Shuyue was not surprised by the girl’s excuse or her attitude.
It wasn’t that she could empathize with her, but based on the information revealed, there was absolutely no benefit for the girl to offend a Baron deeply rooted in Greypine City for the sake of Shuyue, who had only just arrived.
The girl couldn’t escape Greypine City.
She had already traded her dignity just to stay alive—what room was there for justice?
Shuyue never intended to cause trouble for her either.
First, it wasn’t worth it; second, it was unnecessary.
If she were to settle a score, she would settle it with Baron Jim.
From the moment she killed Simon, this feud was set in stone.
The words she had spoken earlier were actually meant for Baron Jim’s ears.
Even though Shuyue was the true culprit and Baron Jim hadn’t targeted the wrong person, Shuyue hated troublesome pests—whether it was that Simon or the current Baron Jim.
Seemingly moved by the girl’s appearance of being coerced, a man stood up from the gallery.
“Lord White, as a first-tier noble, why must you trouble a weak woman?”
“No, this isn’t just troubling her, it’s a threat. Lord White, you are showing contempt for the authority of the White Tower Court.”
Another person chimed in, their words dripping with obvious hostility toward Shuyue.
“From the start until now, you have been pestering and quibbling. You haven’t uttered a single word of defense against the accusations of the Judge and Baron Jim. I cannot help but believe that you are heavily involved in the death of Master Simon. Furthermore, this lady stated quite clearly that you were at the scene.”
“Oh?”
Shuyue turned to look at the speaker.
He was a handsome young man, appearing to have just reached adulthood, projecting the image of an elegant and refined young noble with a gentle smile on his face.
This look reminded Shuyue of someone: Belang Lester, the brother of her “cheap” fiancée.
As the man spoke, many noblewomen looked over, their eyes more or less revealing smiles.
It was clear they were quite fond of this young noble; some even looked at him with romantic interest.
Shuyue gazed at him and asked in return:
“How can you be so sure she isn’t lying?”
“Lord White, you cannot slander a girl like this. A girl as beautiful as her must surely have a kind heart. One can see her inner sense of justice by her willingness to come forward and testify. How could a girl with a sense of justice possibly lie?”
The handsome man spoke with righteous indignation.
“As for you, Lord, you have not only been disrespectful to the Honorable Judge but also utterly rude to the Baron. You even publicly threatened a kind, weak woman in front of all these people!”
At these words, the noblewomen present felt extremely awkward.
They utterly looked down on a girl from the Early Spring Pavilion.
Being women themselves, they naturally knew what women were like—especially those from the Early Spring Pavilion; they could never be described as “kind.”
However, these words were quite well-received among the men.
In their eyes, girls were all gentle and soft.
Only those who frequently visited the Early Spring Pavilion silently turned their heads away and said nothing.
Even Baron Jim, in the plaintiff’s seat, paused.
He hadn’t expected anyone to say something like that.
For a moment, he forgot to continue attacking Shuyue, his attention shifting to the young man.
The old Judge was also a bit dumbfounded.
He had lived a long time; if he still believed that women were naturally gentle and kind, he might as well have lived his life as a dog.
He had seen plenty of poisonous women who bled others dry.
Of truly gentle and kind women, how many could survive in an environment full of wives and concubines?
The girl from the Early Spring Pavilion could hardly keep her own composure.
If someone called her lowly, filthy, or “damaged goods,” she would admit it openly, because she also viewed herself as a lowly woman.
It wasn’t that no one had ever called her kind or gentle before, but those were always flirtatious words whispered between two people in a bedroom.
But for someone to say such things in front of so many people…
She felt embarrassed herself.
This feeling was more painful than being flayed alive by the gazes of those noblewomen.
Shuyue, on the other hand, was somewhat amazed.
She had a wealth of experience; since arriving in this world, she had seen many noble playboys.
Many were arrogant and overbearing, while some hid their sharp edges.
But this was the first time she had seen this type.
“Could it be that the Lord is the one known as the ‘Friend of Women’…”
She intentionally left the sentence unfinished.
Hearing the title “Friend of Women,” the handsome man actually looked as though he deserved the honor.
Baron Jim’s eyelid twitched.
He turned and gave the old Judge a meaningful look.
The old Judge nodded slightly, his withered hand grasping the gavel and striking it once more.
Dong!
“Silence. This is a court of law.”
Everyone’s attention shifted from the girl back to the old Judge.
Shuyue prepared to continue dealing with Baron Jim.
Right at that moment, the handsome man’s resonant voice rang out again.
He said to Shuyue:
“Lord White, I believe you should apologize to this girl.”
“Why?”
Shuyue was genuinely curious as to how he could say such a thing.
The old Judge’s white eyebrows furrowed.
He coughed twice, indicating that the court required silence, but the handsome man didn’t seem to understand the hint at all; the Judge’s signals were wasted on him.
The handsome man took on a serious expression and said:
“Lord, you just intimidated and threatened her. You need to apologize and earn this girl’s forgiveness.”
“I see.”
Shuyue nodded.
