Chapter 97 Chapter 97 Beio/My husband has been missing for a long time...

The ship arrived at the port of Ceylon. Jenny carried her luggage and moved through the crowd, following closely behind her daughter and son-in-law who were in front of her.

"We have to hurry, Anna. The newspaper says today is the court date."

Anna followed at the end of the group, staring at the portrait in her pocket watch in a trance - this was the man she had asked Tirov to draw according to her description after she met him on the ship.

Ever since Wickman disappeared, Anna thought she would never see him again in her life.

In my impression, Wickman is still young and handsome, completely different from the hunched back I saw at the dock.

But that day, he was dragged by the church people and begged for mercy miserably, looking like a poor stray dog.

Anna's heart ached uncontrollably, which was why she chose to confess to Jenny—what if, what if that person was really Wickman...

At the same time, in the trial hall, Gryffindor's cold eyes pierced Wakeman like a knife.

"Did you see clearly? Wickman Stephen, tell the Inquisitor your conclusion loudly."

The threatening look instantly sobered Wakeman up.

The scars on his body ached slightly. He had been severely beaten on the first day the cultists captured him. Most importantly, Gryffin held his last hope of recovery—a gambler who had lost everything and fled far away, desperately hoping for a small amount of capital to turn things around.

Gryffin promised to give him a sum of money to invest again. With this money, he would not have to wander around and live like a beggar.

At this moment, seeing the situation in the courtroom, Wickman also understood what he had to do.

Looking into Isabel's eyes, Wickman trembled and repeated, "You are Isabel Norman. I am not mistaken."

The judge couldn't wait to bring down the gavel. "The testimony from Mr. Wickman Stephens, a relative acknowledged by Ms. Norman herself, is sufficiently credible."

"Yes, he is indeed my aunt's husband, if he hadn't swindled all my father's money and ran away with it." Isabel said lightly.

Everyone's expressions gradually changed.

"Oh, he's a fraud? The Norman family actually has such a relative?"

"Who knows? He looks so miserable, he's really not that prominent."

…

Mary listened to the whispers beside her, and her expression gradually relaxed. She stared at Wickman with a sneer, "Mr. Judge, the truth is, Wickman was a scoundrel in his youth, relying on sweet talk to deceive my sister. Unsurprisingly, he became a swindler in his old age, living in poverty, and still not satisfied with swindling food and drink. Now, he's been instructed to give false testimony..."

Before she finished speaking, Wickman clenched his fists and said hatefully, "Mary Kaven! You bitch! You always looked down on me. Yes, I am poor, but I am sincere to Anna!"

"You sincerely deceived her into living a hard life with you, and you also cheated her sister and brother-in-law of all their money. Why should I respect your sincerity?"

"I had no choice! I need to make a living too! I also want Anna to live a good life without you!" Wickman's back, which had been humbled for so long, straightened up again. He was as emotional as a cat whose tail was stepped on. He took a long breath before calming down. Suddenly, he sneered, "You are trying so hard to deny me now because you are afraid that I will expose your identities! Oh, even the high-ranking noble lady can lie!"

"Mr. Judge! Everyone present, listen up. I have absolutely not made any mistake. The woman sitting in front of me is Isabel Norman. She and her aunt colluded to marry her off. They are equally hypocritical and disgusting!" Wickman shouted hatefully.

Mary's face was gloomy. Just as she was about to speak, she heard Isabel laugh and say, "Mr. Stephen, in what capacity are you testifying against me?"

Wickman sneered. He originally had no ill feelings towards this unfamiliar niece, but when he saw those cold eyes that were so similar to Mary's, he could no longer control the anger of being despised.

"Of course he is your Aunt Anna's husband, the uncle you both recognized."

Isabel slowly flipped through the documents. "But according to the law, you committed fraud and absconded. Aunt Anna has already reported you missing and dissolved your marriage. Now, to me, you're just a homeless person with unknown origins. Is your testimony valid?"

"But you clearly recognized him." The Inquisitor frowned.

"Oh, Sir Jarvis can still forget the unforgettable ball. To be honest, if the bishop hadn't called out Mr. Stephen's name, I wouldn't think he has any resemblance to Mr. Wickman based on his appearance." As she spoke, Isabel took out a family portrait and showed it to everyone.

"Uh... who is that handsome man?"

"These are two completely different people..."

"But if you look closely, their eyes are somewhat similar. Now they each have their own opinions, so I can't judge..."

