My Most Precious Human
Chapter 33

I looked at Sariel, confused. Was it really possible to prove that the signature on the contract had been forged? I couldn't think of another way to win this battle. In a human court, there should have been an expert to decide whether my signature on the contract was forged or not, but here, it was a matter of whom the members of the Great Council believed. I doubted that they would believe me, but what about the Duke? He surely had the authority, although I couldn't understand where he stood in the vampire hierarchy. Nonetheless, he still needed evidence that the Adragnas were lying.

When mine and Sariel's eyes met, he smirked at me. He didn't lose an ounce of his confidence. It was obvious that he had something up his sleeve. He stood up, taking the pile of documents with him. Those were the exact documents he had previously gone through before the trial started. He searched for one document among that pile and gave it to me.

"Do you recognize what it is?" he asked, smiling cunningly.

I looked at what he handed me and gasped. What I was holding in my hands was the real work contract that I signed, agreeing to waiter at the casino's special event.

"Yes," I replied.

"Then, would you like to tell everyone about it clearly?" He smirked.

"This is the document I signed at the casino. This is the real work contract me and others signed," I explained agitatedly.

I could see Mr. Baro turning pale while the Adragnas gritted their teeth and kept glaring at their lawyer, forcing him to react. Sariel grinned at the judges and turned my way.

"Do you recognize the signature on the contract?" he inquired, continuing his game.

"Yes, this is my real signature," I answered confidently.

At the speed of light, Sariel found himself next to Mr. Baro and tore out the contract I had supposedly signed from his hands.

"I will borrow this for a sec." He chuckled wickedly.

Mr. Baro only gasped, but he was too slow to do anything. Sariel's speed was clearly at another level. I had never seen any creature moving so fast. Once the Duke had both documents, he raised the forged contract and the real one, presenting them to the members of the Great Council.

"Now, tell me which is more probable: that Ms. Leber signed a contract to work as a waitress or that she decided to sell herself as a blood slave?" Sariel called out loud.

The muttering and agitated discussions filled the courtroom. Sariel turned both documents to their final pages and raised them again.

"Now, think clearly: why does Ms. Leber's signature look exactly the same on both contracts? Isn't it a little too perfect for a human?" he asked, stirring a pot.

Mr. Baro cleared his throat, nervously gazing around the room like a caught-off-guard student desperate to find the right answer. The Adragnas' fury was enough to shatter their table into splinters. I knew that if it weren't for Sariel, they would have already found an opportunity to kill me on the spot just to release their boiling anger.

"Duke Calvet, do you have concrete proof of forgery, or do you want the jury and members of the council to figure it out themselves?" The leading judge asked sarcastically.

"I'm glad you've asked, Your Honor," Sariel chuckled, then gestured at Mr. Gotha.

Leonard Gotha went outside of the courtroom, then came back inside, throwing a shackled and gagged man onto the floor. The man was heavily bruised and bleeding. Loud gasps filled the room. Marquess Adragna stood up from his seat, raising his trembling in anger fist. Sariel sent him a vicious glare flued with a cold smirk.

"Marquess Adragna must have recognized his aid, Hugo Ropion. I could have apologized for his poor state, but he just wasn't as cooperative as he should be... at first." Sariel's full of mockery tone kept enraging the Adragnas.

Mr. Baro rushed in panic towards his clients to discuss the situation while the commotion around the room increased its loudness.

"Duke Calvet, care to explain who is this obnoxious looking man?" The leading judge called out, her voice filled with nonchalance.

Sariel gazed meaningfully at Mr. Gotha, and he nodded his head. Mr. Gotha grabbed the man lying on the floor, pulling him by the collar of his bloodied shirt. The man stood up on his swaying and trembling feet, glancing at Sariel, terrified.

Mr. Gotha pulled out his gag. "Speak!" he yelled at the man.

"I-I... I work f-for Marquess Adragna... H-he ordered me to f-forge signatures." The man stuttered, facing the judges' lodge.

With his statement, the turmoil filled the room. The members of the Great Council couldn't hide their outrage.

"This man is lying! I have told him to do anything like that!" Marquess Adragna shouted feverishly.

