NOVEL NEXT Chapter 267: Trial (1)
"Why so impatient? Would waiting a few more minutes really kill you?"
Upon hearing this, everyone in the courtroom was shocked. They turned toward the open door and saw a young man walk in.
He was tall, with silvery-white hair, and wore a black robe embroidered beautifully on both sides of his chest.
His eyes were red, but his face was hidden behind a mask, making his appearance unclear.
Louis frowned. "Who are you? Did you walk into the wrong room, young man?"
The man stopped five meters away and stared calmly.
"No, Your Honor. I did not come to the wrong place," he replied bluntly. "I came on behalf of the Castellan family, as their representative and defense attorney in this trial. Does that answer satisfy you?"
His words stunned everyone. No one had ever appeared as both a representative and a defense attorney.
They turned to Louis to see his reaction. As expected, his eyebrows furrowed in displeasure.
"Are you playing games with us, young man? Leave now, or I'll call the guards," he threatened coldly.
Everyone's hair stood on end. Louis had been a judge for decades, and the aura he exuded was overwhelming.
Yet the young man remained calm, showing not the slightest trace of fear. As he stepped forward, the soldiers guarding the courtroom quickly blocked his way, ready for the worst.
But he only shook his head and pulled documents along with several official letters from his pocket.
"Step aside," he said impatiently. "I just want to present evidence that I truly am the Castellan family's representative and their defense attorney in this trial."
The soldiers hesitated, but Louis quickly ordered them to move.
Following his command, they stepped aside, and the young man strode toward the judge's table.
"These are all official letters. Do you believe me now?" he asked casually as he set them down.
Louis picked up the documents and examined them carefully, one by one.
Meanwhile, Aston and Alvaron, who had been watching the scene, exchanged glances.
"Doesn't that young man look familiar to you?" Alvaron asked softly.
Aston gave a slight nod. "He does, but I can't place him."
He felt certain he had seen the man before, yet the memory refused to surface.
Alvaron fell silent for a moment before murmuring, "For some reason, he resembles His Highness Nolan. Don't you think?"
Aston's face stiffened at those words. He stared at the young man's broad back, comparing it to his memories.
"You're right, Duke! He looks so much like Prince Nolan!" he whispered in shock. "But… His hair and eyes are completely different. Could it just be a coincidence?"
"It's possible," Alvaron replied hesitantly.
In this world, magic could accomplish almost anything. It could alter appearances temporarily—or even change them forever.
Even so, he didn't dare jump to conclusions. If he were mistaken, wouldn't that be far too embarrassing?
"What do you think, Judge? Are my documents official?" the young man—Nolan—asked in a playful tone.
Louis' expression darkened. The documents were indeed official, and the man standing before him was undeniably the Castellan family's representative and defense attorney in this trial.
But would Louis simply let it slide? Of course not.
Setting the documents back on the table, Louis gave a thin smile. "Everything is official, yes. But unfortunately, you're too late. I gave you fifteen minutes, and you arrived after the time had passed. So, I'm sorry—this hearing is over."
His words drew a collective gasp from the crowd. Rick and Erland, however, were the most delighted.
"Hahaha! What a careless young man. Did he think he could just stroll into a closed trial whenever he pleased?" Rick scoffed.
A moment ago, he had worried the trial might actually proceed. Even if he was ninety-nine percent certain of winning, there was always that one percent chance of defeat. But now, Louis' ruling felt like gold dropping from the heavens.
Beside him, Erland nodded with a small laugh. "You're right, Rick. That young man is both foolish and arrogant. To show up after the trial had begun and break its rules—pure stupidity."
Like Rick, he was more than satisfied with the outcome. If the Castellan family fell, his own Tovtar family would rise to the rank of Marquis.
Of course, the process would not be simple. The Emperor's approval and the support of the Austin family were still required. But that was hardly a concern.
Among all the Count families in the eastern region, none were more deserving than the Tovtars to be promoted to Marquis in the Castellans' place.
"Duke, this is really bad," Aston said, his voice heavy with concern.
If Louis had already declared that, then their plan was finished. Alvaron drew in a deep breath, about to speak, but Nolan cut in first.
"Your Honor, I apologize. I don't mean to offend, but have you truly studied imperial law?" he asked coolly.
The room fell silent. Everyone stared wide-eyed, stunned into speechlessness.
Louis was just as shocked. His eyes narrowed, and a flash of anger burned within them.
"What do you mean, young man?" His voice was as cold as ice.
Nolan remained composed. Folding his arms across his chest, he said, "Rule 607 of court law states that you, Your Honor, may grant the defendant and their defense attorney—if not yet present—ten to fifteen minutes. What you did was correct. However…"
A faint smile curved his lips as he continued, "The next rule, 608, states that this time may be extended to anywhere between twenty minutes and one hour if the defendant faces certain difficulties. As you know, the Castellan family has just lost their leader. Their mansion and territory are in complete chaos."
"Even after more than a week, recovering is no simple matter. So, isn't it reasonable that the time allowed should have been extended—at least thirty minutes—under rule 608?"
Court law was a set of rules written to govern trials. Naturally, there were many of them, and even judges were "subjects" bound by these laws.
Nolan certainly understood why Louis had ignored rule 608. It was simply to secure victory without lifting a finger.
From that alone, the truth was clear—Louis was colluding with Rick and Erland.
Louis was left speechless by the accusation. His mouth opened and closed, as if he wanted to respond, but no words would come.
This young man is sharp, he muttered coldly.
He hadn't expected the man to know court law so thoroughly.
Court law contained over 1,500 rules, and most people could never memorize them all. Each rule had its own derivatives, making them incredibly difficult to grasp.
Yet this man had cited two of them with precision, proving he truly knew his craft.
With a long sigh, Louis finally nodded and admitted, "You're right. In this case, I was wrong. Therefore, I declare the trial to resume!"