The instant Richard pulled away the sailcloth, the tense atmosphere in the courtroom vanished completely.
In its place came shocked whispers and curious murmurs, along with a vivid demonstration of the “tiptoe effect.”
Every single gaze fought to fix itself on that tiny figure; all the carefully prepared arguments and attacks instantly became meaningless.
Because no one was listening anymore.
“This… this is the legendary daughter of the evil dragon?” a young noble who had craned his neck high asked in a low voice, disbelief dripping from every word.
“How could she possibly be an evil dragon?” another spectator whispered.
“She looks like an ordinary child—except for the two little horns. My mother has horns too, and… she really is adorable.”
A certain young lady’s hands trembled uncontrollably.
She kept imagining her own fingers stroking Aurina’s back, brushing through that fiery red hair—yet her hands felt nothing, and the contradiction made them shake.
A head blocked her view.
She had meant to say, “Be a gentleman and let a lady see.”
But the head did not lower.
Fine—if you won’t be gentlemanly, I won’t be ladylike either.
With that thought, she grabbed her skirts and—amid the judges’ frantic BANG BANG BANG of gavels—climbed right onto the desk.
Thus the tiptoe effect evolved into the “stand-on-desk effect.”
Once one person started, many, many more followed and stood on the tables.
The judges slammed their gavels and roared: “BANG BANG BANG! Order! Order in the court!”
No matter how loud the noise, it still could not disturb Aurina.
In her dream she was flying above the little insects’ stone nest, breathing fire and watching the tiny bugs scatter in every direction, screaming and clawing at the air—it was the most fun ever.
A pure, angelic smile spread across her little face, complete with shallow dimples.
“Aww~~ she’s just a child… and sleeping so sweetly.”
The old gentleman beside her nodded, a smile softening his previously stern face.
“It seems even evil dragons have a gentle side.”
Soft laughter and murmurs rippled through the crowd.
All the bloody legends and terror (most of which were actually true) dissolved like smoke before Aurina’s innocent sleeping face.
One judge bellowed at the top of his lungs: “Get down from the desks! Everyone back in your seats!”
Only then did courtroom order slowly return.
Sophia, who had been “keeping watch” beside Aurina (Richard had instructed her to be ready with divine spells—if Aurina tried anything bad, silence her without a second word), felt her heart warm at the sight.
At least this was greatly beneficial to the cause of justice.
Richard had never expected this.
He had covered Aurina with the sailcloth only so she could sleep properly and not steal anyone’s belongings.
He never imagined the effect would be this spectacular.
He watched the courtroom gradually settle as people sat back down, a satisfied feeling rising in his chest.
As long as the world can truly see the Aurina I see, they will treat her like the little girl she is, not the monster from horror stories.
They have finally seen the Aurina in my eyes, Richard thought.
The Emperor of the Yanting Empire looked absolutely livid.
He had wanted a monster—something he could publicly condemn and punish.
Yet the little girl before him had silently dismantled his entire attack.
He decided that once court adjourned, he would severely punish those deceitful subordinates.
How could they fail to report such critical intelligence?
He had truly believed Aurina was as ugly and depraved as her father.
Why would his daughter ever like that kind of male?
“Her outward appearance does not change the fact that she is the daughter of the Dread Dragon!”
Even though he was the Emperor, only a handful of people hoping for favor clapped for him.
The applause was sparse and painfully awkward in the vast courtroom.
Sophia, ever perceptive, had a vision: even if the Emperor of the Yanting Empire climbed onto a desk right now and mooned the entire hall, some people would still clap and cheer, “What a magnificent rear!”
The Emperor’s proxies exchanged helpless glances.
The documents clenched in their hands and all their prepared accusations suddenly felt pale and powerless.
The Mediterranean proxy pressed a hand to his forehead, inwardly cursing the Emperor for suddenly barging in—and then still wanting to continue arguing after such a major setback.
This was the moment to change the subject or shift the narrative entirely.
Someone suddenly shouted at the top of their lungs: “Lady Champagne has arrived!”
The famous name of Countess Champagne was still enough to make many people turn their heads and reluctantly drag their gazes away from Aurina.
Escorted by four black-armored knights,
the beautiful, wealthy, and powerful Frostsilver entered with her smooth chin raised high in arrogance.
Her gown was bold—exposing smooth shoulders and a hint of cleavage; the white robe edged with golden embroidery was impossibly soft, perfectly outlining her proud, towering peaks.
Yet even more eye-catching than her beauty and arrogance was the gold.
So, so much gold.
Her silver hair was coiled atop her head with golden hairpins carved in exquisite detail; beneath her pointed, elf-like ears dangled earrings engraved with intricate patterns.
She held a golden scale-like magical array in her hands, and even her cinched belt was pure gold—yet none of it could compare to her golden eyes.
When the Emperor of the Yanting Empire saw Frostsilver, the desire to take her as his wife surged once more.
Alas, he knew it was nearly impossible.
Every man present felt the same urge—some for a lifetime, some only for a moment.
When Sophia saw Frostsilver, she once again felt like nothing more than a fisher-village girl.
Frostsilver, escorted by her black-armored knights, smoothly reached the Emperor’s side.
Her gaze swept the hall; many people felt bliss or wicked thoughts simply from meeting her eyes.
But Sophia could tell—Frostsilver’s gaze had merely passed over everyone without truly seeing them.
She had only seen the one true dragon present: Aurina.
Sophia felt that this eldest daughter of the ancient dragon-vein sorceress family was truly similar to Aurina, a real dragon.
