Furina, Please Let Me Steal Your Heart!

Neuvillette rapped his cane on the floor.

"Let the trial continue."

Furina leaned against the armrest, covering a yawn with her hand. "Yawn, can't help it... It's been half an hour. Does the defense have anything to say in response to the prosecution's remarks?"

Indeed, during the trial, Furina was no different from any other spectator—a mere observer. But as one of the gods, every word she uttered and every movement she made drew all eyes. No one could afford to ignore her.

Thus, her words carried considerable weight, often influencing the direction and flow of the trial. After all, this wasn't just any ordinary trial—it was also part of a grand drama unfolding before them all.

At her question, the audience collectively turned towards the defense.

"In response to the prosecution's recent arguments..." The stand-in defense attorney pushed up his glasses, poised to reply.

But Luna cut in, her voice ringing clear. "I'm very sorry, but after some reflection during this half-hour break, I realize that the relationship between them is not the key to this trial."

The defense attorney was temporarily struck speechless.

Luna had barely resumed speaking before she once again captivated everyone with her rhythm.

It was as if this trial were a stage waiting for her performance.

"Not crucial?" Judith repeated, puzzled.

"That's correct," Luna nodded. She signaled to Navia, who promptly produced a notebook.

"Based on the testimonies we've gathered," Navia began, "their relationship was so close that under normal circumstances, it would be impossible for her to have killed Mary."

Judith looked flummoxed. "But then... you're saying..."

Luna cut her off. "What if we're not dealing with 'normal' circumstances here?"

Navia closed her notebook and raised a hand. In a clear voice, she proclaimed, "The prosecution requests to present evidence—in the form of notes from the recently apprehended Sinthe trafficking ring. This evidence should be available in the Court of Justice's repository. I'm certain they would have made a record of it..."

After all, without such documentation, they'd have no way of knowing who lacked funds—or who could be exploited for greater profit.

Sinthe?

"How did this suddenly come into play?"

"Huh? What's Sinthe?"

"Isn't that one of the misdeeds of the 'unfaithful' Callas? The forbidden beverage he prohibited..."

"Recently apprehended? But wasn't that the work of the Phantom Thief White Cat?"

The crowd erupted in a flurry of whispers below the dais.

Furina's brow furrowed slightly; Sinthe again.

Recently, there had been a surge in cases involving Sinthe sales, proving to be exceedingly difficult to handle. Each time, the perpetrators would vanish before the Maison Gardiennage could make their hurried arrival.

She rapped on the table. "Permission granted!"

Neuvillette cast a fleeting glance at Furina, nodding his acknowledgment to the law enforcement officers below.

Moments later, the Maison Gardiennage retrieved notes from the recently apprehended drug trafficking ring.

Miss Luna pointed out, "Miss Judith and Miss Mary's names should be on there."

"...Here they are, on page six. Please take a look, Lord Neuvillette."

Taking the notes from the officers, Neuvillette studied them carefully.

"It's true," he confirmed. "Judith and Mary Bestina are both listed. Their purchase counts are... thirty and thirteen, respectively. They're clearly addicted to Sinthe."

"But what does this mean?" Furina asked, still puzzled. "They're addicted to Sinthe, but so what?"

Luna pressed a hand to her chest, parting her lips slightly as she pleaded, "I ask you to please remain patient, Lady Furina. Lord Neuvillette, if I may impose upon you as well, I request that you have the Court of Justice bring the confiscated Sinthe to this very stage. It will aid me greatly in explaining the situation."

Neuvillette considered her request, musing to himself that such a spectacle would indeed serve as a stark warning to all present. With this in mind, he inclined his head in assent.

After a brief moment, the security team brought up a tightly sealed evidence case. Using specialized tools, they unlocked it and placed a bottle of Sinthe on the display table.

Luna and Navia approached the exhibit.

"This is Sinthe, a beverage my father once tried to ban, yet still circulated in Fontaine's underbelly. It appears quite ordinary..."

Navia's gaze swept over the faces below, her voice steady and resolute.

"But long-term consumption creates a strong dependency. Without it, one feels exhausted and anxious all day."

Luna raised a finger and continued, "Please, I urge you all to look closely! Be wary of anyone trying to sell you similar substances. The consequences are dire: from shattered lives and ruined families to a lonely death with no proper burial—"

Her voice paused, and she took a measured step.

"Misses Judith and Mary were both addicted to Sinthe, and Mary hid her secret stash of money all around her house—"

Furina leaped from her chair, interrupting, "I understand!"

