The trial of Jaren Chalcedony was held three days later and Talia was cleared by Owen to be off bed rest. She knew that she needed to be there for the trial, whether she gave testimony or not, but she wasn't sure if she could do it. That is until Fuegoleon offered to sit with her during the trial and provide her with support.
The trial itself was a big deal, more so than a normal murder trial would be because it did involve a noble house. Nobles from every house were present, as well as the staff of Chalcedony House who were to act as key witnesses.
"We are here today for the trial of Jaren of House Chalcedony," Damnatio Kira began. "The charges read as such: the abuse and attempted murder of Lady Talia Chalcedony, the attempted murder of Crimson Lions Magik Knight Karrick Granden, the murder of Marissa Cathion, Jonathan Marco, Helen Martin, Cammila Toth, and Tristan Young, the abuse of the entire staff employed at the estate of House Chalcedony, and the illegal use of funds to spy on not only Lady Talia but also the entirety of the royal capital- jeopardizing the security of the Clover Kingdom."
Murmurs spread throughout the courtroom for a moment before Damnatio continued.
"In addition, Alice of House Chalcedony is to be tried as an accomplice to her husband on all charges."
Talia sat with Fuegoleon in the stands, her hands clutching her dress as Damnatio continued addressing the court.
Fuegoleon noticed this and placed a hand over hers to try and calm her and offer reassurance. He did not mind in the slightest when Talia moved her hand to hold his, her fingers intertwining with his as she scooted a bit closer to him. He held her hand as they sat there, hoping it was helping as much as he was intending it to.
Once the charges had been read, the information gleaned from the interrogation of Jaren was revealed to the court and the murmurs turned into gasps and angry or shocked whispers.
During the interrogation, it was revealed that Jaren had been abusing his staff since the death of his parents. After inheriting the estate and becoming the head of the household, his ego and pride began growing exponentially and it became to take a negative hold over the day to day activities and lives of the staff employed at the estate. The abuse was not entirely physical, it had been mental as well and had been so bad in some cases that a few of the maids had to be taken to a special facility to be treated after suffering mental breaks. Jaren would play these breakdowns as being the fault of the maids' families, claiming that they had sent him mentally unstable girls. In most cases, though, the staff would comply more out of fear than anything else- even more so when Jaren would threaten the safety and wellbeing of their families.
When Jaren married Alice, his abuse had turned to her. In the beginning of their marriage, things were looking better, but when Alice had difficulties conceiving a child that's when the abuse turned to her. Alice endured this abuse for quite a few years- including the sexual abuse against her- before she was finally able to conceive a child. Jaren seemed to back off during the pregnancy, turning his abuse back onto the staff, but when Alice gave birth to a girl- to Talia- Jaren was furious.
Alice continued to suffer abuse at the hands of her husband until the day that Talia had come home from the Vermillion estate with a gash on her forehead and a torn and dirty dress. She stood by and did nothing, out of fear of her husband, while Jaren beat the maid Marissa to death. Jaren forbade anyone from ever speaking of what happened that day, ordering a small number of the staff to take Marissa's body to one of the family carriages and drive it over the edge of a cliff. If they refused, their families would suffer a similar fate. Jaren then told Marissa's family that she had died in a carriage accident and ordered Talia to use that same lie to explain the gash on her forehead should anyone ask what happened.
Fuegoleon looked at Talia as her free hand went to her mouth, her eyes wide with shock and brimmed with tears.
"He told me that Jon, Helen, Cam, and Tristan had quit...!" Talia whispered with disbelief.
Damnatio continued to read the interrogation report, revealing that after Marissa's death, Jaren had locked Talia in her room- refusing her food or water for three days. He had destroyed all of her favorite toys and forbade Talia from ever seeing Fuegoleon Vermillion again and from ever leaving the Chalcedony family's estate again. He had taken the letters that Fuegoleon had written to Talia and burned them, leading her to believe that her friend had forgotten her. He forced Talia to study etiquette and academics under private tutors, chose who she was allowed to speak to, what she was allowed to do; he had complete control over Talia's everyday life. When it came time for Talia to receive her grimoire, it was the first time in nearly ten years that she was allowed to set foot outside of the family's estate, but as soon as she received her grimoire she was forced back into seclusion. She was tutored under the same water mage that Jaren had been and continued her training until the Wizard King had come to the estate about an apprenticeship for Talia with the royal healer, Owen. The only reason Jaren agreed to the apprenticeship was because it was an offer that came from Julius personally.
As the rest of the interrogation report was read, Fuegoleon's heart sank more and more. He had no idea that Talia had been suffering so much over the years and he was amazed that she was even able to keep a smile on her face at all given what her father had put her through. But hearing the report, he finally understood why Talia never replied to any of his letters.
After the report of her father's interrogation had been read, Talia sat there and waited for Jaren to speak. When he did though, his words were nothing but venomous.
The court listened as Jaren tried to play off his actions as though they were completely justified, as though it was his right to do what he wanted in his own home and with whomever was under his roof, and when it came to him attacking the Crimson Lions' headquarters, he felt justified in that as well- claiming that he had come to collect his daughter after learning that she was whoring herself out to the Crimson Lions and he would not let the Chalcedony name be sullied by her loose legs. Those present gasped at the accusation, many of them having come to know Talia quite well since her apprenticeship had begun. Those who didn't know her personally knew of her reputation, so the accusation still came as a shock. Jaren continued to try and claim that his daughter was nothing more than a wretched bitch and whore, trying to destroy the image he had built for himself over the years, and her disobedience began the day that she met the Vermillion brat who was bent on making the House of Chalcedony look bad.
Fuegoleon was growing more and more furious at the accusations Jaren was spouting, but Talia's leaning against him kept him from speaking out. He knew that Jaren would not get away with anything and he knew that Talia needed his support, so he bit his tongue and squeezed her hand gently.
When it came time for the report for Alice's interrogation- which had been done because of the charges against her as an accomplice- Jaren had been muted with a spell and restrained in his corner. Damnatio proceeded to read the report, which revealed Alice's side to everything.