Chapter Eighty-Seven: Lynne: Disaster, I’ve Fallen Into a Desperate Trap!

The expression barely shifted on Neuvillette’s face, but the composed, kindly smile on the servant and the approving look from Furina only made him feel that he understood human nature less and less.

He was genuinely puzzled. This reaction was not merely different from what he had expected; it was the exact opposite.

After all, he was the one conducting the trial, and not even a wholly unjust one, but a judgment that, while carrying a faint trace of malice, still remained within the bounds of law and regulation. It was much like Fontaine’s rule that no flying objects could be launched during the first three days of each month. On the surface, it counted as law, but in practice it was rarely ever used to punish anyone.

Even if a Fontainian heard it, the most they would likely say was: yes, that does ring a bell.

To give an example, if a Melusine were playing with a balloon in the street and, by some accident, let go of it and sent it drifting into the sky, Neuvillette would not put her on trial. He would simply help her retrieve it and remind her to hold it carefully.

Law is dead, but people are alive. More often than not, everything depends on the situation.

What the servant had done in the courtroom, openly damaging a chair, was, in legal terms, an offense. Neuvillette bringing charges and holding a trial was entirely lawful and proper, since damaging public property in a courtroom already carried an implication of contempt for the law. His actions were reasonable.

But under ordinary circumstances, he would not actually apply that law. And the servant’s earlier movement had been instinctive, so by invoking that law against her just now, he had, in truth, carried a faint hint of malice.

So why were they reacting like this?

Why were they all smiling so serenely?

Neuvillette did not understand. Perhaps he would need far more time to understand human beings, to understand the human heart. The world of mortals was more complicated than he had imagined.

“Judge Neuvillette, I will compensate the opera house twice over for its losses, and I offer my sincere apology to everyone present,” the servant said, one hand pressed lightly to her chest and the other behind her back as she bent in a graceful bow.

Neuvillette hesitated.

The servant’s attitude was undeniably sincere. Under such circumstances, it would not be easy for him to condemn her outright. So he turned to the Oratrice and said, “I understand your position. Next, let the Oratrice Mechanism render judgment.”

“The Oratrice Mechanism’s verdict is: not guilty.”

“Thank you for the Hydro Archon’s graciousness. Please allow me to express my respect once again,” the servant said with a smile as she bowed to Furina anew.

Having seen through everything, Furina was naturally not surprised by the verdict. Yet when she raised her head again, her body suddenly gave way and she fell backward heavily onto Lyney, her limbs no longer able to hold any strength.

Had she finally reached her limit?

“Father? Father!”

Lyney cried out in alarm.

At that moment, the servant had not completely lost consciousness. She forced her eyes open and continued, “It’s nothing. I’m only a little tired.”

Ever since Lu Mingfei dragged her into the dream, she had not slept a single full night. Every dream was abruptly pulled into the Dream Eater, and whether she would live or die afterward remained unknown.

Moreover, even if she were expelled from the Dream Eater, the effects it left behind would not vanish at once. Instead, they would cling to her like sleep paralysis, leaving her unable to wake and unable to sleep.

The servant had endured this state for a very long time. Her spirit and will had long since approached their limit, and her judgment of all things had been affected to a certain degree. She would reach conclusions faster than usual, and trust her instincts more readily.

If even someone as steadfast as the servant could be pushed this far, then for anyone else, forget about impaired judgment; whether they could still be alive now would already be a question.

“Father, is it Furina and the others—”

Lyney asked anxiously, but the servant simply closed her eyes in relief and let the muddled sensations swallow her consciousness as she sank into deep sleep.

It had been so, so long since she last slept properly. If she could simply sleep like this, perhaps that would not necessarily be a bad thing.

The servant herself knew best: she had now truly reached her limit. Even if she forced herself to stay conscious, she could not hold on much longer.

And there was no need to keep enduring.

The Oratrice had declared her innocent. The final judgment was over. Her suspicions about Furina had been perfectly confirmed. Everything, all of it, was flawless. She felt she could sleep now; there was no lingering regret that demanded she remain awake to resolve it.

“Father! Father!”

Lyney’s voice kept ringing out, his desperate cries revealing just how deeply he cared for her.

Yet the sound only irritated the servant. She even felt an urge to sit up at once and pin Lyney to the ground for a brutal beating, because right now all she wanted was a proper sleep.

This Lyney...

He does this every time. Every single time!

Never once can he let me have peace!

I just want to sleep. That’s all I want. Why is he calling me? Is he ever going to stop?

