C48
With full attention, Farrell stood up. Even in front of the whispering audience, the man maintained an extremely professional attitude that even seemed arrogant.
"In the place is a bit noisy."
The judge opened his mouth at Farrell's comment.
"All, please be quiet."
As the whispers diminished, Farrell slightly inclined his upper body and expressed his gratitude. The authority he exuded was evident.
"I also have some questions for Laura Emerson."
Laura swallowed nervously. The questioning of the defendant's witnesses began.
"Mrs. Emerson, this is a simple question, so don't get too nervous."
"Yes."
"The testimony I heard a moment ago is that the young duke rejected the young duchess and went for a walk. When was that approximately?"
"Definitely in spring, so it was exactly around this time last year."
"Late spring. Something comes to mind when the end of spring arrives. Certainly, at the end of Cassius's spring, there was a festival called 'Little Liena's Birthday.'"
"What?"
Laura was puzzled by the sudden change of topic.
"Do you remember that festival held last year?"
"Your Honor, this is a topic that has absolutely nothing to do with the trial."
"It matters. You'll know when you hear it."
"Let's hear it first."
Sharon objected, but it was not accepted.
"Please answer my question. Do you remember 'Little Liena's Birthday' from last year?"
Perhaps to avoid spilling unnecessary information, Laura gave a brief answer with a cautious expression.
"I remember."
"As far as I know, Duke Cassius offers different special meals to his employees every day of the festival."
"Yes, that's correct."
"What was the special meal served that day?"
"Well, that was..."
It was difficult to remember exactly. There are not just one or two festivals in Cassius, but at least twice a month, do you remember them all?
Sharon objected again.
"What does that have to do with today's trial?"
"Exactly. It's not relevant. It's not relevant. Directly."
Farrell's eyes shone intensely.
"I just want to talk about how uncertain and variable human memory is."
"Are you suggesting an error in the witness's memory about Young Duke Cassius?"
"It's a matter of possibility rather than necessity. It's an incident that happened approximately at the same time, but it's unlikely that the witness remembers in detail what happened on the day of the festival. If the gravity of the matter is different, how can the level of memory be the same?"
"Isn't a festival a very special event in everyday life?"
"There are over 40 official holidays in Cassius every year."
"Is that how many times the witness remembers the Young Duke rejecting the plaintiff's request?"
Farrell gestured as if he were concerned.
"I don't know why you're being so aggressive. I'm not saying this in the sense that the witness's memory is completely wrong. This means that even if the incident itself is true, there may be errors in minor details."
The lawyer looked around the room and asked questions.
"The witness testified that the Young Duke rejected the plaintiff's request even when he had free time, but is this really true?"
Laura hastily exclaimed.
"I'm not lying!"
"I'm not asserting that the witness committed perjury. However, the fact that the young duke seemed to have a lot of free time is ultimately the subjective judgment of the witness."
Finally, the main point emerged.
"Firstly, Mrs. Emerson is a domestic servant who stays by the plaintiff's side most of the time. How accurately can she know whether the young duke is busy or not?"
Moreover.
"She seems to have had a significant bond with the plaintiff. There is a very high possibility that subjective feelings are involved in the trial."
He didn't stop there; he lifted a stack of papers from his seat.
"My client suffered from heavy work and couldn't rest comfortably even at home. Here I present as evidence a schedule that records the defendant's agenda for the past two years."
The judge examined the documents handed over.
"It's definitely full of work."
"The accuracy of the schedule has been verified by several people, including Mrs. Chris, the defendant's assistant. It's very objective evidence."
Compared to the testimony of a single maid, it is true. Those were the words hidden behind this.
He is also skilled. If Farrell had bombarded Laura with questions, people would have seen him only as a cruel lawyer threatening the poor maiden.
Ethel calmly analyzed the situation.
"A minimal cross-examination created the impression that Laura's testimony was completely unreliable."
She could feel the atmosphere of the audience, which a moment ago had been cold towards Leandro, gradually warming.
