Lacey shook his head, his smile vanishing. With a grave expression, he declared, "No, you are wrong."
Dragging his heavy shackles, he took a step forward and declared loudly to the thousands of people below the platform: "I! Lacey! A Caprinae, born on the borders of Leithanien."
"My father was a teacher. He taught me to read and to love this land. My mother was a worker. Her hands were covered in calluses, yet they supported our home."
"When the War of the Four Emperors broke out, I answered the call, put on the uniform, and went to the battlefield."
The boisterous square fell silent. The people pricked up their ears, listening to the confession of this 'traitor'.
"I charged into the fray on the battlefield, watching my comrades fall one by one. With my blood and courage, I earned this Medal of War's Flame!" As he said this, he puffed out his chest. Though his clothes were ragged, the air of a war hero about him was in no way diminished.
"I have bled for Leithanien! I have fought to the death to defend this country! And now, you stand here, accusing me of treason?"
Valerius's face stiffened. He hadn't expected Lacey to say these things.
Lacey gave him no chance to rebut. His tone shifted, his voice suddenly becoming impassioned.
"You say I incite the people? I only say the things they dare not speak!"
"Farmers toil for a year, only to hand over most of their harvest to noble lords who have never tilled the soil, while the grain that remains isn't even enough to fill their stomachs!"
"Workers labor day and night in the mines and factories, risking their lives, only to receive meager wages and a body full of injuries! And their blood and sweat are transformed into fine wine in the cups of certain people, into the gold plating on their carriages!"
"I ask you!" he whirled to face the crowd below. "Is what I say not the truth!"
"It is—!"
From within the crowd, someone roared first, followed by a thunderous response that erupted from below.
"You say I organize an illegal militia? Those sickles and axes are the tools of farmers, the tools of workers!"
"They take up their tools not to rebel, but simply to demand justice from the ruthless bosses who withhold their wages!"
"Can it be that in this country, people from the lowest rungs of society like us don't even have the right to demand our pay?"
"You say I divide the people? What an utter joke!" Lacey let out a cold laugh. "The ones truly dividing this country are not me! It is you!"
"It is you, the nobles high above! It is you, the bloated officials! It is you who have divided people into two separate species!"
"One kind is born with everything, an elite class, and the other is disposable chattel, to be trampled upon as you please!"
"Enough!" Valerius could finally bear it no longer. He slammed his hand on the table, rose, and roared, "Utter nonsense! This is blatant slander! Guards! Silence him!"
However, the guards below the steps hesitated.
Most of them were also of common birth. Every word Lacey spoke struck a chord in their hearts. They looked at the young man on the platform with complicated expressions.
Judge Alistair struck his gavel hard. "Order! Let the defendant finish speaking!"
Valerius had no choice but to sit back down resentfully, glaring at Lacey with venomous eyes.
Lacey took a deep breath and continued, "Your Honor the Judge, Your Honor the Prosecutor, fellow compatriots of Leithanien."
He surveyed the entire square, his voice powerful and impassioned. "Some say I have committed treason!"
"I want to tell you what true treason is!"
"In the War of the Four Emperors, we Leithanien soldiers won the war with our blood and lives, defending the dignity of our nation! But what was the result? We were met not with glory, but with the humiliating sheet of paper that is the Treaty of the Three Emperors!"
The Treaty of the Three Emperors!
The moment these words were spoken, the entire square erupted.
Whether noble or commoner, the expression on nearly everyone's face changed.
This was a thorn engraved in the heart of every Leithanien.
We were clearly the victors, we clearly paid the most grievous price, yet we did not receive spoils befitting our sacrifice!
This was the treaty signed with Victoria and Ursus by the Twin Empresses after they took power to stabilize their regime, and it is also the greatest stain on the legitimacy of their rule.
All this time, no one had dared to mention this matter in public. Everyone had carefully avoided it.
But today, Lacey, in front of the entire city, had ripped it bloodily open.
On the balcony, Count Leinia's wine glass fell to the table with a clang, spilling its contents everywhere.
"Madman... this madman..."
She stared intently at Lacey on the platform, genuine shock appearing in her eyes for the first time.
"Who was it, at the negotiating table, that gave up the land we bought with our lives?" Lacey's voice thundered and echoed across the square.
"Who was it that sold out the nation's interests, that betrayed the tens of thousands of heroic souls who died on the battlefield?"
"Let me tell you!" Lacey violently rattled his shackles, pointing at the pale-faced nobles and officials.
"It was them! Those who proclaim themselves our leaders! They ended the war, but lost our dignity! They signed the treaty, but betrayed the entire nation!"
"I, Lacey, was once a soldier on the battlefield. Now, as the leader of the Workers' Party, everything I have done is simply to lead my people to take back what is rightfully ours! To take back our land, take back our wealth, and take back the glory of Leithanien!"
"If defending the rights of the people is a crime, then I plead guilty!"
"If wanting to make this country great again is a crime, then I plead guilty!"
"If this... is what you call treason..." He paused, his gaze like a torch, sweeping over every person who had been stunned beyond words by his speech.
"Then today, I will bear this crime of treason upon my shoulders!!"
The moment his voice fell, the entire world seemed to stand still.
The next second, a deafening roar erupted from every corner of the square.
"Lacey is innocent!"
"The hero is innocent!"
"Abolish the Treaty of the Three Emperors!"
"Restore our glory!"
The crowd's emotions were completely ignited. They broke through the guards' symbolic blockade and surged toward the tribunal platform.
Prosecutor Valerius, his face ashen, collapsed into his chair.
Judge Alistair sat there, motionless.
He watched the impassioned crowd below, watched the young man who, though in chains, seemed to stand taller than anyone else.
He remembered the ideals he too had held in his youth, remembered the former glory of this nation.
After a long moment, he picked up his gavel and, with all his strength, brought it down hard.
"CLANG—!"
The square fell miraculously silent. Everyone looked at the judge, awaiting the final verdict.
Alistair stood and announced loudly, "After deliberation, the defendant, Lacey, is found to have violated the laws of Leithanien through his words and actions, constituting the crime of treason. The evidence is conclusive."
"...Sentenced to five years imprisonment and a fine of 500 Ducats."
A gasp of despair rippled through the crowd.
Serafina's heart sank to the depths.
However, the judge's next words made everyone doubt their own ears.
"However!" Alistair's tone shifted. "Given the defendant Lacey's meritorious service to the nation during the War of the Four Emperors, his motives... are understandable."
"Furthermore, his statements, though radical, also reflect the demands of a portion of the populace."
"In the spirit of legal prudence and humanitarianism, this court has decided that the defendant, Lacey, will be eligible for parole after serving three months of his sentence."
"The fine shall be offset by his organizing the people in the slums to perform community service."
Silence.
The entire square was dead silent for three seconds.
And then, a deafening cheer erupted, soaring to the heavens!
"We won! We won!"
"Long live Leithanien!"
"Long live Lord Lacey!"
"Long live victory!"
People embraced each other, weeping with joy.
This was not just Lacey's victory; it was a victory for them all!
They all cheered for their victory.
"Long live victory!"
"Long live victory!"
________________________________________
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