That's Just the Way of the World (Ace Attorney x reader)

Case Closed

Your Pov:

The court flew into another uproar and the judge's gavel echoed in my ears as he tried to quiet them down. "Order! Order in the court! Mr. Justice, just what is this evidence?" Prosecutor Godot scoffed. "Well, I won't believe it until I see it. Get your cards on the table, boy." I nodded to Apollo.

I could feel Kristoph watching us from the gallery. Apollo spoke. "Our evidence is this note! It was written by the victim." The judge nodded. "You will read this note for the court!" Mr. Damon quickly spoke. "No! Stop!" Apollo ignored him and read the note out loud, his voice filling the room.

"To Whom It May Concern, I am going to leave my fiance soon. He is an insane, condescending man. I feel like my life is being threatened. He'd kill me if he ever found this, so I'm hiding it on the day I leave. If something happens to me, he did it. Don't trust anything he says. -Angela W"

Prosecutor Godot flinched, a grimace appearing on his face. Apollo continued. "As you can see Your Honor, Ms. Wells believed that her life was in danger. She believed that Mr. Damon would kill her because of this note alone!" The judge nodded. "I see, but what I don't understand is why Mr. Damon would go through the trouble of framing the defendant." Mr. Damon nodded. "Exactly! I wouldn't! No one would!"

I spoke. "No one? I don't think so. With the defendant's background, it's not hard to understand why the killer did what they did." I continued. "After all, framing a woman known as a murderer for another murder. It's foolproof...well, it almost was. But this note proves everything."

Apollo spoke up. "You didn't know about the note or the plan. But you caught Ms. Wells as she was escaping, didn't you? That was when you decided that she was a problem. If she told her story, you'd be done for. So you killed her or the woman you thought was her." Prosecutor Godot objected. "But...do you have proof that connects him to the scene? Ms. Wells is a biased witness. She could be lying."

I smiled. "We do, in fact." Godot choked on his coffee. "W-What?!" I pulled out the evidence bag with the mask. "We believe that this is the mask the killer wore to hide their face. A strand of hair was found inside, along with a spot of blood. I'm sure that if we test these, they'll be a match to you, Mr. Damon."

And in that moment, Mr. Damon snapped. His hands held the witness stand in a death grip. "Y-You stupid woman! If only...if only I had destroyed that note! Candice, Angela, you witches! What have you done?! I'm ruined!"

The judge spoke. "Bailiff, please remove Mr. Damon." Mr. Damon's yells echoed as he was removed from the courtroom. Once he was gone, the judge continued. "Now then, I am ready to announce my verdict. Do the prosecution or defense have any further remarks?" Apollo and I shook our heads. "No, your honor." Across the room, Godot had his gaze trained on Dahlia. Even without seeing his eyes, I knew he was glaring at her. He looked towards the judge. "No."

The judge nodded. "Then will the defendant please take the stand?" Dahlia approached the stand, a smile on her face, but it was genuine. The judge spoke. "Though you've been here time and time again, I somehow never grow tired of it. Now..."

He lifted his gavel. "This court finds the defendant, Dahlia Hawthorne, not guilty!"

Apollo and I smiled, hugging each other as we celebrated. We headed into the defendant lobby, where Kristoph was waiting with Dahlia. We approached the two. They turned to us. Kristoph hummed. "That was an admirable defense, you two. That trump card carried the entire case for you." Dahlia smiled at us. "Thanks to you two, it seems I'm free once again." She kissed Apollo's cheek and then mine. We both blushed.

Then, a voice came from behind us. "Dahlia!" Iris came over to us, smiling. She looked at Apollo and I. "Thank you for helping her." I nodded. "You're welcome." She turned to Dahlia. "I'm so glad you're alright. I was so worried. But I believed in you, Dahlia." Dahlia tilted her head. "Mm, that kindness still hasn't left you. It's one of the things I love about you."

Iris blushed in embarrassment. "I know...Oh! We still have our training to do!" Dahlia giggled. "Of course. Why don't we head back to the temple now?" Iris nodded. "Yes. Sister Bikini is making a celebratory feast. She's expecting all of you." I smiled. "We'll meet you two up there. Go on ahead."

Kristoph spoke up. "Why don't you go with them my dear? Didn't Dahlia ask you to go with her in the first place?" Apollo continued. "We have to drop some stuff at the office. We'll meet you there."

They were acting a bit suspicious, but I decided to go back up to Hazakura Temple with Iris and Dahlia. The whole ride back was filled with conversation between Iris and Dahlia as I stared out the window.

Just what were Kristoph and Apollo up to?