One-Shot Transmigration: Sorry I'm Here To Ruin Your Happy Ever After-Chapter 123: The trial(3)

Odysseus shook his head, lowering his eyes.

"I did not do much.." he said quietly. "Madame is... clever. He could care for himself even without our presence."

Meical gave a small breath of laughter, weak, almost soundless but real.

Only Min‑jae could send him into madness with worry and still make him proud in the same heartbeat.

He stepped closer, laying a hand briefly on Odysseus’s shoulder. A rare gesture.

"You brought me hope tonight.." Meical said. "That is more than enough."

Odysseus bowed his head once more. "Then I will take my leave, Master. You know where to find me if you need me."

Meical nodded.

As Odysseus departed calmly, there was no need for stealth, he wasn’t a suspect. The room fell silent again, leaving Meical alone with the weight of thirty days of fear, grief, and unanswered questions.

He’s alive.

He pressed a hand against his chest, feeling it pound with hope and longing.

He’s coming home.

For the first time in a month, Meical allowed himself to breathe, even if it was just a little.

Back in the small, dim inn, the quiet was broken by a soft knock at the door. Min‑jae, still seated on the floor, glanced up.

Saar slipped inside, carrying a bundle of finely folded clothing. His eyes flicked to Min‑jae briefly, then to Yura, sitting stiffly on the bed.

"Master.." Saar said, bowing low, "all is ready."

Min‑jae raised a brow. "All?"

Saar’s lips twitched into the hint of a smile. "Including for you, Master. I did not forget, despite your oversight."

Min‑jae couldn’t help but chuckle softly, shaking his head. "You deserve a raise..."

Saar smiled the remark and began laying the clothes out.

Rich fabrics, delicate embroidery, and carefully selected jewelry, everything that would allow Yura to step into Georgiana’s world convincingly.

Yura blinked at the spread, her exhaustion momentarily replaced by awe. "I... I really look like a noblewoman in all of this?"

Saar gave a small, approving nod. "With the proper comportment, yes. Master has full confidence in you. You only need to learn the subtle movements, the way Georgiana would address others, and the rest will follow naturally."

Min‑jae crouched beside her, pointing to the folds of the dress. "See this? Walk as if each step is deliberate. Hold your hands just so. Every gesture tells a story of wealth, influence, and.."

Yura cut him off with a small smirk. "...and a little bit of arrogance, right?"

Min‑jae allowed himself a small grin, pinching her shoulder lightly. "Exactly. Arrogance. Confidence. Remember, you’re Georgiana, and Georgiana is untouchable."

Saar quietly adjusted a strand of Yura’s hair, tucking it behind her ear. "We leave for the castle at first light. All preparations must be completed by then." 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

Min‑jae nodded, watching Yura slip into the dress. It fit her like it had been made for her, a mirror image of the noblewoman from the Manhwa.

The jewelry sparkled faintly in the dim candlelight, catching her eyes. She looked every bit the part, and Min‑jae felt a surge of reassurance.

"We should get some rest. We’ll need all our strength for tomorrow..."

**************

The first hints of dawn broke across Aldoria, spilling golden light over the castle walls.

Carriages rolled in, their wheels crunching against cobblestones, and the courtyard began to hum with life.

Court officials moved to their positions, the scent of polished wood and ink mixing with the morning air.

Nobles in richly embroidered garments bowed and exchanged quiet greetings, their eyes sharp and calculating.

The gates of the castle opened wider to welcome the influx, and the grounds were alive with movement, servants scurrying, guards stationed at every corner, and banners fluttering in the morning breeze.

Inside the castle, the great hall awaited its guests. Every chair, every place setting, every ornate decoration had been prepared for the day’s proceedings.

The stage was set.

The grand hall of the castle buzzed with murmurs, the heavy chandeliers casting flickering light over the polished marble floors.

Carriages had arrived early, disgorging the city’s elite: court officials in stiff collars, gilded nobles in layers of silk, and advisors whispering behind gloved hands.

Everyone had taken their positions, forming tight clusters that angled toward the dais where the trial would soon take place.

But one name hung in the air more than any other: Kaizar Amagi.

"He’s supposed to appear today.." Lady Verena murmured to the noble beside her, her fan trembling slightly. "A month... a full month, without so much as a word. Do you really think he’ll show?"

The man beside her, Lord Dalen, chuckled dryly. "If he doesn’t, the court will assume guilt. A month of absence after such... unfortunate deaths? His sister, his uncle, and cousin... that hardly bodes well."

From the far end, a younger court official leaned in, voice low but eager. "I hear rumors he’s on the run, hiding somewhere. They say the king has already tightened patrols along the roads. Surely he cannot escape the king’s reach forever."

An older, scarred noble snorted, shaking his head. "Hiding or not, he has enemies everywhere. A man who loses his family in such a scandal, who disappears at the worst possible moment... I’d bet my estate that he won’t show. And if he does... he’ll have to answer for every death with his head on the block."

A hush fell over the hall as one of the king’s advisors stepped forward, whispering in another’s ear. "He must appear. For the trial to maintain its legitimacy. Without him, the king and Seraphine gains all the advantage."

The grand hall was alive with tension.

Nobles, courtiers, and officials crowded every corner, murmuring and darting glances toward the dais where the trial was set to unfold.

Every eye searched the entrance. Every whisper carried the weight of speculation and accusation.

Radomir stood slightly apart, a slender figure in a tailored coat of midnight blue and gold trim. His hands were clenched at his sides, though his calm expression betrayed none of the storm brewing beneath.

Kaizar.

The thought of him stirred something dangerous, a mixture of desire, jealousy, and fury.

Radomir had loved Kaizar in his own way, quietly, obsessively.

He had never thought to share it, and certainly never thought Kaizar could choose another, especially someone like Meical.

The thought alone had driven him to a darkness he could no longer deny.

When Kaizar had disappeared a month ago, following the massacre that left the family of Meical decimated, Radomir had felt both triumph and fear.

Triumph, that Kaizar would finally be at his mercy. Fear, because Kaizar had never been so vulnerable before.