Our Family Has Fallen

”Next!” Lance concluded the case and then moved on to the next trial.

Gill stepped forward, feeling extremely nervous under all those scrutinizing eyes.

However, he had been reminded of what to do while he was below, and having watched the previous demonstration, he wasn’t at a loss for what to do.

Opposite him were several people, including a dancer in shackles, dressed provocatively and bowing her head; the others were all men.

”Read the case...”

The case was quite simple: it was a swindle.

The woman danced to attract the men, then lured them in with the promise of an exciting show. Unexpectedly, while the victims were in the middle of getting undressed, several men burst in.

Gill, caught up in the heat of the moment, instantly lost a substantial amount of money. It was only after he stepped outside that he realized something was amiss.

These ship crew members were no pushovers. They didn’t understand the rules of Hamlet, so instead of reporting to the authorities, they went straight back and called their shipmates to settle the score.

The situation escalated, and only then did the sheriff become aware of the incident and record it.

When they were stopped by the sheriff, all Gill got was ”wait for the investigation.”

He thought he would just suffer in silence, like always, but to his surprise, he was actually given a trial.

This case presented no particular difficulty; there were plenty of witnesses. The perpetrators had become so brazen—swindling numerous people—because the sheriff’s earlier intervention, stopping the crew members from retaliating, had only emboldened them.

After going through the process, Lance immediately sentenced them, ordering the stolen money be returned, along with a penalty fine.

Rationally, the case should have ended there, but Lance had a reason for choosing to hold a public trial for this case.

The Romani were taken away by the sheriff, and then Gill and a few others were inexplicably taken to the defendant’s bench.

As for the plaintiff’s bench, William went straight over to it.

This turn of events left them confused—what was happening?

”My Lord, we haven’t committed any crimes...” Gill felt he still needed to defend himself.

”Before you disembarked, someone should have told you about Hamlet’s regulations against brawling and that you should seek the sheriff’s help in case of trouble—you remember that, right?”

Lance’s words jogged the memory of Gill and the others; they indeed had been warned before disembarking.

But such warnings were almost ubiquitous. They received similar cautions in other places, yet who would take them seriously? They never imagined that Hamlet would genuinely enforce such rules.

Seeing their reactions, Lance could not help but tap the desk to bring them back to their senses.

”However, this is your first offense, and a fight did not ensue. You also left after hearing the sheriff’s advice. Therefore, I’ll only issue a warning this time. But if there is a next time, be prepared to do hard labor.”

Hearing this, Gill and the others breathed a sigh of relief and hastily spoke good words to Lance, thanking the Lord for letting them off.

But the matter was not yet over.

”Next up, are you aware that patronizing prostitutes outside of brothels in Hamlet is punishable by fifteen days in jail, along with a fine?”

This subject not only caught Gill and the others off guard, but the residents of Hamlet also found themselves contemplating this issue.

Indeed, before disembarking, they had been told about this peculiar rule. Gambling and soliciting prostitutes outside of Hamlet’s casinos and brothels were unprotected. These activities were even considered serious offenses, leading to harsh punishment upon capture.

In the eyes of the common folk, this seemed like a monopolistic tactic by the Lord to fleece money. However, only prostitutes who had been exploited understood it as a form of protection. They wouldn’t be sold into brothels or forced to serve customers, and they had the right to refuse abusive clients without fear of harm.

However, most of the former prostitutes had since reformed. As long as they were willing to work, Hamlet provided enough to survive on. Nowadays, the brothels were mostly populated by lazy dogs who preferred to lie back and earn money rather than work.

Lance’s behavior was probably incomprehensible to the rest of the world.

But Lance didn’t care; he wasn’t living to please others.

”Explain your actions?”

Lance pressed for an explanation, but what could Gill and the others say? They could only admit that they indeed harbored such intentions.

”Considering this is your first time, and since the transaction was not completed, I’ll waive the fifteen days in jail. Just go pay the fine.”

Lance closed the trial, and Gill and the others finally completely relaxed.

Although the money they had just reclaimed was fined away again, they were more afraid of being accused of another offense. Hamlet was a place that seemed quite surreal to them.

It was finally over...

Lance couldn’t spend the entire evening on this; he selected cases that were typical and had educative significance, teaching the commoners how to avoid swindles and teaching outsiders the rules.

In terms of severity, his judgments were quite lenient—just a few days of detention and a fine, not like the public executions where people were hanged and their heads displayed in the square at the outset.

There were differences in the severity of crimes. Additionally, the chaotic state of affairs back then necessitated his strong stance to deter others. Now, however, he could control the situation without such measures.

Excessive cruelty and harshness would bring pressure, which did not fit with Hamlet’s setting of peace and tranquility.

Due to the evidence collected in advance and the solid chain of evidence, the Romani had virtually no room to refute and could only numbly admit their crimes and accept their punishment.