Rise of the Legendary Emperor

Chapter 170: You’ll die if you lie

"And the same goes for the Demet family too, hand over Pedra Demet or your entire family will suffer"

Manuel Demet quickly stood up 

"Is that a threat, your majesty?"

"Take it however you want, you're not going to fool me by telling the servants did it"

Tatianna hadn't guessed that he was planning to punish Pedra without any concrete evidence but after seeing the turn of events, she realized that he's not going to ask any.

It was not going to be an easy decision for both Manuel Demet and Davy Lambert, for Manuel, Pedra was his sister, for Davy, Walter was his son and Walter's sons were his grandchildren. If King Hedor would have asked this, they both could have disagreed and told him to sod off but Don was not King Hedor, he was a peak level grandmaster and the woman beside him was a grandmaster too. The two of them could massacre their whole family like slaughtering piglets.

They realized that they have only two options, handover their loved ones and save the family or go to war with Don and hope for the best. As family heads, they wanted to choose the first option but as a father and a brother, they couldn't just let him take them.

"What's it going to be?"

Don asked calmly as the old man stared at him with bloodshot eyes

"Do you understand what you're asking me to do? He's my son and they are my grandchildren, and you want me to hand them over to you because you feel that they committed a crime? What if the farmer and his family left the kingdom? Or the woman lied ?"

The others except Tatianna agreed with the old man in their hearts and looked at Don as they saw him sighing

"Alright, I didn't want to use this, but it seems I have to use it"

The nobles saw him three white pills appear before him and floated in the air.

"These pills are called pills of pureness"

Arrora had no idea what that is as she closely stared at the pills as the pills let out a white glow.

You cannot speak anything but the truth for a day after you swallow this pill, if you speak any lies, you'll just die in a horrible fashion" 

Everyone had a bewildered expression on their faces as they never heard of such pills but they weren't alchemists to say that there's no such pill.

He turned his gaze from Davy and Manuel to Lord Clemo

"Lord Clemo, bring the woman, she will take the pill first"

Lord Clemo nodded and left the hall to bring the farmer's sister. A few minutes after Lord Clemo returned with a thin woman in ragged clothes.

She followed Lord Clemo nervously and avoided the gazes of the nobles.

However, when she saw Davy Lambert, she started to breathe heavily and clenched her fists.

"What's your name?"

Don asked the woman as she slowly looked up at him and bowed awkwardly

"Ro..rose, your majesty"

"You claimed that Lord Walter's sons raped your nephews, is it true?"

He said and glanced at Arrora as she nodded and walked towards the woman and stood beside her. Arrora put her hand on Rose's shoulder 

"Rose, don't be afraid, I know how you feel, if you tell his majesty the truth, he will give you justice, do it for your family, tell the truth"

Rose started to cry as she looked at Warren and Loren

"Take this pill and tell me what happened"

The pill floated towards her as Arrora took the pill and placed it on Rose's hand. Rose didn't know what pill this as she looked bewildered but Arrora's gentle smile and kindness in her eyes made Rose trust her.

"I'll take this, I don't have anyone or anything to live for anymore if I die so be it"

Rose put the pill in her mouth and swallowed it

"Tell his majesty the truth"

With Arrora beside her, Rose had the courage to narrate events to the king without fearing the nobles or minding their gazes on her.

Before even Rose opened her mouth, the tears were flowing out of her eyes like a fountain as she fell on her knees. Seeing Rose's tears, he didn't want her to tell what happened from the beginnings since it would be like pouring hot oil into a fresh wound.

"Rose, did, or didn't Lord Walter's sons raped your nephews?"

"Yes, yes they did, every time I close my eyes, I could see them crying and begging for them to stop, they didn't listen, they didn't listen"

Don knew that feeling as he too sees what happened all those years ago every time he closes his eyes.

"If you saw what happened, why didn't they do anything to you?"

He couldn't guess why they left her alive after she witnessed their crime because the incident would have vanished if they had just killed her.

"My brother, he pushed me... outside of the window"

Rose stuttered

"and told me to run" her cries grew louder as Arrora had to pat her shoulders to give her courage to continue

"And that was the last time I saw them "

While hearing her story, except Lord Clemo, there was not so much sympathy or pity in the other nobles' eyes, for them, a peasant was similar to an ant, they just didn't care about them or their emotions. However, they seemed curious to see whether she was telling the truth or not to check the pills would work as he told them or not.

"I was hiding in the old mines for days until I couldn't do it anymore, that's why I came here, to get justice for them, he killed them"

Don glanced at Warren as he put his head down, although he knew the woman was telling the truth, he couldn't punish the guilty because of lack of evidence on her side. He was ashamed of himself, Rose came to him hoping to get justice but all he could do was send her away saying that she wouldn't get any. He remembered Rose's face when he dismissed the case, she looked like her last piece of soul had been stripped away from her.

"What're your thoughts, Lambert?"

Don calmly asked him but he was only a one step away from going to their house and rip Walter and his two sons bodies to pieces, literally.

"I think she's lying, I can't believe a word of a peasant, whether she had taken the pill or not"

"Only one way to find out, Lord Clemo"

Lord Clemo stepped forward

"Bring Walter and his sons"

Davy wanted to stop him but he shut his mouth when he saw the gaze of Don, he didn't want to push him as he could see the killing intent in his eyes.

"Yes, your majesty"

Rose didn't stop crying while Lord Clemo was bringing Walter and his sons to the hall. Arrora stood beside her on the floor and didn't take her hand away from Rose. The nobles didn't expect this kind of gesture from a grandmaster like her as no nobles would treat the peasants as she is treating Rose now.

After a few minutes of waiting, Lord Clemo returned to the hall with one middle-aged man with long brown hair in golden robes and two youngsters and they looked exactly alike, twins.

"Your majesty"

The three of them bowed and frowned when they saw Rose crying.

"I'm hearing pretty bad things about you three"

Don said as Walter looked at him and then at his father

The twins stared at Rose but when the saw the killing intent in Arrora's eyes, they quickly turned their heads away

"Your majesty, I thought we already settled this, I don't know what intentions are but she's slandering our family name by spouting nonsense"

As he was talking, Don sent the pill at Walter's direction as they looked at the pill with confused faces.

"Take this pill, then we'll know who's telling the truth and who's not"

"What?"

Walter didn't understand the pill's use

"After taking this pill, you'll die if you lie, if you tell the truth, you'll be fine"

Walter felt his heart skip a beat when he heard him as a cold sweat formed on his forehead

"Come on, take the pill, if you didn't commit any crimes, you dont have to fear anything"

"But"

"No buts, take the pill or I will make you, Adria"

Don said to Walter and called Arrora as she stood up and walked toward Walter with killing intent radiating from her.

"No, your"

Before Walter could finish what he wanted to say, Arrora dashed at him like a lightning bolt and grabbed him by the neck.

"He said to take the pill"

She took the pill and forced it down Walter's throat. Davy Lambert wanted to shout at her and stop her but Don's gaze on him prevented him from doing so.

 After making him swallow the pill, Arrora stepped back from him and returned to Rose's side.

"Did you or did you not commit those crimes that Rose said you did?"

The nobles leaned forward and moved to the edge of their seats in anticipation.

Walter's heart was punching against his chest in panic and fear as if what he said about the pill was true, the next words coming out of his mouth might decide his fate.