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TN: I feel like Ardion will burst out sooner or later. I really admire that he is very restrained when it comes to fighting someone even with the power he has. Gash, his love for Laila is * chef's kiss*
A black carriage was waiting for us. As we arrived, the butler opened the door. I took Ardion's hand and got into the carriage. When we settled inside, it rode away.
"Laila, I've submitted all the evidence, but Rowell will likely find a way to slip through."
"What should we do then?"
"With all the evidence I’ve presented, they can’t completely ignore it."
I tried to ignore the trembling in my heart as I looked out the carriage window. I hadn’t been able to sleep properly for days.
It was a relief that the marriage with Rowell had fallen through, but I was worried about the trial's outcome. Ardion reassured me, but I couldn’t shake the feeling of unease.
I fiddled with the necklace Ardion had given me. Rowell would surely show up at the trial. The thought of seeing him made me feel uneasy.
"Laila, are you okay?" Ardion, seeing the worry on my face, studied my expression.
I forced a smile and nodded. "I'm fine."
"Fine? It’s written all over your face that you're anxious. Are you still nervous even with me here?" Ardion intertwined his fingers with mine.
When I didn’t respond, he pulled me into his embrace. "What are you worried about? I’ll protect you."
"Actually, I don’t want to see Rowell. I feel like, just like you said, he’ll find a way to escape punishment."
"Is that why your expression is so down?"
I nodded.
"Don’t worry. I won’t let Rowell come anywhere near you."
"Then I’ll help too."
"No, you’ll just end up overusing your mana and collapsing again."
"But once my mana stabilizes…" I paused mid-sentence. After all, it meant my marriage to Ardion was drawing nearer, and it also meant spending the night with him.
Ardion laughed. "Right, when your mana stabilizes, then you can help me. I’ll gladly accept your help."
Then he tightly held my hand.
When we arrived at the courthouse, it was just as crowded as it was a week ago. The carriage pushed through the bustling crowd and stopped at an entrance behind the courthouse, where there were fewer people.
As I was about to get out, Ardion stopped me. "Laila, since there’s a crowd, stay here for a moment."
I nodded, and he quickly got out of the carriage. As soon as Ardion stepped out, people appeared from nowhere and rushed towards him.
"Your Highness!"
"We’ve heard all the charges against you have been dropped. What happened?"
Reporters were among the crowd, making things chaotic. The carriage started moving again. As I looked out in confusion, Ardion was calmly making his way through the crowd.
The carriage stopped in front of a different door of the courthouse. It was an old door, one I didn’t even know existed, and there was no one around.
Then I heard a knock on the carriage door.
"Miss Laila?"
At the familiar voice, I opened the door to see Delzion bowing.
"Miss Laila, please follow me."
Following Delzion, I got out of the carriage. He opened the old door and led me inside. As soon as we entered, the musty smell of mold hit me. My face stiffened, but I pretended not to notice as I looked around.
"I didn’t know a place like this existed."
"This was where people waited earlier, but after the crown prince arrived, the crowd moved to the other entrance."
It seemed the Duke Orchid case was attracting a lot of public attention.
Still, I wasn’t comfortable in such a damp place.
Noticing my expression, Delzion said, "Especially this time, His Highness was quite concerned. Since you haven’t been feeling well recently, he was worried that being surrounded by so many people would cause you stress. That’s why he asked me to bring you here."
"So, are you saying Ardion planned all of this?"
"Yes, His Highness was the one who informed us about this place."
It seemed that Ardion had put some thought into it. If not, I would have ended up among the noisy crowd.
This place was definitely quiet. Considering how aggressive the people earlier were towards Ardion, I felt grateful to him.
Before long, I followed Delzion through a damp corridor. The surrounding walls were poorly maintained, and mold and water stains had seeped in.
"This place is an abandoned building. If you go through here, you can reach the courthouse directly."
"Is Ardion okay?"
"Yes, he’ll have to speak in person at some point. This is a good opportunity."
It seemed that many people were curious about why Ardion's charges had been cleared so quickly.
When we entered the courthouse, there weren’t as many people as outside, but there were still quite a few. Just like last time, I climbed the stairs and safely passed through the entrance.
