This time around Marquis Choi spoke up. "Something doesn't add up. You claim that after leaving the village, assassins immediately attacked you. That means that the assassin had to have already known you were both there, and as far as I remember you kept your identities hidden from the villagers and encountered no one beside the assassins in the forest."
Dokja was taken aback when his father growled at the marquis, "What are you trying to pull? How dare you accuse my son!"
He noted the look Marquis Choi and the Archduke exchanged as he clarified, "I'm just trying to be logical here,Duke Hades. Let's say that His Highness and him were ex-lovers, it's very logical that they'd have lingering anger toward each other, Sir Dokja admitted that himself ," Duke Hades glared daggers at him while Dokja remained silent.
"So, Sir Dokja, please prove to us that you're not the one who sent the assassins in the first place." He had been biding his time to pull out the ace up his sleeve, but he supposed it was best to do it now.
"Well, that would actually be quite a difficult thing for me to do...." he admitted, observing how Captain Inho,Marquis Choi, and the Archduke smirked. "But luckily I have these," he added, as he took out the letters concealed in his chest pocket. The three men's eyes widened in fear, not wanting to believe that he held what they thought he did.
"That can't be!" the Marquis muttered, but the Archduke was quick to hush him.
In the novel, the Archduke had also worked with the Captain and the Marquis to assassinate Prince Joonghyuk, but that time he was much more successful. His assassins had been able to inject a lethal dose of poison into the prince's body, a much more dangerous poison than whatever had knocked him out in the forest. The only way he recovered was from Lee Seolhwa's expertise in medicine.
But it was outlined that even though the three held ties to all manner of underground dealings, though their ties were fragile. It was known that they valued their wealth above all else, and while they promised vast treasures to whoever took their jobs, they wouldn't hesitate to go back on their deals.
More likely than not, the Archduke would use his standing to have whoever carried out the orders executed afterwards to cover his own skin. The assassins probably carried these letters as a form of blackmail, to make sure that they wouldn't withhold whatever award promised to them if they completed their task.
"While searching the bodies of the assassins sent after us for any clue of their employer, I happened to find two messages..." He yelled, lifting them up to show everyone.
"Your Honor, please read the contents of the papers." The judge nodded as Dokja handed them over to him.
Sir Inho,
"Make sure everything proceeds according to plan, or our deal is of . You're one of the most skilled people I know,either give us His Highness's head, or leave him with an irreversible wound. We need to send a clear message to him and the public at large."
Marquis Choi
Dokja looked on amusedly at Inho and the marquis as the nobility around them all gasped.Captain Inho cried out, "This is all a lie!"
"Sir Inho, please stop talking, we still need to hear the second message after all," Dokja reminded him as he gestured for the judge to proceed.
Mr. Marquis Choi,
Everything is proceeding exactly how it should, so don't you dare go back on your word. The three of us will all get exactly what we want soon enough, so just be patient, these things take time. In the meantime, just do your jobs and make yourselves scarce. The throne will be ours before you know it.
Cheon Inho
Both men gaped like fish, unable to speak, trying to find words to say but failing. Their bodies were shaking as they gazed beseeching at Dokja, who merely returned a blank stare. "Your Honor, the wax seals on those letters, please ensure that those are, in fact, genuine," Dokja requested, making them even more terrified.
The judge nodded and motioned for the royal guards to approach the two. Both men were wearing signet rings, which they used to seal the wax on their letters. Being the heads of longstanding nobility, their seals would be hand crafted and one of a kind, so no one would be able to impersonate them. The guards wrestled the rings away from the two and handed them to the judge.
Comparing the signet rings and the wax seals, the Judge nodded gravely," The emblems on both are the same, these letters were most likely written by Captain Inhun and Marque Choi. They must be inspected further to compare the handwriting to the official documents they've both handed in before. So, for the time being, the two will be detained for investigation."
The royal guards took both men's hands and handcuffed them. "YOU CAN'T DO THIS TO ME!" Captain Inho screeched out.
As every noble stared at the men in scrutiny, the Archduke rose up and stated to the judge, "Your Honor, even with the wax seals, there's still a chance the letters are fake and someone just c---."
