# 50
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“Stay calm!”
The judge's features frowned.
“If you disrupt the session again, you will be expelled immediately!”
The Viscountess muttered curses as she sat upright again.
As for the Vicomte, he was clutching his chest, staring at Edwin with tense looks.
Who is this scoundrel? How can he cling to that prostitute, Dana, in this way!
The Viscountess raised her chin at Edwin, complaining.
“It seems she brought the husband she was said to have married. And from the looks of him... an arrogant fool!”
However, in reality, she was a little surprised.
She thought that Dana's husband must be a worthless man.
But the man in front of her was not only decent... but wonderful, to the point of disturbing.
“I congratulate you, without family and without shame! A shameless wedding!”
She launched her hateful words towards Dana for no reason.
Karl stared at them with contempt.
Their fate is in Dana's hands, yet they lose their minds like fools. A bad temper combined with short-sightedness creates the worst human beings.
As for Dana, she was steadily leafing through the documents she had prepared, as if she was accustomed to such situations.
The trial began.
Carl and Dana's preparation was impeccable.
Karl mentioned the charges one by one, and the couple became confused and shouted, denying everything.
But Dana's testimony and the evidence she gathered were conclusive and irrefutable.
“This is a contract stamped with the Hartwyn seal. It says that money will be paid in exchange for the delivery of the younger sister.”
The judge raised the document in front of the couple, his eyes shining with sternness.
The Viscount's lips trembled before he burst into a scream.
“It says Younger Sister! That tramp, my son, must have done it behind my back!”
“Isn’t the Hartwyn seal in the hand of the master of the house?”
"That bastard stole it! Bastard, bastard!"
The Viscount waved his hand dismissively, confirming that he knew nothing.
“Me too! How can I l my daughter? How?”
Even the Viscountess sold her son after that.
The judge gave them a cold, suspicious look, then turned to the knight standing near him.
“Where's Jimmy Hartwin?”
“That thing…”
One of the knights took a timid step forward.
“Jimmy Hartwin...ran away.”
“Flee?”
“Yes...”
The knights avoided the judge's gaze, realizing the extent of their negligence.
The couple jumped out of their seats.
“That disobedient person is fleeing from his parents!”
“Are you leaving me?! After everything I did for you...!”
So that's why Jimmy didn't show up.
It didn't seem strange to Dana.
Jimmy is the worst person she has ever known.
“They will catch him soon.”
Edwin reassured her.
The judge looked at Dana's side and asked.
“It is said that everything that happened was the work of Jimmy Hartwin. Do you have evidence to contradict this statement?”
"certainly."
Karl stood up stiffly as if he was anticipating the question. Then activate the scoring ball that Dana had prepared in advance.
A light emanated from the sphere, which gradually expanded to show the dining room of the Hartwin house.
As they appeared in the photo, the couple's faces turned pale.
When was this recorded...?
But what was recorded in the first place?!
The image became clearer, and the recorded sound became louder and clearer, filling the hall.
[Do not interfere in what does not concern you. You just pay our debt as usual, then get married and that's enough.]
Jimmy was brazenly stating that he would offer Dana as collateral.
[Parents may borrow money in their daughter's name! Why all the fuss?]
[It seems that I have spoiled you recently, and you have begun to raise your head!]
The Viscountess was ready to harm Dana without hesitation.
[to stop. If the goods are scratched, they will not be sold for their price. What if Viscount Hamburn refuses to take it?]
Even Viscount Hartwin was screaming shamelessly, despite knowing everything in the contract.
There was no one among the Hartwyns who was unaware of the agreement with Viscount Hamburn.
The recording was like a full confession.
The Viscount stammered, trying to say something, then gave up and uttered a loud curse.
As for the Viscountess, she was biting her polished nails nervously.
No, it's okay... Viscount Dana wasn't actually extradited, they wouldn't be punished for something so trivial...
They tried to calm the growing panic.
The judge was preparing to end the situation, when Karl said.
“Your Honor, please continue the recording.”
“Is there more?”
The image continued to broadcast.
[We should have left her on the street! Why did we pick up a child whose origin we do not know and raise her...]
[Don't say such things! Fortunately, she lost her memory....]
The couple gasped simultaneously.
Their mouths suddenly closed together after they had been restless for a moment.
What do we do? What do we do now...?
They had forgotten that Dana already knew they weren't her family. And now panic is swallowing them whole.
The judge noticed the seriousness of what was being said, and his eyebrows furrowed.
“It seems we need an explanation. Did you kidnap the child?”
The Viscount's whole body trembled as he tried to make a sound.
“No…no, we didn’t…she was an abandoned child, and we just…raised her…”
“Did you try to look for her parents?”
They didn't say a word, so the judge turned to Dana asking for an explanation.
Dana got up quietly and said.
“For some reason, I have no memory of before I was six. From the beginning, they explained to me that I was their daughter.”
And I completed.
“I used to do all the housework, and if I was a little negligent, I was beaten.”
“Failing to report after finding a child is considered kidnapping. This is a major crime.”
Once a new charge was added, the couple seemed to have their souls leaving their bodies.
Empty-minded, unable to think.
The judge continued his speech.
"From her childhood until adulthood, there is constant exploitation. It also appears that violence was frequent."
The two side judges nodded in agreement.
“In this case, the family had to leave... It is clear that the long abuse distorted her perception. The punishment must be increased...”
At the mention of increasing the punishment, the Viscountess shouted unconsciously.
"We didn't hit her that much! That she didn't run away was because of the Indoctrination Charm... Ah!"
Everything froze when he heard the word Initiation Magic.
The empire strictly prohibits black magic, because of its ability to control the mind.
Indoctrination magic was one of the most dangerous types, and was widely used among those who wanted to tame beasts.
“Are you saying you used black magic?”
The judge's question was filled with disbelief.
Using indoctrination magic on humans... even on a little girl... was something that could kill her.
The Viscountess felt the weight of the disaster.
Panic drove her to a confession that should not have been said.
The Viscount gave her a savage look.
As for Dana, she received the biggest shock.
'Should I...use black magic?'
Indoctrination magic...?
This was an explanation for her inability to escape from them despite her awareness of her misery.
The people she thought were “her parents” were darker than she imagined.
They sacrificed a child so that they could have an obedient maid for life.
“Dana.”
Edwin pulled her into his embrace. His warmth and his familiar scent enveloped her.
Only then did she realize that she was shaking with anger.
Edwin stroked her cheek, looking into her eyes.
“Look at me. Everything is fine.”
Dana blinked slowly.
The noise disappeared, and everyone faded away.
Only Edwin remained in existence...and the peace he had given her.
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