𝐄𝐧𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐞́ | 𝙉𝙚𝙪𝙫𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙩𝙩𝙚

𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝑰𝑰𝑰

"So, how was it?" Navia asks with a mischievous smile. You rolled your eyes at her, adjusting your hair.

"Navia, seriously?" You sighed, walking out of Palais Mermonia with Navia, Melus and Silver following behind.

"What? I can already imagine what the child looks li-" She was cut off by you putting your hand over her mouth.

"Shush!" You removed your hand, only to see Navia smirking.

"My, my y/n. Aren't you protective of him?" She grinned.

"You are the definition of pure evil." You sighed in defeat.

"Thank you!" She smiled, fixing her hat. You chose to ignore that and continue.

"Moving on, we need to get to Bertin's House of Curiosities. I need to take a look at my parents' purchases." You stated. You took out the warrant with Neuvillette's signature and gave it to Navia to have a look.

"Y/n, how did you get this?" Navia asked. You were a little confused at what she had just said.

"P-Pardon?" You stuttered, looking at her.

"You don't know? It takes days to get a warrant, especially if it's about their sales from 50 years ago." She handed the warrant back to you, grinning a little.

"The ship is sailing!" She clapped her hands in delight, giving you a tight hug. "I dibs the maid of honour!"

"S-Seriously?" You glared at her. "Can we please drop this topic now? I need to get to Bertin's House of Curiosities soon. It's their closing time in an hour, and I need to get the information from their books." You started walking quicker, while Navia kept on fangirling in front of you. You soon arrived at Bertin's House of Curiosities, with an old woman with greyish blonde hair and blue eyes organising the jewellry.

"Welcome to Bertin's House of Curiosities." She greeted you and Navia. "How may I help you today?"

"Hello, I am Countess Y/n, and I have a warrant for the information about every purchase Count Mathéo and Countess Nicolette have made in this shop." You smiled at her as you handed her the warrant.

"I-I will get it for you straight away ma'am." She handed you the warrant back and went to the back of her shop. After a while, she came out with a hefty book.

"Your parents made a lot of purchases over the years before their passing. This book has all of their purchases, including a photo of the item and the cost of the item." She handed the book to you. "May you win this trial."

"Oh, thank you! I will return the book once the trial is over." You thanked her again and left, holding a very heavy book, while Navia held the letter, with Melus and Silver trailing behind the two of you.

"So, do you wanna go to my place to read?" You asked. "It's closer than your house."

"Haha, very funny y/n." Navia replied sarcastically. "Let's go." You quickly headed towards your house, the maids running out to get the heavy book off your arms while more of the maids ran out to greet you.

"I thought I told everyone that it's unnecessary to do this every time!" You smiled, walking up the stairs to your house.

"But we want to greet you Miss Y/n." One of the maids spoke up.

"Because Miss Y/n is very nice!" The other maid said.

"You guys are too kind." You chuckled as you reached the entrance, appreciating the warmth of your household staff. Entering the grand foyer, you found yourself enveloped in an atmosphere of familiarity and comfort. The maids hurriedly arranged the book on a nearby table, making sure it was well-supported. Navia, Melus, and Silver sat adjacent to you, eager to find any information on the brooch. As you all settled into the plush chairs, you began flipping through the pages of the hefty book.

Each turn revealed a glimpse into your parents' tastes and interests. There were intricate jewellery pieces, exquisite artwork, and rare artifacts they had collected throughout their lives. You traced your fingers over the pages, analysing every detail of every single piece they bought.

"Look at this brooch!" Navia pointed out, her eyes wide with curiosity. "It looks like the one you are wearing right now!"

You examined the delicate brooch she was referring to, admiring the intricate design and the glint of precious gems embedded in it. "It does! This has to be the brooch!" You jumped up from your seat excitedly.

"How about we check the serial code to see if it matches?" Melus suggested, pointing towards the serial code in the book. You quickly took the pin off and handed it to Navia.

"I'll read it out and you can check it okay?" Navia nodded and soon found the code on the pin.

"6On20Ai14e." You read out. (Author's Note: Can anyone guess what this spells? Hint: Use the numbers in the alphabet)

"It matches!" Navia exclaimed, placing the brooch on that table and embracing you in a tight hug. "We have evidence and my bestie doesn't have to get sent to the Fortress of Meropide!"

"We should start gathering our thoughts for the trial." You said, after a while, closing the book.

Navia nodded in excitement. "You're right. We've covered a lot today."

Silver nodded in agreement. "Let's get ready to present the best case we can."

With a sense of purpose, you carefully closed the book and handed it to one of the maids, thanking her for her assistance. "I wonder how Furina is doing on her end." You chuckled.

[Meanwhile with Furina]

"As your archon, I demand the footage now!" She screeched. The manager timidly nodded and showed her into the security room.

"Excellent.. This is perfect!" She grinned. "This will be my evidence, and that stupid countess will get what she deserves!" All the workers timidly nodded and quietly agreed with her.

"You can take this, Lady Furina." The manager mumbled.

"Why thank you, loyal subject of mine." She snapped her fingers and Gardes came into the room to take it away. When they finished, Furina walked out with them, feeling very proud and excited to see the countess either sent away, begging on her knees for forgiveness or executed, which is only more fun for her. As she walked into Palais Mermonia, she saw a tall figure with white hair and blue accents walking towards her.

"Ahh, Monsieur Neuvillette. How wo-" She was cut off by him harshly dragging her away into his office.

"What do you think you are doing?" He asked angrily.

"I don't understand. What are you asking about?" She crossed her arms, glaring at him.

"Retrieving the evidence without a warrant and your excuse? I'm your archon. Seriously, Lady Furina, that is going to get people to question your power. And the fact that you have to make every single trial like a drama play just to get the citizens to keep on believing you is bad enough. You don't even make most of the decisions for your nation." He ranted. There was soft rain outside, and Furina just stood there, dumbfounded.

"I-I.." She was speechless and instead, chose to leave his office and leave him alone. The second she left, the rain fell harder and this lasted until about midnight, when the rain finally stopped.

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That's the end for Chapter 3!