However, we also had something to say about Leandro's "busy" schedule.
"Your Honor, please pay attention to the periodic reports schedule here."
Sharon, who had been given a copy of the schedule just like the judge, tapped the document with her finger.
"We have business trips scheduled once or twice a month, lasting an average of one week."
"That's correct."
"Isn't that quite unusual?"
"That's too much. Besides, the details are scarce. I have other full schedules."
Farrell quickly began to explain as if he knew that question would arise.
"I planned to go to the capital to periodically report to Duke Cassius on the territory's management status. Because travel time is long, processing work will surely be relatively reduced."
Sharon asked abruptly.
"Is it necessary to report face-to-face every time? So frequently? Isn't that inefficient?"
"The position of lord carries great responsibility. Since the young duke is a successor, he must seek advice directly from his father."
"Even if you take the direct magic train, it takes two days to reach from Ashton, where the Cassius mansion is located, to the capital. A round trip takes 4 days. Is a man so busy that he can't even spare a moment for his wife wasting four days on the tracks?"
"You're working hard for his territory."
"I want to ask. Minus four days from a week, do you need three days to prepare a report?"
"Reporting is not everything. He attends noble meetings held at the imperial palace, helps with family business, and participates in minimal social activities..."
Boom!
Sharon made a loud noise and placed a stack of papers on the desk. It was as thick as Leandro's agenda package that Farrell had presented earlier.
"This is the evidence we have prepared to provide a more precise answer from the defendant."
"What is the evidence about?"
Sharon smiled gently at the judge's question.
"Your Honor, you will see it soon, but as there are people here who cannot directly verify the evidence, I will briefly guide you through some of them."
A loud voice echoed throughout the courtroom.
"Firstly, there are numerous eyewitness accounts from Duke Cassius's family members sailing on a boat on Lake Marylin on x month-x day of last year."
Lake Marylin is famous for its spectacular scenery and was one of the most famous tourist destinations in the capital.
"A total of fourteen people testified that among them was the accused, young Duke Leandro Cassius. Whoa, that's incredible. You can rent the entire lake and its adjoining island and enjoy it all day."
Several sheets of paper fluttered.
"The next is a list of attendees at a banquet hosted by Count Agrigento approximately a month later, if you look here, the name Leandro Cassius is clearly written. His partner is his younger sister, Princess Liena Cassius."
Although there were numerous eyewitness accounts, Sharon said she would omit them and move on to the next step.
"Oh, this time it's actually a newspaper article. This is what it says in the social news section of a newspaper on × day × year. Young Duke Cassius..."
"Your Honor! Currently, the plaintiff is indiscriminately exposing the private life of the accused, which has little to do with the trial!"
Farrell arched his eyebrows in annoyance. It was the man's first emotional reaction since the trial began.
"Isn't it related? Are all these acts committed by the accused during marriage?"
"Is everything done during marriage directly related to the divorce?"
"In this case, yes."
Sharon opened the newspaper she was holding.
"x month x day! The accused went on a family trip to Moffal, a tourist city in the southern part of the Empire. His companions were his father and his two younger brothers."
She pointed to other documents still piled up.
"Moreover, there is ample evidence that the accused spent quality time with his family. He refused to have tea with his wife!"
It was a moment when the efforts of my colleagues, who had been working hard for the past few days to gather evidence and testimonies, shone.
"Can't you see the truth right now? The young Duke had no choice but to be busy all the time. To ensure time to stay in the capital, all the work was done on the territory."
People held their breath at the blatantly sarcastic comments against the young noble. Attention focused on Leandro's natural reaction.
Leandro's mouth was expressionless, with his lips slightly stiff, but I could see it clearly. He felt quite disturbed inside.
Neither he nor Farrell could have expected this. The fact that we must have prepared so much in a short period of only two weeks.
Sharon has never had the opportunity to demonstrate that capacity. Furthermore, my financial power is also new compared to Cassius.
