Chương 155: Chapter 147 - The Final Sentencing

Chelsea One month. One long, agonizing month. That was how long it had taken Chelsea to reach the final three prisoners awaiting re-trial. The cardinals. For most of the hearings, Chelsea had stood at floor level. She had wanted the prisoners to feel welcomed and safe enough for them to explain what had happened to them. Today was quite different. The three most despicable men Chelsea had encountered in this world stood before the dais while she watched them from her throne.

"Cardinals, you stand before me today as three very different men from when we first met." A month in the dungeons had changed them. Their hair had grown shaggy, and their clothing was torn and soiled. Each wore some variation of an unkempt beard, though none had been imprisoned long enough to suffer the severe neglect Chelsea had seen among their victims.

"When I first saw you on that blessed day, I thought you were just three power-hungry little men. Now? Now, I know you for the despicable monsters you truly are." Chelsea allowed her gaze to move across the throne room. A number of the former prisoners stood among the people in attendance. Some now worked directly for Chelsea. Others had returned only to witness the men responsible for their suffering finally face judgment.

"It took me a month, gentlemen. A full month to complete two tasks. The first was systematically speaking with all nine hundred and eleven prisoners, aside from you three. That task, I finished in the first two weeks." The room remained completely silent.

"Of those nine hundred and eleven, I found that only forty-four truly deserved to be down there for their crimes. That leaves eight hundred and sixty-seven innocent men, women, and worst of all, children you sent to the dungeons for no other reason than they weren't human or didn't fit society's status quo." Chelsea held out her hand. Kira stepped forward and passed her a sheet of paper before returning to her place beside the throne. Chelsea looked down at the report.

She had read every case several times, but the words still filled her with the same anger.

"You sentenced a man to the dungeons for asking for aid. His sick wife needed medicine, and you imprisoned him for begging. His wife died two days later from a fever, with their two small children able to do nothing but watch and wait for their father to return." The oldest cardinal shifted slightly, though he kept his head lowered.

"If this report is accurate, you sentenced an elf to the dungeons simply for being pregnant. For reproducing." Chelsea tightened her grip on the paper.

"Then there was the thirteen-year-old girl you sent there for being raped by a nobleman, which caused him to be unfaithful to his wife." She tore the paper in half. The sound carried through the throne room.

"This doesn't even begin to touch the laundry list of embezzlement and misappropriation of Church funds that I uncovered with the help of my beloved knights."

"Eight hundred and sixty seven innocent souls and countless more you had put to death." She scoffed in disgust. Chelsea dropped the torn pieces beside the throne.

"Speak. What is broken in all of you that made you believe this was okay?" None of the cardinals answered. They couldn't look directly at Chelsea because of her light, but their silence wasn't caused by discomfort. They had nothing to say because obviously, in their minds, they did nothing wrong. Chelsea leaned forward and yelled, "I said, speak!" Her voice echoed through the chamber. The older and younger cardinals flinched. The middle-aged man remained still, his head raised as far as Chelsea's light allowed.

He was the one who answered.

"You can put us to death. You can do whatever you want, but we're proud of the Church we made. It was pure. Not that a filthy demon like you would ever understand." he finished this by spitting on the floor in front of the Dais.

"Uh-huh," Chelsea said.

"Cool story." The cardinal scowled at her casual dismissal.

"So, I said there were two things that took me a month to complete. Here's the second. Your sentencing." Chelsea settled back against the throne.

"Unlike you three, I'm not a fan of indefinite sentences. Having an end date gives you something to hope for. Nor am I a fan of slavery." She let out a laugh, "The idea was kicked around to enslave you and send you off with my... delightful... aunt who interesting hobbies." She shrugged, "It's just torture... really really messed up torture." The cardinals finally showed concern.

"After much thought, my decision has been made. If you have a problem, specifically three problems with delightful classes that could give them power again if anything were to happen to me, then you solve that problem. You three are to be executed."

