𝐄𝐧𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐞́ | 𝙉𝙚𝙪𝙫𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙩𝙩𝙚

𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝑰𝑽

"Wake up!" Navia shook your shoulders violently.

"Oh my archons, Navia! Please calm down." You sat up, cracking your neck and getting ready for the trial. After doing your morning routine and having some quick breakfast, you grabbed the book along with Navia, Melus and Silver to Opera Epiclese on the aquabus. You and Navia quickly entered the Opera house, with Melus and Silver following behind Navia. You made your way onto the stands, and you turned to face Furina.

"Since both parties are present, I declare that the trial regarding the brooch incident is now in session." Neuvillette spoke up. You turned to face him, his signature cane next to his chair.

"Firstly, in order for the audience to understand the incident, could we please have Countess Y/n explain in detail?" Neuvillette asked.

"Of course Ne- I mean Monsieur Neuvillette." You corrected yourself. "This all happened at the previous trial, where I made the grave mistake of accidentally bumping into Lady Furina. After this happened, she saw that the brooch I was wearing happened to match the design of the brooch that was stolen from the museum a few days prior. She then accused me of stealing said brooch, however, I have acquired evidence that says otherwise." You finished and he looked over and gave you a reassuring smile before returning to his cold demeanour. Meanwhile, Navia was trying not to jump up and down in excitement.

"Y/n, he smiled at you! How much more proof do you need that he likes you?" She whispered excitedly.

"Mademoiselle, please do calm down." Melus spoke calmly. Navia calmed herself down, remembering that she could get sent out of the court and that Y/n won't have an attorney anymore.

"Thank you, Countess Y/n. In that case, I take your statement to be that your brooch is different from the one stolen, is that correct?" He asked.

"Yes, your honour. That is indeed correct." You answered.

"Then may we take your brooch and have the museum jewels and ancient artifacts specialist examine it?" He questioned.

"Yes, of course your honour." You took the brooch off and handed it to the Gardes.

"While we await the results, I call upon the prosecution — Lady Furina. Do you wish to refute his statement in any way?" He asked, turning to her.

"Yes, I do. Allow me to take the first shot and break this case wide open. Miss Y/n is clearly lying." You noticed Neuvillette grip on his cane hardened and you quickly dismissed it and continued to listen.

"I have evidence from the museum kameras." She presented the evidence to Neuvillette.

"Has this evidence been checked for any malware, or possible hackers that may have tampered with the evidence?" He asked her.

"I- Why yes, of course!" She answered nervously. She presented the evidence and it showed you and Navia being in the same room as the brooch, then the screen turned black and then showed footage of both you and Navia gone, and so was the brooch.

"Pfft. As always, the house of l/n is useless as ever." You heard one of the nobles talk to one another in the crowd. The scales of the Oratrice tip towards Furina, you nervously fidget with the lace on your dress.

"Well then, ladies and gentlemen, we can already see who is the true winner of this case." Furina smiles smugly. One of the four lights on the Oratrice lights up, while you nervously bite your lower lip.

"On that note, the Gardes have just contacted me indicating that they uncovered new evidence." Neuvillette spoke up. "I shall now invite him onstage to share it with us." Neuvillette sits up in his chair, one of his legs crossed over the other.

"Thank you, your honour. I have thoroughly examined this brooch, and although it does look to be the exact one, this one has a different serial number and is speculated to be the double of the actual brooch." The old man calmly spoke. "This replica was supposedly either lost or destroyed, so this is exciting news."

"There was a double of the brooch!" One of the spectators whispered. "So the countess didn't take it after all." Neuvillette maintained his composed demeanour as he addressed the court.

"This new evidence indeed suggests the presence of a replica brooch, which raises questions about the validity of the museum's evidence. It's imperative that we thoroughly investigate this matter." Lady Furina's smug expression wavered slightly as uncertainty crept into her eyes. She attempted to regain control of the situation.

"Your honour, this could be a clever ruse orchestrated by Countess Y/n to evade justice." Neuvillette leaned forward, his gaze steady.

"Order, order." Neuvillette stood up from his chair. "While we cannot dismiss that possibility, we must rely on facts and evidence. Countess Y/n, allow me to re-establish the facts. Lady Furina has raised a point. You were present at the crime scene and were seen to disappear as the brooch disappeared, and although the brooch that you have is a replica, it still raises the question as to where the original is." Neuvillette pointed out. "Is this claim true?"

"It is true, your honour." You answered calmly.

"Permission to speak, your honour." Navia spoke up.

"Granted." He answered, turning to you and Navia.

"I have some information to discuss with my client. I request a brief adjournment." She gestured to the book in your hand.

"Is that really necessary? They're already as good as guilty." One of the spectators sighed. You ignored their dense comments and handed the book over to Navia.

"Order, order, I say. Your request is reasonable and we shall adjourn. This trial will reconvene in one hour." He sat back in his chair, rubbing his temples.

"Quickly, Y/n." Navia entered the room and closed the doors. Melus handed her a different book and she excitedly handed it to you.

"Melus and Silver snuck off during the trial to get this." She grinned. Navia wasted no time, flipping open the book to the page detailing the brooch. "This is a book about all the historical brooches throughout all of Fontaine's history, and it just so happens to contain yours." You examined it closer, when Navia pointed to a crucial section.

"See, it says here that the replica was auctioned off by the original maker." Navia spoke.

You nodded as you absorbed this vital piece of information. It seemed that the replica brooch in your possession had indeed been crafted by the same artisan as the original and had gone through an auction. This revelation could potentially turn the tide of the trial in your favour.

Navia continued. "And since we have evidence that your parents bought this replica, it could provide a strong defence against Lady Furina's accusations. We need to present this evidence to the court when the trial resumes."

"You're right Navia." You nodded in agreement. "This information can help us win this case."

As the hour passed, you and Navia prepared your strategy and discussed how to present this newfound evidence effectively. The courtroom awaited your return, and the fate of the case rested in your hands. You knew that the way you presented this newfound evidence would be the turning point in the trial, both proving your innocence and casting doubt on Lady Furina's claims.

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That's the end for Chapter 4!