She turned to the girl from the Early Spring Pavilion and said, “I am sorry. I threatened you just now. I can offer compensation for this. I hope you can forgive my offense.”
“I…”
The girl was stunned.
She had never seen a noble publicly apologize to anyone, let alone to a woman like her, whose social status was lower than the dust.
Shuyue followed up in a flat tone:
“Are you willing to forgive me?”
“I…”
“No need to rush your answer. As I said, I will provide compensation.”
“…”
The girl began to tremble.
Although she wasn’t old, as one of the “star attractions” of the Early Spring Pavilion, she had met many nobles.
Among them were “smiling tigers” like Shuyue—calm and peaceful on the surface, but ruthless and vicious behind the scenes.
It was currently summer and the air carried a hint of heat, yet the girl felt cold all over.
Shuyue looked back at the handsome man.
He was also surprised that Shuyue had apologized so smoothly.
Ordinary nobles would never apologize to a commoner, and this made him develop a favorable impression of Shuyue.
However, at that moment, Shuyue spoke again.
“My Lord, you should be aware that we nobles, no matter how displeased we are on the surface, will not lose face on the spot.
But after returning home, we will use any means necessary to take revenge on our enemies.
“What if—and I mean just what if—all of that was just an act?
What if, after I return, I use my connections to buy her from the Early Spring Pavilion, lock her in a basement, and use every method to torture her to vent my anger?
“She will surely be unable to sleep or eat upon returning, yet she is trapped in the Early Spring Pavilion and cannot flee Greypine City.
She cannot escape my clutches.
Since the Lord is a great man with the benevolence of a saint, how about this…
“You pay for her redemption, take her home, and keep her by your side to protect her.
Provide for her food, clothing, and shelter.
Ideally, arrange a decent job for her.
You must also supervise those around you so they don’t speak harshly to her, protecting this good girl’s soul.
At the same time, find a man who truly loves her and is willing to marry her.
“Oh, and since we’re doing all this, when she has children in the future, you can be the godfather. If anything happens to the children, you should also contribute money and effort to help them out.”
Shuyue’s words choked the handsome man.
He wanted to agree because he felt Shuyue’s point was valid—the girl would surely be retaliated against if she went back alone.
But he also felt something was wrong.
Why did he have to take care of the girl for her entire life?
How did it escalate to this?
Everyone around was stunned.
They hadn’t expected the conversation to take such a turn.
The clever ones caught the hidden meaning; Shuyue was sarcastically calling the handsome man a hypocrite.
Indeed, Shuyue found such people utterly revolting.
The women who previously had romantic feelings for the handsome man withdrew their gazes.
They liked his good looks, and while they were women, they didn’t like someone this nauseating.
Having him as a “lapdog” was fine, but having him as their man was absolutely out of the question!
Gradually, the noblewomen’s gazes toward the handsome man turned into the kind of look one gives a dog.
Conversely, they started to take a liking to Shuyue.
Shuyue’s appearance was disguised as Leah White, which was much more delicate than the original, with soft, rounded contours that looked a bit “boyish.”
A sharp-tongued ‘puppy boy’…
His little tongue must be very flexible…
Baron Jim also took a deep look at Shuyue.
His gaze was profound, as if he were contemplating something.
Just then, the doors opened, and two beautiful figures walked in.
“My father said the wedding will be held in two days. It won’t be on a large scale, but everyone who needs to be notified has been. At least the famous nobles in Greypine City will attend.”
“Isn’t that good?”
“Good? Where is the ‘good’ in this!”
“Hehe~”
“What are you laughing at? You’re not the one getting married!”
“So, have you made up your mind?”
“I…”
On a wide balcony, two girls sat at a table chatting.
They were Emily and Vanessa.
Emily was rubbing her chestnut-colored long hair, looking haggard with unmistakable anxiety in her eyes.
Vanessa was leisurely sipping tea, elegant and poised.
Suddenly, a maid walked up quickly.
After bowing to the two girls, she said softly:
“Eldest Miss, that Mr. Leah White was taken to the White Tower Court. Baron Jim has accused him of murdering Master Simon.”
“…”
“…”
Both Emily and Vanessa fell silent.
Emily was stunned.
She remembered the scene between Shuyue and Simon at the Alchemist Guild yesterday, but she hadn’t known Simon was dead, so she appeared very surprised.
Vanessa did not let her emotions show on her face like Emily did.
Instead, she lowered her head in thought.
If Shuyue were there, she would have realized that the maid delivering the news was the same one who had taken her out of the City Guard’s jail yesterday.
She was Vanessa’s person.
She had been there when Shuyue was taken away, but Vanessa hadn’t let her go over to keep Shuyue there.
Vanessa had intentionally waited a while before sending someone to bring Shuyue out, and she didn’t tell Shuyue who had released her.
She had her own little schemes.
She also knew Simon had died last night, but she hadn’t expected Baron Jim to launch an attack on Shuyue first thing the next morning.
She turned to look at the dazed Emily and said:
“Emily, let’s go take a look.”
“Huh?”