What could our dear Archon have comprehended?

The audience couldn't help but wonder at this dichotomy in Furina's behavior.

She would sometimes make astounding inferences on par with divine wisdom—though not always in a good way.

At other times, she'd offer brilliantly insightful guesses at subtle yet crucial moments.

She'd leave the accuser utterly dumbfounded one moment, then make the accused sweat profusely in the next.

This unpredictability was part of what made watching trials in Furina's courts a favorite pastime for her people.

"Furina's mental fluidity is as good as a carnival, don't you think?"

The audience roared with laughter.

"You've just ruined your case by saying that!" someone exclaimed amidst the chaos.

"Ridiculous!" another added.

"Furina, have you truly lost your mind this time?" someone else interjected.

Furina sighed deeply and continued, "It's no struggle to imagine how far a poison with such devastating effects on the human mind can corrupt a person."

"'Mary, I'm broke. Give me some money so I can buy another bottle!'"

"'No, Judith. We're both like this. We can't continue this descent into depravity'"

"'Give me the money!'—with those words, her temperament drastically shifted. She killed Mary and then buried her in a place no one could ever find."

"Ah, what a pitiful and detestable woman," Furina lamented. "To poison those closest to her, yet so afraid to face reality... Alas, the tragedy has already unfolded; there's no turning back."

"The sinner will ultimately receive a verdict—a perfectly merciless judgment!"

Tears welled in the audiences eyes as they shook their heads, sighs echoing like witnesses to the birth of a tragedy.

Just then, the Oratrice's balance tilted towards Luna's side.

This signified that the Oratrice now deemed the prosecution's argument more plausible.

The situation took an ominous turn.

The stand-in defense attorney swallowed nervously, yet maintained his composure as he asserted, "No, miss, you did not kill Mary."

He pounded on the railing, his voice resolute. "Mary vanished right before Judith's eyes!"

Furina's eyes widened. "What?"

"Sinthe is not only addictive but also hallucinogenic—it can induce visions," she explained, her voice steady. "Because of this, when one consumes Sinthe, their consciousness becomes muddled, their mind impaired."

"Thus, after drinking Sinthe, Judith would have fallen into a trance. When she came back to her senses, Mary had vanished without a trace... isn't that correct?"

Judith nodded weakly.

"Yes... Mary and I were indeed addicted to Sinthe, and I was the one who recommended it to her... One time, we couldn't resist drinking Sinthe, and I fell into a hallucination. When I came to, Mary was gone."

The assistant defense attorney nodded vigorously.

"Miss Judith had no idea why Miss Mary disappeared or where she went—and we still haven't found any trace of her even now. It's unclear whether she's alive or dead."

"Thus, Miss Judith is guilty only of 'using prohibited substances' and 'distributing prohibited substances,' and at the time, she had no idea that Sinthe would have such severe side effects. She thought it was just some kind of energy drink."

The assistant defense attorney sighed. "She was simply another deceived victim, just like all the others..."

Is this the truth?

The audience exchanged perplexed glances.

Furina raised her eyebrows, her hands resting on the podium. "This explanation..."

"...seems utterly unproblematic, doesn't it, Sir Neuvillette?" the assistant defense attorney replied.

Neuvillette once again felt Navia's gaze, intense and unblinking, as if he had been transported back to his Trial three years ago.

Yet his expression remained composed, even indifferent.

"Do you have anything else you'd like to add, plaintiff?" he asked.

"Yes," she replied, the single word recapturing everyone's attention.

Luna smiled, seemingly certain of her victory. "I object."

As expected, her adversary had fallen into the trap she had cunningly set.

The stand-in defense attorney seemed to realize what was happening, but dismissed it as impossible.

"W-what possible objection could you have? The victim doesn't exist!"

Without a victim, the case for murder collapses!

"The victim does exist!" Luna countered.

"Body? Where's the body? No body, no murder!"

"Nevillette, this case can already be declared closed. While Miss Judith may have done wrong, she has absolutely not committed murder! The crime she has truly committed is..."

Luna's voice rose—"MURDER!"

Compared to the defense attorney's increasingly frantic and unsteady voice, Luna's words rang through the opera house—clear, resolute, and unwavering.

"A nonexistent victim?"

"A disappearance?"

"An illusion?"

"These are nothing but shallow lies. I know you have it—the 'script' that records everything. It's on you right now, isn't it?"

The script...?