The Villainess Just Wants to Study

Chapter 48 ~ The Court of Nobility: Part 3

Dylan was watching him, her gaze steady, patient. Sir Pennel never fully explained his intentions, and that fact alone was enough to make her stomach feel funny. She knew better than to trust people like that. She was one of them, after all.

Sir Pennel flashed her a sly smile, then made his way to the front of the room. He regarded her with an arrogant look in his eyes. The look on his face said it all—he was vain, irritating, and even annoying enough to make Dylan nauseous.

'How can such an anomaly be eliminated?'

The judge said again, "Please state your name."

The man smiled mischievously as he ran a hand through his perfectly cut hair. "Norman," he said. "My name is Norman Pennel."

Dylan gritted her teeth, staring at him. His calm stance and relaxed attitude bothered her. Just what was he planning? She wasn't the only one annoyed with his behaviour. The judge frowned from his podium at his casual attitude.

"Raise your right hand," he sighed, his frown deepening. "Do you promise that the testimony you shall give in the case before this court shall be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?"

Sir Pennel gave a large, oily smile. "I do," he said.

Seeing his expression, the judge slowly shook his head. He shuffled through the papers on his desk, and at last extracted one. "Sir Pennel," he said, reading the parchment. "You claim that Lord Axil is being framed. On what basis do you make such a claim?"

'No way.'

Dylan felt her stomach drop and her heart start to race. How did he know? Both her and Caspian were extremely meticulous and secretive about their plan. There was no way he could've linked the forged evidence back to them.

Sir Pennel cleared his throat loudly. "Can I present my evidence to you?" he asked.

The judge glanced up from the paper, annoyance in his expression. He put the paper down and leaned back in his chair, nodding vaguely.

Sir Pennel put two fingers to his mouth and whistled, as if to signal someone or something. Behind him, the courtroom doors burst open, and a man was dragged into the room by several Imperial knights.

"Stop moving!" a knight cried, trying desperately to keep hold of the man as he thrashed violently upon the floor.

The man's hands were bound in front of him and his mouth was covered with a cloth to prevent him from speaking. His wavy, dark hair was dry and unkempt. His clothes were dirty, and his shirt had been ripped.

"I don't think this can be brought to your desk," Sir Pennel laughed, gesturing to the man on the floor. "Should we try?"

Dylan rested her elbows tiredly on the table as the courtroom erupted in fierce whispers. Why did the man look so familiar?

"What is the meaning of this?" the judge yelled, slamming his gavel. "Order in the court!"

Then Sir Pennel turned to Dylan's table and smiled arrogantly. Intense fury bubbled inside of her.

'The fuck?'

"This is the man who Captain Aurelius spotted frequenting the casinos," he announced, loudly. "It wasn't Lord Axil."

In that moment, seeing the sharp lines of the man's face, she realized why he looked so familiar. He reminded Dylan of Axil.

'So you chose a lookalike to take his place? Ha, how infuriating.'

"Your Honour, I object!" the member of the Senate yelled, standing up from his seat. "This man could be a fake for all we know. What proof do they have other than a lookalike?"