Case Dismissed

"Father, can I wear trousers?" Evelyn asked her father at the dinner table. 

As soon as those words were spoken her uncle dropped his spoon in shock and her father hung the spoon in the middle air leaving his mouth wide open. 

The servants who were around stopped their chores and looked at her in astonishment. They get back to work as soon as they hear Renaud clear his throat. 

"Why would you do that?" He asked, bewildered. 

"I can't work properly in a gown if I join the council and might not perform my best either," she reasoned. 

"I agree with what Eve says. It would be even more difficult to pass the tier 2 exam of the council. That's the reason why not many women agree to join the council," her uncle, Admiral, agreed. 

To be a member of the council, one needs to pass the council exams which are said to be extremely difficult. The council conducts three tiers for the candidates. Tier one was a written exam, tier two, a task cum case study and the last one was an interview. 

Renaud, her father, continued eating unbothered by her demand. 

"Father, can I please?" She pleaded. 

He dropped the spoon and stared at her face. Anxiety built up as she waited for his response, looking anxiously at him. 

"Being a lady is a choice and I am proud that you opt for it and most importantly know its true meaning," her father began, "It depends upon her thoughts and actions. Not by what she wears. 

Moreover, you are a princess, the only daughter of the lord of the Zenira dynasty. No one has rights to ask you what to wear and whatnot," 

"Thanks father," she said, smiling brightly. She was proud of his thoughts. That was the reason why she always looked up to him. He took decisions by looking at both aspects, emotional and empirical.

"I agreed that doesn't mean you stop wearing gowns forever. Living in a society, one needs to follow the rules as well," he said sternly. 

She nodded in agreement and said assuringly, "I will wear them when it's required and rest other days it will be regular as now."  

Her father nodded and continued with his dinner. She strolled towards her room after having her dinner to get back preparing for the tier one exam. 

Renuad looked at a portrait hung on the wall inside his bedroom. It was his wife, Isabell. He went towards the portrait and looked at her smiling face with saddened eyes. 

"She lost you at a young age but didn't forget your lessons. I am sure she will grow up like you, being the true definition of a lady," he said, remembering how his wife sacrificed her life to save her daughter. 

With that, he went back to sleep with her memories. 

Far away from the palace, a man worked tensely in his small house consisting of one room. It was complete darkness except for the light coming from the lantern. 

"Finally done with the reports. Just need to get the magistrate's approval and a signature to begin the investigation," Reeve muttered to himself. 

After he and his teammate sent the body to the laboratory and enquired with the people, they both surveyed the forest for any suspiciousness. Later he returned to his room and began preparing the report which the magistrate had asked. 

"Two questionable points are enough I presume for an investigation," he thought. He underlined the suspicious points to get direct attention to it and nothing important should be missed out. 

"One being the pieces being left uneaten and according to villagers, there is no existence of such animals in the forest. I wonder what might be the matter," he pondered. 

Nevertheless, he went back to sleep, turning off the lantern in complete darkness. Next day morning, he entered the magistrate's office with a bright smile, being happy with his work. After the magistrate's approval, this was going to be his first case. Even though it was a small matter, but yes, he hoped to get a decent experience from that and would be familiar with the council works. 

"Come in," he heard the magistrate's withdrawn voice as he knocked on the door. 

"Greetings sir. Here are the reports which you had asked," he said. 

The magistrate took the parchments and went through them quickly. He dipped the quill and wrote something on the parchment and signed. He took out a seal and stamped it on it and returned the parchments to Reeve. 

"Submit them to the council," he ordered. 

Reeve looked at him in confusion. As far as he knew the parchments are submitted to the council only when the case is closed or in the cases where they are not able to solve it. He opened the document to check exactly what was written. 

He saw under the justification it was written as 'Death by wild animal'

He looked at the magistrate in confusion as he couldn't figure out what to say. He had underlined the points. He was sure that it wasn't exactly a wild animal. 

"Say what you want to say and leave," he heard the magistrate speaking. 

He cleared his throat and blurted, "Sir this is surely ain't an animal. I have underlined the points to justify my opinion."

"You are senior or I am? I know more than you, young man. So stop slacking off and do what I said," he said arrogantly. 

"But sir this matter needs an investi-" 

"You did investigate yesterday and it's enough," the magistrate interrupted him like always. "Just do what I say. It will be good for you and your annual report," he added. 

Feeling helpless and scared about annual reports, Reeve didn't understand what to do. He took the parchments and went to the council office to submit them, obeying the magistrate orders.