บท 43: Testimony

"Did you kill, Eldon karanthis?"

"Negative!"

"Did you really not kill eldon karanthis? "

"Nope!"

"Did you kill your classmate eldon karanthis? "

"Yesn't!"

Esdeath sat calmly in her chair, her expression showing no signs of concern, despite the furious leader of the guards standing across from her. A single, stark table separated the two of them, the plain white room adding to the oppressive silence.

The guard leader's fist slammed down onto the table with a resounding **BAM**, his frustration clear as he glared at her. "I said answer with one word! That doesn't mean you can joke around!" he barked.

Esdeath tilted her head slightly, an amused smile playing at her lips, unfazed by his anger. She kept her voice light, teasing even. "Who's this Eldon, anyway? A girl?" she asked, feigning ignorance as her eyes rolled upward, as though thinking hard.

The guard's face reddened with fury. "Don't play innocent! You don't even know your own classmate?" he shouted, his patience fraying.

Esdeath let out a small sigh, her voice calm but dripping with false innocence. "How should I know? I'm just a lonely girl who always falls asleep in class." She batted her eyelashes, leaning back in her chair as though bored with the entire interrogation.

The leader gritted his teeth, forcing himself to remain composed. "Eldon Karanthis, a boy from Class B, was shot in the market by a bullet. And guess what? Aside from Eldon, you're the only one who uses guns, am I right?" He threw out the accusation, trying to get a reaction out of her.

But Esdeath barely blinked, her smile never faltering. "There are countless people with guns in the kingdom. How can you pin this on me?" she replied smoothly, her tone indifferent.

The leader leaned forward, narrowing his eyes. "Then tell me where you were this afternoon."

Esdeath acted surprised, pointing to herself in mock innocence. "Me? I was up by the mountain, hunting animals. You know, for survival training." She paused for a moment, letting her words hang in the air before adding, "If you don't believe me, ask my best friend, Luna Cassia—my roommate."

She was lying, of course. She and Luna weren't friends at all. But how could the guard leader know that? She could practically see the gears turning in his head.

The guard leader muttered under his breath. "Her roommate? Best friend? Then there's no point in questioning Luna. She'll just take Esdeath's side, of course." He leaned back, clearly trying to process what Esdeath had just said.

Inside, Esdeath's mind was gleeful. "What a fool! I said Luna was my best friend on purpose so they wouldn't question her. This is easier than I thought." Though her expression remained charming on the outside, a sly, evil grin was forming in her mind.

The leader, Caelum Nyvaris, sat down opposite Esdeath, the tension between them thickening the air. For a moment, they locked eyes, the room silent except for the faint sound of their breathing.

Esdeath's voice cut through the quiet like a sharp blade. "Caelum Nyvaris, how about I ask you a question?" Her words seemed casual, but there was a hint of mischief behind her smile.

Caelum blinked in surprise. "How do you know my name?" His brow furrowed with suspicion.

Esdeath chuckled softly. "Just guessed," she teased, then leaned forward with a grin. "Since you've got that tough body of yours, I'm sure you've got plenty of girlfriends, right?"

Caught off guard by the sudden shift in conversation, Caelum stiffened. "No! I was married," he answered firmly.

Esdeath's eyes sparkled with amusement. "Was, huh? Well, that's not really important. Since you were married, I bet you've had plenty of… experience, haven't you?"

Caelum frowned. "Experience in what?"

"Sex, of course," Esdeath answered without hesitation, her tone still playful. She leaned back in her chair, smiling as if they were discussing the weather. "Don't go on my age, I have my own fair share of experience, but I just wanted to hear about it from someone else's perspective. Is that so wrong?"

Caelum crossed his arms and sighed, trying to maintain his composure. "It's not wrong… unless you have kids without being ready for it. Raising a child is difficult, especially financially."

Esdeath nodded thoughtfully, as if she genuinely cared about his answer. "So, would you say it's good to have children?"

"Yeah," Caelum replied, softening a little. "Raising a child right should be praised."

Esdeath tilted her head slightly, her voice now curious. "So, not having children… is that bad?"

Caelum's patience was starting to wear thin, and he clicked his tongue in irritation. "That's not what I meant!"