The leading judge's eyes widened, then she smirked, "Bring him closer to me," she ordered, pointing at Hugo Ropion.

The Marquess instantly shut his mouth and went pale. I could see his hands beginning to tremble and his sons kept gazing at him and the judges in a rising state of panic. Mr. Gotha grabbed Hugo Ropion's shackles and dragged him up to the lodge. The lead judge leaned down towards him, placing her hands on both sides of Ropion's head. A painful grimace appeared on his face as the lead judge smiled viciously. Suddenly, Hugo Ropion's body started to tremble as if he was suffering from an electric shock. The moan he gave out proved the agony he was experiencing until his eyes went white. The judge let go of his head as Hugo Ropion collapsed on the floor, unconscious. As soon as he did, the guards carried his motionless body out of the room. I watched that horrifying scene, petrified. What the hell did she do to him?!

"He was telling the truth. He was led into the Marquess's study room where he was given the prepared contracts along with the photos of each signature he was told to forge. The photos were on Pierre Adragna's phone," the leading judge stated calmly.

By the time she finished talking Mr. Gotha sped towards the defenders' table and a second later he held Pierre Adragna's phone in his hand.

"Give it back! How dare you!" the Marquess's son roared.

Mr. Gotha snorted at him and passed the phone over to Sariel. It took him exactly two seconds to find the pictures of the signatures. He chuckled.

"Oh, dear Marquess, your son is such an idiot. He didn't even bother to erase the traces of forgery. I definitely should thank him for that." He smiled maliciously and handed the phone over to the judges.

The leading judge then passed the phone to her fellow judges to see. Judge Connor pursed his lips in an uncomfortable grimace while glancing at the defendants. It was obvious that he was their supporter among the panel, but given the evidence, he couldn't do anything for the Adragnas anymore.

"We, the Judges, confirm that these are indeed the photos of the signatures prepared for nothing other than a falsification!" the leading judge called out, causing an uproar among the members of the Great Council.

Sariel turned my way and smirked at me. I felt so relieved I wanted to cry, but I knew this battle wasn't over until the verdict would be announced. Both Sariel and Mr. Baro sat by their tables while Mr. Gotha, for some reason, gestured me to stay at the witness seat.

The lady judge took a deep breath and loudly declared, "For carrying out illegal auctions and gaining profit from forbidden activities, as well as for the lies told before the great Council, the Adragna family shall be stripped of their titles, their estates shall be confiscated, and the Diamond Crown Casino shall be managed by the representatives from the House of Calvet. I call out for a vote."

I looked around the room. The members of the Great Council nodded their heads. It seemed that they had already reached a verdict.

"All those in favor raise your hands!" The judge demanded in a strict tone of her voice.

The majority of the members, as well as three judges, with the lead judge among them, voted to find Adragnas guilty. I clenched my fist and felt a single tear fall down my cheek. It wasn't exactly the justice they deserved, but it might have been the greatest punishment they could have received. The vote had already been sealed, yet the procedure had to be completed.

"Those who are against, raise your hands!" she called out.

Judge Connor certainly was the first to raise his hand, Duke Orseolo followed, but there were only a few that joined them. I chuckled softly, although it wasn't the kind of victory I would be satisfied with. If my life taught me anything, it would be the rule that the fairest punishment is an eye for an eye. Nothing could have brought Carla's life back, but those who thought so little about human lives didn't deserve to live either. If their lives weren't taken, I would expect them to suffer a kind of cruel, eternal punishment.

"The Great Council gave out the verdict and the decision is final," the leading judge stated, "Is Duke Calvet pleased with this outcome?" she asked, little teasingly.

"Not quite yet." He snickered wickedly while getting up from his seat.

His words caused a wave of disbelief and confusion. The Adragnas were looking wretched, and Sariel's statement must have felt like a kick when they were already down, but I was light miles away from feeling sorry for them.

"Then what kind of punishment will the Duke find satisfying?" the judge inquired.

Sariel gave the judges a fierce stare, "Let me provide another evidence of Adragnas' crime, then I would like the council to take another vote, and then..." He paused and smirked, "I want them to be sentenced to death."

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