I Will Eventually Become the Hero of Justice

CHAPTER 1 – REBORN

 

“Ortansia Remi Verite.
For the crime of attempted assassination of Countess Dendane: …”

 

　The accused criminal, Ortansia  quivered and trembled as she pleaded at the charges read out in a loud voice by the Judge.
“No, sir, I didn't do it…
I would never attempt to assassinate…”

 

　The bride selection meeting was held at the royal castle with the daughters of nobles as candidates for the crown prince's wife.

During the selection process, a countess was poisoned and she collapsed.
The culprit was a duchess of ill repute.
Desperate being a candidate to be crowned as the crown prince's consort, she plotted to assassinate the Countess who had attracted the crown prince's attention and had his affection.

　But her crimes were exposed in the light of day, and now the hammer of judgment was about to fall on her — This was the alleged crime.

 

“No, I didn't do anything…!”

 

　The duchess, who was accused of the crime, Ortansia, was in the depths of despair.

　After all, Ortansia had really done nothing.
She had been summoned to the court as a candidate for the crown prince's consort, but it was nothing more than a  game to her.
If she had successfully completed the selection process, she would have been able to return home without any unforeseen incident.

 

　However, an incident occurred in which one of the candidates for the prince's consort was almost assassinated, and she found herself being accused of the crime.

 

　She was captured, thrown in jail, interrogated, and then…

 

“Beheading.”

 

“Hiccup!”

 

　As soon as the sentence was read out, fear surged through her and a scream escaped from the back of her throat.

 

“They are false accusations… I didn't do it! Please, investigate again! I would never ever…”

 

“It's unsightly.
Come on!”

 

　Almost  being dragged along, she was taken to the execution platform.

 

The blade on the decapitation table reflected into her eyes, and her teeth clenched in horror.

 

“No, no, no…!”

 

　Many of the nobles watched as Ortansia was dragged to the decapitation platform as if it were a spectacle.

 

“Oh, that's the one…”

 

“The daughter of the whore who tried to take over the duke's house, right?”

 

“I knew I shouldn't have let someone of such low birth into my house.”

 

“The previous duke was also a poor man.
She had a hand in his early death, didn't she?”

 

　The scorn, the amused glances, the rootless slander, the ridicule…

For them, Ortansia's destruction is just another form of amusement.

The more Ortansia resisted in vain, the more they were pleased.

 

“Oh…
brother! Please help me! I have been falsely accused! I did not plot any assassination!”

 

　Gerard Adonakion Verite, the young head of the Duke of Verite family.
With lustrous silver hair and cool azure eyes, he is the brother of Ortansia, who is also known as the “Noble Prince of Ice” and the “Ruthless Duke”.

 

　Since becoming the duke's adopted daughter, she has had only a few opportunities to converse with him.
Still, he is Ortansia's older brother.
He would surely help her! That's what she thought.

 

　As if clinging to that little glimmer of hope, Ortansia desperately cried out to her adopted brother.

 

　But what she got in return was a horrifyingly cold stare and a cruel word that seemed to shun her.

 

“Shut up, you are a disgrace to my ducal family.
I have never, not even once, thought of you as my sister.”

　She realized that her mind had gone blank at those words.
As Ortansia's body was being pushed to the decapitation table, the tears that flowed down her cheeks wetted the decapitat