The Bride He Hates-Chapter 127: The Trial

The trial chamber was packed beyond capacity.

Council members sat in their designated seats and normal citizens filled the observation galleries. Everyone wanted to see whether the queen would be held accountable or vindicated.

Lyanna entered the council chambers with Azrael, looking calm. Azrael’s hand was on her back, a gesture for everyone in the room to see that the king was standing with his wife.

They took their seats at the defendant’s table and the head arbiter stood up.

"This tribunal is convened to examine the conduct of Queen Lyanna regarding two incidents: the Riverwatch security breach and the Millhaven village destruction. The council will determine whether Queen Lyanna’s actions and behavior render her fit for positions of authority." He paused.

"We will begin with testimony about the Riverwatch incident." The arbiter said. "Queen Lyanna, please explain the circumstances of your security assessment and how it was breached."

Lyanna stood up and spoke in steady voice.

"I was doing a comprehensive security assessment of all alliance territories. The purpose was to identify weaknesses so we could strengthen them. I documented security protocols, guard rotations, key community members, and potential weak points."

"And you failed to secure this sensitive information properly." A council member said.

"Yes." Lyanna admitted without hesitation. "I was careless. I left documents unsecured. That was negligence on my part. I’ve already acknowledged this mistake and accepted the consequences."

"Let’s move to Millhaven now." The arbiter said. "Queen Lyanna, please explain your decision-making process regarding that situation."

Lyanna took a deep breath before speaking again.

"Intelligence indicated that Millhaven village was being used to shield a weapons cache." She began. "The weapons were going to be used to breach Thornfield and deployment was estimated within three to five days. Every alternative option like siege, surgical extraction, and negotiation had a significant failure risk and required more time than we had."

"So you chose to burn the village?" Lady Morgana said.

"I just wanted to destroy the weapons before they could be deployed." Lyanna replied. "The village was unfortunately collateral damage. We provided a two hour evacuation warning. One hundred sixty-five civilians evacuated successfully. The rest were either held hostage or refused to leave."

"Including children." Lady Morgana said.

"That was tragic. But it doesn’t change the calculation. I chose to save more lives." She said and then turned to Lady Morgana. "Lady Morgana, I understand this is difficult for you. But leadership requires you to make difficult decisions."

"Leadership requires conscience!" Lady Morgana replied.

Azrael stood up immediately.

"The council needs to consider the actual options available. Queen Lyanna has been portrayed as a monster for choosing to kill civilians. But the Queen chose that option because it had the lowest casualties and the highest probability of protecting Thornfield."

"It’s still monstrous because she made that choice without hesitation." Lady Morgana said.

"Would crying about it have made a different option suddenly viable? Would guilt have saved those children?" Azrael asked.

Morgana had no answer to that.

The chamber erupted in argument.

"Enough!" The arbiter said. "Queen Lyanna, you will give final testimony. Please explain to this council why you should retain positions of authority despite your ruthless decisions that killed innocents."

"This council is judging whether someone who thinks strategically instead of emotionally should hold power." She began. "And I understand why that’s scary. A leader who can order deaths without any hesitation could become tyrannical, could make brutal choices for selfish reasons, and could lose the support of the people they’re supposed to protect."

"Exactly." A council member said.

"But I haven’t done any of those things. Every decision I’ve made has been to protect Thornfield and the alliance. I’m ruthless, strategic and cold but I’m not cruel, selfish or tyrannical."

"How can we believe that?" Lady Morgana asked.

"Because I have restraints." Lyanna replied. "They’re just different from yours. You’re restrained by emotional empathy while I’m restrained by strategic thinking. I calculate the cost-benefit of every action." She looked at Morgana again. "You want me to be restrained by guilt and compassion but I’m restrained by logic and consequences. The restraints are different but they’re more reliable. Emotions can be overwhelmed or manipulated but strategic thinking cannot."

She paused and looked around the council.

"I’m ready to accept the council’s verdict. But I won’t apologize for making difficult choices and protecting Thornfield."

The chamber fell silent. Azrael held her hand under the table and squeezed it gently to tell her he was with her.

"Arguments have been made and testimonies given. We will now vote on whether Queen Lyanna should retain positions of authority. A vote of fourteen or more in favour of removal means conviction." He looked around the chamber.

"All those in favour of removing Queen Lyanna from all positions of authority, raise your hands."

Nine hands rose.

"All those who find Queen Lyanna’s strategic thinking acceptable?"

Azrael couldn’t vote because of conflict of interest. But his supporters did.

Ten hands rose.

Victor hadn’t voted yet. Everyone turned to look at him. He sat with his hand down, looking confused.

"Victor, please raise your hand and cast your vote. Your vote will decide the outcome."

The whole chamber held its breath as he slowly raised his hand but then he placed it on the table in front of him, neither voting for nor against removal.

"I abstain." He said.

Everyone started murmuring in shock and confusion.

"You can’t abstain!" Lady Morgana said. "This is too important..."

"I can and I am." Victor said and stood up to address the council.

"This tribunal asks whether Queen Lyanna’s ruthlessness makes her unfit for authority. I’ve served Thornfield for decades and I’ve learned that it isn’t as simple as measuring emotional displays." He turned to look at Lyanna.

"Queen Lyanna has made brutal choices. She has ordered actions that cost innocent lives and has shown no remorse for those decisions. But she has also built the most successful cooperation program in vampire history. She has made Thornfield safer and more stable than it’s been in decades. And every brutal choice she has made is to protect this kingdom, not for personal gain.

I don’t know if ruthlessness without emotions is acceptable in a leader. That’s a philosophical question I’m not qualified to answer. So I abstain and let the council decide without my vote swaying the outcome either way."

"You’re being a coward." Lady Morgana said.

"I won’t vote to remove someone just because her methods make me uncomfortable. But I also won’t vote to endorse brutality I don’t understand. So I abstain and let the rest of you decide."

"Well... in the case of abstention, we will count only the votes actually cast. Ten votes against removal, nine votes for. So I hereby announce that the motion to remove Queen Lyanna from authority fails. She is cleared of all charges and retains her position." The arbiter banged his gavel.

"This tribunal is concluded. Queen Lyanna is cleared of all charges and reinstated to full authority."