Sehun raised a brow at the Minster of War amidst the silence. His nonchalance in the situation was astounding. It did not look like he cared the slightest about the fate of his father.

“Y-yes. There are procedures we need to follow in order to-”

The prince walked forward towards the podium, ignoring the spluttering Minister. “There is not much time for that. I have information that I am willing to share regarding King Oh and since I am late, there is no time to lose.”

Soojin could only watch in surprise as her brother took his place at the podium. There was a pin-drop silence; everyone was too dumbfounded to make a sound.

“Good day, I am Prince Oh Sehun, the crown prince of the Kingdom of Daegu. I apologize for being late, as there were matters to attend to back in the kingdom. However, I rushed over as quickly as I could to stand in as witness to this trail regarding my father, King Oh. I wish to reveal the truth, no matter the cost in the name of justice.”

Queen Oh froze beside Soojin. It was the first time throughout the trial that she showed any signs of insecurity. That made Soojin nervous, because in her mind, Sehun was supposed to save Daegu as the next in line to the throne.

“Accusations towards King Oh made by the Byun family are completely true. My father was blinded by greed and power, thus resorting to extreme methods to gain more land. I am sorry to say that he has schemed terribly against the Bucheon Kingdom, including attempts to kill King Byun and frame Prince Byun Baekbeom as a bad leader, with the intention of bringing Prince Byun Baekhyun and Princess Oh Soojin to the throne.”

“You traitor!” Queen Oh stood up, pointing a finger at him. “Do not spew out such lies!”

The Minister of War slammed his gavel hard. “Queen Oh, please sit down and listen till the end of his statement.”

A small smirk played on Sehun’s lips. “He has written out his plans, and I have brought out the scrolls here today. My first in command will present it to you after this. I have also brought a few other scrolls written by him to compare the handwriting.”

“Someone could have faked the scrolls, they could have merely copied his handwriting,” Queen Oh protested weakly.

Sehun pretended not to have heard her. “I trust that the jury will make the right decision based on all the evidence provided. Thank you, Your Majesties.”

He calmly took his seat beside Soojin, leaving the flustered minister to deal with the mess he had just created.

“Oppa! What did you just do?” Soojin hissed as the scrolls were presented to the minister.

“Do not worry about it, little sister. I have it all under control. You are glad about this too, are you not?”

“Yes, but-“

“Oh Sehun!” Queen Oh reached over to smack her eldest son on the cheek. “What on earth are you trying to do? Your father’s life is at stake!”

Soojin gaped. It was the first time she had seen her elegant mother lay a hand on someone. However, Sehun was unfazed despite the pink mark on his cheek, as if he already expected her reaction.

“Mother, might I remind you that we are in public,” he said. “You are under the watchful eye of many. I hope you understand that your life is at stake here too.”

She felt as if she was sitting between two ticking time bombs. Her mother could not say anything to retort Sehun’s words, deciding instead to focus on her husband at the front of the hall. His eyes glazed in fury, staring at Sehun with conviction. Soojin was positive that her father would strangle him if he could.

“Right!” The minister started. “Now, we shall allow the jury some time to make their decision before casting their votes on this matter. The penalty will be based on the Bucheon Kingdom law.”

“We do not need any time,” said the King of the Jeonju Kingdom. “Should our answer not be obvious? We have evidence on parchment, as well as a trustworthy witness.”

Soohwa clutched her husband’s arm, prompting him to speak up. “Please do not speak for anyone here. I believe that we do have to discuss about it first.”

“May I have a closer look at the scrolls?” King Park asked. The royalty of all three kingdoms huddled over to have a closer look.

Soohwa took the longest to analyse the writing, and merely sent Soojin a defeated look from across the room. Sehun sat up straighter upon seeing the exchange. He was expressionless, but his body language said it all.

Soojin snuck a glance towards Chanyeol, who was listening to the discussion with furrowed brows. He was taking everything absolutely seriously. She wondered what he thought of her now that her Kingdom was in such a mess.

“Right! We have come to a unanimous decision that King Oh is guilty of all accusations stated earlier by the Bucheon Kingdom.” King Park stated loudly after a few moments. “We support whatever penalty is inflicted upon him, as long as it is fair to the Bucheon Kingdom laws.”

Advisor Lee shrunk further into the wall where he was standing. Soojin could only hope that he would not face a harsh punishment from the Byun family.

“Then it is settled. According to the Bucheon Law, one who attempts to inflict death upon the royal family is to be hung to death. One who attempts to publicly besmirch the name of the royal family is to receive twenty lashes. We will carry out this punishment in exactly one week.”

There was a terse silence.

“Hang me with him! I will die alongside my husband!” Queen Oh burst, knocking over her glass of water as she suddenly stood up.

“Mother, what-“

Sehun pulled his sister back, hushing her. She spinned around to face him, shooting him an incredulous look at what he was doing. Her own mother was offering to die, and she was not allowed to say anything? Granted, her mother was not the best parent, but as a daughter, it was all she could do now.

“It is tradition of the Daegu Kingdom that a wife is especially devoted to her husband. My devotion will be showed through my voluntary death,” she continued.

The Minister of War spoke up. “Your Majesty, it is against our laws that we execute someone who is not proven guilty.”

“Then I am guilty as well!”

“Mother, please stop,” Soojin murmured. Things were getting out of hand.

“Not only myself, but my son and daughter who are present here today are guilty! They knew of these schemes as well.”

Soojin stilled. The entire time she was trying to save her mother from death, but now she was pulling her into the mess? That was it. She was done trying to defend her parents anymore. Based on their actions, she was akin to a lowly eunuch to them.

“Are you trying to say that Prince Oh Sehun and Princess Oh Soojin we’re conspiring together with King Oh and yourself?” asked the minister.

Sehun scoffed. “Please do not mind Queen Oh. Not only is there lack of proof, but her making this statement right at this moment makes it seem even more unbelievable.”

Soojin knew she could count on her brother to get her out of this. All their time spent as little children playing out in the gardens was not thrown away after all. However, she could not help but feel a tad guilty. She did know about the scheme (granted, she was probably the last person to find out) and she did not do anything to stop it. Right now, the only people who knew she was indeed guilty were Baekhyun, Chanyeol and her parents.

“Well, does anyone in this room other than Queen Oh wish to back up this claim?”

She made eye contact with Chanyeol and he gave her a reassuring half-smile. She knew he would not tell on her. On the other hand, there was still Baekhyun.

When she turned her gaze to him, he was already staring at her blankly, lips pressed into a thin line. She pleaded through her eyes, widening them and conveying as much emotion as she could. All he did was slightly shake his head in response.

“Queen Oh, do you have any proof that anyone other than King Oh is involved with this?” asked the minister. “Only you are admitting to this crime yourself, Your Majesty. Any witnesses?”

“No, but-“

“Then it is s