At the moment the image faded, the entire room fell into a hushed silence.
The crowd stared blankly at the young man who had removed his hand from the Sealed Object, speechless.
What could they possibly say?
A scion of a generation of loyal and distinguished military lineage had plummeted into the depths of despair due to the backstabbing of some greedy and power-hungry individuals, and not a single member of his family met a good end.
Although such incidents were not uncommon in the Imperial Capital, when such a vivid scene was displayed before their eyes, it was a completely different experience.
At least those with a conscience subconsciously averted their gaze, not daring to look at the pale-faced youth any longer.
Even Tiya, who had just now taken the initiative to suggest the use of the Sealed Object, instinctively took a half step back.
Her face was pale too, but not due to physical discomfort.
Rather, after hearing Dalion's heart-piercing words, she was filled with inner conflict and confusion.
From the start, her impression of Lynn Bartleion had been extremely poor.
Not only did he oppose her beloved Brother Xiya in public, he then pretentiously fabricated some baseless issues, acting as if he had once been acquainted with her, which was utterly disgusting and repulsive.
It was also the reason why she was so vehement in proposing the use of the Sealed Object earlier; to swiftly eliminate this troublemaker in one fell swoop.
But the young man seemed never to have held any resentment towards her suggestion from the beginning to the end.
And now, the scenes from his memories had allowed her to understand the whole tragic story and the truth behind everything.
Being the Silent Saintess, Tiya never concerned herself with worldly affairs, immersing herself daily in rituals dedicated to the Goddess and in wholehearted cultivation.
Naturally, she had no knowledge of the past sufferings of the Bartleion family.
Therefore, in her eyes, Lynn was nothing more than a ruffian who relied on violence and despicable measures.
But now, it seemed... there were reasons behind it all.
As the Silent Saintess, although she appeared as an emotionless doll, deep down she was highly empathic and compassionate due to the teachings of the Moonlight Holy Scripture.
Upon learning of Lynn's tragic fate, she instinctively put herself in his place.
After enduring slander, betrayal, her father's unconsciousness, her elder brother's tragic death at the hands of villains, and even her sister being oppressed and targeted by the Royal Family... If it were me, after going through all this, could I still stand high and mighty, calmly by the side, questioning and accusing others?
Tiya took a deep breath, trying to calm the agitation deep in her heart.
She did not know the answer to this question, but instinctively wanted to reach out and hold Brother Xiya's hand.
But the moment her fingertips touched him, the curse acted up once again, sharply retracting as if electrified.
It was then that the young man looked around at the crowd with an open and frank gaze.
When his eyes met hers, they paused briefly before he spoke out, "Now, are you all satisfied?"
The youth's face was deathly pale, suffering from the backlash of the Sealed Object, and he was in quite a dire state.
Although he was addressing all the skeptics present,
For some reason, Tiya felt as though those words were directed at her.
The young man's voice seemed to carry an almost imperceptible hint of pity, as if he had been cornered by her, the bad woman, in collusion with the others, and was ultimately forced to lay bare his heart for vindication.
A strong irritation once again surged within Tiya's heart.
This time she felt a vague mix of an unidentifiable emotion within her agitation.
That emotion was called guilt.
It was merely sympathy for his background.
Besides, I don't even know this guy!
Tiya clenched her silver teeth, suddenly wanting to turn around and leave the Council Hall right there and then.
However, seeing how awful Xiya looked, along with his tightly clenched fists, she felt it was not appropriate to say anything.
Just then, Saint Laurent VI, seated above, suddenly looked towards Lynn and spoke.
"Do you have anything else to say?"
Upon hearing this, Marquis Mosgla, who was almost collapsing, turned ghastly pale and rushed to explain, "Your Majesty, this matter is absolutely not instigated by the Mosgla family, and furthermore... after deeper consideration, there are many strange aspects to it, such as..."
"Lord Fred need not worry," Saint Laurent VI frowned, "Although I do not know whether these memories are true or false, I have always acknowledged your loyalty."
"Moreover, it is nothing more than a few slanderous comments behind the back from family members. Are there really few in this world who curse me in secret, even wishing for my death?!"
With that, Saint Laurent VI snorted coldly, looking around at everyone.
Yet after hearing these words, Marquis Mosgla did not feel the slightest relief; his expression became even more rigid.
It seemed like an attempt to smooth things over, to soothe his heart, but the words essentially solidified Dalion's comments as truth.
This was not a good sign.
What kind of magnanimous ruler would not take such heart-stabbing words to heart?
Marquis Mosgla did not know.
He only knew that after ascending the throne as a dark horse, and in the same era as Saint Laurent VI, all the defeated princes eventually died clean within a few short years, for various reasons.
Cold sweat beaded on his forehead as he felt the Mosgla family had reached an unprecedented crossroads.