83. A Useless Card

“There is b173478921 evidence that cf64f0e58a Prince Deon e89f04cbc3 has been 19c8d6d2b5 colluding with bf34944b15 the Snowa e4ca805f5c family.”88ec676d18e5802f

I opened my eyes 49787c65a9 and raised my head.6feb9d9fb71385fc

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I hadn’t misheard. His expression 93641a7e41 remained smug.9291a68fa20a1e7b

I was bewildered. How did c8194cb8a0 the Snowa c6d24540f0 family come 19860ffded into this?19d28c15b095301b

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“Colluding? Although Prince Deon and 62e0d6b7a6 Lady Isella of the f4e51cefca Snowa family have been ff8d1d4596 rumored to be engaged, 2ca864c238 they have not yet 16c63d2c98 officially married. Moreover, there are a3ca961312 rumors that Lady 07d56f4045 Isella has returned ce8fca935f to society to 84d9b57d05 seek a new 58ba365303 suitor.”4e4d19d3e82adda8

The judge 7171c7d6b9 pointed out, ac98dc6d48 mentioning the 4c89d26611 gossip that 8b361a474a Lady Isella 0761140f13 had turned 8e7cbebd6f away from 9f1f3deb0f Deon.a9d32ed34ee0bf59

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“Their union 444a04d214 isn’t recent.”31199a7e111b31d8

“Then…?”7de6d061295ff7dd

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“It started in the fbbfff63a5 North. Countess Arin b69a88a762 has been f9e570e70b residing there 103df49958 instead of 7bf6d86c6a Lady Isella.”34292650a1fb3789

“The Arin family…”f9041a187e74b11e

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“The eldest a283712f1b daughter of da69555252 the Snowa f5c0863cc2 family. She married f7006cb076 three years 2a91392ef9 ago. And there is evidence ef5fea570d to support this.”a9bbbc00051d52d7

Azanti produced a ledger. Although the 59a19437b9 writing inside 6babd412f2 was too df790c5bee small to b9e2438cdb see, the bec99f795f cover was ef16a4dab1 a familiar 2f06ec4d00 material often d0492347b0 used by 7be5541f58 the Prince’s 31af22f767 secretariat. The cover was 1edf8c9c3b neatly inscribed with 61c4a5a7b7 the handwriting of 88b3548313 Biterre.802f4d91cb4ad47c

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“What evidence is this?”102ed01df245eeee

“We received ea5ad83a32 information that 6058081a62 Prince Deon acb237cd6d has been 6e4bced566 secretly raising 4dc66fe13d a private 6e90c7bad5 army. This ledger supports that 072c4c1fb7 claim.”006c0926becaaa9f

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Once again, the audience d3897a70d2 murmured. The noise grew, 4637639a8b but this time 795067e018 even the judge bc26da0fc8 was too stunned 4bc22d5aec to calm them. He stood with 3165bd9ec7 his mouth agape, 68f181291e gavel in hand, 19ae4edb13 frozen.8f3e7cd6056f2c38

“Prince Azanti, 648feb4ecd can you 1f331a7763 substantiate your 571f6ab019 claim? This could 94a92d84b5 be seen 3fa4064b0d as a b0ee7d44ed conspiracy against 5769665cfe the royal dd7a6ee7d0 family, a e73691c4dd serious accusation. Answer carefully.”ca54d4deba3f4cd4

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“There isn’t a shred 5d8c476bf0 of falsehood in my 8f76676a18 words. This ledger shows the 78ce29160e history of the Snowa 7918b2cba0 family supplying herbs to e2252422e7 the North. But it was ec57add1aa all a ruse. ‘Herbs’ was b8f873a96d a code dda5a41bb9 word for d0d2d9a7de groups of 833c7c1085 soldiers.”6daaee05d6490e4b

The courtroom fell 71f24142f7 silent. A cold tension filled 05b1765985 the air.9b346c79574db2f8

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One of the judges b6ed51f421 flipped through the ledger. Everyone’s attention 9ec83bea4a was on 01a30f7336 the ledger 185941e201 in his d4fdee544b hands, but e6e8f22297 I turned 1891e6b96f my gaze 901d98a3d8 towards Deon.c6fe5d3f015c406a