Dokja stopped the Archduke when he put his hand in his chest pocket, wrapping his fingers around the last object."Actually, Archduke, I almost forgot to show this during all the excitement with the letters," he added with a small smile on his lips as he pulled out a pendant. The Archduke froze and the entire courtroom fell silent, all of them instantly recognizing what the object was. " I found this together alongside the letters, I'm sure you're familiar with it."
The pendant is extremely ornate, a scarlet gem surrounded by intricate gold framing. Everyone knew that this scarlet diamond can only be found in mines in Kang Duchy territory, which the Archduke had been born into and held much control over. Being the greedy man he was, the Archduke hoarded the diamonds for himself, only giving it out to those who were able to worm their way into his graces, and subsequently using to bribe others to join his cause.
They were so rare outside the Kang Duchy that even most nobles wouldn't be able to afford to buy them at their listed price. Thus, the scarlet diamond became the shining symbol of both the duchy and the archduke, and for the letter to have contained one was incredibly suspicious.
The Archduke then slammed the table with his hands and yelled angrily at Marquis Choi, "Choi, how dare you use the pendant I gave to your daughter as gambling chip for your nefarious plans!" He pointed an accusatory finger at the marquis, who was flabbergasted and was about to retort to the accusation, but the Archduke turned to the judge, "Your Honor, I don't know anything about this, it was a gift, so I had no control over what it was used for afterwards."
The Archduke looked around the courtroom, and sure enough nobles from different families came forward to vouch for him, and how they'd been witness to the Archduke gifting the pendant. Both Captain Inhun and Marquis Choi hissed curses at him but he simply sat down at his desk with grace, victory etched on his face.
After hearing testimony from the nobles around the room, the judge slammed his hammer down on his gavel, ready to conclude the trial.
"I will now make the final ruling," he said, making everyone listen carefully to what he was about to say. "The testimony of Captain Inho has been contradicted by Sir Hyunsung and the evidence that Sir Dokja has provided. Not only is Sir Inho guilty of perjury, but the letters prove handedly that he and Sir Choi were conspiring with each other in an assassination plot against His Highness," the Archduke nodded and smirked along with the judge's words "Marquis Choi and Cheon Inho shall be arrested as the main suspects and further investigated, while Sir Dokja will go free, his name officially cleared of any wrongdoing in this crime"
After that, the royal guards made the captain and marquis stand up and dragged them out of the courtroom while yelling that they didn't do anything wrong and that they were being set up, but no one listened. Then, a royal guard approached Dokja and removed the handcuffs from his wrists. Rubbing at the red marks the metal left behind, something akin to bitterness twisted inside Dokja despite his innocence being proven, as he looked up to the Archduke giving a faux apologetic smile.
"Sir Dokja, I just want to apologize for everything I accused you of" he said, clasping his hands together.
Dokja grinned amicably at the Archduke, "Well I must admit I was a bit offended, getting accused of a murder plot that only mindless monkeys would be dumb enough to come up with, but everything is fine now. Right, Your grace?" His smile widened, seeing how strained the Archduke's smile got, and how his face reddened slightly.
"Ah, but of course Sir Dokja. Well, we must part ways now, until we meet again," The Archduke answered, his voice turning dark towards the end, sincere in his promise.
"Of course, Your Grace." He said, and the two separated, Dokja walking over to where his family were standing in the courtroom.
Persephone was the first one to rush toward him, enveloping Dokja in her arms. "Thank God…" she cried out, and he merely smiled and hugged her back. As they held each other, Yoosung and Gilyeong had also decided to join, running over to hug him, nuzzling their faces into his waist.
"See mother, I'm fine," he said after the duchess broke away from the hug, then someone hit his arm. He turned to face Han Sooyoung.
"You worried us, you rat," Sooyoung snarled, crossing her arms on her chest.
"Awww, you were worried about me?" he teased, and Sooyoung glared at him.
"Did not!"
"Sure," Dokja went to pat his children's heads, noticing how they leaned into his touch.
"I'm glad everything went well," he turned his head and saw that it was Lady Jiwon that spoke.