There was a discussion coming from the audience.

More rational spectators have already understood that this is not a so-called trial at all, but an invisible war of public opinion between the two sides.

"That's me!" Wickman pulled aside his hair and beard, trying his best to show his appearance, but unfortunately his deformed body and weathered face only made him look 50% similar.

Gryffin sneered and finally said, "Miss Norman is now completely forcing an argument."

"You're completely forcing a conviction on me," Isabel said frankly. "Everyone saw that this so-called Mr. Wickman was escorted here by you, covered in wounds. First, his identity is impossible to verify. Second, even if he is Wickman, he harbors hatred for our entire family and has dissolved his marriage to my aunt. Such testimony is legally ineffective."

Gryffin's face was gloomy, staring at Isabel opposite him.

They both understood that, if judged strictly according to the law, unless Gryffin could find all the former servants of Norman Manor, their position and number would be enough to make their testimony valid.

Unfortunately, Isabel hid them without a trace, and Gryffin lost the only evidence that could help him kill her.

That's why he chose the war of public opinion.

Sometimes, a trial does not require conclusive evidence. Just ignite the seeds of doubt and fan the flames, and people will believe that they are the ones who hold the truth.

This is also the reason why Gryffindor wants to make the trial so grand.

If Isabel had no defense and revealed her flaws on the spot, then even if the judge could not make a judgment according to the law, Griffin could incite the crowd and firmly convict Isabel.

But now, Isabel clearly saw through his rogue tactics, so she chose to fight back with the same "rogue" tactics.

It seemed lowbrow, but it was effective. At least in the eyes of the audience, her response was calm and elegant, and her words were well-organized. Is there anyone more like a Duchess than her?

In the brief moment of eye contact, Gryffin understood that if this continued, the other party would only become more and more popular. He had to seize the pain point and make a quick decision.

He quickly winked at the Inquisitor, who immediately cleared his throat and banged his gavel, "Silence!"

Everyone looked at the Inquisitor.

"You both insist on your own version of events. According to Ceylon law, we must first understand Mr. Wickman's identity and his relationship with Ms. Anna Kavan before we can determine the validity of his testimony." The judge pushed his glasses and said solemnly, "I declare a half-day adjournment. We will announce the verdict tomorrow when we have new evidence..."

He was about to bring down the hammer when he heard Isabel say calmly, "Court is adjourned now. I believe Mr. Griffin is capable of producing so-called 'new evidence' within half a day. Mr. Judge, is your verdict unfair?"

Everyone looked at the judge.

"Oh, please don't slander me, ma'am." The Inquisitor's face turned cold.

Isabel: "No offense, just a reasonable guess."

Gryffin clenched his fingers and sneered, "Then, Miss Norman, why are you so anxious to make a judgment today? Is it to make it easier for you to escape with your family?"

"Let me remind you again that Miss Norman's parents and sister's family have already left Ceylon at such a critical time." Gryffin slowly stood up.

"But Lady Mary is still here." Mr. Moore echoed in a low voice in the audience.

"Yes, that's also the reason Miss Norman used to explain her family's departure. But think about it, everyone. Lady Mary Carven is the Countess of Clarendon, a distinguished person. Does she not want to leave, or is she unable to leave?" Gryffin chuckled. "If I hadn't discovered it earlier, your family's 'travel plan' would have been implemented long ago. After all, it's not easy for a Countess to leave the territory. After all, it's not easy to plan for so long, and then someone noticed something was wrong. So, you simply concealed it with your clever niece. Am I right, Lady Mary?"

He approached, "As expected of a woman who devised such a conspiracy. You even dared to deceive the Queen and the Pope. What else could you not dare to do?"

Mary stepped back, her fingers clenched.

The audience gradually fell silent, and their hearts began to waver.

Isabel lowered her eyes. She knew that this question could not be avoided. Transferring relatives was as sensitive as transferring assets. This was a tug-of-war that she had long anticipated.

Just as he was about to speak, two figures suddenly appeared outside the door, accompanied by the clear voice of a young girl.

"Good afternoon everyone, who said our family has left?"

Everyone looked over and saw Audrey walking briskly through the crowd and heading straight towards Isabel.

Isabel was stunned for a rare moment. She watched her sister walking towards her, and saw Hermann walking slowly behind her, as well as Jenny, Edward, Greta and others.

