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Chapter 6
On the day of the trial.
Dead leaves rolled across the gloomy streets of Estreet’s Twelfth Avenue.
It was already afternoon, but dark clouds covered the sun, making the weather feel especially depressing.
Everyone passing through the area paused for a moment at the same place.
The Howard Detective Agency.
[Closed]
For years, the office had been open almost every day of the year.
Yet today, for some reason, its doors were tightly shut.
Countless people walked by with puzzled expressions.
And from a distance, a man who had been watching the building finally turned away.
Step. Step.
As he walked down the dark alley, a smile slowly spread across his lips.
“Everyone, maintain order!”
The Southern District Court was filled with noisy chatter.
The shouting briefly quieted the crowd, but the murmuring soon returned.
“That’s the woman who killed Gallagher?”
“She’s completely insane.”
“Why did she kill him anyway?”
“I heard she tried to seduce Gallagher, got rejected, and killed him out of anger. Her family went bankrupt ten years ago, didn’t they?”
Insulting comments flew through the courtroom.
Seated at the defendant’s table, Miss Sullivan heard every word.
Yet she didn’t move at all.
Watching her, a noblewoman tightly gripped her skirt.
Her thin trembling hands looked pitiful.
Beside her, Catherine looked helpless and miserable.
“Those damn idiots… running their mouths when they don’t know a thing!”
Taking a deep breath, the noblewoman quietly turned her gaze elsewhere.
The courtroom was arranged in a circular layout.
And in the center sat her daughter.
A man stared at her as if he wanted to tear her apart.
His identity was obvious.
Baron Longstein.
A father who had lost his son.
His bloodshot eyes burned with rage.
The noblewoman’s heart sank.
There’s no hope.
The thought consumed her mind.
A quiet groan escaped her lips as she slumped forward.
At that moment, the judge finally arrived.
Bang! Bang!
His gavel struck the desk.
“Order in the court!”
Unlike before, his authoritative voice instantly silenced everyone.
“We will now begin the trial.”
The audience straightened in their seats.
Among the packed crowd, Catherine desperately looked around, clinging to her last hope.
But she wasn’t there.
The person she had been counting on.
Shiorin was nowhere to be seen.
Catherine squeezed her eyes shut.
***
“The victim was Gallagher Longstein, third son of Baron Longstein. His body was discovered in Northling Forest at approximately five o’clock in the morning on September 4th. Cause of death: excessive blood loss. The murder weapon was a knife.”
The judge summarized the case.
The accused was Vera Sullivan.
The eldest daughter of Count Sullivan.
Although the motive remained unclear, the evidence was already substantial.
A handkerchief found at the scene.
And her confession.
“Do you have any final statement, Miss Sullivan?”
Everyone held their breath.
Lady Sullivan looked desperately at her daughter.
“…”
But all she received in return was silence.
Miss Sullivan never raised her head.
Among the spectators, a man quietly cried.
It was Foldrin, her fiancé.
When Catherine spotted him, she began crying too.
Several people who knew the situation patted his shoulder sympathetically.
As the courtroom started growing noisy again, the judge cleared his throat.
He was just about to deliver his verdict.
Then—
“Miss Sullivan is not a murderer.”
A young woman’s voice echoed through the room.
Foldrin’s sunken eyes widened as if he had been struck by lightning.
Click. Click.
A beautiful woman walked confidently into the center of the courtroom.
Every eye turned toward her.
Including Catherine’s.
Her mouth fell open in shock.
She looked Shiorin up and down.
Light brown hair neatly tied up.
A luxurious black two-piece suit wrapped around her tall, slender figure.
It was completely different from the dresses most women wore.
Standing proudly beside Miss Sullivan, Shiorin addressed the judge.
“Your Honor.”
Her green eyes shone brightly against her pale skin.
The intensity in those eyes overshadowed even her beautiful features.
Everyone could feel it.
This woman was different.
“My name is Detective Shiorin Berche. Would you allow me to speak briefly? I have clear evidence proving that Miss Sullivan did not commit this murder.”