"Lady Jiwon…" he murmured as he stared at her, remembering what Lady Jiwon said, he couldn't help but feel regretful about what she just saw in the hallway where the banquet was held. "Lady Jiwon about what you saw t—"
"Sir Dokja," the group turned to see that Knight Hyunsung had called out to him, "His Highness has requested to see you." They all exchanged glances.
"Just wait for me at the entrance," Dokja sighed out to his family, a bit sad their reunion had been cut short. They reluctantly nodded and Dokja was led off by the knight, though it took a bit of coercing to get the children to let go of him.
They're both quiet as they walk, but as they turned the corner of a corridor, the knight broke the silence."Sir Dokja, I'm sorry for not believing you," Hyunsung apologized, looking crestfallen as he reflected on his actions.
"It's alright, Sir Hyunsung, you were just doing what you thought was right" Hyunsung looked at him, still a bit torn up about it, but he lightened up and nodded after Dokja gave him a reassuring nod. Soon, they came upon Joonghyuk's bedchambers, where Dokja spotted Knight Jihye standing out front.
When the young knight saw the two men approaching the room, she gave a nod to Hyunsung and opened the door for them, closing it behind her as she joined them in the room.
"Yoo Joonghyuk..." Dokja softly called out to him, relieved to see his complexion looked fine. The man was sitting up on his bed, blankets laid over the lower half of his body. He was wearing a dark-gray cardigan and had been staring out the window until he heard Dokja's voice. "Ehem, I'm happy that you're still alive, Your Highness..." he took a seat beside the prince's bedside.
Joonghyuk huffed out, "I'm not that weak, the only effect of the poison was to make my body go numb and to put me to sleep."
Dokja's face turned into a pout, "If you're already awake, why didn't you come to help me, huh? Did you know how hard it was to convince everyone we worked together?"
As soon as he glanced at his eyes, Joonghyuk turned his head to the side, "I would've, but Lee Seolhwa was insistent that I was to not leave the bed for the day. And… she also said that I should put my trust in you," he finished quietly.
Dokja grinned smugly, "Ehhhh, I didn't know you had so much faith in me, Your Highness" he said teasingly.
Joonghyuk turned away and drank a glass of water from his nightstand, "Hmph..."
"Come on now there's no need to be shy about it," Dokja remarked joyfully. He was unsure of why Joonghyuk had trusted him, but he was glad, nonetheless. "Your Highness, did you remember our deal in the forest?" Dokja asked.
Joonghyuk thought about it for a moment, "Yes, what about it?"
Dokja leaned forward toward the prince eagerly, "Well, I think I've thoroughly persuaded you that I've changed, right?" Dokja continued, "Well, don't you think we can throw away the whole 'rivals' pretense now?"
At that, Joonghyuk scowled, "Why should I," he asked, reproachfully.
"Well, if you do, you'll gain a pretty powerful ally!" Dokja remarked, bumping into Joonghyuk's shoulder playfully. Standing awkwardly off to the corner, Jihye and Hyunsung observed the way Dokja smiled at Joonghyuk, how their prince appeared to be in a good mood and didn't mind their close proximity.
"Are they flirting?" Jihye whispered over to Hyunsung, looking between the two like she was about to throw up.
"I don't know...I really don't know," he answered, his voice faint.
Dokja stared imploringly into Joonghyuk's eyes, "So what do you say, Your Highness?"
"I can handle myself just fine, and the way you are now, even a child could beat you in a serious fight." Joonghyuk asked him, a challenging glint in his eye.
"Hey! I'll have you know the Underworld duchy is one of the most powerful in the empire." Dokja gestured to himself with a flourished gesture, "Don't forget I was the one that got help for you in the forest, and I single-handedly got the men you attempted to kill you convicted, so you owe me your life, Your Highness" Dokja pointed out smugly.
After staring at him for a moment, his expression unimpressed, the prince let out a long-suffering sigh."…Fine," he settled.
"Really?"
"Yeah," replied Joonghyuk before lightly flicking Dokja's face away so he would back up. "We'll put our past behind and move forward, assisting each other whenever we need to," he continued.
Dokja offered his hand, a bit breathless that this was actually happening, "Yeah...so, allies?"
"Allies," he nodded and shook his hand.
'Yep, they're definitely fucking each other' Lee Jihye and Lee Hyunsung thought to themselves.