But Delzion didn’t enter with me. He just guided me.
"Aren’t you coming with me?"
"His Highness is waiting for you inside." Delzion simply bowed his head.
I could only thank him. "Thank you for bringing me this far."
He gave me a soft smile. "I think you’re the only one who says thank you to me every time."
"Is that so?"
Delzion calmly continued, "But please don’t say such things in front of His Highness."
"Why?"
"His Highness doesn’t like it."
Even after hearing that, I had more questions. However, Delzion bid farewell and left right away. After watching his back as he made his way through the crowd, I turned around.
I’m just saying thank you, but why does Ardion hate it? Isn’t it okay to express gratitude properly? I thought quietly and then suddenly remembered what kind of person Ardion was.
An obsessive male protagonist… I felt a strange squeezing feeling.
Has it already started?
I thought that his obsession would fade after we got married…
It seemed that I was influencing the people around me without knowing it. Lost in thought, I approached a seat.
I looked around to find the seat I had sat in last time. Ardion was sitting as expected. He was looking down, but his expression wasn’t the way I usually saw him.
His face was indifferent, as if he wasn’t interested in anything else. Above all, he had a cold impression at first glance. His green eyes looked strangely mysterious, but his gaze was sharp, and his overall atmosphere was close to that of a cold, handsome man.
I approached Ardion as if I were being led by inertia. As I got closer, step by step, I began to think that perhaps my fate was set, no matter how much I struggled and tried to run away.
Ardion looked back as I sat down. He smiled affectionately, unlike moments ago. His eyes were also much softer.
I smiled back at him. However, when I turned my head, my expression hardened. No matter how well I treated Ardion and thought that I had changed his personality to be gentle, it was just an illusion.
A person’s character didn’t change overnight. I had this feeling at first glance from Ardion’s words and attitude…
No. If we get married, won’t his obsession lessen?
I held onto that glimmer of hope. Anyway, marriage was a relationship that was established on paper and in law, so Ardion could feel secure in that.
Then the deep affection or desire he shows will fade a little.
Although almost none of my guesses were likely correct, I still had hope.
“Thank you for gathering here again.”
One of the judges looked at Jonok and Rowell for a moment. Jonok had his head down. He had no way to avoid his crimes anymore.
The trial a week ago had already revealed his illegal actions. He had not been properly punished in the past, so it was only a matter of time before he went to prison.
However, Rowell was still relaxed. He didn’t show any anger about my marriage with him falling through. He just looked calmly at the judges, without any sense of embarrassment or impatience.
The person next to Rowell had a similar demeanor. The glossy shine of his hair looked excessively smooth, and his face was wrinkle-free. He looked like he had spent a lot of money managing his looks.
Seeing him act strangely made me feel really uncomfortable.
At that moment, the judge’s voice entered my ears. “Now, we will tell you the results of the submitted evidence and the results of the trial.”
The people were tense. Everyone held their breath and watched the judges. Before I knew it, my hands were sweating.
I clenched and unclenched my hands, then clenched them again. At that moment, I felt a warm air.
I turned my head and saw Ardion smiling and covering my hands with one hand. It was an unexpected warmth.
“Laila, don’t worry too much. Rowell will be ruined in the end.”
That was natural. But the problem was that it didn’t seem like it was now. I felt aggrieved because of Rowell’s terrible treatment towards me.
He had even tried to kill me.
No, isn’t Ardion more wronged?
When I glanced over, Ardion was still smiling and met my eyes. He must have been watching me all this time because he suddenly came closer.
“Laila, do you know I get excited when you look at me like that?”
As I remained silent, Ardion whispered in my ear, “I wish we could get married soon. Then no other men will covet you anymore.”
“No one was paying attention to me in the first place.”
“No, there was Rowell. If I had known this would happen, I should have married you before I went to the frontier.”
“…”
“In that case, you would have been mine from then on, and I wouldn’t be so anxious right now.”
Mine. I frowned slightly.
“Laila, what’s wrong?”
“No, nothing.”
“If you’re not feeling well, tell me. I can give you mana right now.”