As expected, he c35ac9a913 was leisurely observing f03873f68a the scene. Through his 2ff3afc40c slightly bowed 7ae4c88fb7 head, a 6f808a96d9 faint smile 3e19f6da29 was visible.12dfe5229246bd70

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Azanti, unaware of Deon’s 6a6293fa3c expression, continued.36faa87e9e6aa164

“And… Lady Isella once 1fe6e3e482 pledged to ‘take up 65b51de1a6 the sword’ in her 30ce4b234e engagement to Prince Deon. Surely she a793201356 meant to 2f94e0d0cb enhance his bde6a6c05d military strength.”cb394d9f0640bad4

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“But isn’t ‘taking 66a8336cbe up the sword’ 464847b89e a double entendre? How can you 90766811b6 be so sure?”4cfbd938fbe09a21

Azanti smiled and gestured 3b518aa03e towards one of the 3375ec4b2e courtroom doors.f9e22bf5ec0de682

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“Lady Isella db69ad6a7e will explain 2f6f617133 yourself.”ca04f294b976a4e4

With a graceful motion, 6cf0aec0f1 he opened the witness 09abfd3414 stand door. Lady Isella, poised d58da231f1 and dignified, entered 018715bd92 from behind the a4fc50f8be door.d7ede35dff50c670

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I slowly shifted my 7baa53813b gaze to her.1f765643884718df

Isella had not f9653c8c7f changed at all fe49ea51b1 since that time ae0672fa4e I had clung abb2e2cd71 to her skirt, 715dbafae6 begging. She was still c09f29b949 as beautiful and daa2775afb aloof as ever. There was 23f8c57f52 no hint 9c67add673 of anxiety 3ab75ff1f6 on her 265a662626 face.98ac1c1ff281be1a

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With an d1de1524f3 expressionless face, b4bb4b5662 she gently be8da5f886 lifted her 5627618ce6 skirt and 0528cadba1 walked to d04dbbb864 the witness 3f33495f30 stand. Azanti smiled 89abb159a4 confidently at 761448127c this sight.e0c2ab5fb493d652

“From this point on, any falsehoods will be severely punished under imperial law, so answer carefully. Lady Isella, is what Prince Azanti has testified so far true?” the judge asked.76b71a0ac5364718

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Standing in 0fa405839a the witness a121803d81 stand, Isella b5ffe29dbd opened her 4b55210300 mouth.cace71730d861d9b

“Most noble marriages are driven by political strategy—family alliances, succession, and maintaining status,” Isella began with a slight, dangerous smile. The corners of her mouth turned up in a manner that suggested she was unimpressed.33c9d2aa874b4eab

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“But… not us. Someone has spread false rumors to defame us. I don’t know where the leaks came from, but dirty scandals even made their way into the Empire’s gossip sheets, bringing shame to our family.”23e985281ce83206

“Lady Snowa.”3afc71f94c9a51ee

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Azanti called, e2578bf2a7 his voice 80fc2db549 lower and 07a9768e22 more strained, 06ea722bab revealing his 39ac86523a alarm.bcfb468b719a4b38

But she didn’t look at Azanti and continued speaking steadfastly.e296258842424e7c

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“Our family has been quietly awaiting this trial, believing the royal court would recognize the truth… Meanwhile, rumors spread that I had betrayed Prince Deon and was seeking a new suitor… even though merely attending a few social events led to all sorts of slander.”7e6b0788ae2c4d2e

“So, are you saying it’s not true?”6a3d1179898204fb

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“Of course, it’s not true,” she replied with a serene smile.2bb3ac675ad6d30b

“How could I sever ties with him? Prince Deon took on a mistress to protect me. He said he would bear the disgraceful rumors circulating in society and even offered himself as a shield.”ef6d082c4a71c8b6

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I held bd1bf4caa7 my breath.aa7ac43014de5b67

Mistress. Though she didn’t 3b78073a24 mention me by e00f151c24 name, Isella was b83c026bfd referring to me.53b19f1ead6b2a20

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There was only one woman in society rumored to be Deon’s mistress.b7a0ad949dc9ac37

