The Courtesan

Chapter 80

KALVIN

It was a very auspicious day. On the day of worship, instead of being in the cathedral, the entire noble court and royals were present in the throne room. The pope was too, alongside a few high ranking members from the church of light. To be honest, it looked like a trial. My trial.

Before I entered the throne room, my mother had pulled me aside to talk to me. She was pleasantly surprised to hear I was going against the church and she definitely had words for me.

“You mischievous son! Why didn’t you tell me anything?!”

“Well, I knew you would get angry and worried so I decided to not bother you till this day came.”

“They are accusing us in there of wanting to kill the pope and the saintess. You’re telling me this was an issue to keep from me?!”

“... Yes.”

“Kalvin, tell me the truth, did you do it?”

Like my father, my mother was a very devout person. She was also very firm in her values and led the women of the kingdom very well till the Saintess became a point of reference. She was a good sport about it but I was resentful that my mother’s spot had been taken in such a disrespectful way. I mean, she is the queen!

“Yes. I targeted the Saintess’s and pope’s life.”

“Why?!”

“I did it to save our family. I will not wait until what happened in Casella happens to us before doing something.”

“...Kalvin. My son… You could’ve at least told me. Would a mother value her beliefs over her child and family?”

“I didn’t want to put you in a difficult spot”

“My dear son…” she started, pulling me into a hug.

“You had better win this thing because I have more words waiting for you. How dare you keep things from your mother?!” she whispered harshly.

She let go and gave me the most bitter sweet smile she could muster. She patted my shoulder and entered the throne room. For such a fake bitter sweet smile, it looked so authentic. That was if I didn’t see the malice in her eyes beforehand. She was such a scary woman.

I pushed open the doors and walked in confidently. I could perceive varying emotions from all sides. It really was about to become the biggest moment in my life. Nothing can beat my wedding though.

“Good day everyone. I will be representing the royal family and answering to the accusations of the church of light today. I will do my best to abide by the rules of the court and tell the whole truth.”

“Your highness should swear by Zerus.”

“Pope Alcard, swearing by Zerus isn’t part of the rules of the court. Are you trying to tilt the court into your favor? You applied for a hearing according to the constitution of our kingdom by yourself so you should know you are subject to the court. Any further objections from your part would make sure your case is dismissed without hearing.”

The Pope and all that supported the church were shocked by my words. The Pope looked at my father as if expecting him to do something.

“Pope Alcard, everyone is bound to the rules of the court once they are inside the throne room. If you continue to disrespect the rules of the court and the crown prince, you will be subject to the punishment of the court.”

Hearing such a statement didn’t mean my father was on my side. He was king so he was on the side of the people. He had vowed to do what was best for the people. I believed he would make the right choice.

“Pope Alcard, the church would be allowed to voice their complaints,” My father said. The old man who didn’t look like he was far off my father’s age took his place at a stand where he could see the King and the jury of nobles and royals. He wore a long blue robe that had the sun embroidered on it.

“A few days ago, the church was attacked by strange assailants. About 60 percent of the church guards died in this attack. The life of the saintess and my life were threatened. The people who died were honest devout members of the church and believers in Zerus. Their families have been left in ruin and the heart of the church has been attacked. It is a very sad time for us in the church and we plead for his majesty to look into this case.”

“If that is your problem, why did you call a trial to hold the royal family responsible? Why bite at the hand that wants to feed you?” Father asked, sounding increasingly annoyed.

“We have reasons to believe that the attack was brought on by the royal family. The only set of people with that kind of capability to fight us is the royal family. We are here to cry out against the injustice that has been done against us!”

Aside from the jury, there were a bunch of people in the throne room. They were witnesses whose jobs were to listen and spread the word. A lot of time, witnesses were common people and common people in Zerramond were almost always on the side of the church.

Hearing Pope Alcard, a man that could never tell a lie, say something like that, they were already swayed. They whispered amongst each other and the looks they were giving us were starting to become hostile.

“Any more complaints, Pope Alcard?”

“Yes, your majesty. The church has been under attack by various heretics who claim we worship a fake god and have continuously attacked our priests who were just trying to deliver the preachings of the church. We ask that you look into that as well.”

I never imagine he would be as bold as to talk about the revolts happening in Ivrah when the priests just burnt people for fun. The witnesses whispered louder and I could tell they were flabbergasted that priests were being attacked.

“Silence!” Father raised his hand and a hush fell over the court.

“Is that all, Pope Alcard?”

“Yes, your majesty.”

“Step down now. Come forward, Prince Kalvin.”

We walked at the same time and passed each other. His malice was just as bad as his breath when he called me a heretical beast. He really was a sweet old man. I think it was perfect when he didn’t know what was coming.

I met the face of my mother, Susanne and the rest of my family. They looked anxious even though I reassured them multiple times. I looked at my father and saw even though he was trying to look stern, he was really worried. I smiled and waited my turn.

“Prince Kalvin, what do you have to say in the defense of the royal family?”

“I want to first thank you all for coming here. When I heard of the plight that had befallen the church, it saddened me. I wonder what had happened. How could a place that claimed to be protected securely by god be hit so hard? Isn’t Zerus responsible for the lives of all those men that died? If that is so, isn’t that also the responsibility of the church? Then tell me why they’re trying to pin their incompetence on us.” My voice and face fell at the end of my sentence. I stared straight at the Pope.

“200 men killed in Rhonda and about 500 dead in the cathedral in the capital. If we take account of the total armed forces of the church, they are easily 10,000 men. With a force like that, what are you trying to do? You should be tried for treason.”

“How dare you?! We are loyal citizens of the kingdom!”

“Pope Alcard, it is not your turn to speak. If you interrupt the court one more time, you will be tried for treason,” Father intervened.

“I have on record 3 times that the church was called to court for insubordination to the crown and tax evasion. On top of that, many appeals have been made because of your endless lynching but none of you ever honored the court once. Suddenly, you feel you have the right to be fairly tried in the court? Do you really think you have the upper hand here? This is your trial, Church of Light.”