Aurina was the same—her eyes only ever rested on Richard.
Just as now, the only thing Frostsilver truly saw was the true dragon Aurina.
“Everyone.” Frostsilver’s gaze still did not settle on any human.
“As heir to a family that has studied dragons for a thousand years, few can match our knowledge.
According to the research of my ancestor, the seventh Count of Champagne—the founder of draconic studies and author of The Complete Book of Dragons—red dragons are by nature chaotic and evil, doing whatever wicked things they please.”
“Right now she is merely using magic to wear a cute skin.Her essence remains that of an evil dragon.”
Her words caused widespread surprise.
The Emperor of the Yanting Empire rejoiced inwardly—he had signed a 150-page alliance contract with Frostsilver.
So reliable!
He nodded at her with a wide smile.
What foolish insects.
They have no idea I carefully prepared to strike at this exact moment.
Heh, he was stupid enough to ignore accurate intelligence and nearly lost—serves him right for signing contracts without reading them properly.
Even stupider than big brother.
Frostsilver sneered inwardly and continued delivering her carefully prepared lines:
“As a member of the dragon-slaying team, I support the Emperor of the Yanting Empire.
As the team’s draconic scholar, I know what red dragons are—I have personally faced and slain dragons before.”
“This spoil of war should belong to the Emperor to repay his debt and the pain of losing his daughter. As a member of the dragon-slaying team, I fully support this. Moreover, the so-called ‘reformation’ of a dragon-slaying hero is nothing but a joke. Watch!”
Frostsilver chanted a spell and released a meticulously prepared “Detect Alignment” that could pierce magical resistance.
A terrifying crimson aura burst from Aurina’s body, bathing her in sunset-red light.
A few seconds later the glow vanished, yet the impression it left was profound.
The crowd gasped: “I’ve never seen anyone so evil!”
The courtroom erupted into discussion once more.
For the first time, the Arbiter of Light began to feel nervous.
The Emperor smiled—he truly was a wise ruler for uniting with Frostsilver.
“One cannot be convicted simply for failing to commit a crime,” Richard countered.
“Frostsilver, by your logic, anyone born with an evil nature can be treated as an object and sold as collateral?Then let everyone walk the streets casting Detect Alignment—anyone glowing red gets dragged away. Like you, for example.”
“Fine, you say she hasn’t committed crimes?” Frostsilver accused.
“She stole my ruby decanter worth 232 gold coins and my staff worth 741 gold coins.”
Richard was momentarily speechless.
Frostsilver pressed her advantage: “Dragons are utterly obsessed with treasure. Look at me—I deliberately wore expensive finery today precisely to reveal a dragon’s true nature.”
“In a moment she will lunge at me and try to seize every valuable thing on my person, no matter the cost.”
Richard instantly grew nervous—Frostsilver had struck his weak spot perfectly.
He wanted to cover for Aurina, but what could a paladin do?
Frostsilver glanced at the silent Richard, then looked toward Aurina.
Big brother can steal my hoard all he wants—if I can’t deal with him, can’t I at least deal with you?
Frostsilver declared loudly: “If she robs me, that proves her guilt.”
With that, she spread her arms wide toward Aurina: “Come! Look at me. Time to wake up, Aurina!”
Aurina did not move an inch—she was still fast asleep.
In her dream she was atop her mountain of gold coins, pouring her hot, noble draconic seed into a certain female’s body.
Too far away?
Should I get closer?
Frostsilver hesitated—she had no desire to be robbed again.
Being robbed was truly humiliating for a dragon.
She took one step forward—her single step equal to one-and-a-half of an ordinary person’s: “Surely Richard, you’re not afraid to admit it? Wake her up.”
Her long, white-silken legs, embroidered with golden thread, flashed from the high slit of her skirt.
Richard turned his head toward his fiancée—he absolutely would not wake Aurina.
Frostsilver cautiously took a few more steps forward.
At first her strides were large, then they turned into tiny shuffles.
Aurina continued snoring peacefully HUUU… HUUU….
Impossible.
At this distance, even asleep, a red dragon should be awakened by the radiant value of treasure—especially one sired by big brother on who-knows-which little wretch.
Is she pretending to sleep, waiting for me to get close enough to rob me?
Frostsilver hesitated, then stepped even closer—now close enough that she could swing her staff and hit Aurina’s head.
Yet Aurina still slept.
Countless pairs of eyes across the courtroom were fixed on her.
Frostsilver’s eyes flashed.
She instantly cast a spell without incantation.
A mixture of water and ice chunks crashed down onto Aurina’s head, soaking her red hair.
“What are you doing?!”
Richard pointed at Frostsilver’s nose, his hand reaching for the sheathed longsword on the desk.
Sophia immediately stopped him: “Calm down.”
Aurina opened her eyes drowsily.
Through the haze she saw a huge pile of high-value items radiating golden light—and smelled the scent of a weakling.
So dragon-tempting.
She lifted her head.
The corner of Frostsilver’s mouth curved into a victorious smile.
But then Aurina’s peripheral vision caught an even more tempting “golden light.”
She turned her head and saw the mountain of gold from her dream world above her, and at its foot, Richard finishing her meal.
Aurina’s half-lidded golden eyes swept over Frostsilver once.
Who would choose this?
Her eyes closed again, her head dropped back down, and—wanting to return to her dream—she instantly evaporated all the ice water on her body.
In the blink of an eye her red hair was dry, every trace of water gone without a mark.
She fell asleep once more and slipped back into her dream.
The entire courtroom let out a collective “BOOOOO!” at Frostsilver.