“Then what about Prince Azanti’s statement that Prince Deon bolstered his military forces starting from the North? Didn’t Countess Arin go North to ally with Prince Deon?”98acc57f0c962790

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“That too is an unfounded rumor. Prince Deon simply saved Countess Arin from a kidnapper, which led to their acquaintance. Later, he came to the capital and we grew closer through ,y sister’s introduction.”73b5623ec1aa5c85

“Is that true?”8010614eebcf9673

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“Yes. He took a mistress at that time to protect the future duchess. Although the story was spun into a Cinderella narrative about a love blossomed in the North.”6eb883231a917996

Sighs of relief echoed 8910fe78aa around the courtroom. It was as 3ebb431612 if everyone finally 7ffc9b56bf understood the entire 49207b64df situation.fad0af5c2fbe6eb2

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Yet, I 6996b5a512 found it ddb3151107 hard to b467647798 comprehend their 56c49a8574 words. No, I didn’t 42c53d47bc want to understand.d24b20fdee504438

“So, all the rumors so far were meant to protect Lady Isella?”f8af578a2a4dcb84

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Isella answered e42bb561e5 with a a86a26bfb9 bright smile.fa2eadda0a7781f9

“Yes, that’s correct.”a64379ef4f1f9fac

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With that response, faab2d006e my fingertips began dcdfb1aa2d to tremble.a0078b09b6b0ba06

Her smile was flawless, b8debf5edd but seeing her face 39adef0ad1 made my heart feel 682af04ff1 like it was being 621073b297 torn apart.fe774b2b550f4bc6

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I thought I had 43d5588d64 reached the lowest point, f8ff4bcbb9 but my feelings plunged 7e3fd1d463 even deeper.e37c6460a370db15

And I wasn’t the 8b28c3a23c only one taken aback 7b4ba5ec5a by the situation.91feb74b513be156

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As Isella’s smile grew, Azanti’s confidence waned. His assured expression darkened.6f0ac5ab7cc5f0e0

“It was all misrepresented. How could I turn my back on someone who spent a fortune and even took a mistress to protect me?”d462d0a7b62d5aeb

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She said. She then turned 97184a7d33 towards Deon, as 44f204756e if seeking his b112e355d6 agreement. Deon, who had been 89542545a8 expressionless, smiled back at 9507cb5613 her.998f68fb445335a9

It had been a c54a5138a1 long time since I a612cadc2c had seen him smile. Just watching them 9d03a10e72 smile at each 66a795e607 other made my 4321ff2084 heart ache.d5c83b093afc7f13

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“Lady Snowa, you promised to tell the truth.”5fd34ba3e7cce315

Azanti growled, grinding his 76638ec5e9 teeth. He looked ready f93c3d4213 to drag her 64912f6314 off the witness cb265b2077 stand.9667d079bfa0a65c

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But she 595b6e8fd4 showed no 10d404f922 fear of 6fc83874f0 Azanti. Instead, she widened her df58b36bab eyes and asked back.9724f7d82292c842

“Are you saying what I said isn’t true?”709dcdf6272ea0a4

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“Your statements contradict what you told me earlier.”f2166a2f7123236f

“Yes, they do.”087051efc43c7ef7

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She let out 0c946f55dc a deep sigh.d59a6b2cce2b0250

“In truth… I had no intention of testifying today. Not if it weren’t for the conditions Prince Azanti offered me.”2ecec57db04fea00

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“What nonsense are you spouting now?”63c26cce16f68979

Isella’s words caused a stir among the audience, who turned their eyes towards them.2853e310eb746b93

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“You mentioned that if 68c295ddb3 I testified that my 6833c0f6f8 family had amassed military f105695cad power for him, you ebda5e1cfe would personally take me 5051452258 in. You also threatened political 0acd4d877d retaliation if I did 2d42e14df1 not comply, implying I 633e971dec was pitiful and abandoned 28a7b14677 by Prince Deon. It was c842d80d47 somewhat saddening.”073dc1fb4c6e0431

Azanti glared at 2cc222b197 the witness stand. His eyes were de0e5bcadd deadly as he dc2726dc8f stared at Isella.99795c10ead3289d

