"Ku Luo, as a Record Keeper, loyalty and diligence are your duty, yet you dared to embezzle my soldiers' pay. Do you have any idea what this money you stole means?"
Henry's voice echoed across the square. Each word was like a sledgehammer, pounding on Ku Luo's heart.
Ku Luo's face was pale, his lips purple. He trembled, knowing there was no escape, and repeated incoherently, "I was wrong. It was a moment of folly. Respected Baron, please give me a chance. I'm willing to repay all the money. I'll do anything to atone for my mistake."
Henry shook his head. Ku Luo had no outstanding merits; he hadn't even given Henry a reason to show him mercy.
"Ku Luo, your actions are a grave violation of the discipline for fiefdom clerks. You embezzled not just money, but my trust in you.
I cannot let you go just because you're begging for mercy. If I did, how could I face the clerks and soldiers who are loyal to me?"
Henry announced Ku Luo's sentence: death, to be carried out immediately!
