"Love me?" Aria's voice dripped with disbelief and disgust, her face contorting as she glared at Alaric.
"I can't believe this piece of shit is saying that," she spat out, her words laced with venom and years of pent-up frustration.
"Y-Yes, my dear Aria, please give me one last chance," Alaric pleaded, his voice trembling with desperation and regret. He reached out to touch her cheek, but Aria slapped his hand away with a look that could kill.
"Touch me, and I will fucking kill you!" she hissed, her eyes burning with a dangerous intensity that sent shivers down the spines of those watching.
The audience gasped in shock at Aria's bold declaration, their eyes wide with disbelief.
"Mind your words, Aria Zephyr," Maelona's voice cut through the tension, her expression stern and disapproving. She turned to Alaric, her tone softening slightly, "Please refrain from touching her."
""Understood, Your Grace""
"Aria, look at him. He still loves you. Do you want to reconsider your decision?" Maelona's voice was firm.
"No, Your Grace" She answered.
The audience frowned, their murmurs growing louder as they struggled to comprehend Aria's unwavering stance.
Maelona turned her gaze to Alaric, "Alaric, do you still want her?"
"Y-Yes," Alaric's voice cracked with emotion. His eyes glistened with unshed tears as he turned to Aria, his expression a mixture of sorrow and desperation. "This is absurd, A-Aria! You're just going to throw away everything we've built together? I thought we were fated to be together."
Aria's eyes blazed with frustration and anger, "Built together? You mean everything I've sacrificed while you pursued 'someone' else? Fate? Tsk, it's nothing but a prison!".
Alaric stepped closer, his face contorted with a tumult of emotions, his voice rising in desperation. "A prison? That's what you think? After everything I've done for you, for us, you still see it that way? I just want us to be happy."
"For me? The nerve! You did everything for your selfish desires. There was nothing but threats and holding me captive for the sake of my tribe. Your Grace, I've made my decision. I can't live like this anymore.
I deserve happiness and freedom," Aria declared, her voice steady and resolute, each word a testament to her determination to reclaim her life.
Alaric frowned, his desperation turning to anger, "Happiness? Freedom? And what about 'our' people, 'our' responsibilities? You're just going to abandon all of that?" His voice was a mixture of disbelief and indignation.
Aria's expression hardened, her eyes steely and unyielding. "I will take care of 'my' people and 'my' responsibilities. This is my decision, and nothing you say will change that."
Meanwhile, Aether watched the crowd's reaction, his frown deepening as he noticed the scowls directed at Aria and the murmurs of support for Alaric.
"I cannot believe that girl is doing this."
"It must be because she is the chosen one now... Her arrogance has blinded her."
"A barren woman should shut her mouth!!"
"Does she know how many women were waiting to be in her position?"
"Tsk, youngsters these days, wouldn't know what's good for them."
"I am pretty sure she is going to regret this later."
"Now, what's going to happen to their tribe?"
"Who knows? Depends on the Emperor."
Soft whispers filled the hall, the audience's disapproval clear and piercing.
'He's playing a game...' Aether thought, his frown deepening as he realized the manipulation at play.
Maelona's eyes flashed with anger as she interjected, her voice ringing with authority. "Silence. Aria has made her choice, and as ruler, I will see it honoured."
Alaric's shoulders slumped in defeat, but his eyes still burned with a mix of resentment and sadness. "Fine. Let it be known that I opposed this. Let it be known that I fought for our union."
Aria turned to Alaric, her voice steady and her eyes resolute. "And let it be known that I fought for my own heart. I won't live in misery any longer."
Maelona sighed, sensing that the end of this contentious hearing was near. She stood, prepared to finalize the session, when suddenly,
"Misery?" Alaric's face twisted with an uncontained fury, and he mumbled loudly, "I am the one who suffers from misery, you SLUT!!!"
"Alari—" Maelona began to intervene, but Alaric cut her off.
