North x Northwest

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Volume 9 Chapter 349

The imperial doctor’s diagnosis wasn’t as serious as expected. The emperor only briefly lost his senses due to a sudden fever. And feeling burdened by collapsing in front of so many people, he quickly resumed the trial to show off his health.

Lil was once again brought to the courtroom and made to stand in the middle of the witness stand.

The people in the audience, whose numbers had grown to twice their original size, sat more narrowly than before. The atmosphere was also colder than the previous lawsuit as this was a trial in which traitors were accused and executions were decided. That was also the reason why small units of the Imperial Army and Navy were standing in the gallery next to the audience.

The Emperor, despite his gloomy complexion, glared at Mireille and asked.

“René. Do we really have to continue? The reason the trial has been resumed is because I failed to finish the previous trial, not because I believe the absurd claim that my niece is a pirate.”

“Your Majesty. When I found out that my former fiancée had lived a life of low fortune, I was so distressed that I could not sleep properly day after day.”

The emperor shook his head and covered his forehead, which started to be his default gesture while dealing with this trail, but Mireille raised his voice as if he were preaching.

“The solution I came up with was to take full responsibility for this woman who was ruined because of me. You may think I am talking nonsense, but please look carefully.”

Mireille slowly circled around, scanning Lil’s face and body. In the middle of his actions, Lil cried and begged.

“Your Majesty, please stop the trial immediately…”

Mireille cut her off and exclaimed triumphantly after taking a necklace from his arms.

“Everyone will know how heinous this vicious pirate has been acting!”

The duke, whose face came close enough to touch hers, grabbed her chin harshly. Lil tried to avoid him, but her opponent’s vengeful strength was too much for her.

Looking into his eyes, she noticed they were filled with both joy and madness.

Lil struggled, but it was already too late. Mireille put the necklace over her head. The string grazed her ears, cheek and chin until it finally rested on the nape of her neck. The moment she felt the red gem touch her collarbone, Lil lowered her head with all her might.

“Here!”

Mireille immediately grabbed her hair. As he yanked, Lil’s neck snapped backwards and her face was revealed.

Gasping sounds were heard everywhere, but he shouted regardless.

“At last! Here he is! Lil Schweiz, the Black Whale!”

The spectators craned their heads and looked down at the testimony stand.

Yet in the centre of the witness stand, stood just a poor woman with her hair violently snatched by a man of power. Her delicate body was obviously frightened, visibly trembling from her head down to her toes. Her cheeks, all reddened due to the man’s grip, made her look even more pitiful.

One sentence flooded everyone’s mind.

‘What a disgrace, that noblewoman is being wronged by an obsessive man!’

“…What and who do you want us to see?…”

“…Of what use is the necklace? Why is it worn around the lady’s neck? What does it prove?…”

“…Could it be that the Duke truly lost his mind?…”

“…Obsession is a terrifying thing, do you not think?…”

“…She is just so beautiful that even one man’s inhumane obsession can be understood…”

Tears fell from Lil’s eyes as the pain from her hair being ripped off her scalp became too much to bear. Meanwhile, Mireille grabbed her cheek and turned her face in various directions because her appearance remained the same…

The Emperor shouted a fiery command.

“René! Get away from Liloa right now!”

“No, no! It cannot be like this! Obviously…”

As soon as Mireille let go of her hair, Lil stepped away and touched her aching head.

She loosened her messy hair and tried to tidy it up, albeit roughly.

Mireille, who had paused for a moment, suddenly approached her again but this time tried to lift her skirt. As it was a completely unexpected move, Lil panicked and hurriedly grabbed the hem of her skirt.

The audience was now in complete and utter chaos. Boos and accusations filled the air like thunder.

The Emperor stood up as he gave his order.

“Seize him now!”

The guards quickly rushed over and separated Lil and Mireille. Annette’s body was shaking as if she was going to run down from the podium at any moment. Mireille, with his bloodshot eyes, looked around and shouted to an unknown place.

“He is a man! He is a pirate captain!”