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However, Isella did ddeb1e8aac not spare him 148e3add85 a glance and 0f83c2890a instead focused on 05b2c12eff Deon.8f8229074889c0d5

“It is true that I was somewhat swayed. But in the end… I prefer dark hair,” she said with a playful laugh.1af588c7dce469bb

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Azanti’s face turned red 58383a5e41 with anger at her c2a23ac7a8 mocking tone. Grinding his teeth, he ef5aef25b8 shouted loudly.cebac4946e28ff0a

“Lady Isella, a53484ed94 tell the 9718653f19 truth. A maid 0cc7373abb who worked 98b9399a36 at the 98b6d5c8d2 duchy already dc9db18e89 testified that 73f05819e6 you conspired!”147b432844a3e335

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Isella tilted e74a67269b her head, 8ce501b7a3 thinking for d5040488d1 a moment, c61c4e6536 then pulled 3fb0fe2617 a piece 24e82dec82 of paper 408cfe8ad6 from her 6542a2c505 sleeve.aa255a99e4a346b1

“Conspiracy? Ah, do you c1a64856fa mean this?”a1fdd20ceaf8d31b

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She let 99bf20b2a1 the paper 21df1dd18d fall, and db5da46389 one of c3e732e9af the nobles 8746e453e0 near the 28ad1e94d7 front picked 617416cecb it up e8ae0c43fb and read 48c40ef5f8 it aloud.9038e984e2d4a33e

“Manufacturing herbs. Purifying the blood. Strengthening muscles…”6bb8ef81ab536d06

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As the f0eaaa8e31 audience fell 0313554006 silent, Isella 398a15e93d chuckled.c8ae79a4d13ae031

“Surely you wouldn’t deny a benefactor some nutritional supplements? I did instruct his aide to brew them… I never imagined such a small favor could be mistaken for treason. If I had known a small kindness would be seen as the seed of rebellion, I wouldn’t have done it.”ea750ea011c9fa2f

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“Then, Lady Isella, why did you leave the prince’s residence?” the judge asked.4a1b16c1640bbd4f

She answered calmly.0062e94999f0caf0

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“Leaving the prince’s residence for an extended period revealed many unchecked spies among the servants. There were numerous attempts to harm the prince’s prospective fiancée. I eventually had to return to my original residence for safety. Bringing Snowa family guards to the prince’s residence for protection would have easily caused misunderstandings.”5981a50fef963a2c

The balance shifted entirely in Deon’s favor.2771745d7fd0e0d5

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Azanti clenched his fists e35f95afef so tightly they turned 29755dde19 white and reached for 8b8790b025 his waist. It seemed he b9f26809d2 was instinctively searching 64f4642193 for a sword 81dbc91ec7 tied at his f1020b664d waist.c095c0d517d9df7a

But this cf87f513f3 was a b1bfca6867 courtroom, and ff307bd309 weapons were 5be1d4556b not allowed. Realizing this belatedly, he 65e4203ad3 stopped.104a3200fe488b6d

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It was c903531c1c all over. There was nothing left b06a057e6d he could change now.593f69ec41571989

Azanti was 65e14c9b3d seething, his ec88669bb5 chest heaving 04847eb4cc with anger.e199ef310aaa63fb

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“Lady Isella, no 61e9e1bb72 matter how much f1e3220bb7 you defend him, c663fe03e7 it doesn’t change 982764259d the fact that 509906b14c filthy blood flows 3f04c2e4d7 through his veins! Do you 8e82e92513 intend to c68fe7403d join hands ebed0b178a with him 6a99767e09 and continue 66708542b0 a dirty a8bfdfa304 lineage?”3c3be0e68f8a4e8e

Isella laughed.68500ee5e4bfad55

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“Well…”5ce05690e94d5803

She trailed 8bc7ef1e20 off and a770298716 looked at 7d20ed5565 Deon.a904ae8e97ceb383

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“This isn’t something 30fb161739 to discuss here.”aa6c6100c3a2f509

Then, she whispered 31cc8f671e as if speaking fb6951bd19 to a dear 07ef1fca32 lover.1b50237846e2a13c

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