Ersia: Raven Dawn

After what happened at the flea market, Lisabelle faces the consequences of her thoughtless action. The news eventually reached the heads of the academy after several witnesses made a formal report and gave testimony to a nearby guard house. Now, the young Perianthes is being held captive at a Special Institution for Underage Rehabilitation, waiting for the tribunal day.

During her time in captivity, Lisabelle never interacts with anyone. She answered not a single question although she did what she was told to do. Every day, as soon as the day ended, she went to sleep right away. A few times inspectors come to her room to ask for the same questions again and again and again, which Lisabelle answered with the same answer again and again and again - an upsetting silence.

"I was wrong. I have nothing more to say, and I will comply," was the only sentence that had ever come out of her mouth

On Junda, the fourth day of her imprisonment, the officials brought a surprise to the somber atmosphere. They brought two guests to the counseling room, accompanied by an inspector acting as overseer. The guests are Randia and the woman whom Lisabelle had hurt the other day. Now, there are four people in the room; Both Randia and the woman are sitting across from Lisabelle, while the overseer sits right beside her.

"Please be kind to our guests for today, Miss Arbona. They wish to talk with you despite the risk of multiple code violations."

Lisabelle says nothing and keeps looking down. Thus, Randia takes the initiative to take the stage.

"Lisabelle Arbona, do you recognize her?"

Lisabelle keeps quite still, or at least that's what she wants to do until suddenly her thought process is getting forcefully disturbed. She hears a loud ringing noise in her ears, and her head feels like it was squeezed tightly. Then, she heard a deep voice echoing from the inside of her mind.

("You have to cooperate and don't make it more difficult. Your grandmother is worried sick.")

Lisabelle's body turned limp as if she was about to fall unconscious for a second. Yet, when the voice vanished, she regained herself and found out that she was sweating. She turned her head to Randia, and the blue eyes of the man before she answered her unspoken question.

". . . No."

"So you assaulted her without even knowing who she was, am I wrong?"

". . . No, you're not."

"Why would you do that?"

"They were wearing robes and acting furtive . . . I thought they were there to harm me, just as many times before."

The overseer is taking notes, while the woman looks like she feels sorry for the young girl. As for Randia, he is so relieved that Lisabelle didn't mention anything about Viena. Previously, Randia had also been interrogated as one of both the victim and the witnesses to the incident, and when he was asked about the name Vivi, he said that he had no idea about that.

"This is Lady Diene, the woman whom you struck down violently."

Their eyes met for a while. Lisabelle buried the appearance of her victim to the back of her mind; Diene's shoulder-length straight hair, black almond eyes, and the amber-colored pendant resting on the second button of her linen gambeson. Then, Lisabelle ended up lowering her head and closing her eyes, unable to withstand her guilty feeling.

"My deepest apology, Lady Diene. I will submit to any punishment you demand of me."

.

.

.

After silence fills the air for a moment, the sound of Diene taking a deep breath finally breaks the stillness.

"We are done here. I will take my leave. Thank you for the opportunity, Inspector"

The suddenness of her behavior is unimaginable to everyone. As soon as Diene left, Randia followed right after. He stopped midway to look back at Lisabelle who was still looking down, but with Randia being Randia, he said nothing and kept walking.

A week has passed since the incident. Either for better or worse, nothing eventful happened during Lisabelle's captivity at the rehabilitation center. Now, the day of the trial has come. Lisabelle is escorted to the 3rd District Court of Rosmayne. During the move, she was put into a special carriage that kept her out of sight from the people outside - unlike other common crime cases.

When she finally arrived and stepped out of the carriage, unfortunately, there were crowds already gathering outside of the gate. They gasp, whisper, and some even scream out loathsome words at her despite not knowing what had happened. It turns out that the local press caught wind of the case and it immediately became a hot topic throughout the district, and maybe even beyond.

The attendants of the court are of various backgrounds. Local officials, academy heads, even the minister of youth development, and some military men are present. They are taking the case very seriously and looking forward to the result of today's trial. To make it even worse, there are so many presses ready to cook their writings in every corner of the court.

