"You have become quite an interesting person, nephew, I must say." Nerissa said from her high throne, her platinum eyes glimmering with quiet amusement. "How did you gain so much development in so little time?"

"Just learned a lot, Your Majesty," he replied.

Razeal raised his head slightly, his lips curving into the faintest of smiles. His voice carried no arrogance, yet it didn't lack steadiness either.

He could jest, mock, or play the fool in front of most people even fuck around arrogantly. But not her. This was not a woman to be toyed with. She was one of the most unpredictable people in the world. Even in the novel, she was known for doing whatever came to mind, following her mood without ever thinking about consequences.

Even though in the novel's plot, she appeared rarely, but whenever she did, the entire world bent with her whims. If she wished, she could set the world aflame before breakfast and host a banquet in the ashes by evening.

So

For once, Razeal's words held the proper etiquette, his posture straight and respectful even is fakely.

"Ohh, that reminds me…" Nerissa tilted her head slightly, her cheek resting lazily against her fist as she lounged on the throne, one leg crossed elegantly over the other. A chuckle slipped past her lips, quiet but carrying throughout the silent hall. "You used to call me mother-in-law once. Those were some days."

She left the sentence hanging, unfinished, the amusement curling at the corners of her lips as she looked deep intho his eyes.

Razeal just kept his smile but didn't commented anything.

At her side, Celestia remained still, her expression as calm and polished as ice. She showed no reaction to her mother's words either.

Razeal tilted his head almost imperceptibly. She knows, he realized. Nerissa wasn't ignorant of the truth of what had happened. There was no way a woman like her.. who saw through empires as easily as glass wouldn't know. She definitely knew about selena lying.

Their eyes locked. Her smile deepened slightly, and he understood. She knew that he knew.

"You've grown quite clever.. I must say" she remarked lightly, as though she were commenting on something beyond the situation at hand.

Razeal gave no answer. Just standing there, calm and poker face his smirk lingering faintly, his silence more telling than any words.

While all three dukes and even Marcella's eyes glinted with such praise, it felt wrong.. given the situation. Instead of the Imperial Empress delivering judgment, she was having a conversation with him, offering even such small praise as calling him clever.

A flicker of disapproval flashing across al of there stern features except Marcella. To praise this boy here, of all places was a strange move.

Even Arabella, who wore the biggest frown, didn't show any dissatisfaction. Despite the seriousness of the moment to her personally, she hid her feelings well.

Clever for what?" Even Celestia's eyes flashed with confusion as she turned her head to the side to look at her mother. Thinking to herself

But before any of them could ponder further, Nerissa leaned back slightly and broke the silence.

"As last time, this time," she said, her voice calm yet absolute, "Celestia will be the one to judge Again."

All eyes turned.

Celestia drew in a quiet breath. She had expected this, yet the moment the words left her mother's lips, the weight of them pressed against her shoulders. Nerissa did not hand out responsibilities idly. This was no mere trial it was a test.

Her posture remained perfectly straight as she turned to her mother. then bowed her head slightly in acknowledgment.

"Yes, Mother," she said simply, her tone steady and respectful.

Nerissa's eyes softened just slightly, a flicker of amusement dancing within them. Will you see clearly this time? she wondered. Well, she would let her handle it all herself so she could learn from her mistake. Since Celestia had the privilege to fail and learn without consequence, Nerissa never intervened to teach directly. To her, learning from one's own mistakes was far better than being told. Maybe, in time, she would truly understand.

Celestia took a step forward, looking down at both Razeal and Ranguard. Her face was calm and composed. This time, she was determined to impress her mother by doing her job properly.

And in all honesty, this wasn't even going to be hard for her. she have the Eyes of Judgment. All she needed to do was look and ask them question, and she would know the truth. She didn't need anyone's full story or excuses; the skill made lies transparent to her just one word and that's it. And honestly even without relying on that divine ability, just looking at the situation now, she could already see clearly where the truth lay.

She knew Razeal. Out of everyone present, she was perhaps the only one certain of one thing: he was never a rapist. He might been called by many names, accused of many things, and painted as a monster. But not this. Never this. Even now, in this mess, she could tell it. He wasn't the one doing anything

And then there was Ranguard, trembling like a leaf in a storm. His body shook voice faltering. Everything about him screamed guilt. It didn't take a dragon's pride or a noble's intuition to see it. Anyone with a shred of perception could feel something was wrong with him.

Razeal, of course, stood calmly, watching the stage fold out in front of him. happy even his lips curved ever so slightly. Nerissa had handed the trial to Celestia, giving her the authority to judge in front of everyone. That meant the game was in motion exactly how he wanted it. If it had been Nerissa herself, things would've been far more complicated. She was smart and would've found out what plan he made in instant. But Celestia? With her, he could still play.

