The Iudex's day off

Chapter 99 - A dragon's bottom line

Okay. 

You can officially call me evil now.

 Even I consider this to be cruel, I just can't stop!

 Please forgive me.

~

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20 minutes before the explosion in Meropide

Neuvillette's POV

 "According to the judgment of the Oratrice Mecanique d'Analyse Cardinale, Mr Almer is guilty."

 I pronounced the verdict followed by the man's sentence.

 Phew...

 That should be the last one for a while.

 Now I have an hour to myself.

 Before I would have just gone to go through the files required for the next trials but now...

 Should I go visit Wrio?

 I really miss him.

 Or maybe I should see the girls.

 ...

 No.

 I shouldn't interrupt their gathering. Especially considering they told me not to come close at all.

 I do wonder what they are talking about so secretly. Especially since Claude, that child, was still allowed to go.

 Hmm...

 I should go see Wrio, after all.

 Maybe I could ask him to join a trial or two if he has time.

 Even if not today, at least at some point this week. I would love to see him more.

 ...

 On second thought, perhaps that would be a bit too distracting.

 Even without him here my mind wanders off to him from time to time.

 If he sat around here with that teasing smirk on his lips I might lose my mind.

 Ugh...

 But I really miss him.

 How troubling this situation is.

 "Oh my. Does my dear Iudex miss his husband already? We are barely halfway through the day?" Furina's teasing voice sounded behind me.

 She appeared in front of me within seconds, smirking.

 "If you want to go see your husband, you should hurry up, Neuvillette." She teased.

 I couldn't help but blush slightly.

 "What? Now, you're getting bashful? You didn't seem this shy when you bluntly declared Duke Wriothesley to be your husband when the prosecution asked during the first trial."

 That-

 "I was simply..."

 "Simply what?"

 "That question was inappropriate for Court. I merely wanted to get it out of the way as soon as possible."

 "Are you sure you weren't claiming ownership?"

 I-

 "I was most definitely doing nothing of the sort."

 How could I possibly do something so immature and childish?!

 "I was only clarifying the situation, nothing more." I repeated.