Charles looked at Rei, who seemed to be shining from his whole body. His lips opened a little, wanting to say something, but in the end, he swallowed it back.
At this moment, no matter what he said, the audience would only treat it as helpless words said under pressure; no one would believe him.
Not long after, the Oratrice Mecanique d'Analyse Cardinale gave the final verdict.
Neuvillette read the result with a serious expression. "Charles is guilty and sentenced to life imprisonment!"
Hearing this verdict, a deep feeling of helplessness rose in the hearts of all the spectators in the hall.
Facing power and influence, the law had fallen into a tool to cover up sin.
At this moment, Rei turned to the audience, his voice calm but firm. "Next, in the name of Justice, I will launch revenge against the darkness!"
As soon as he finished speaking, he walked down from the plaintiff's side calmly and headed to the exit of the opera house.
When he passed Oldman, he stopped on purpose and traded a glance with him.
In that short moment, it felt like sparks hit each other.
Charlotte was fast. She lifted her Kamera at once. With a Click, she caught this classic picture full of drama and force.
After that, Rei kept moving forward. His back was straight and steady, showing a lonely kind of bravery.
Oldman turned his head with no expression and looked at the stage, cursing Rei countless times in his heart.
At this point, this trial full of drama came to an end, but the waves it caused were far from over.
Everyone was looking forward to the revenge that the Knight of Justice, Rei, would take against the darkness.
The next day, The Steambird used a whole page to report on this trial.
Overall, the report was fairly objective. It carefully showed many details from the trial. Still, between the lines, some personal feelings could not be hidden.
Especially when it talked about Rei, it was almost full of praise, shaping him into an unyielding Guardian of Justice.
The most shocking part of the report was the photo of Rei and Oldman trading glances.
The angle Charlotte used was excellent; she caught both Oldman's strong dominance and Rei's firm resolve.
Even more cleverly, with the play of light and shadow, Oldman, who stood for evil, faced the bright stage, while Rei, who stood for justice, walked toward the dark passage.
This sharp contrast strongly showed Rei's spirit of never giving in under the cover of darkness.
Almost all citizens who finished the report were deeply moved by Rei's image, and feelings of respect for him rose on their own.
Young people, especially, started to see him as their life idol, one after another.
A few days later, inside Chioriya Boutique.
Under the soft light, Rei sat on a chair, openly admiring Chiori's graceful figure as she cut clothes.
The black silk tights on her legs seemed to have a kind of invisible magic, making his eyes stay there without meaning to.
After a while, Chiori put down the scissors, turned her head, and asked in an annoyed voice, "Can you stop bothering me while I'm working?"
Rei spread his hands with an innocent face. "I haven't made a sound here; how did I bother you?"
"Where have those eyes of yours been staring all this time?"
Hearing this, Rei spoke with a serious, righteous tone, "Chiori, this is appreciation for art. Please do not think of people so dirty."
Chiori did not want to argue with him. She turned around and made him a cup of hot, clear tea that smelled good.
"When do you plan to send Olev to the Fortress of Meropide?"
As she spoke, she handed the teacup to Rei.
Rei reached out to take it, gently blew away the heat, and replied casually, "In the next few days. I'll try to let Olev spend the New Year in the Fortress of Meropide."
After speaking, he took a small sip. The clear bitter taste spread on the tip of his tongue, and then a sweet aftertaste filled his mouth.
"Wait a moment. You are going to Emilie's place later, aren't you?" Chiori crossed her arms over her chest, and without meaning to, her tone carried a hint of jealousy and displeasure.
Rei's movement stopped, and then he admitted it directly, "Yes."
Chiori's face turned ice-cold. "Then don't come to Chioriya Boutique in the future. We don't welcome philandering men here."
When she said this, the air in the room turned cold at once.
Rei finished the tea calmly, lifted his head to meet her bright eyes, and said, "Chiori, in my heart, you will always be irreplaceable, the most important person. This has never changed."
Chiori gave a cold snort and turned her head away. "I don't want to see you for now."
Hearing this, Rei nodded a little. "Then I'll come again in two days."
After saying that, he stood up and left quickly, not giving Chiori a chance to reply.
"This guy... truly makes one love and hate him..."
Watching his fast retreating back, Chiori whispered softly.
Not long after leaving Chioriya Boutique, Rei stopped in front of Emilie's house.
He did not press the doorbell right away. He stood quietly for a long time, his eyes a bit empty.
The breeze brushed past, and his thoughts drifted far with it. He began to seriously look at the feelings between himself and Emilie.
Actually, for these feelings, Rei's intentions were not pure; you could even say they were somewhat for his own use.
As an outlander, if he wanted to climb to the top of power, he had to be accepted as a "Fontainian."
Otherwise, the base of his future rule would be weak.
When Neuvillette suddenly became the Iudex back then, the same problem appeared.
So even after ruling for many years, sad cases like the "Carole Case" still happened.
And becoming a "Fontaine Son-in-Law" was clearly the best shortcut to being accepted as a "Fontainian."
With this goal, he accepted Emilie's kindness.
But as they spent time together, he seemed to have fallen for this elegant and quiet girl.
Just then, the door suddenly opened.
Emilie looked at him gently, a light scent of floral water coming from her body. "Why don't you come in?"
Rei came back to himself, and a gentle smile appeared on his face. "I just felt that someone like me is not worthy to enter."
"Fool!" After saying this one word, she walked gracefully into the house.
Rei secretly thought he really was a pretentious fool.
He walked into the house right away, and then followed Emilie to learn how to blend perfume.
The two spent a relaxed and warm time together.
Before they knew it, it was time to part.
Emilie picked up a bottle of carefully blended women's perfume from the shelf to the side and handed it to Rei, a hint of a smile in her eyes. "Give this bottle of perfume to Chiori. I think she will like it."
After Rei put it away, he wanted to ask for another bottle for Furina, but after thinking about it, he decided not to.
He had already gained too much. If he pushed his luck more, that would really be too much.
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