Thump- thump- thump-.
No, is that my heartbeat?
“……”
I felt like crying.
Merrien pushed Ariel, who was still kneeling close to her.
It was a light gesture that seemed incapable of lifting even a sheet of paper, yet he slid back smoothly.
This was because Merrien’s face had rapidly become so haggard that she looked like a walking corpse.
Even as all strength drained from her body, she managed to remove the dog collar.
Her hand was so weak when passing it that had Ariel grabbed it a moment later, it would have fallen to the floor.
“I should fire the butler, right?”
Ariel seemed more concerned about her slumped appearance than the fact that the butler had witnessed this scene, and casually tried to diffuse the situation.
But Merrien didn’t answer and trudged away.
She looked so weak that she might collapse at any moment.
She barely managed to reach the sofa without falling and picked up the document neatly placed on the armrest.
[A noble trial regarding the treatment of Ariel Hartez will be conducted.]
It contained details about Ariel’s noble trial being held due to the dragon collusion incident.
“…It’s tomorrow?”
Merrien shouted, forgetting even her extremely pale face with sunken cheeks. Her voice cracked.
Meanwhile, Ariel had just returned after teleporting to the butler.
Merrien didn’t see this as she was focused on the document. She showed the document to Ariel as he approached.
“Ariel. What should we do?”
“Nes said he’d resolve it by tomorrow. It’s earlier than expected, but it’ll work out.”
Ariel naturally lowered her hand. She had been habitually biting her nails.
Patting her back wouldn’t calm her as she was restless with fear.
He sat her on his lap and affectionately murmured.
“If all else fails, we can just kill everyone.”
What on earth…
“What are you saying, Ariel?”
The slight trembling from Merrien abruptly stopped.
What she should fear wasn’t the noble trial but the person in front of her.
Merrien immediately retracted her previous statement where she had secretly supported the original Ariel, wondering if he had become a villain due to someone’s scheme.
This guy might really kill everyone without hesitation and wage war against the empire, possibly even swallowing it whole.
He simply doesn’t do it because it’s troublesome or boring!
“Merri. By the way, aren’t you going to ask about my deceased parents?”
“Huh?”
“It was in the newspaper. That was when I first met the dragon. It’s true.”
Ah, I was curious about that.
Seeing him hesitate, clearly wondering about her thoughts, Merrien wrinkled her nose as she casually handed the document back to him.
“I’m truly sorry about your parents’ passing. They would have been so happy to see us now.”
“……”
He had thought she might ask questions like whether he and Agnes had done something together, or if his parents’ deaths were related.
Ariel smiled faintly at her completely different response.
How certain must she be to answer so confidently?
Ariel stroked her hand, grateful and sorry that she trusted him completely.
“You might have guessed, but my father couldn’t withstand the magical power surge. Unfortunately, my mother was caught up in it as she was with him.”
His tone was quite calm as he spoke of this long-past event, but he couldn’t hide the bitterness in his voice.
He didn’t even look at the official document handed to him. Following this, there was a sound of burning, and in an instant, everything disappeared without even leaving ashes.
“There was nothing that a ten-year-old inexperienced me could do.”
“……”
She doesn’t know how to comfort him.
Instead of avoiding his gaze, Merrien faced him firmly.
And she recalled her past life.
She had been abandoned at birth and never saw her parents’ faces.
She just lived tenaciously.
Though she died just when things seemed to be looking up.
Anyway, she had no affection for her parents, so she couldn’t perfectly understand his feelings.
Still…
“It must have been difficult.”
Merrien stroked Ariel’s back as he lowered his head.
If she were to lose Ariel… she didn’t want to think about it, but she felt she understood what that feeling would be like.
“So…”
Merrien slapped the hand that was stealthily creeping up her waist.
It seemed like his head was filled with lewd thoughts. She never saw him stay serious in these situations.
With the mood suddenly cooled, Merrien turned to leave the office.
“Merri.”
But Ariel grabbed her wrist, and for some reason, his hand was trembling.
“What.”
Merrien snorted and turned back around.
It was obvious he was forcing his hand to tremble, so she wondered what he was trying to say.
“I’m so nervous.”
“And?”
“Can I sleep with you?”
“No, you can’t.”
However, as always, Ariel’s plan succeeded, and the two woke up together in the morning.
It was the day of the much-anticipated noble trial.
*** 
“Case No. 1 of Year 591. I now commence the trial of Duke Ariel Hartez.”
How to deal with him, given the circumstances suggesting collusion with a dragon.
Forcite de Vergne’s voice echoed throughout the spacious courtroom.
The trial finally began in a solemn atmosphere.
In the Debereu Empire, noble trials were rarely held unless they involved the murder of another noble or plotting treason.
This trial was not only Case No. 1 of Year 591 but was also being held for the first time in over 10 years.
“The trial has begun, but Duke Hartez doesn’t seem to intend to come.”
“With the Saint and the dragon around, his body must have already fully recovered. What excuse is he trying to use to escape…”
The current time was 3:05 PM.
The trial had started at 3:00 PM. Although five minutes had passed, Ariel had not shown his face in the courtroom.
There were no empty seats in the nobles’ section.
They began to murmur loudly, speaking ill of Ariel.
Bang-!
About three minutes later, Ariel boldly kicked the door open and entered.
There wasn’t even a single knight escorting him by his side.
“I apologize for being late.”
The nobles stared at him in a daze, seemingly having completely forgotten their grumbling just moments ago.
His skin, which had been so pale that veins were visible during the imperial banquet, now had a healthy glow. His once dry black hair and unfocused blue eyes now sparkled as if they had stolen all the sunlight from outside the window, or even the interior lighting.
His appearance, which had been a topic of conversation even then, was now at an unreachable level. It was also proof that his body had completely recovered.
Whether he knew or not that everyone’s gaze was fixed on him, he strode to the defendant’s seat labeled [Ariel Hartez] and sat down.
The isolated seat would intimidate anyone, but far from being nervous, he crossed his legs and leaned back comfortably in the chair.
Rather, those who had gathered to speak against him were overwhelmed by the sight.
Forcite, furrowing his brow, opened the prepared materials.
“This photograph was taken recently at the Hartez mansion. It has been verified that there are no signs of manipulation.”
A photograph of Ariel alongside Agnes, who had transformed into a small dragon. It was the same photograph that had been prominently included in the newspaper.
“I request an explanation regarding this.”
Ariel, looking bored, rested his arm on the desk and tilted his chin with a disinterested expression.
“That dragon is indeed my friend.”
“!!!”
How could that be! Gasps mixed with curses erupted from the nobles’ section.
Among them, what kind of excuse he would make had been a major issue recently.
However, the person in question didn’t seem to have any intention of making excuses.
“I’m not sure why this is such a serious problem.”
“What do you mean you’re not sure, Duke Hartez? Dragons are evil creatures that control magical beasts.”
Although it hadn’t been definitively proven that dragons control magical beasts, it had become almost an established fact in the empire thanks to what Forcite had said during the time he was called the empire’s hero.
Forcite’s red eyes gleamed sharply.