Prove Her Innocence! By herself, if need be.

"I would never betray my country like that, let alone my family!" Kimiko cried, reaching deep inside herself to find her courage.

"Your words mean nothing in the face of evidence!" Mr. Fouka replied, clearly unmoved by the princess's insistence. "If you truly wish to convince me and the rest of the council that you are not the vile traitor you appear to be, you will need to prove it through action."

Kimiko was about to reply that she'd do anything to prove her innocence, but stopped herself at the last second. She was in a political battlefield, and she had to choose her words very carefully. If she said something as vague as "anything" then Fouka and the other councilors could give her an impossible task. If she was going to have a chance at clearing her name, she'd need to propose her method herself.

The only question was... what could she do to prove her innocence?

She could offer to take bring the pirates to justice. She knew how to use a sword, even though she'd never actually been in a fight. The pirates would no doubt have experience with combat, and her training alone might not be enough to defeat them. Even worse, the idea of being taken captive by the pirates should she fail...

Perhaps offering to take a vow of poverty would work? She could forsake her titles and wealth for a year to prove she had nothing to gain from working with pirates. Life would be difficult, of course, trying to get by for a year with none of the luxuries she was used to, but surely life on the streets couldn't be too terrible. Right?

There was also an option that Kimiko was less than eager to consider. She could ask the council to decide what she should do to prove her innocence. It would hopefully be less of a punishment than what they'd do if she were found guilty or ordered to make amends for a crime she didn't commit. Then again, that could be just what the council wanted, and she'd be playing right into their hands.