But this is a real courtroom. It’s not a place for amateurs playing detective. I had to remind him of reality.“We’ve had the forensics team verify his testimony. They reconstructed how Anthony’s face would have fragmented when the shot was fired from where Jonathan Davis was standing—how the flesh blew apart and where the pieces scattered. If you like, I can show you the evidence. Although I doubt your appetite for lunch will survive it, unless you’re some kind of pervert who gets hungry at the sight of entrails strewn in chunks.”My blunt words drew groans of discomfort all around, but the man didn’t back down.“So that means it could’ve been that man who did it, right?”My temples throbbed, and I rubbed my brow.“Um, your name is?”“Ben.”“Ben, then what are you trying to say?”He paused to take a breath before speaking.“You’re planning to indict Jonathan Davis for murder, right?”“That’s correct. That’s why you’re all gathered here.”I nodded stiffly. He glared at me with bright eyes.“If it’s murder, then it’s either the death penalty or life without parole, and you can’t make such a heavy charge on such flimsy evidence.”“Flimsy?”A sharper edge crept into my voice than I intended. He pounced.“Come on, Prosecutor, tell us—are you one hundred percent certain all this ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) evidence is indisputably accurate?”“…I’m ninety-nine percent certain.”I answered reluctantly. Nothing in this world can ever reach one hundred percent certainty. But he shouted as if he’d been waiting for the chance.“Ninety-nine percent and one hundred percent are not the same!”He was clearly grasping at straws. The problem wasn’t a bug in the room; it was a bug in the jury. I clenched and unclenched my fist, fighting the urge to grab him by the collar and shake him. Then he turned to the others and shouted.“Jonathan Davis is an innocent victim here. You’re letting the real culprit go free and pinning it on the wrong man. Didn’t the prosecution make the same mistake in the Anton Lee case? While the real killer fled to Mexico, they tried to lock up an innocent guy! And even then the prosecution insisted the evidence was rock-solid and Anton Lee was guilty!”He dragged in an unrelated case from another county to sway people. Everyone could see how absurd it was, but some jurors were nodding to each other with curious expressions. I cut him off sharply.“That’s a wild leap in logic!”Not giving Ben a moment to respond, I fired off my words.“What you’re deciding now isn’t whether Jonathan Davis is guilty, or whether to sentence him to death or life in prison. And let me assure you, all of this evidence and testimony is backed by scientific testing and proof. There’s absolutely no room for doubt. Any claim that the evidence is insufficient or that he’s not the real killer will be laid bare during the trial. Jurors, the only question before you today is whether to indict. That’s it. Do you all understand?”My harsh conclusion silenced the room. I scanned the jurors once more.“Those in favor of indictment, please raise your hands.”Amid the quiet, I made a show of raising my own hand first.“Thank you for your hard work, Prosecutor.”Anthony Smith’s mother approached and offered her thanks. It was only the beginning, and I didn’t want to dampen her hope, so I simply said, “You’re welcome.” I didn’t mention the narrow margin of success.“There’s still a long road ahead, right? I heard they hired a very expensive lawyer… Must be a famous firm.”Swallowing the words about the country’s top firm that’d never lost a murder case, I managed a smile. At least we’d cleared the hurdle and secured an indictment.“No one wants to go to prison. They’ll use every resource they have. We need to prepare here as well.”“I’ll trust you, Prosecutor.”She bowed repeatedly and turned away. My neck felt tight, so I loosened my tie as I stepped outside the courthouse. Waiting to cross the street, my eyes fell on a newsstand’s paper. A gossip piece about yesterday’s mayoral party stared back at me. The front page featured an unwelcome face.Nathaniel Miller.“Lucky bastard.”I muttered as I sat on a park bench near the courthouse, eating a sandwich. I’d bought the paper to see how yesterday’s hearing had been reported, and sure enough, Nathaniel Miller’s face was there again—this time as one of the celebrities at the mayor’s party. It seemed he’d attended with a top-ranked model. I skimmed the article, then folded the paper. After the effort of persuading the jurors, I couldn’t even stand to look at those Miller Firm people’s photos.“You went too, didn’t you?”I glanced at Doug sitting beside me. He stiffened.“Uh, yeah.”Doug looked embarrassed, rubbing the back of his head. He was ambitious; he wouldn’t miss a chance to make an impression on high-ranking officials.“A lot of people showed up.”“Naturally.”I answered indifferently, and Doug kept talking.“There were senators from other states, too. The president even sent a congratulatory wine… It was my first time seeing so many celebrities in one place.”He whistled softly, blinked, and said,“Oh, and I saw Miller. Senator Miller.”I paused mid-bite and turned my eyes to him. Doug nodded.“Yeah, Ashley Miller. Nathaniel Miller’s father.”Of course, he was an extreme Alpha too. No doubt Nathaniel would look just like him when he got older. I only realized belatedly how much they resembled each other. Obvious, but striking.The White Serpent.Recalling the senator’s nickname brought Nathaniel’s face to mind, followed by the memory of him rising slowly inside his Jaguar—the arrogant violet eyes looking down at me.My throat tightened, and I bit into my sandwich a beat late. Doug resumed.“He had an incredible presence. I heard he’s aiming for the next presidential election… Well, that’s the usual ambition for a politician. But honestly, it felt like he was already president. The way people behaved around him, the intimidation he radiated… He came in late, but the moment he arrived, every eye was on him. It was like the rest of the world disappeared and only he existed… But he didn’t feel entirely human.”“How so?”“I don’t know, hard to pinpoint.”Doug hummed thoughtfully, ran a hand over his chin, then shrugged.

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