But Esdeath's next words made his blood run cold. "Then how about killing children?" Her voice was calm, almost too calm, and it sent a shiver down his spine.

Caelum's eyes widened, his body reacting instinctively as he shot up from his chair, slamming his fist into the floor in anger. "Are you insane?! Of course, it's bad! And shouldn't I be the one asking questions here?" His voice trembled with fury.

Esdeath didn't flinch. Instead, she hugged herself, her voice soft and trembling. "Of course I know… Killing is bad. It's the worst thing. So terrible." She shuddered, as if the very thought of it horrified her. "Just thinking about it makes me feel sick," she whispered.

But then, as if a switch had been flipped, Esdeath stopped trembling. Slowly, she raised her head, and the innocent expression melted away, replaced by a dark, twisted grin. "I just asked because there was once a man… a man whose wife cheated on him. One day, she ran away. When he finally found out that even his son wasn't really his, do you know what he did?" Esdeath's voice was cold now, her words dripping with malice. "He killed his own child. Isn't that terrible?" She hugged herself tighter, as if savoring the horror of the story. "How could anyone do that?"

Her gaze turned to Caelum, her smile widening as she saw the fear and confusion in his eyes.

Caelum's face was pale, his body trembling as he struggled to find his voice. "How… How did you know?" His voice was barely a whisper, his mind racing.

Esdeath's grin only grew wider, her eyes sparkling with cruel satisfaction. She didn't need to answer; the truth was already clear. The game had just begun, and she was in complete control.

Esdeath leaned back in her chair, her expression calm and unbothered. "Oww... Don't worry," she said, her voice almost playful. "I'm not gonna tell anyone. And even if I wanted to... I can't, right?" She raised an eyebrow, her words dripping with irony.

Caelum took a deep breath, collecting himself as he sat back down. His eyes narrowed as he studied her. "What are you getting at?" he asked, trying to regain control of the conversation.

Esdeath tilted her head and chuckled softly. "What I'm saying is, I have no proof against you. Just like you don't have any proof that I killed Eldon Karanthis." Her tone was light at first, but then it shifted, sharp as a blade. Her smile vanished, replaced by a cold, deadly seriousness. "So don't waste my time. I'm leaving." She pushed her chair back and stood up, ready to go.

But just as she was about to walk away, Caelum's laughter filled the room. "Hahaha... Who said I don't have proof?" His voice was confident, laced with an edge that made Esdeath pause.

She stopped in her tracks, one eyebrow raised in curiosity. Slowly, she turned and sat back down. Her eyes fixed on him, unblinking. "Then show me," she said, her voice low and steady.

Caelum didn't respond immediately. Instead, he stood up and left the room without a word. Esdeath remained seated, her expression unreadable, though there was a flicker of intrigue in her eyes. A few moments later, Caelum returned—but he wasn't alone. A small, trembling child followed behind him, barely able to look up.

Esdeath's eyes flicked to the child, but her expression didn't change. She let out a short laugh. "Pfft... A kid?" she mocked, not the least bit shaken.

Caelum stopped beside the boy, his grin widening as he gestured toward him. "Do you recognize him?" he asked, his voice low and triumphant. The child stood frozen, eyes glued to the floor, his entire body trembling.

"He was the one who shot Eldon," Caelum continued, watching Esdeath's every move. "And he said that a black-haired woman gave him this." He pulled out a gun and placed it on the table between them. "She told him to shoot Eldon."

Caelum leaned closer, his voice a deadly whisper as he delivered what he thought was the final blow. "Now, tell me, Miss Esdeath Crimson... how many women in this kingdom have black hair?"

Esdeath stared at the gun, her face a perfect mask of indifference. Her mind raced, calculating, but outwardly, she remained calm. The tension in the room thickened, and for a moment, it seemed as if she might crack under the weight of Caelum's words. But then, a faint smirk tugged at the corners of her lips.

Esdeath leaned back in her chair, her expression almost smug as she watched Caelum. "If I really told him to shoot Eldon, then ask him—what's my name?" Her voice was calm, but there was a sharp edge to it, as if daring Caelum to prove her wrong.

