NOVEL NEXT Chapter 272: Other Evidence
"What is your defense now, Attorney Arthur?"
A faint smile played on his lips. Since he couldn't strip the Castellan family of their Marquis status, he could at least make them pay a massive fine.
That way, the family would ruin themselves, and their status would inevitably vanish.
After all, the requirements to remain a Marquis were strict—one of them was great wealth. If that condition wasn't met, the title would be automatically lost.
Rick and Erland looked at Nolan with eager eyes. They naturally understood what Louis meant.
"By the way, the losses aren't just that. There are also material damages—land and more," Rick said loudly. "In total, it amounts to billions of Sharn."
It wasn't only money that the Red Obsidian Trading House had invested in the Castellan family, but also land and property—factories, shops, and so on. All of this was separate from the cash capital, allowing the Castellan family to start other profitable ventures.
Unexpectedly, the Castellan family was dragged into a case caused by Rovert himself. All their money and assets were temporarily seized by the Austin family.
Rick had no intention of wasting this chance; he wanted to exploit the moment and blackmail the Castellans. Only then would the family go bankrupt and automatically lose its status.
Yet under everyone's gaze, Nolan remained as calm as ever, as if everything was already in his hands.
"Your Honor, on that matter, I object," he declared firmly. "The Red Obsidian Trading House invested in us, but as you know, investment is similar to gambling. If the investment is profitable, you gain. But if it fails, you must be ready to take the loss."
"In this case, the Red Obsidian Trading House lost, so why are we the only ones being blamed? Why don't they blame their own foolishness?"
At those words, everyone was stunned. Looking back, what he said was true. Investment meant putting capital into a person, a trading house, or another party with the expectation of profit.
The fundamentals of the two were clearly different. Gambling relied solely on luck, while investment required careful analysis, precision, and yes—still a measure of luck.
Yet to common people, the two didn't seem all that different.
While the crowd was lost in thought, Rick stepped forward and shouted angrily, "Don't fool us, Attorney Arthur! Gambling and investing are two completely different things! Besides, all of this happened because of your family's head, Rovert! If he hadn't committed crimes, do you think our money would have just vanished?"
His breathing grew harsh and uneven. The anger burning in him was genuine, straight from the depths of his chest.
Because of Rovert's stupidity, the Red Obsidian Trading House had suffered massive losses. Their capital chain was disrupted, and worst of all, Rick had become the target of Belfor's fury earlier.
Fortunately, he had managed to calm him at the time, preventing the matter from spiraling out of control.
"You're right, Mr. Rick. But you just admitted the problem was caused by Rovert Castellan, didn't you? Then the responsibility lies with him, not us," Nolan said evenly.
Rick smirked. "That's not how it works, Attorney Arthur. According to our investment contract, the Castellan family is the invested party. Which means this falls on you as well."
With a clap of his hands, a man in neat attire stepped forward, carrying a stack of documents. He handed them to Rick, who raised them high for all to see.
"As you can see, this is the contract of our agreement with Rovert Castellan," Rick said loudly. "As for its authenticity, we'll leave that to Judge Louis."
The documents were passed to a guard, who quickly delivered them to Louis.
Louis examined them carefully. The atmosphere grew heavy, and every heartbeat seemed to echo in the room.
If the documents were proven genuine, the Castellan family would face a devastating price.
Tens of billions of Sharn was an unimaginable sum. Even selling the entire Castellan family might not be enough to cover it.
After several tense minutes, Louis let out a long breath and gave a small nod.
"All the evidence is authentic," he declared.
Everyone drew in a deep breath and turned to Nolan, waiting for his reaction.
To their surprise, he remained calm, without the slightest trace of fear.
"My lord, is this alright?" Anna asked anxiously.
It was her first time attending an official trial, but that didn't mean she was clueless. Billions of Sharn was an enormous sum, and she knew the Castellan family could never afford it.
"Just relax. Watch how I handle it," Nolan replied gently.
Even through his mask, Anna could sense the smile hidden beneath.
Her heart skipped a beat, and her cheeks flushed red.
She quickly looked away and whispered, He's so reliable.
Since Rovert's death, the Castellan family had been in chaos. But this young man appeared and managed to steady everything. She, who had thought she would be cast aside, was instead treated with kindness.
It would be a lie to say she wasn't moved by him. Yet she knew there could be no future between them. She was just an ordinary woman with no status.
Worse still, she carried the child of a notorious criminal.
Unaware of her thoughts, Nolan turned his eyes to Louis and said, "Your Honor, I would like to raise an objection."
Louis gave a slow nod. "Go ahead, Attorney Arthur."
"As has already been proven, the problems were caused by Rovert Castellan and have nothing to do with the Castellan family—including this investment."
His words left everyone puzzled, but no one dared to interrupt.
"The evidence presented by the Red Obsidian Trading House may be genuine, but there's something they overlooked. From the very beginning, Rovert Castellan never placed the Castellan family name on the agreement," Nolan continued with a faint grin.
Louis was taken aback and stared at him in surprise. "What do you mean?"
Nolan only chuckled and clapped his hands twice. From the right side of the witness stand, a woman appeared and walked toward him.
She carried fifteen sheets of paper sealed in a transparent envelope.
Respectfully, she handed them to Nolan.
"Thank you," he said softly as he accepted them.
The woman gave a small nod, then silently turned and returned to her seat.
Nolan turned back to Louis and raised the documents for all to see.
"Here is the proof. The entire agreement between Rovert and the Red Obsidian Trading House has nothing to do with us!"
Rick's eyes widened in shock. His heart pounded, and his breathing grew heavy.
"Don't tell me this evidence is valid as well?"