The judges walk into the court and everyone stands up. The counsels and all the people in the gallery who watch the trial bow to the judges, and the judges return their bow as a sign of mutual respect. Then, the bailiff asked everyone to be seated again and announced the start of the court.

Lord Bernard Marshall, who was famous for exiling his first son due to a corruption case, acts as the chief judge of this case. He took a deep breath and threw his gaze through all the attendants before clearing his throat. He hasn't even spoken yet, but the whole court froze with anticipation.

"Morning everyone. My name is Bernard Marshall, and I was entrusted by Her Majesty The Queen to be the chief judge for this case . . . A quite a heavy-duty, I suppose. Especially since, if I don't remember it wrong, it was three days after the birth of my fifth grandson, the last time I was given a case involving an underage such as today - and he is eight years old now."

Everyone stayed silent still, and only after the chief laughed, they all joined for a piece also. Thanks to that, the tension in the court eased a little and it got a little more breathable.

"And by that very reason, I know very well that all eyes are set upon this very matter. Thus, without further ado, let us shed some light. Counsels, please introduce yourselves," the chief judge opens his hand to the counsels.

After the openings, the counsels presented their case and arguments, and the judges asked their questions either to ask for clarification or to get more details regarding the multiple points of view of the case. Even the counsels are filled with big names, though their motivations may vary. Some might be there to get a spotlight on their career - thanks to the scale of the case, and the rest are either paid handsomely or to fulfill any other personal satisfaction.

The debates are getting heated and sharp with much evidence uncovered through examinations. Four hours have passed, and they seem to be arriving at a conclusion soon. However, at the last moment, Diene takes the chance to make a turning point in the whole case.

"Your honor. I am, by any means, not a woman of law. And I know so little of its articles, gestures, and consequences. Yet, despite all the evidence and words that the counsel presents. . . I have taken a look at the bigger picture, and decided to forgive the defendant of this case, Lisabelle Arbona."

The courtroom suddenly went into a burst. Everybody is whispering, talking, and shouting. The prosecutor and Diene's counsel look both confused and irritated. The woman herself didn't even budge when her team shook her shoulders asking for an explanation. It took quite a lot of hammering from the chief judge for the courtroom to be back in order.

"Why, that packs a lot of surprise for sure, Mrs. Barmont. Why would you do so?" asked the chief judge.

"Because she too - was a victim. A victim of an ill-maintained ecosystem that was supposed to promote growth and development. Hence, I believe the charge was misdirected," Diene turned her head to the place where the academy heads were seated, inciting commotion once more.

Even after the unprecedented turn of events, the trial went on. An hour later, after lots of hearing and discussion, both parties finally delivered their closing statement, and the chief judge suspended the trial for half an hour right after. Now that everything turns upside down, only the judges know what comes next.

Meanwhile, in the house of the Arbona, Eleanor is waiting anxiously for the result. She has been restless for days to the point that on the day of the trial, she failed to attend thanks to her deteriorating health. Gratefully, Viena is with her, tending to her needs as Randia instructed her before he left for the court this morning.

Alas, Viena is having it rough as well. A lot of things are going all at once in her mind. Even Eleanor often catches Viena deep in her thoughts unsmiling. She couldn't help it after witnessing what just happened. At that moment, Viena realized that back then, when she and Lisabelle wrestled during their first encounter, Lisabelle was holding back so much that she basically just played around while Viena herself fought for her life - nail and teeth.

Now that Viena had seen what Lisabelle looked like when she was all serious, she felt afraid.

"Why would she do that . . .?"

Viena is thinking out loud as she folds some blankets, and the words that come out of her mouth are heard by Eleanor. The old lady closed her eyes and looked outside the window, wondering the same question for a moment, before taking a deep breath.

"She must have her reason. My granddaughter has always been a good girl, and I know that she will always be. I'm sure that this is all just a big misunderstanding."