"Do it!" The youngest of the cardinals finally spoke up.

"Make it public. Show your people you are as disgusting as everyone knows you are, you demon whore!"

"Cute. No no. Nothing so dramatic. It will be carried out privately away from eyes that would turn you into martyrs. You will just simply cease to exist." She let out a laugh, "Never understood the public execution thing. I'd never want my kids to see something so grizzly." She dipped her head at the guards behind the cardinals.

"You will be sent back to the dungeons until I can set a specific date. I will see it is completed." She though back to movies where the hero didn't see the villain executed and it came back to bite him. Was that one of those tropes that Amber was so fond of talking about? She watched as the guards manhandled the three men out of the throne room.

"Finally." she sighed.

"Mom," Kira said, from her right.

"I brought that new batch of orph... uh... my... brothers and sisters to the room.

"Oh! Yes! Is that the one with Samantha? She's a fairy girl around my age." She remembered her very well. She especially remembered the disappointment on her face that she tried to hide when Chelsea didn't offer her the adoption title. But Chelsea had her reasons.

"Yeah, I was going to ask about her. The kids and matron were all glowing but she wasn't. Why?"

"Long story. I need to discuss something with her before I do. Don't worry, you'll have a fairy sister soon enough." Chelsea laughed.

"I need to go greet them. Did you introduce them all to the others?"

"I did. Samantha? Was that her name? She seemed really high strung." Kira said.

"She kept apologizing for everything and acted like she was a inconvenience."

"Well you are just going to have to show her how to be a princess." Chelsea replied with a grin, nudging Kira with her elbow.

"Oh! Your grandmother is finally done with her stupid quest and is supposed to come for a visit later today."

"G-Grandmother Adriane!?" Kira squeaked in reply. The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

"Are you ready for it? You met one of the saints the other day, right? She happen to tell you anything about what you're expected to do?" Kira asked as they exited the elevator into the room of darkness which hid Chelsea's domain.

"Not a word. She was super sweet. Like probably one of the sweetest people I've met in this world. She definitely earned that saint class but everything they said was so cryptic. And how the hell does everything she say rhyme?" Chelsea replied.

"I'm hoping it's just like a typical coronation from my old world. What could they have me do that would prove I'm the Empress? Make it my title? Easy enough." She tried to sound confident, but having no idea what awaited her was beginning to bother her. The saint had helped arrange everything with the lead priestess while refusing to give her a direct answer about what the ceremony would involve.

"No clue," Kira mumbled.

"The last Empress was before I was born." Liam reached the entrance first and opened the door to the new and improved domain. Chelsea stepped through into the whimsical wonderland she had created for her growing family. Fifty-eight little princes and princesses now lived there, along with her four older daughters, the former matrons. The once-empty space had become crowded with toys, laughter, and children racing beneath trees that hadn't existed until Chelsea placed them there.

"Mommy!" Several children abandoned whatever they were doing and ran toward her. They threw themselves around her legs, nearly tangling together in their hurry to reach her first. She noticed several of the new kids hanging back, a bit apprehensive. She hadn't spent time at the most recent orphanage prior to showing up and adopting everyone but Samantha. Chelsea bent down with a laugh and wrapped her arms around as many of them as she could. She rubbed their backs while they crowded against her.

She opened her wings, letting them grab on and play with them.

"I hope you were good for your sisters and Freya while I was away." Her expression suddenly became stern.

"Robby, did you stay away from my closet?" Robby immediately looked toward the ground.

"He didn't!" Maddie tattled.

"But he couldn't get it open. Big sister Erin is guarding it from him now." Chelsea fixed Robby with a disapproving stare.

"Robby, you and I are going to have a discussion about that later. For now, go play. And stay away from my closet." The children scattered almost as quickly as they had arrived. Robby hurried after the others without daring to look back. Freya approached once Chelsea stood and the large woman leaned down for a kiss. The new Empress was ecstatic to find among her domain toggle switches, she could allow non-mortal beings in.