Celestia parted her lips to speak, her posture steady, her platinum eyes narrowing slightly as she prepared to deliver her first judgment.

But before she could even let a single word leave her mouth

"I wanted to rape her. I admit it," Razeal said suddenly.

The words cut through the courtroom like a blade. His voice wasn't trembling, nor defensive. He spoke as if making a casual confession, even smiling slightly as his eyes fixed on Celestia.

The entire chamber froze. For a heartbeat, the silence was so heavy. Then the awkwardness.

Ranguard, standing just beside Razeal, turned his head slowly toward him. His face twisted with weirdness. Confusion painted every line of his expression. What the hell is he doing? Has he gone crazy or something?

He tried to force his face into something more composed, quickly lowering his gaze to the floor, but his thoughts spun wildly. He was almost certain that this kid hadn't done it. literally he himself was to one who wanted to, wasn't he the guilty here.. This kid was trying to protect her? Innocent? but everything about his actions earlier… it hadn't matched this confession. And now? To openly admit it? In front of the Imperial Empress herself? This was beyond reckless. It was madness.

And yet somewhere, deep inside Ranguard's heart hope flickered. If Razeal was going to shoulder the crime, then maybe, just maybe, he would survive this.

Maximus Luminus, sitting on his seat, scratched his head. His golden hair caught the light as his brows furrowed. He looked down at the boy in the center of the red carpet and muttered under his breath, "What the hell is happening here?"

Marcella Virelan, on the other hand, leaned forward in her seat, her sharp eyes glinting with a spark of interest.

Celestia, the one whose words had been stolen before they could even escape her lips, should have been furious. Anyone else interrupting her judgment like this, lying so brazenly before her eyes, would have earned her wrath instantly. But instead, she only stared at him. Platinum eyes, cool and unreadable, flickered with the faintest trace of confusion.

Her thoughts swirled. What is he doing? Why and what admit? In front of my mother, of all people?

"I see…" she said finally, her voice carrying through the silent hall. She let the words hang for a moment, studying his face. "But you are lying."

Her pupils shifted, subtle runes invisible to the naked eye spinning within them, the Eyes of Judgment in full effect. They reflected Razeal's face, and in that reflection, truth and falsehood were stripped bare. Just as he had expected beforehand

On the seats to the side, Arabella Dragonwevr leaned back suddenly, tension snapping through her like a whip. Her hand rose to cover her face, fingers pressing into her temple as she exhaled sharply.

This little cunt… she thought furiously. What does he wants now? why even doing this? Got her in stress for nothing. And how dare he throw my daughter's name and try to use her into it like this!

The entire ordeal had already strained her to her breaking point. Revenge against Razeal would be a nightmare. His existence was already a political powder keg. If he truly had harmed Nancy, retaliation would mean war and war with the Virelans was not something she wanted. It was never good for anyone.

But Celestia's words changed everything. For all Arabella's fury, she trusted her gift. If Celestia said Razeal was lying, then he was lying. And that meant revenge be safe. And also her suspicions, her instincts from the very beginning, were right. He hadn't done it.

Which also meant someone else had. And that someone? That was a target she could break, torture, and erase without consequence. She thought as her gaze looked towards ranguard whose body trembeled feeling the killing intent already.

But still pressure she had been holding in eased slightly. Her crimson eyes, however, still burned with lethal intent.

The other dukes exchanged glances, confusion in their eyes as if genuinely thinking 'What the fuck is going on'.

Marcella Virelan, however, let out the faintest sigh of relief, her shoulders lowering ever so slightly too. She had been carrying a crushing weight all this time. If Razeal had truly done something this unforgivable, even though he was no longer of their family, she knew her matriarch would still try to protect him. And if that meant going against the Imperial Court itself… the consequences would be catastrophic.

It was a fucked up situation. She was under a lot of pressure, as she was the one who had to do all of this, which was a huge responsibility...

Now, with Celestia's words, that nightmare possibility was gone.

"But I did rape her."

Razeal's calm voice cut through the thick silence like a blade again. He spoke with no hesitation, as if declaring something as mundane as the weather.

Celestia's platinum eyes sharpened. "Don't speak further," she said, her tone icy and absolute. "Let me hear the other person's words first."

Her gaze locked on him, cold as frost. For the first time since entering the court, there was steel in her eyes not confusion, not softness, but a line he was not to cross.

Razeal only shrugged, as if her words weighed nothing. His smirk lingered.