The courtroom erupted into murmurs.
Foldrin’s jaw trembled.
This woman wasn’t the same foolish girl who had visited his house two days ago.
That sloppy woman with messy hair, dragging around a long coat while wearing oversized glasses.
This was a completely different person.
And more importantly—
How?!
How is she alive?!
The judge tapped his desk thoughtfully.
Ignoring evidence would be difficult.
Eventually, he nodded.
Shiorin turned around.
At her signal, Daniel stepped forward and handed her several envelopes.
“This is the weapon recovered by Inspector Derek during the investigation.”
“Inspector Derek. Is that correct?”
The mustached inspector stood and nodded.
The judge motioned for her to continue.
“As you can see, this is a self-defense knife. At most, its blade is only about three finger joints long.”
Yet the victim had only one stab wound.
That single wound supposedly caused fatal blood loss.
“However, according to a doctor’s opinion, that is nearly impossible. The victim had a very large build, much like Baron Longstein himself.
Baron, please bear with me a little longer. We need to find the real killer so your son can receive justice.”
The baron barely restrained his anger.
Meanwhile, Shiorin picked up the second envelope.
“This is the handkerchief found at the crime scene. As you can see, it bears Miss Sullivan’s initials.
But think about it. The killer lured the victim into the forest to commit murder.
And then brings along an item embroidered with their own name?
For someone who doesn’t want to be caught, that makes no sense.”
Her gaze shifted.
“Furthermore, Miss Sullivan had a beloved fiancé.”
She pointed directly at Foldrin.
“She had every reason to want to live.”
The moment their eyes met, Foldrin visibly flinched.
Now everyone in the courtroom knew exactly who he was.
“I’m sure everyone is wondering now. If that wasn’t the murder weapon, then what was? And who is the real killer?”
Foldrin’s brown eyes shook violently.
He stared anxiously at Shiorin.
Going crazy, aren’t you?
As if mocking him, she smiled.
“I, Shiorin Berche, formally accuse her fiancé, Foldrin Argus, of being the true culprit.”
“No!”
The courtroom exploded.
At the same time, Miss Sullivan screamed.
The room descended into chaos.
She jumped to her feet, only to be restrained by two guards.
The same was true for Foldrin.
Only now did he realize the two men sitting beside him weren’t ordinary spectators.
“Let me go! Let me go!”
But there was no escape.
Shiorin continued.
“Foldrin Argus worked as a tailor and was once trusted by Count Sullivan before the count died ten years ago.
Because of that, he knew the location of the count’s hidden funds.”
Catherine gasped and covered her mouth.
Lady Sullivan looked equally shocked.
Miss Sullivan suddenly fell silent and rapidly blinked.
“After becoming close to Miss Sullivan, Foldrin secretly obtained those hidden assets without her knowledge. They consisted of shares in a publishing company.
Specifically, this.”
As the document was revealed, Foldrin froze.
It was impossible.
That was the very certificate he had hidden deep inside his home.
How?
How had she found it?
While he stood there in disbelief, Baron Longstein suddenly leaped to his feet.
He looked as though he finally understood something.
“Foldrin, you bastard!”
“So you knew, Baron. You knew that Gallagher Longstein intended to purchase Lento Publishing.”
In fact, Gallagher had sold part of his land to gather the necessary funds.
But the signature on the certificate belonged not to Foldrin.
It belonged to Count Sullivan.
“That’s why Foldrin arranged a secret meeting in the forest late at night.
To put it simply…”
Shiorin’s voice turned cold.
“He intended to commit fraud.”
“You bastard! You bastard!”
“The victim gathered a large sum of money and met Foldrin. That’s probably when he realized he’d been deceived.
But by then, it was too late.
Foldrin had already brought a weapon.
He stabbed Gallagher to death, stole the money, and fled.”
The entire courtroom fell into stunned silence.
Then—
Someone suddenly burst out laughing.
A completely absurd laugh.
Shiorin turned around.
Foldrin’s entire face was red with excitement.
And he was laughing like a madman.