There was an ominous are you sure message that popped up which she had yet to see, but she toggled it on anyways. She was frustrated it took her three full days to notice it.

"You're too easy on him. You should've at least cut off a hand like a true empress." Chelsea kissed her before answering.

"Speaking of which, I am finally finished going through all of the prisoners."

"Oh? The sentencing went well?" They began walking toward the bedroom while Kira followed behind them. Chelsea's attention drifted across the domain as they moved. Children played throughout the open space, filling nearly every corner with activity. There were several buildings-like structures in the distance where the kids slept. Many of them preferred sleeping in the same room. Very few wanted their own room.

"Hilariously so. You one hundred percent called it.

'We are proud of the pure church we.' blah blah blah. Is there some sort of script or something? You almost nailed down the exact wording." She let out a quick breath of laughter and stretched her arms above her head, "Now there's just the coronation, dealing with slavery and the knight exhibition. Once those three things are done, it'll be smooth sailing. We were just discussing the corronation. Any idea what the saints will want me to do?"

"Never attended one before. I'm as much in the dark as you are."

"Well, shit," Chelsea replied.

"Hey, Samantha," Kira called from behind her. Chelsea stopped and looked toward the area Kira was facing. The fairy was helping Thomas, a four-year-old boy, fasten his shoe. At eighteen, Samantha had already spent four years beyond the age when the orphanage normally forced its children to leave. She had remained because she had nowhere else to go, and everyone she cared about still lived there. Samantha perked up when she heard her name. She noticed who Kira was standing next to and went white.

Her glittery wings did a weird change too. All of the glitter seemed to move closer toward her body. She finished helping Thomas before rising and walking toward them. Chelsea knew Samantha wanted to be adopted, and Chelsea had already promised that she would. She simply had plans for the young woman, and the adoption needed to happen at the right moment.

"Mom wanted to talk to you," Kira explained gently. Chelsea laughed at how naturally Kira had already begun referring to her as mom.

"I was. Hey, I need to have a discussion with you in private. Would you be okay with that?" Samantha's wings lifted behind her as her entire face brightened.

"Y-yes, of course. Now? I'm available now!" the overly excited girl exclaimed.

"Sure, now would be great." Chelsea nodded. She stood on her tip toes and kissed Freya with a promise to return soon. Chelsea led Samantha out of the domain, leaving Freya in their room for their, special time later. As usual Liam followed. A private discussion was never truly private.

"Samantha," Chelsea said as she settled into the chair across from her.

"How are you doing?" They were seated in the same private meeting room where Chelsea had adopted Kira. Samantha sat stiffly at the opposite side of the table, her hands clasped tightly in her lap.

"Doing, um, pretty great. Thank you for taking me in along with the others."

"You don't have to thank me every time we talk," Chelsea replied with a laugh. Samantha quickly covered her mouth.

"Sorry."

"Hey, relax," Chelsea said.

"You're not in trouble, and this isn't an interview for adoption."

"Okay." Samantha nodded rapidly. That seemed to be the girl's natural state. She was always excited or worried.

"Let me start by thanking you for helping with the kids. You're incredible with them."

"Thank you, Your Grace. Wait, I mean, it's my pleasure." She said, shaking her head. Chelsea laughed.

"And how are you faring, Your Grace? I hope you're getting enough sleep."

"I do my best," Chelsea responded with her usual sweet smile. Samantha's concern seemed genuine. Even while nervous about why she had been summoned, she was still worried about Chelsea.

"So, Samantha, the reason I called you here has a bit of a backstory. It's obvious you want to be adopted, and I want to adopt you, but there's another factor that comes into play. Do you have The Eyes?" Samantha shook her head.

"Okay, that's fine. In the stat sheet for one of the smaller children, their class will just say Prince of the Holy Church or Princess of the Holy Church. Those are fine, but what interests me are your older sisters and Kira." Samantha's face brightened at the mention of the matrons as her older sisters. Chelsea noticed.