Caelum's gaze shifted to the child, who still hadn't lifted his eyes from the floor. The tension in the room thickened. How could the boy know Esdeath's name? She had never told him, and Caelum, confident in his assumption, hadn't thought to ask. Now, the air of certainty he had clung to began to unravel.

"Don't worry," Esdeath said with a smirk, "I know,what if I didn't told him my name in the first place but i have more ways to prove my innocence." Slowly, she pulled her gun from her side and handed it to the trembling boy. "Let's see how well he shoots now." Her smile grew, almost playful.

The boy's eyes widened in terror at the sight of the weapon. His small hands trembled, beads of sweat forming on his forehead. Memories of that horrific afternoon flashed through his mind, and his breath quickened. His body began to shake uncontrollably. But Caelum, determined to prove his point, placed a hand on the boy's shoulder and encouraged him. "Go on," he said firmly. "Shoot at the wall."

The child could barely lift the gun. His arm wobbled under its weight, but with great effort, he managed to raise it and pull the trigger.

BANG!

The sound of the shot echoed through the room, but unlike the last time, the recoil was too much for the boy. The force knocked him off his feet, and he fell backward, the gun clattering to the floor beside him.

Before Caelum could react, Esdeath moved swiftly, crouching beside the boy and grabbing his small, trembling hand. She turned his palm toward Caelum, revealing a fresh wound from the recoil. "Look at this," she said, her voice icy. "You claim this child shot Eldon because I told him to, but now, after firing a single bullet, he's got a wound on his hand."

She let her words hang in the air for a moment, watching as Caelum's confidence faltered. "When this kid came in, his hands were fine. So tell me, why didn't he have a wound before? Are you trying to frame me?" Her voice rose slightly, anger flashing in her eyes. In truth, Esdeath had used her magic to strengthen the boy's body, ensuring he wouldn't miss. But now, without her magic, the truth was working in her favor.

"And as for the black hair," she continued, standing up and brushing off her clothes. "You think there aren't any people in this kingdom who can change their hair color with magic? If I really killed Eldon, why would I do it with my black hair? You'd have to be a fool to believe that." Her words were laced with sarcasm, expertly turning Caelum's accusation against him.

Caelum stood there, speechless, as Esdeath turned her attention back to the boy. She crouched down once again, grabbing his face in her hand, their faces inches apart. Her red eyes bore into his, cold and terrifying. "Look at me," she whispered in a chilling voice. "And say it was me."

The boy's fear reached its peak. Tears welled up in his eyes, and his body trembled even more. "I-I don't know... I don't know..." he whimpered, his voice breaking as sobs escaped his lips.

"Hey, stop!" Caelum shouted, stepping forward and pulling Esdeath away from the terrified child. "You're scaring him!" He placed himself between them, glaring at her.

Esdeath simply dusted off her clothes, her expression bored once again. "I don't think I need to prove anything else. You've been fooled by a scared kid. I was cooperating with your testimony out of kindness, but now you've pissed me off. I'm done." She turned on her heel, walking toward the door with the same confidence she'd had when she first entered.

Caelum clenched his fists but found himself unable to say anything. He knew, deep down, that Esdeath had turned the entire situation on its head. And now, there was nothing he could do to stop her.

With a smirk still playing on her lips, Esdeath left the room, leaving Caelum standing there, defeated, as the child's quiet sobs filled the silence.

Just as Esdeath exited the room, the heavy door swung open, and several guards entered. One of them, tall and broad-shouldered, stepped forward. "Captain, what happened in there?" the guard asked, his brow furrowed in confusion.

Caelum let out a deep, frustrated sigh, shaking his head. "That's the problem. Nothing happened," he muttered, clearly annoyed. His mind raced with thoughts, trying to piece together what had just transpired. "I don't know if she killed Eldon or not. We have no solid proof now, and soon, we'll have to answer to Eldon's family."

He rubbed his temples, sighing again in frustration. "But one thing's certain—she's not normal. Either she's incredibly stupid... or way too smart for her own good."

The guard glanced at Caelum, worry flickering across his face. "So, what are we going to do now?"

Caelum stepped closer to the guard, lowering his voice so only the guard could hear him. His tone was cold and calculating. "Tell everyone that the kid... was part of a revolutionary group. We'll blame him for Eldon's death and execute him in public."