Celestia shifted her focus. "Now," she said, her voice steady and cutting through the courtroom's silence, "you tell me what truly happened. As Nancy's appointed guard, I am certain you saw everything. Did he do it, or not?"

Her gaze turned to Ranguard.

The moment her cold platinum eyes fell on him, his entire body stiffened. Sweat clung to his brow despite the chill in the massive hall. His throat bobbed as he swallowed, desperately trying to steady his trembling.

"You… Your Highness… I" Ranguard began, his voice cracking. He raised his head, intending to speak, but instantly felt the suffocating weight of countless gazes bearing down on him.

The dukes. The Dragonwevr matriarch herself. Even the Imperial Empress Nerissa, who watched him with casual amusement, her chin resting against her hand, as if waiting to see how he would flail.

Celestia's cold voice cut across his hesitation. "Tell the truth. You know well that in this place, lies will not save you. The consequences will be far worse than death."

Her words hit like daggers.

Ranguard's heart pounded in his chest. He could feel the sharp weight of judgment closing in. He wanted to craft a lie, but the thought of meeting Celestia's eyes… of trying to fool her gift… froze him in place.

Instinctively, his eyes flicked to hers. A mistake. His will crumbled under the pull of her gaze.

"No…" his words stumbled out, choked and uneven. "He is lying. It was me.. I was the one who tried to rape her. He fought us to save.. and"

His confession cracked apart midway.

Because in that very moment, before he could finish, Razeal moved.

Bound hands and all, his body twisted at an unnatural angle, faster than the eye could follow. His leg snapped up with brutal precision, the strike whistling through the air before it collided against Ranguard's skull.

The impact was like thunder.

Blood exploded outward, painting the pristine red carpet. Fragments of bone, flesh, and gore sprayed in all directions. His skull shattered instantly, the force tearing his head apart like fragile glass.

The sound echoed across the court. Crack. Boom. Splatter.

One moment, Ranguard stood trembling and confessing. The next, his headless body twitched once, then collapsed heavily to the ground with a dull thud. Blood poured freely, soaking into the royal carpet, pooling across the floor like dark ink spreading on parchment.

The court fell silent.

Even those who had weathered countless wars and executions were left frozen. The sheer audacity of what had just happened was incomprehensible.

Someone had dared to kill a man here. In the Supreme Court. Beneath the gaze of dukes, matriarchs, and the Imperial Empress herself.

He wasn't just killed.. he was stopped, violently and without hesitation.

All eyes turned, almost instinctively, toward Nerissa.

What would she do? Surely this was an unforgivable act. No one in their right mind could hope to kill in front of her and live.

Arabella's jaw clenched. Rage seethed beneath her skin. She had heard the beginnings of Ranguard's confession, had felt the small satisfaction of truth about to surface. She had wanted him punished.. by her hands, slowly, cruelly, so she could make him suffer for daring to touch her daughter.

But now?

Now he was gone. Not punished, not tortured, not made an example.. just gone, his body a twitching heap of headless flesh staining the court.

Her nails dug into her seat. Fury burned through her, but she restrained herself. She could have saved him, could have interrupted but Nerissa was here. And if the Empress herself hadn't stopped it, then there was no room for her to act either.

Celestia's gaze flickered toward her mother, tension shadowing her features. Concern pulsed in her chest. She had seen Razeal kill without hesitation. She knew better than anyone else that he had just challenged the highest authority in the empire by doing so. If her mother willed it, he would be obliterated in the next heartbeat.

But Nerissa?

She didn't move or even frown.

She just sat there on her high throne, legs crossed And on her lips was that same faint smile amused, entertained, utterly unconcerned.

It was as if the murder was nothing more than an interesting twist in a play.

Razeal lowered his leg, his movements casual, almost careless. "Ooooff..sorry. My foot slipped." His tone was mocking, his expression one of feigned innocence. His bound hands shifted slightly against the rope of scaled red fabric, the crimson stains of Ranguard's blood still splattered across his clothes.

The court was so quiet one could hear the drip of blood hitting stone.

Finally, the headless body slumped completely, collapsing in a heap, lifeless and limp. The crimson pool beneath it spread wider, soaking the red carpet until the colors blended.

Razeal turned his head, lips twitching into a faint smile. His voice rang clear across the hall, calm as ever.

"As I said before, I wanted to rape her. And so I attacked her. Which means I did it. I myself am admitting it."

His words were madness.

Everyone in the room turned to him again with the same thought.

Why?

Why would he say this? Why would he shoulder such a crime willingly? Why go this far, when even judgment had not yet been passed? Its almost like he wants the punishment.

