The day of the trial arrived in due time. Seulhee was required to testify as a witness for all the men being tried since she had seen and heard evidence of their treason firsthand. She received briefing on how to respond to all the interrogations, but she felt nervous all the same. True, she had been in the presence of "important" people in the past, but this time she would be at the center of attention of an even larger group of people, rather than ignored and treated as furniture.

The trial was held in one of the big halls of the palace. Usually, the place was drafty, but on that day the room was uncomfortably warm. Rows and rows of benches lined the span of the room, packed mostly with nobles who had come to court for the occasion. Now that the king was restored to his throne, they didn't have anything to fear from the traitors. They did have something to fear from the king, however. If he suspected that any of them had willingly aided the traitors, they could easily lose their heads, or at the very least, a significant chunk of their purses. Regardless, the king would be keeping his nobles on a tight leash in the future.

The king sat on the throne at the front, with a tall podium, as well as stands for the accused and the witnesses, between him and his subjects. The High Judge stood behind the podium to preside over the proceedings, deferring to the king as necessary or requested.

One by one, the traitors were called forth, and one by one, their respective witnesses were questioned. Seulhee remained in her place, standing in the back of the room with the rest of the commoners, watching the events with a sense of detachment while she waited for her turn.

The only time she paid close attention was when Jaesun spoke. She had never seen Dongwoo's cousin previously. As Jaesun gave her testimony, her eyes were a cold, hard black, radiating rage and hatred toward the defendant, an overweight, balding man who couldn't meet that accusatory glare. Seulhee almost pitied the man, but, remembering the crimes committed, she changed her mind.

Soon enough, Seulhee was summoned. The walk to the front of the hall felt endless, and each of her steps on the flagstones seemed to echo far too audibly. She kept her head facing straight forward to avoid the curious, disdainful, and even hostile stares aimed at her, trying not to pay any heed to the whispers that dispersed throughout the crowd. It occurred to her that the guilty parties' family and friends were almost definitely among this lot, and she suppressed a shudder. They couldn't do anything to her, could they?

At long last, she reached the front, ascending the witness stand that lay a few steps away from the podium. The High Judge gazed down at her from his position, and despite the difference in their physical levels and their social status, the look he gave her was not unfriendly but rather encouraging.

Then, before she could spend any more time composing herself, the High Judge banged his gavel against the podium and began the process. She stated her name, origin, and status as a commoner, and then began to answer the questions presented to her.

The worst thing was that her speech sounded extremely crude to her own ears. She'd never been taught to speak in a sophisticated manner or give any sort of presentation before, so she felt as if her sentences were awkwardly phrased, poorly organized, and overall rather simple-minded. However, she stood strong, refusing to be intimidated by the people at her back. She told everything that she knew as she knew it, neither exaggerating nor downplaying any details nor leaving out anything important.

When it was all over, she was dismissed from the witness stand, more murmurs and stares trailing after her as she reclaimed her seat in the back. The people sharing the bench with her all glanced her way, but thankfully, as the trial continued, they returned their attention to the front, and she was left in relative peace.

When the trial came to a close, all of the defendants had been convicted and assigned their respective punishment. There were over a dozen executions, including Jaesoo's murderer, five exiles, three life-time incarcerations, and many fines applied.

The executions would take place at dawn the next day in full view of the public, and many people were sure to turn up to see the spectacle. Seulhee had neither the heart nor stomach to participate. As much as she despised these people and their wrongdoings, and although she understood the purpose the public beheadings served in warning people against treason, she couldn't see the point in reveling in these deaths.

While the executions occurred, Seulhee spent her time holed up in the hay loft with Sungjong, chatting as they usually did, this time about the fate of the remaining nobles. Eventually, a page came along to inform her of a summons from the king. When he found her lying on the straw beside Sungjong, the boy covered a smirk, assuming the worst even though the two of them were fully clothed, and she felt her cheeks burn. Sungjong touched her shoulder lightly in a gesture of encouragement before she climbed down and set off to answer the summons.