"Oh, yeah, you're basically adopted. The only thing left is the formality. That makes them your sisters enough for me," she explained with a laugh.

"Let me finish explaining. Elize and Lindsey's classes are Matron Princess of the Holy Church, while Kira is a Knight Princess of the Holy Church." Chelsea raised one finger.

"I believe it adds whatever your profession is before you're adopted." Samantha leaned forward slightly as understanding crossed her face.

"So you've been holding off until I get a profession?"

"Yes!" Chelsea exclaimed.

"Yes, exactly. To allow you to stand out. Your beauty already does a good job of that, but let's add a unique class to it." Chelsea glanced up at the map hanging nearby. The dots across it had shifted since the last time she had looked. She returned her attention to Samantha.

"So? Did you have any professions in mind? Just name it, and I'll have someone start training you to fill that profession slot. Honestly, this is a bit of an experiment, so please don't feel bad if you end up as just a Princess."

"Good problem to have," Liam said. He had remained near the wall throughout the conversation, quietly observing until now. Samantha nodded in agreement before looking back toward Chelsea.

"Your Grace, if…"

"Mom," Chelsea corrected sweetly. Samantha's face turned a deeper shade of red.

"Mom." Her glittering wings fluttered behind her when she said the word.

"If I could have any profession, I'd want to be an alchemist."

"Oh! An alchemist," Chelsea repeated.

"Alchemist Princess. That has a pleasant sound." She sat straighter and attempted her best impression of Samantha's voice.

"Hi, my name is Samantha, the Alchemist Princess of the Holy Church." Chelsea began nodding in approval.

"That's a good one." She started running through the profession options quietly, "Blacksmith princess, cobbler princess, enchanter princess." She nodded again, "Alchemist princess has probably the best ring to it." Samantha started laughing, and some of the tension finally left her shoulders.

"Was that supposed to be me?"

"I'm sorry. I thought that was a perfect replication of your voice. I bet Sir Liam believed there were two Samanthas in here for a moment," Chelsea joked.

"So, we'll set that up." As she spoke, Chelsea's attention drifted toward the map on the wall again. Several of the dots had moved even since they started talking. Chelsea absentmindedly stood and approached the wall.

"Hey, Liam, what's the deal with this map? Is it enchanted or something?" Liam stepped closer. He studied the map, glanced toward Chelsea, then looked back at it.

"No? It's just a map."

"But what do all the dots mean? They've changed since the last time I saw it." Liam leaned closer and examined the parchment for several more seconds.

"Miss Chelsea, there are no dots that I can see. Miss Samantha? Do you see dot?" Theres a big group of black dots here and here." Chelsea pointed at two groups then looked at Liam in confusion. She moved closer to the map and began pointing them out. Hundreds of black dots were spread across the Holy City. A few isolated orange ones appeared among them, while two red dots blinked beside each other in one of the outer districts.

"No?" Samantha agreed with Liam.

"It's just a map of the Holy City. But the two spots you pointed out are very close to two orphanages." That had to be it. Chelsea opened her abilities and began reviewing them. Something was placing those dots on the map, and the connection to the orphanages narrowed down the possibilities. She raised one finger to keep the others from interrupting while she quickly skimmed through several abilities. Then she found it.

Chelsea had never bothered reading the full description before because she had assumed it was the same ability granted by her title that put Xs on unloved people's faces. Detect Unloved Passive. When viewing local maps, displays the location and basic status of unloved. Black: Healthy unloved Green: Sick unloved Orange: Extremely hungry unloved Red: Starving unloved Blinking red: Dying of starvation unloved Chelsea stopped reading. Her gaze snapped back toward the two blinking red dots.

"Shit. Where is right here?" she demanded, hurriedly pointing at them. Liam followed her finger across the map.

"The slums," he replied.

"That's the red-light district specifically." Chelsea shook her head as anger tightened her chest.

"This fucking city. Take me there."