Lil’s shoulders shook and she staggered so badly that she couldn’t hold up her body. Covering her face with her hands, she collapsed to the floor. There, she feigned sobbing, when in reality, she couldn’t stop laughing. She laughed so hard that her entire body shook, coincidentally helping her with her act.

‘I can’t believe he became so engrossed in this. For the first time in my life, I’m genuinely thanking Mireille.’

Lil beamed, seriously hoping that her loose hair would hide her face.

Then, the cover of the ancient book Levi had sent her loomed before her eyes.

– – – – – – – – – flashback – – – – – – – – –

[ Forma, the god of beauty, had six children in the beginning. All six children were as beautiful as Forma, but Belle, the seventh child born between a god and a human, was not… ]

As she read the myth, Lil became convinced that wearing the necklace would no longer show her as a man. Because that was exactly what the last verse spoke of.

[ …Belle fell in love with her own self forever. Because only she could give herself true happiness. Then, her appearance no longer changed. ] 𝗳𝐫𝗲𝗲𝐰𝗲𝖇𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝖒

Lil repeated the last sentence like a spell.

“…Then, her appearance no longer changed…”

– – – – – – – end of flashback – – – – – – – –

‘By then I had already worn the necklace a few times in Roahn, but anyone who saw me said I looked the same… The reason I asked Levi to retrieve the old book anyway, was because I was curious about the exact function of the necklace. Because if there were any exceptions or variables, it would be difficult to use it for my plans… Thankfully, it worked in my favour that Mireille has a certain level of sharpness to him. After all, I couldn’t have succeeded if my opponent hadn’t followed my reasoning as he took the bait I spilt on purpose…’

The audience rose to their feet and lashed out at him.

“…Duke! How can you inflict the shame of calling such a delicate woman a pirate!…”

“…You are out of your mind!…”

Mireille, however, fought back without surrendering.

“Do you not know?! Liloa was a soldier who participated in the Pontenbach War for many years and survived until victory! She wields a sword and can even shoot a gun with her eyes closed! She has the skills of a pirate captain!”

The seats buzzed again.

“…Have you ever heard of such a thing?…”

“…Well, this is the first time I have heard of it…”

People began to name facts they remembered arbitrarily. Lil’s fragmented life wandered around the court, complemented with distortions and lies.

“…Oh, I did hear that she performed several protocols in Pontenbach with the late Prince Robero…”

“…What about LeBrun? She was at the military academy once…”

“…Oh! Now I remember… Was it the Karabinae? I heard she was selected for that unit…”

“…Since the Lady is from Obernyu, she must have been an excellent horseback rider. But to be a carabiner? One needs to have unparalleled marksmanship while riding a horse. Is that not hard to do with a woman’s body? I guess it was just a necessity to bring her to Pontenbach as an attached unit because of the protocols? Considering her physique, she could never have passed as part of the elite cavalry…”

Nevertheless, there were times when the truth was added correctly.

“…I also participated in Pontenbach. I witnessed with my own eyes Aspirant Liloa roaming the battlefield. She saved my life several times. But to use her skills to become a pirate? That does not sound right. I heard the platoon leader speak of her as a righteous person. She was fearless in doing what she thought was right…”

But the truth was only as courageous as it had been in the past…

“…Uh-oh! No matter how hard you try to draw attention, no one will believe you. If you do not want to be called senile at such a young age, please refrain from saying absurd things that obscure the truth…”

…As the truth held no power.

Lil threw her life behind her. Twisted, torn, and drifting like a rag. No one could take her limbs apart anymore, regardless of what criticism or humiliation she might face. The time of being bound by darkness was over. All there was left to do was to run out of Mortu’s castle and enjoy her freedom.

It was then that someone asked the most important question.

“…Why did the Duke do this? It is such an absurd thing…”

Lil, who had calmed down her laughter, raised her head. She stood up on her feet again. Mireille glared at her, ready to tear her to pieces, but she equally wanted to rip his head off.

‘The battle is not over yet. An opponent who can still resist is still a threat.’

Lil’s purpose was to utterly destroy Mireille’s spirit and status.

“Your Majesty, if I may. I know the reason.”

– – – – –

This 𝓬ontent is taken from fre𝒆webnove(l).𝐜𝐨𝗺