And I already told him—I’m only a little tired. Tired! I just want to sleep! And what does he do? Even knowing I’m tired, he still calls out to me. The way he keeps shouting makes it sound as if he’s terrified I might fall asleep. It’s infuriating.

Honestly... can this child still be kept?

As the servant slowly collapsed, the crowd broke into discussion. Neuvillette immediately sent someone to the stage to check her condition, and he himself came before her, watching closely, afraid she might suddenly spring up and attack Furina.

At that moment, Furina stared at the servant and could not help asking in her heart, “Lu Mingfei, did you secretly use the Dream Eater on her again? This is the courtroom. If you use it now, something serious is going to happen.”

“It wasn’t me. She collapsed on her own.”

Lu Mingfei could only spread his hands helplessly and continued, “If you don’t believe me, just open your elemental sight and see whether there’s any dark elemental power on her.”

“And if I use the Dream Eater, I need you as the medium. That means if she were struck by it, you would also enter the Dream Eater’s world. You’re still awake now, so it definitely wasn’t me dragging the servant into a dream. How could you not even think of that?”

“Ah... I, I just wanted to hear you deny it. With how certain you sounded, hahahaha, how could I possibly not know that? I’m so smart!” Furina said hurriedly.

“This silly little Furina...”

Lu Mingfei thought helplessly.

“Hm? Who are you calling silly?”

Furina immediately pricked up her ears.

“Uh—”

Lu Mingfei froze at once, so embarrassed he nearly clawed out a three-room apartment with his toes. What he had just thought was far too obvious, and before he realized it, it had turned into words that Furina could hear. If the thought had been a little deeper, she would not have heard it.

“And also, if I’m not mistaken, did you just call me fat? Did you?”

Even though Furina was not entirely certain whether she had heard that correctly, under these circumstances she absolutely had to sound imposing when she questioned him, or he would brush it off too easily.

“Uh... you must have heard wrong.”

“Heh.”

Furina instantly understood everything. Looking at Lu Mingfei, who wore an innocent, otter-like expression in the other world, she let out a cool laugh and continued in her heart, “You think you can hide anything from me? You think your act was good? I saw through it at a glance, idiot! Just wait until night and see how I deal with you!”

“Ahhh~ Nooo~”

“Hmph!”

Furina lifted the corners of her mouth in a small, smug huff. The tension in her heart eased a little, and when she looked at the servant again, she felt much more assured.

What was known now was that the servant’s collapse had nothing to do with Lu Mingfei. Then there was a chance she was merely pretending to be unconscious in preparation for a second attack, or perhaps she had truly passed out because of some other reason.

Still, it was no big problem. Tonight, they could simply drag the servant into a dream again and ask her. If it was only for small matters like that, she probably would not mind.

“Mr. Lyney, for Lady Arlecchino’s condition, please do not obstruct the medical staff from examining her,” Neuvillette said, looking at Lyney, who was standing in front of the servant.

“Examine her? What exactly are you going to examine?”

Lyney clenched his teeth and glared at Neuvillette, then at the Hydro Archon on the dais.

He had not understood before why Father kept stressing that the Hydro Archon was no simple matter, but now he was beginning to understand. Furina had probably long ago done something to the servant—only, whatever it was had taken effect a little earlier than expected.

And the reason Father had said she was tired, rather than saying the Hydro Archon had arranged something, was likely because she had been under some unspeakable threat.

The truth of the matter was absolutely not simple.

“I will repeat myself: Mr. Lyney, please do not obstruct the medical staff from conducting their examination.”

Neuvillette emphasized again, his voice louder than before. For the servant to faint in the courtroom was no trivial matter; it could well be the prelude to an attack on the Hydro Archon.

And now Lyney kept shielding the servant behind him. Such concealment only increased her threat. With a hidden danger like that present, Neuvillette’s expression would naturally be poor. It was already admirable enough that he had not acted directly. After all, the servant had once attempted to assassinate the Hydro Archon, and now something like this had happened in the courtroom—

“Mr. Lyney, please don’t worry. I’ll keep a close eye on Lady Arlecchino for you, so you can rest assured,” said Head Nurse Sigewinne with a gentle smile.

“Rest assured?”

Looking at the stern Hydro Dragon and the gentle Sigewinne, Lyney suddenly felt as though the two of them were playing good cop and bad cop, pressuring him from two entirely different angles.

But what could he do?

He had no reason to block the examination now. Even if he knew full well that something might have been done to his father, he could not continue obstructing them. In terms of force, he had no hope of matching Neuvillette, the Hydro Dragon Sovereign. If he failed, their situation might only grow worse.

This already seemed like utter hopelessness.

What now? What should he do?