Liena, who knows Sharon's future as a prosperous person, may have warned her, but her regression has limits unless she can reveal the truth.
"Thanks to everyone."
At this moment, I felt truly grateful to those who helped me during my divorce.
"Your Honor."
Farrell looked at Sharon and me as he addressed the judge. Was it arrogant of me to notice that those eyes seemed like a sign of acknowledgment towards us?
"We acknowledge that the accused has a special family relationship."
I straightened my back. This was because I knew very well that it was only a preliminary battle.
"But that is not a reason for the defendant and the plaintiff to divorce. Because the accused and his family repeatedly asked the plaintiff to join them."
Now it was the real beginning.
-----------------------
Sharon tried to argue.
"I have an objection. That is not..."
"I haven't finished my remarks yet. We will accept objections later."
Farrell cut her off like a knife and then continued.
"It is the plaintiff who has repeatedly rejected the requests and suggestions of her in-laws. It can be seen that the couple made the same mistake in breaking the relationship."
That person has a silver tongue. My tightly clenched fist trembled.
Sharon turned my anger into logical language and conveyed it to me.
"How is that the fault of the plaintiff! Is there anyone in the world who would be happy to be told to spend time with the other person's family without even forming a proper marital relationship?"
"It is definitely not a case of common sense."
When the judge agreed with this, Farrell responded well.
"There is a story that made it inevitable. It is a well-known fact, but the young duke had no experience in dating someone of the opposite sex before getting married."
"What does that have to do with this?"
"Could such a person have become an expert in dealing with the opposite sex overnight just because he got married? Experience is important in everything."
Wait, that doesn't mean...
"The young duke felt uncomfortable because he didn't know how to treat his wife."
Farrell confidently spat out an absurd statement.
"It was also a result of this immaturity that he tried to avoid situations where the two were alone and find time to be together."
Leandro, sitting in the defendant's seat, shook his head as if it were true.
"He feels less nervous when he has his family by his side. The accused sincerely hoped to restore his relationship with the plaintiff."
The more I listened, the more shocking it became.
"That is regrettable. Today's catastrophe occurred due to the defendant's inappropriate method and unfavorable circumstances."
Thanks to the lawyer's eloquence, Leandro was increasingly glorified. He is a man who only knew work and knew nothing of love, so he realized love too late and regretted it after his wife left.
"It is truly a pity."
I want to hit that face full of sadness and agony, which put on facial expressions at just the right moment, a million times.
But unfortunately, this excuse worked for others who had no way of knowing Leandro's true identity.
Many audience members had sad expressions.
This was because Farrel brought out testimonies from people working in the Cassius mansion, which were very advantageous for Leandro.
"We have the testimony of a maid that the young duke frequently asked about the plaintiff. There is also testimony from an assistant that there was a strict order to buy whatever the plaintiff wanted, regardless of the price."
Testimony forms were piled up on the desk.
Sharon quickly responded to prevent the mood from escalating.
"The employees of Duke Cassius are known to be very loyal. We cannot accept their testimony at face value."
"Did the plaintiff not also cite Laura Emerson as a witness? And is it really possible for so many people to come together to commit perjury?"
"Does it make sense that you repeatedly reject your wife's requests because, in the first place, you don't know how to deal with her? If you stay silent by her side, you will reach halfway."
"I admit that the response was undesirable. The young Duke is also reflecting a lot."
Sharon's retort seemed to have no effect as far as Farrell was concerned.
I lost myself in thought. A familiar scent emanated from the shameless excuse prepared there.
"Liena."
A method to gain sympathy from others by making the most of well-known objective facts. It seemed to match Liena, who acquires a pitiable image by exposing her weaknesses instead of hiding them.
"Unlike Farrell, who prefers to crush the other person completely.
Liena was involved in this part."
Somehow, I had a strong feeling that the person I was fighting in this courtroom was not Farrell or Leandro but Liena.