The news of Paradise Star had spread through the whole kingdom. People were furious when they heard about the cult. Noble involvement just made everyone more enraged toward the news. They demanded the members of Paradise Star be punished as hard as possible.
A list of people related to the cult had been set for execution. Although Sinner Punishment came faster, it went the same as in the past. Accused people would enter the courtroom awaiting their final judgements. If they were lucky, they could receive a lesser punishment. Some people with bad luck had to face the guillotine.
Everyone could guess how was Helena's luck in her first life.
The system of trial for Sinner Punishment skipped grand jury assessment as every member of Paradise Star was deemed guilty. The clerk would read their charge before the prosecutor presented the case against the defendant, followed by a witness testimony. Judges and lawyers usually conduct cross-examination, but in this case, the defendants must defend themselves. They were expected to disprove the evidence and establish their innocence. This was a disadvantage for the accused. They had no idea about the upcoming evidence and had to respond to the statement directly.
Helena was fortunate. She still remembered the testimonies until this moment.
It was a closed trial, so not many people attended it. The King and his sons watched from their seats. He was shocked to see her appear in court as a defendant.
"Is that Helena Blackmoore?"
Prince Heliodor sighed. "It appears so, Father."
Prince Ruby smirked. "You cannot believe that sweet face after all."
The King frowned, still could not believe his eyes. He shifted his sight and stared at the empty seat for the Crown Prince. "Where is Sapphire? He is supposed to watch the trial with us."
The youngest prince answered his father's question. "Yesterday, he took his horse in a hurry. Nobody knew where he went."
The situation was a bit different from the past. In Helena's first life, Prince Sapphire sat on his seat. He watched the trial with the rest of the royal family. It changed nothing since she was still left alone to fend for herself.
Helena walked and stood on the defendant's stand. Everyone glared, whispering in a low voice about the arrested Saint. Although she looked calm, Helena was anxious inside. Helena glanced at the prosecutor out of caution. He was a middle-aged man with exhausted features. Glasses could not hide the wrinkle under his eyes. His black hair mixed with some white hair from ageing. That man read the opening statement with a gruff voice.
"Helena Blackmoore has been arrested because multiple witnesses reported her, implying she is related to Paradise Star."
Helena shook her head. "Surely a rumour is not concrete evidence?"
"We can no longer close our eyes when many people say the same things." The opposite side sighed. "The prosecutor would like to call the first witness."
The first witness was a plain man in his twenties. That man was confident and believed that Helena would not be able to stand up against his testimony. After stating his name and job, he revealed his statement.
"On Third May, I'd seen her walk to an alley with a man. He wore a cloak with the symbol of snakes and a sword."
"What time was it?"
The witness was thinking for a moment. "It was night around eight."
"OBJECTION!" Helena raised her voice. He just fell into her trap. "It was not me. That night, I visited a ball in Noble Street and dropped wine on my dress. The host allowed me to change into one of her dresses."
The memory of the testimony was fresh in her mind. Helena had memorised the place, date and time of each statement. She had prepared for this comeback since her second life. Helena created an alibi on purpose. They must confirm her word with the party host later, but Helena was convinced it would work in her favour.
The second and third witness was the same ranking nobles as her. Helena had investigated their backgrounds and discovered both were on the verge of bankruptcy. They were desperate enough to lie in front of the law.
Helena refuted the second and third witnesses without struggle. The first one watched her enter the drug den, but she stayed in the orphanage until night. Helena threw a party for the children, taking everyone's attention with decoration and noise. The second one watched her walking with a member of Paradise Star into a tavern when she was visiting a salon. She gathered people's interest by showing her knowledge and skill about tea.
The witnesses were speechless hearing her refute. Helena chuckled at victory. She could feel the freedom in her grasp. Perhaps this time, Helena could avoid the guillotine ending.
The final witnesses appeared at last. The Gray couple came to the witness stand. Helena could not control her expression. She glared at them with pure hatred. The couple betrayed her trust, corrupted her money and dared to frame her.
"Could you tell us what you saw that day?" The judge asked them.
"It only happened a week ago on Sunday night. We saw Lady Blackmoore wear a strange mask and enter a carriage. At first, we paid no mind to it. However, the news of Paradise Star appeared in the newspaper. People who attended their Black Market must wear a mask. We suddenly remembered Lady Blackmoore and reported it to the knight."
Helena's eyes went wide. Their testimony was different from her first life.
"What did you do that day and time, Lady Blackmoore?"
That was the day and time when she visited Sabbath. Helena bit her lip. She would dig her own grave by telling the truth. Helena had no option but to lie.
"I-I was sleeping in my bedroom."
