'Poor guy... playing the blame game with me.' Fenric thought, amused. 'I've read over a hundred books with manipulative villains—I can make you eat your own words without lifting a finger.'
"I am grateful to His Majesty, who has cared for me so much, even though my elder and younger brothers have all been assigned responsibilities," Fenric said with a polite smile.
The Prime Minister felt something was off. 'What is with this kid?' he thought.
'Why is he not backing off?' He couldn't understand why the timid, depressed, and cold Third Prince was suddenly defending this librarian.
'Or... is it true that she really is his protector?' he wondered. 'But I have to get rid of her before she exposes the dirty secrets of the Third Empress.'
"Did I allow you to speak?" Fenric's calm expression vanished, his gaze turning sharp.
"It seems some people have grown presumptuous... daring to interrupt someone of Imperial blood," he said coldly.
The Royal Knights immediately aimed their swords at the Prime Minister, their presence alone suffocating. In the Empire Imperial blood is above all and as Royal Knights they only answer to those with blood of Emperor flowing through them, so when they heard Prince saying imperial blood was looked down upon, they took out their swords.
"Make him kneel," Fenric ordered, his voice smooth but authoritative.
"T-That's not what I meant, Your Highness!" the Prime Minister stammered, looking around for support.
But before he could gather himself, a voice cut in.
"Why are you so concerned about the Prime Minister, Third Prince?"
It was the Fourth Prince, who was watching with a smirk though inwardly he was panicking.
"This is your fault, isn't it? You never realized that your protector was this strong... Or, perhaps, there was a plot behind it?"
He tilted his head slightly, his words laced with mockery.
"I see..." Fenric muttered, expression unreadable.
But instead of denying it, he calmly looked at the Fourth Prince and said,
"So, it was you... I was wondering who gave that fat old minister the courage to speak against Imperial blood. So it was you."
The courtroom tensed at his words.
"Was it just your influence? Or was it also because you're one of the reasons why the Prime Minister was so eager to eliminate Mavis? Did she learn something at the Academy she never meant too?"
The Fourth Prince's expression stiffened slightly.
"Fourth Prince," Fenric continued smoothly, "was there a plot behind the Academy incident? My protector requested permission to leave and visit the Academy cause she was feeling nostalgic, yet she was forced into battle against the instructors and had no choice but to eliminate them to defend herself."
Fenric's sharp eyes locked onto the Fourth Prince, whose expression darkened.
"Y-You must be joking, Third Prince. How could I possibly have anything to do with the Academy—"
"Oh?" Fenric cut him off smoothly, his voice now laced with amusement.
"So... are you also implying that you were negligent in the duties assigned to you by His Majesty?"
The Fourth Prince's face paled, realizing that he was now walking into a trap of his own making.
"Ahaha, it seems the Third Prince has learned quite a bit of wordplay," the Third Empress chuckled, her voice carrying a sharp edge. She added coldly, "But the Prime Minister was speaking the truth. We should wrap this up. Even if she was your protector, she acted against the Empire without reason."
'Bitch... just wait until I regain enough power. I'll make sure to kill you the same way you killed the original owner of this body. It will be my payback for using this body to original owner.' Fenric thought inwardly, his expression remaining unreadable.
"Oh? Are you saying my protector had no reason for her actions?" Fenric asked.
The Third Empress hesitated, but then dismissed it. "There is no need to defend her, Third Prince."
"Remove her chains and keep a sword at her neck," Fenric ordered, his tone eerily calm. "I will now give her permission to state her reason for killing the instructors, when she only entered the Academy to rekindle her memories."
The Third Empress opened her mouth to protest, but before she could, the Emperor raised his hand, silencing her.
"You majesty—you can't just—" she started, but the Emperor's cold stare shut her down. A chill ran down her spine. For the first time in a long while, she felt fear as she looked at him.
"It seems some people have truly grown presumptuous." The Emperor's voice was calm yet oppressive. Then, with a firm tone, he announced, "Now, the Third Prince will lead this investigation."
Gasps filled the courtroom. The Prime Minister was forced to kneel by the Royal Knights, while Mavis was unchained.
"Finally, I get to stretch a little," Mavis muttered, rolling her shoulders as she grinned at Fenric.
"You brat, it's a good thing I took care of you," she teased, making the Third Prince chuckle slightly.
A Royal Knight snapped, "How dare you speak so casually to His Highness—"
But Fenric raised his hand, stopping them instantly. "As I said, she is like a mother to me. A mother can call her child however she wants."
The knights hesitated but ultimately backed off, though they still glared at Mavis.
"But remember this," Fenric continued, "What happened at the Academy must be formally investigated. If you are found guilty, I will personally cut off your head and display it at the capital's gates—to remind others of the punishment for treason."
The Emperor smirked, clearly amused. "That is a great way to punish someone," he mused. 'I should add it in my list of punishments.'
A deep silence filled the courtroom.
Once again, everyone was reminded of why the Third Prince was feared—why he was called the Cold Prince and the Heartless Prince.
'He called her mother yet he delivers such cruel punishment without hesitation!' This thought ran through the minds of all present.
'This brat is not serious is he?' Even mavis felt scared now, as she gazed at his cold eyes.
'No, he saved me, 'She shook her head as she forced herself to regain focus.