Shuyue looked at the two girls who had suddenly appeared, though she didn’t seem particularly surprised.
Vanessa and Emily hadn’t exactly “intruded”—they had walked in quite openly.
After all, they were noble ladies, and young, prominent ones at that; they weren’t the type of people ordinary guards could stop.
The guards at the entrance silently closed the doors, acting as if nothing unusual had happened.
The eyes of everyone in the hall were fixed on them.
It must be said that Vanessa and Emily, raised in noble households, possessed a level of cultivation that allowed them to remain perfectly composed in such a setting.
If an ordinary commoner had walked in and been subjected to such collective scrutiny, their legs likely would have turned to jelly, sending them straight to the floor—and they’d be lucky if they didn’t wet themselves in the process.
Seeing that she had captured everyone’s attention, Vanessa unhurriedly pinched her skirt with her slender hands and gave a slight curtsy.
Her movements were elegant and appropriate; her graceful demeanor made it difficult for anyone to dislike her.
Combined with her status as the daughter of the Hermann family, she was the kind of woman many men dreamed of pursuing.
Now that she was right before them, the majority of the seated men—even those whose children were as old as Vanessa—adopted the solemn, performative dignity that males often put on when faced with a high-quality female.
Emily gave a faint, silent pout.
She followed with a bow somewhat reluctantly, stepping half-behind Vanessa.
While she could handle social situations, she genuinely disliked these environments.
Only her best friend, Vanessa, could put up with it.
On the way there, she had learned Shuyue was involved, but she didn’t look her way, clearly intending to ignore her.
The only reason she was here…
Was because of Vanessa.
As for what Vanessa intended to do, Emily had no idea.
Her best friend was always mysterious and unpredictable, leaving her baffled.
However, Emily had one clever trait: if she couldn’t figure something out, she simply stopped thinking about it.
Shuyue watched their performance in silence, even finding a moment to glance at the handsome man from earlier.
The man had previously been turned a shade of liver-purple by Shuyue’s anger, but upon seeing the two noblewomen, he looked like a man in the full bloom of spring again.
This rapid shift made Shuyue feel nothing but contempt.
What a perverted fellow…
She hadn’t felt it as strongly before, but ever since her main body had turned into a girl, her perception in these matters had become much sharper.
Baron Jim and the old Judge exchanged a glance, both realizing that today’s proceedings were likely coming to an end.
The moment Vanessa and Emily walked in, they lost the ability to do anything to Shuyue.
Not that they could have done much to begin with; they could only annoy her or try to provoke an outburst to create a valid opening for retaliation.
Vanessa straightened her posture, her beautiful eyes moving toward the old Judge. In a voice as clear as a mountain spring, she spoke:
“Your Honor, I can testify for Mr. Leah. He did not go to the Early Spring Pavilion last night. Yesterday, he was taken to the City Guard prison, and it was I who had him released. I then had someone follow him; I can say with absolute certainty that Mr. Leah never left that inn.”
“…”
The old Judge was stunned for a second, his peripheral vision flicking toward Baron Jim.
The Baron’s expression was not good; it remained dark and his gaze was somewhat obscure, making it impossible to tell what he was thinking.
After a moment of reflection, the old Judge gave his answer.
“Since Miss Vanessa is willing to testify, I naturally believe that given your character and status, you would not utter a lie. Baron Jim, do you have any additional evidence to provide?”
“No.”
Baron Jim shook his head, choosing not to dig his heels in further.
Shuyue’s expression remained flat, showing no ripple of emotion.
She didn’t try to press her advantage against Baron Jim either.
She was well aware she was a fake.
A fake can never be real; you can fool people for a while, but not forever.
Once she got what she wanted, she would leave immediately.
There was no need to push a Baron too hard, or he would surely become an obstacle to her departure later.
The old Judge didn’t give anyone else a chance to speak.
He turned back to Shuyue.
“Lord White, the charges against you are dismissed. Do you have any issues?”
“No.”
The expressions of the audience were a colorful mix: some were disappointed, some found it amusing, but most were simply staring at the two young, beautiful noblewomen—a sight rarely seen in public.
However, some were jealous, as the two young ladies had clearly come for the person in the defendant’s seat.
Aside from that, a few people looked quite unwell.
The girl from the Early Spring Pavilion was pale, her body trembling uncontrollably.
The fat man beside her, who usually had sharp eyes, was now in a visible panic; he deeply regretted coming here.
One other person looked disgruntled: the handsome man.
After being provoked by Shuyue, he had developed a strong dislike for her, feeling she had no idea how to cherish a girl.
However, with Vanessa appearing to testify for Shuyue, all his pride was smashed to pieces in that moment.
The shards cut him, leaving him metaphorically bloodied.
Yet he felt he couldn’t abandon the girl from the pavilion, as he still believed this “beautiful girl” had merely been deceived.
“Lord White, this girl must have simply misidentified you. Please do not make things difficult for her.”
The handsome man decided to follow his path to the bitter end.
Though he didn’t see it that way, believing instead that he was standing up for justice.
Shuyue maintained her faint smile and didn’t bother answering him.
The girl from the Early Spring Pavilion was drenched in cold sweat.
She had just heard Shuyue mention retaliation, but she had accepted her fate.
She was never in control of her own body; having offended a noble, even if she lived on the fifth floor of the pavilion, the owner would still hand her over to the noble’s manor.
They wouldn’t offend a lord for her sake.
The girl’s pretty eyes were grey and hollow, filled with despair.
Seeing this, the handsome man grew frantic.
He actually glared at Shuyue, as if ready to risk his life.
Shuyue was done dealing with him.
Her gaze fell on Baron Jim.
“Since there is nothing left, I won’t stay.”
With that, she walked straight off the defendant’s dock, not even bothering to wait for the final formal verdict.
This was an irregular trial to begin with, so there was no need to follow regular formalities.
Shuyue approached Vanessa.
She gave a neutral look to the black-haired girl who shared her hair color.
No emotion showed on her face, but her mind was racing.
She could feel that Vanessa wanted to “do something” to her.
This wasn’t a deduction—it was pure intuition.
Could this be considered a girl’s sixth sense?
Regardless, she felt something was off about Vanessa.
By comparison, although Emily kept shouting about breaking the engagement, she seemed a bit dazed and actually somewhat cute—though Shuyue wasn’t about to fall for her.
In Shuyue’s value system, her partner had to be able to defeat her.
Clearly, Emily couldn’t.
“Wait… am I being influenced by the Dragon Blood?”
Shuyue couldn’t help but frown.
She realized her views on romance were developing a slight problem…