"I see. We will send someone to your home to check it."
When Helena thought she could get a break, an officer barged through the courtroom. "Pardon the interruption, but we found a piece of evidence. This comes from Helena Blackmoore's closet!"
Helena was frozen when she saw it. The officer held a mask in his hand. However, it was not the mask she wore on Sabbath. Someone tried to frame her with that item. To do that, they should have access to her bedroom.
Only one person came out of her mind. Ethel.
Helena began to lose her composure. Her breath got heavier within a second. The memory of the guillotine became more vivid in her mind. She remembered the suffocating feeling of dread and hopelessness. Helena lost the ability to think clearly.
The judge hit the hammer to the desk. "We will accept it as evidence. However, we still have more witnesses waiting in the back. The trial will continue."
Helena was stunned when she heard it. There were more?
In the past, her trial ended after the Gray couple. There was no additional witness. Helena had no way to defend herself against new proof right now. She watched the next person walk to the stand with a loud heartbeat.
A boy with a bright red hat stood alongside his guardian. Helena's face turned bright when she saw them.
"Jeremy! Whitesmithe!"
"Hi, Lady Blackmoore!" Jeremy greeted her.
"You're in a bad spot, huh?" Adham stared at her from top to toe. Her face was sickly pale, and her whole appearance was messy. "Don't worry. I'm here to assist you. Wait, scratch that! We are here to assist you!"
Adham and Jeremy brought many people behind them. Helena recognised some people in the crowd. There was a pair of mother and daughter she aided before during Jeremy's kidnapping. Both of them looked much better than before. They smiled at her with a face full of gratitude.
The prosecutor was stunned by the number of new witnesses. "Is-is this everyone?"
"Nope!" Jeremy grinned at him. "The last witness just arrived."
Lady Verdant stepped into the place. The courtroom became loud within a second. People had no idea why she came to that place. Helena was as confused as they were. Lady Verdant was not connected to her at all. In Helena's previous life, that woman locked herself in her room in this season.
"Lady Verdant? What matter take you to the court?"
"My, don't be surprised, Lady Blackmoore." The old lady chuckled. "My granddaughter begged me to come here to assist you."
Behind Lady Verdant was a little girl with short blonde wavy hair and brown eyes. Helena was surprised to see Daisy. The little girl's face was beaming when she saw Helena. "That's her! She is the good lady who saved me, Grandma!" Daisy waved her tiny hand toward Helena. "Hello, Lady Blackmoore."
Helena was in awe. "Daisy is your granddaughter?!"
"Yes. Daisy was kidnapped when she was out with her mother. They knocked out my daughter-in-law and took her daughter away. I was devastated when I lost my granddaughter. You had no idea how relieved I was when Daisy returned home. She told me a lady with long black hair named Blackmoore saved her. Have you received the purple dress? Daisy chose it for you."
Helena remembered the dress she wore to Marquiss Wisteria's party. She never thought it would come from Lady Verdant. That would explain the gratitude letter in her gift. Everything was connected like a chain. The impact of losing her granddaughter caused Lady Verdant to isolate herself. Saving Daisy had prevented the past from happening.
The prosecutor and judge were taken aback by the number of witnesses. "We cannot listen to everyone due to limited time for trial. One person can give their testimony right now while the rest give their statement to the officers. Who will represent the group?"
Jeremy stared at Adham. "Can you handle it?"
He grinned. "Come on. Speaking in front of the public is easier than trailing a smuggler."
Adham told his story from the beginning. He and Helena looked out after missing Jeremy and stumbled upon Paradise Cult's secret hideout. They found Jeremy and Daisy locked with other victims and helped the rest of them escape. The King listened to his story with great interest. Prince Ruby clicked his tongue while Prince Heliodor remained silent. The situation had shifted better for Helena.
A frown appeared on the judge's face. He asked Adham a question. "Why is she not in the report regarding the kidnapping incident?"
"Lady Blackmoore does not want her identity exposed since she is noble. She left after saving everyone. However, I can reassure everyone that she helped me. The knight next to me will tell you."
The knight did not want to be in that place. It was obvious that Adham dragged him against his own will. The poor knight was nervous and stuttered a bit in his speech. "I- I am in charge of handling the kidnapping case. The victims told us two persons had saved them. One is this man, and the other is an unknown woman. Since the other person did not appear, we assumed they wanted to hide their identity and closed the case."
"Hmmm.... This is the first time I've seen so many witnesses stand up for a defendant. We even still have one more person."
Helena was dumbfounded.
"There is more?"
They heard a racket from outside. Someone tried to barge into the courtroom.
"Brother, your injury!"
"Screw my injury! I am not letting my saviour die!"