"Even though you have been sleeping with another man..." Alaric interjected, his voice trembling with pain and anger, tears glistening in his eyes.
"!!!!" The entire hall erupted in gasps of shock and disbelief, the accusation hanging heavy in the air.
"What do you mean?" Maelona asked, her voice barely containing her own rising anger and confusion.
Alaric shook his head, his expression a mask of betrayal and anguish. "S-She has been sleeping with another man!!"
Aria stood silent, her face a blank slate as she stared at Alaric.
Maelona turned her stern gaze to Aria. "She has already applied for the divorce, so of course, she has every right to love another ma—"
"NO!!! She has been sleeping with him even before the divorce... She was cheating on me!!!!!!!" Alaric shouted, his voice echoing through the grand hall, trembling with his power and raw emotion.
The room fell silent, the tension palpable.
Maelona turned to Aria, who immediately protested, "No, I didn't sleep with anyone."
"I have a witness!" Alaric proclaimed, his voice tinged with triumphant desperation as he asked for permission to call him forward.
"Kaelen Darkfang..?" Aria's eyes widened in surprise, a flicker of recognition crossing her face.
Kaelen stepped forward, bowing deeply before Maelona, "I am the one who informed the Emperor of this disgraceful act, your grace."
Aether's frown deepened, 'Why is he here?' he wondered, knowing that Kaelen had been suspended for a year since that incident.
Just suspended for attempting murder?
Yes, because Kaelen was declared a victim of brainwashing and dark magic! With the unknown variables 'Puppet' and 'Advanced Magi-Tech' in play, everyone believed there might be a possibility.
Alaric smiled inwardly at Kaelen Darkfang. After being suspended by the principal, Kaelen approached Alaric to regain his position because he might miss the trial which could be a problem for him, revealing everything about Aria's alleged affair during the contest.
"You saw her?" Maelona asked, her voice hard and unyielding.
"Yes," Kaelen confirmed solemnly.
"Tell me the details," Maelona demanded, her face a mask of seriousness, knowing that adultery was a grave crime that required undeniable proof.
Now everything falls on Aria.
"It was during the contest..." Kaelen began, weaving a tale that added some superficial and incriminating details to his story.
Aria's face contorted with fury and frustration, 'I should have killed this guy!' she growled inwardly, ready to retort when Maelona, with an indifferent voice, said, "I see..." She turned to Aria, "I cannot believe you committed adultery."
"B-But it was just hugging, nothing more! I didn't do anything, and I soon filed for divorce," Aria shouted back, but her admission only made Alaric's smile widen, feeling she had fallen into his trap.
Now she had admitted the truth herself!
"Silence!!"
"...."
"Hugging? The moment you touch another man before filing for divorce is adultery, Aria Zephyr," Maelona said sternly, her voice echoing with authority.
"By the ancient laws of our people, those who commit adultery... shall be hanged to death!"
A murmur of shock rippled through the audience. Alaric smiled inwardly, his expression one of pained innocence, as he spoke with a broken voice, "N-No, please don't!! I still want her."
The audience was stunned. The Emperor still accepting this adulterous woman!!! He was too good and naive!!
"You want her?" Maelona frowned, her eyes narrowing as she studied Alaric's expression.
"Y-Yes... That much I love her, Your Grace. I still want her in my life!!! I accept everything about her," Alaric said, his voice filled with pained sincerity, making everyone in the room melt at his display of pure love.
Maelona sighed, rubbing her forehead as if to ward off a headache before saying, "This session of the Elven Court is adjourned for now. The final judgment will be announced at a later time. Until then, may the light of our ancestors guide us all."
Meanwhile, Aether stood in a corner, his expression blank, watching Alaric bask in his apparent victory, 'You want to play... Ah. Very well, then....' His eyes glinted with danger, 'I shall destroy this petty play... She is mine, you motherfucker!' he thought with fierce determination before saying,
"Increase Charm"
!~Ding~!