I've Suffered for Five Years, Now It's Your Turn. ~The Crown Princess Has No Intention of Forgiving~ - Episode 23

King Harvin looked bewildered, but the gathered noble families showed no patience.
Their eyes turned to His Majesty.

“Your Majesty… we were told you would explain the royal family’s recent scandal.”

“Th-That is…”

King Harvin was clearly trying to think of a way to talk his way out of this situation.
Before he could make up an excuse, I spoke first to cut him off.

“Everyone, what we’ve uncovered goes far beyond mere infidelity. Many other crimes have come to light.”

“!!”

The king shot a sharp glare in my direction, but I calmly smiled and continued.

“I gathered the evidence, yet His Majesty says it should not be made public.”

“What… King Harvin, isn’t that a bit disrespectful?”
“The royal family must take responsibility for its crimes. And yet you’ve left the investigation entirely to the Crown Princess?”

To the noble families, the royal family’s wrongdoing is something that must be judged fairly and properly.
So naturally, they sided with me.
Only King Harvin wore a scowl of discomfort.

“This was my decision… there’s nothing wrong with that.”

“Then, Your Majesty, explain to the noble families why you oppose my bringing judgment upon Erik and the others.”

My question was laced with a subtle challenge: justify your words before everyone here.
King Harvin hesitated, struggling to come up with an answer.

“This scandal is the royal family’s responsibility. As such, it’s my duty to judge my own kin. I can’t leave that to a foreign princess.”

The nobles listened silently, until one duke let out a dry laugh.

“The truth only came to light thanks to Crown Princess Filia. For the royal family to now claim it and make a public announcement in their name… isn’t that a bit disrespectful when they’ve done nothing themselves?”

“What…!”

“She came here from another kingdom and now has to deal with this royal mess. For the royal family to try and take the lead now—it’s incredibly selfish.”

The noble families, surprisingly, felt reliable in that moment.
Their refusal to support the king showed how deep their distrust of this entire affair had grown.

“This is between me and Princess Filia. The rest of you have no place interfering—”

“And yet that very secrecy is what allowed the crimes to remain hidden for so long. Your Majesty, this was negligence on your part.”

Once the noble families started questioning him, there was no stopping them.
And with public trust already shattered due to Erik’s infidelity, their anger only grew.

“Your Majesty, please explain your decision-making to us.”

“Don’t make me repeat myself! I said this is my decision!”

“However, this also concerns the Kingdom of Sylvan, the princess’s homeland. If mishandled, it could become an international issue. If we allow such disrespect toward their royal family, even we nobles can’t accept it.”

“……”

“We’ve already begun trade agreements with the Kingdom of Sylvan. We can’t let the royal family’s selfishness ruin those ties.”

At this point, the king no longer had the authority to stop me.
As long as the nobles remained here as witnesses, he couldn’t steal or suppress the evidence I’d gathered.

“Well then, I must now question the physician we’ve taken into custody.”

“W-Wait… wait, Princess Filia!”

“Your Majesty, you haven’t answered our questions yet. You’re not about to irresponsibly walk away, are you?”

“Ggh… you…”

All for the sake of appearances.
And so, King Harvin stood there, unable to say another word, frozen under the nobles’ scolding.

At the knight order’s garrison, the physician we had in custody quickly broke down once questioning began.

“It’s true—I diagnosed Princess Filia as infertile. I did it in exchange for the promise that my own crimes would be overlooked.”

As expected. I already knew this.
A year ago, I learned that Camilla and the others had used a disgraced doctor to give a false diagnosis.

“Why confess so easily now?”

“B-Because I’m terrified… With everything happening in the capital, with the people starting to demand answers… I knew I’d be suspected sooner or later.”

“……”

“For five years now, I’ve lived in fear. I never knew when the truth would come out. I don’t want to keep living like this—always scared. I want to atone for what I’ve done.”

For a single citizen, being forced into committing such a grave crime—falsely diagnosing a princess—was too much.
His body trembled as he confessed, and I could see just how much fear he had lived with all these years.

“I need you to testify during the tribunal for Erik and the others. Tell the truth without lies.”

“Y-Yes! Of course! I’m truly… truly sorry.”

With the physician’s confession secured, all that remained was to present all the evidence and bring Erik and the others to justice.
Having prepared everything, I went to see the one person who could move things forward.

“Princess Filia… I’m astonished at the amount of evidence you’ve gathered.”

I visited Chancellor Dalton’s office, presenting the documents proving Erik’s infidelity and Queen Camilla’s crimes.

“I’m ashamed. As chancellor, I’ve clearly failed in my responsibilities.”

His hands shook as he looked over the papers, especially the one detailing the false diagnosis about my fertility.
He bowed his head deeply.

“I am truly sorry. This is a disgrace to our nation. I don’t know how I could ever make it up to you.”

“Chancellor Dalton… will you help us hold a proper tribunal for Erik and the others?”

He responded with a nod.

“Of course. I’ll speak with the dukes immediately. We’ll open a tribunal to question the royal family.”

“!”

“A formal tribunal to hold the royal family accountable. It will demand fairness and transparency. Under such scrutiny, the king’s earlier decision will no longer stand.”

His words were exactly what I’d hoped for—and subtly criticized King Harvin’s earlier attempt to sweep things under the rug.
Chancellor Dalton clearly shared my frustration over the king’s irresponsibility.

“Then, Chancellor, please begin the preparations for the tribunal.”

“Certainly. I’ll meet with the nobles… It should take about ten days.”

In truth, preparing a formal tribunal for royalty would usually take far longer.
To do it in just ten days showed the chancellor’s sincerity.

“As for the physical evidence, I ask that you keep it in your care, Princess Filia. We can no longer trust the royal family. You should be the one to protect it.”

“Chancellor Dalton… thank you. Truly.”

“No need to thank me. You came to this country in goodwill from another kingdom, and we failed you. This is the least I can do.”

“……”

“As chancellor, I offer my deepest apologies for the many offenses you’ve endured.”

With Chancellor Dalton’s apology, all preparations were finally complete.
Now all that remained was to wait for the tribunal.

Still… there’s one thing I can’t let go of.
The knight from a year ago—who was he? And who left that note for Luans?

I still don’t know.
All I can do now is wait for the tribunal.

But then—
Three days before the hearing, I would come to learn the entire truth.