Or was this some deeper scheme none of them could see through yet?

Confusion burned through all of them.

"No, You are lying. Don't try to twist it.. he clearly admitted it." Celestia's cold voice cut sharply through the silence, her platinum eyes unblinking as they bore into Razeal.

Razeal tilted his head slightly, as though amused. "And what proof do you have to claim that?" he countered, his tone steady, his words edged with mockery.

Celestia didn't flinch. "My eyes. And the guard, he himself admitted that you weren't harming Nancy but rather protecting her. He confessed it was him who tried to violate her." Her expression remained poker-faced, her tone unshaken.

Razeal's lips curled faintly into a smirk. "First, I don't believe in your eyes. Second, the one who supposedly admitted it… well, he accidentally died." His gaze swept across the court with casual disdain. "So there's no more proof. That leaves me.. the so-called criminal who admits I'm guilty. And if the criminal himself admits it even killed the one who was the only one to prove, then surely it can't be wrong, can it?"

His words dripped with mock logic, as though he were explaining something obvious to a room full of idiots.

Celestia's jaw tightened. Being addressed in such a tone.. mocked so openly, and in front of her mother irritated her. "It doesn't matter whether you believe it or not," she said, her voice hardening. "What my eyes see is truth, and the law recognizes it. That is absolute."

Razeal's smirk deepened. "So you are corrupt, then." His words landed like a slap, deliberate and sharp, meant to press on her pride.

Celestia's fingers twitched at her side. Her irritation spiked, but before she could lash back, she spun toward Arabella, her voice crisp. "Where is Nancy? Let her speak. Only her word can cut through this. Since the only people involved were Razeal, Ranguard, the dead guard, and Nancy, she must give testimony."

Arabella's crimson eyes narrowed. Her answer came resolute, sharp as a blade. "She is under paralysis poison and that too of seventh rank. Her body will not respond for four days. And no" her voice hardened further, brooking no argument, "I will not allow anyone to forcefully remove the poison from her. It is dangerous. Her draconic body will naturally expel it. And that is final."

Her tone made it clear: there was no room for debate.

The tension thickened.

Celestia turned back toward Razeal, irritation flashing across her features. "Enough. Whatever games you are playing, it ends here. I declare you innocent, and for such.."

But she was cut off. Again.

"I am guilty," Razeal said loudly, his voice sharp enough to silence her words. He stood straight, bound hand unmoving, his face utterly expressionless. "So, as a criminal, I deserve punishment. And I request" his eyes narrowed, his tone unwavering "to be incarcerated in Eternal Hold."

The words stunned the court.

Celestia, who this time was truly irritated this time even furious at being cut off.. wanted to speak had just opened her mouth to speak but when she heard his words, her expression twisted into something strange. "Eternal Hold?"

Her sharp mind spun rapidly, connecting fragments of thought. Why would anyone request to be thrown into Eternal Hold? A prison so feared that even hardened criminals begged for death instead of its darkness? It was no place of survival.. it was a death sentence.

Her brows furrowed. Unless… there was something to gain from going there.

She tried to think what it could be?

Some tresure there? Someone he wants to meet?

But then suddenly

Her mind clicked. The Ghost Clan.

Merciless assassins without presence And not to say there nature.. Once they marked a target, they never stopped until death was delivered.

She remembered. Razeal had been attacked yesterday.. survived only because his mother and sister had interfered. But now, with them absent…

Could it be? Was he terrified of dying outside, hunted endlessly by assassins? Was this his way of seeking shelter? A mad gamble, but perhaps the only place even assassins feared to enter was the Eternal Hold.

Her eyes narrowed further. No sane person would declare themselves a rapist just to be imprisoned. But when her eyes flicked to his face… Yeah him nevermind. He is insane enough.

She misunderstood everything completely. As if that thing made perfect sense for her.

"Fine," Celestia said at last, her tone clipped. "You will be held in Eternal Hold for the next four days, until Nancy Dragonwevr awakens and gives her testimony. Only then will final judgment be passed."

She didn't even know why she agreed so quickly. Something about his strange request unsettled her, but she let it be. Maybe just because as ghost clan be ending as Duchess verlan already went.. So till then maybe let him enjoy.

Razeal's smirk barely flickered. Emotional as ever, he thought to himself, but he kept his face unreadable.

Then

A soft sound.

A chuckle.

Nerissa, the Empress herself, let a light laugh escape her lips.

The sound carried across the court, elegant and really amused.

Every head turned towards her. Arabella, Maximus, Seraphina, Marcella all shifted their gazes instantly.

Celestia's frown deepened. Confusion flickered in her eyes. What… is so funny?

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