Chapter 3- Trial(2)

How long has it been…since he touched her? Valerie didn't know…

The same way he looked at her…that gaze didn't contain anger or disgust. He was concerned.

For her?

How…is that possible?

Valerie has hurt the person Austin likes…almost killed her…and he is…looking out for her.

She believed this was either a dream or a false hope he was giving to make her feel worse.

She has lost every hope to get back with the man she ever allowed herself to adore. That's why, she took off the only connection which gave their relationship a name.

Their engagement ring.

In those few moments when he held her face, numerous possibilities flashed through her mind…however, none of them were positive.

But a very flickering and dim flame was still ignited in the corner of her mind…what if, her lord takes stand for her here? What if, when the world is against her, he shields her from them?

No…that would be too much. Just the very fact he looked at her so gently after so long was hefty enough for her to shed some tears of joy.

This much was enough. She shouldn't hope for more.

...

All Austin could see in her eyes was hopelessness and pain. She was suffering from the betrayal and grief Austin bestowed upon her.

Heaving a sigh, he stepped back and turned towards the vice-principal,

"Sir Hayden, can I ask you to use your Soul Shard to draw an Absolute Truth circle around me?"

The statement made many people around them surprised, as Morkel said,

"You don't need to go to such lengths, Austin. Just tell everything that happened."

Austin looked at the man before informing him, "What I am about to say is true but might not be liked by everyone present here. So to save ourselves from needless waste of time, arguing over who is right and who is not, let Professor Hayden use his skill?"

He stated the best option to provide the credibility of the evidence he was about to show them.

Hayden glanced at the Headmaster before stepping forward and summoning his Soul Shard in the form of a lance.

He planted the butt of the Shard on the ground just a few inches before Austin and started to go around him—creating a visible and shining circle around the blond student.

Stepping back, Hayden announced, "Now, if you say the truth, the circle will hold the silver shade. And if you lie, we will know."

Austin gave a thankful nod to the man before looking at the Headmaster,

"Sir, I intend to recount every word exchanged during that brief confrontation in full detail. If Valerie or Rhea believes I have misspoken or included anything inaccurately in my account, please feel free to interrupt me without hesitation."

Neither of them said anything but all Austin needed was the Headmaster's nod, which he received.

He took out the document he prepared before coming here, with Sebastian's help.

"At thirty minutes past five, Rhea, along with Rudolph and Parkinson, entered the common hall. After taking several dishes from the counter, the three of them began advancing towards a vacant table. While Rudolph and Parkinson were carrying the heavy trays, Rhea was only allowed to carry the light tray on which three tea cups were placed."

Looking up, he glanced at the group on his left before asking, "Is there anything I am missing here?"

There was a surprise on Rhea's face as she asked, "How do you know such details…you weren't with us?"

Austin heaved a sigh, "That doesn't concern now, does it? Just tell me if I am right or not?"

"Why are you being so rude, Austin?" Parkinson spat, his face growing dark in displeasure.

"I assume there is nothing rude in what he asked, Student Park." The Headmaster's voice brought a sudden pause to the growing tension.

Rhea exhaled an audible breath before nodding, "Yes, it's true. Every bit of it."

Austin nodded before he turned his head towards the Headmaster, "Then suddenly while student Rhea was about to cross the seat where Valerie sat, she tripped—possibly accidentally—and spilled the tea on her gown."

"What do you mean, possibly? I accidentally tripped." Rhea frowned; she couldn't understand why Austin was siding with that woman all of a sudden.

Austin remained indifferent, "We will see about it. But for now, you spilled the tea on her and Valerie stood up furiously and began wiping her dress. While she did so she said many things, among which she said something that hurt student Rhea awfully."

Now here, Austin took a pause and looked intently at the paper; not wanting to miss a single word,

"'Have your parents not taught you any manners, you savage fool?!'" He adopted a higher tone to let the emotion reflect in his voice.

Rhea clenched her teeth before adding, "Yes, she said the exact same thing."

Austin turned towards Valerie, and with her eyes on the ground, she gave a brief nod of affirmation.

Austin returned his gaze back to the Headmaster before adding, "So yes, she said that, and Rhea, in a fit of anger, summoned her Soul Shard. In the process—albeit unintentionally—she ended up tearing the side of her gown."

Leaving a sigh, he said, "And because of that, Valerie summoned her own soul shard, and without adjusting the strength, she attacked Rhea…and we all know the conclusion."

"What a joke! Just because one of her thousands of dresses got damaged, she attacked Rhea." Morkel stepped forward,

"You see now, headmaster? Student Valerie is unstable in the head-!!" Morkel stopped talking as suddenly he felt a chilly gaze staring at him.

Morkel frowned seeing Austin's gaze before he heard him saying, "Be very careful of what you say, Morkel. Before a student of this academy, I am her fiancé. I will take any insult to her personally. So be very careful."

The tension grew in the room and not only Morkel but Parkinson and Rudolph were showing displeasure to the fact that someone was defending Valerie.

Austin was protecting her.

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A/N:- Thanks for reading. She will be such a shy cutipie.