Chapter 282 282: The Present
'That guy... Isn't he the one who helped me?' Shia also recognised Gabriel as the one who protected her.
She remembered how Gabriel reacted when he heard her full name. It was clear that he didn't even know that the Alecton Family was the Royal Family when he arrived here. Could he really have schemed so much in advance without even knowing about the Royal Family?
Unlike Azia who had just changed her mind in favor of her father, Shia who had always believed in her father before was now starting to doubt him.
Since Gabriel didn't even know about her family, he really couldn't have schemed in advance. She couldn't help but wonder if his story about only recently finding out about the changes was true. In that case, he really couldn't have schemed all this.
She glanced at her father's back, not knowing what to think anymore. His mind was so hazy that she couldn't make sure who was right and who was wrong. She wanted to believe in her father but she also felt that Gabriel wasn't lying. Both of them couldn't be telling the truth so it was clear that one of them was lying.
Unfortunately, even if she knew who was lying, she couldn't do anything. The truth was supposed to be decided by the Elders and no matter what the verdict, it was going to be final.
"That little brat... Once his truth is out, I'll make sure the entire Empire knows what happens to the people who dare to defame my family!" Unlike the two sisters, the Eldest Prince didn't even think about it. For him, Gabriel was just a little thief who wanted to steal the throne that was to belong to him after his father!
"Don't worry, young prince. This meeting is just for formality. We all know the truth already. You'll get your opportunity in the future." One of the Nobles smirked. "Please have a seat for now. He is coming here as well. The faster we start, the faster we can end."
"Hmph." The Eldest Prince took a seat right next to his father. As for the two Princesses, they sat on the other side of their father.
The Nobles also took seats. Only three Royal Knights were standing, ready to kill Gabriel if he tried anything.
Unlike the Nobles who were so sure of what was going to happen, the Emperor was still slightly concerned.
' I sent the Saint Knight to kill Gabriel. That brat is still alive! No wonder that trash didn't return to the Castle! He must've failed and was too embarrassed to show his face around! After I'm done here, I'll deal with him properly! It looks like we need to select a new Saint Knight, one who isn't as useless!'
Even though the Emperor had a calm composure on the exterior, but on the inside, he was fuming with anger. He expected to hear the news of Gabriel's death when he arrived here, but instead, the man was not only alive, but he looked unharmed.
Gabriel reached the group of Nobles, accompanied by Duke Callum.
All the Nobles remained seated. From their gaze, it was clear that most of them were looking down at him. This meeting... It was nothing more than a sham to fool the public later on by claiming that they gave him a proper chance to prove his claims, only for him to fail.
There were only two seats left after all the seats were taken, and both of the chairs looked slightly shabby.
Just from the initial glance, Gabriel had a feeling that the chairs could easily break as soon as he sat down.
'Are they little children? Using such tricks to make fun of me?' Gabriel could only shake his head in disappointment. These people were really petty.
'It seems the cleanup is really necessary.'
"Sit," One of the Nobles instructed Gabriel. "It's time we start the meeting."
In the Noble's eyes, their contempt was clear. It was as if they were just waiting for him to make a fool of himself. They wanted him to see that he wasn't even worthy of sitting with them.
"I don't feel comfortable sitting with the person who destroyed my family. I would prefer to be standing," Gabriel responded, calmly.
"You brat, are you looking down on us? By not sitting, are you implying that we aren't worthy of sitting with someone like you?" A Noble's thundering roar resounded. "You really think you are already an Emperor to look down on us?!"
"Heh, this kid really has a bad nature. He doesn't respect his Elders at all. This kind of person really can't have the blood of Saint King! It seems that we thought too much. This boy was lying about his identity."
"Of course he was. It's as clear as day. With his disrespecting attitude, he could only bring the downfall of our glorious Empire if he ever became the Emperor."
"I agree with you. Since he doesn't respect us, could he be a spy sent to our Empire by Yann?! If I'm not wrong, the Sword was sold to Yann. Maybe the Emperor of Yann gave him that sword and told him to come here so he could claim the throne?"
One after another, the Nobles started their verbal attacks on Gabriel.
"Exactly! The Emperor of Yann is really cunning! Since he couldn't defeat us in a war, he planted this puppet of his to take the throne without any bloodshed by simply fooling the public!"
"Hahaha, so that's what it was. And here I thought he might actually be a descendant of the Arecia Clan. It looks like I was too optimistic. It looks like we don't need to deliberate anymore. We already have our decision! The truth is already out!"
The Emperor hadn't spoken a single word from the start to now, and the Nobles had already taken care of everything. Only a single hint of a smirk could be seen on the Emperor's face.
"You aren't even going to listen to me?" Gabriel asked, even though he already knew the answer. "Are you sure?"
The Nobles that were Neutral were already in minority. They couldn't sway any decisions. They already knew that if they interfered at this point, not only could they not help Gabriel, but they could also put their own families at risk. They decided to remain silent.
"What's there to listen to? Everything is as clear as the sky! You are a dog of Yann, who came here to steal the throne from His Majesty. Who agrees?" The Head of the strongest Noble Clan asked.
One after another, all the Nobles started raising their hands. Even the Nobles who were neutral raised their hands since not raising couldn't change the outcome either. The Emperor's loyal Nobles were in clear majority. No one could take the throne from him, at least through this meeting alone.
"The Council has reached the verdict! The man claiming to be Gabriel Arcadius Arecia is a liar who was planted by the Emperor of Yann to bring chaos to the Emperor of Arecia and steal the throne. His contendership for the Throne is hereby declared invalid!" The white haired Noble declared.
"Also, since he schemed against our Empire, he is hereby given death penalty! Guards, arrest him!"
Gabriel wasn't even the slightest surprised at the declaration. It was more or less exactly as he expected. These people weren't going to give him a chance. 𝘣𝑒𝘥𝑛𝑜𝑣𝑒𝘭.𝑐𝘰𝘮
"Duke Callum, since they're going to kill me, it seems I might not have a chance to give them the present I prepared for them later. Why don't you give them their present now?" he stated while all the Royal Guards raised their swords at him, commanding him to go down on his knees.