed a blatant abuse of his power as a high-ranking noble official. Escalating personal matters to this extent is no simple matter."

Wendy briefly paused.

"And so, with that in mind, Duke Cain Dawncrest and his family have been ordered to rightfully compensate the accused, as well as all those affected."

She looked down at the document.

"Firstly, for the manor formerly owned by the accused in Grimholt City, which the Duke destroyed, a full reconstruction funded entirely by the Duke is hereby ordered, as well as compensation for all property inside that was destroyed during the attack."

A few murmurs followed.

"Secondly, a formal apology shall be issued to the accused, and it is expected to be sincere, as this will be publicized as loudly as the false accusations."

She continued.

"Thirdly, in light of the distress, psychological damage, and defamation suffered by the accused as a result of the Duke’s actions, Elion Nova shall be compensated with twenty thousand gold coins, all provided by the Duke and his family."

A collective gasp immediately came from the crowd.

Most of those gathered here were already wealthy and influential people.

However, obtaining twenty thousand gold coins in one go, just like that...

They couldn’t help but feel envious.

Perhaps if they were told to go through everything Elion had experienced in exchange for such an amount, more than a few of them would accept without hesitation.

Wendy continued.

"Since this appears to have been a collaboration between Lady Liora and Duke Dawncrest, and perhaps the Duke’s son as well, the manner in which this compensation is divided between them will be decided amongst themselves, as we currently consider them one entity."

Her eyes swept briefly across the chamber.

"Of course, an investigation will be carried out shortly after this assembly is adjourned to get a better perspective on things, and should additional information be uncovered that might alter this provisional sentence, all involved parties shall be notified beforehand. After all, we haven’t forgotten about the Duke’s additional witnesses, even though they never got the chance to speak up; we will still investigate how they were involved."

She looked toward the Gale couple with narrowed eyes as she said this, before briefly glancing toward the somber academy professor who hadn’t said a single word up to now.

She then looked toward Liora.

"Lady Liora."

Liora slowly raised her head. Her eyes seemed to have lost some of their light, but her expression was otherwise eerily calm.

If Elion had to describe the expression she was wearing right now, he would say it was quite terrifying, though for entirely different reasons.

Her calm facade was quite disconcerting, given the situation. It irked Elion deeply, not that he had anything to fear from her.

"The council does not fully understand your circumstances," Wendy continued. "And though we are curious as to how someone from the famous Blossom family ended up in the service of Duke Dawncrest, if there is anything you wish to say in your defence, anything at all, then this is the time. We are willing to hear you out."

A hint of surprise flashed through Liora’s eyes, but that was all.

She opened her mouth for a moment, seemingly intending to speak, only to close it again.

Then she shook her head.

"I have nothing to say, My Lady."

Elion frowned.

He didn’t quite know what to make of that, but he didn’t pity her.

She had played an important role in this entire fiasco, and things could have ended very badly for him.

Fortunately, they hadn’t.

Still, he would be lying if he said he wasn’t curious about her situation. Was it really true that she had been working for the Duke all this time?

And how had that even happened?

Regardless, Wendy nodded solemnly at her words.

"If so, then this is what is asked of you."

She glanced down at the document once more.

"A formal apology to Elion Nova, as well as an order for you to immediately withdraw from the academy for acting in a manner unbefitting of a person of your stature and a student of Grimholt."

Liora’s eyes trembled, but she didn’t say anything in response. She simply nodded.

Wendy continued.

"Of course, this is in addition to the monetary compensation that you will pay to the accused alongside the Duke. How that burden is divided will be worked out between yourselves as the accusing party. I trust that you will pass this on to your master. Of course, we will also send a formal order to him as assurance, as well as enforcing that everything is carried out justly afterward."

Once she was done with Liora, Wendy turned toward Elion.

"Elion Nova."

Elion raised his head.

"The councillors would like to commend you for refusing to fold under such great pressure. Despite having the odds stacked against you, you acted admirably and courageously."

A small smile appeared on her face.

"I’m sure everyone here recognises your many talents by now."