Edward wore a formal gown and the Norman family crest. Jenny smiled, hugged Mary, and nodded to the crowd, "Everyone, I am the hostess of the Norman family and the mother of the two Norman ladies."

She took a deep breath and said, "In the face of false accusations, our family will always stand together. This will not be a reason for those with ulterior motives to attack my daughter."

The doubts that had just arisen in everyone's hearts were dispelled again by the powerful speech from a mother.

"Oh, I've met Mr. and Mrs. Norman. They're a very respectable couple."

"Yes, they are all back. If the Duchess is guilty, will they die together?"

"I don't think any family would dare to 'unite' and commit such a heinous crime," someone joked.

"I think so."

…

Gryffin stared at the Normans, especially Herman, in disbelief.

He really wanted to tell everyone that there really were fools coming back in droves to die! No, not fools, but a bunch of lunatics! This bunch of lunatics had disrupted all his plans!

Gryffin clenched his fists tightly, his eyes suddenly caught sight of the stunned Wickman and the woman in his sight—

His eyes suddenly lit up, and he asked coldly, "Wickman, who is standing opposite you?"

Wickman shuddered and suddenly woke up.

He immediately understood Gryffin's hint and said excitedly: "Anna! Anna! Dear! It's me! Wickman! Don't you recognize me?"

Anna noticed him the moment she entered the room, and she stood there in a daze, as if her soul had left her body.

"Aunt Anna, this gentleman looks a bit like Wickman. But whether he is or not, didn't you dissolve your marriage with him a long time ago?" Isabel glanced at them and said calmly.

Audrey and Herman looked at each other, and the latter immediately waved his hand and asked Charles to hand over an old document.

The silver-haired gentleman slowly spoke, "Wickman Stephen was once an investor at White Company. Before the economic crisis began, I warned everyone, but this gentleman refused to listen, resulting in the loss of all his assets."

"Not only that, he also borrowed money in Mr. Edward's name without authorization. As of now, he still owes me 100,000 Ceylon rupees." Herman slowly presented the evidence. "If this gentleman is the real Wickman Stephen, then please repay the debt first. If not..."

He paused and chuckled, "The judge knows better than I do what kind of crime a perjurer should be sentenced to."

After he finished speaking, Wickman's face turned pale.

He looked at Herman's iconic silver hair, and despair spread from the depths of his soul - Wickman always remembered how he made a fortune following this man, and how he became addicted to the money game and could not turn back.

Audrey quietly grasped the hem of Herman's clothes.

Before coming, she told Herman her guess. As soon as she got off the ship, Herman asked Charles to take back Wickman's debt documents, which finally came in handy.

That debt was the beginning of their marriage, and now it has become the key evidence to save the Norman family.

Wakeman had neither the ability to repay the huge debt nor the courage to rebel against Gryffindor.

He looked at Anna again - the wife who had saved him countless times when he was in poverty. She had gained weight, was no longer as cute as she was when she was young, and was sometimes so stupid that it was annoying.

At this moment, there is no woman who makes Wickman feel more at ease than Anna.

He burst into tears and crawled to Anna's feet: "Dear, please save me, you can't deny me, you love me the most, don't you? Think about the happy days we had, have you forgotten them?"

Anna's legs were held by Wickman, and she watched the man put on a pleading gesture again, trying to win her sympathy.

"I've actually wanted to come back a long time ago, but I'm so overwhelmed by debt that I can't get out. I want to take care of you and live a good life. I want to make more money. I'm obsessed with it, but it's all because I love you too much." Wickman said bitterly, "I'm not worthy of you. I know your sister looks down on me, and I know your two brothers-in-law are richer and more influential than me. I also want you to win for once. I know you love buying new dresses the most..."

He spoke from the bottom of his heart, just like every time before.

Mary's face turned pale. Seeing Anna wavering, she could hardly control her anger. She was about to speak but was stopped by Jenny.

"Why are you stopping me? Don't you know Anna? She'll lose her brain the moment she sees that man!" Mary said coldly.

"You can't possibly solve all her problems for the rest of her life," Jenny said gently. "You can't avoid the challenges of life."

"But this is also related to..." Mary's hint was very obvious.

Once Anna softens her heart and admits Wickman, Herman's threat will become ineffective, because Wickman knows that Anna is his last straw and the so-called huge debt is just a weight. Wickman doesn't care about winning or losing between them, he just wants to live.

As for what Isabel and the Norman family would suffer, it was not within his consideration.

Such a selfish and ugly look made the good-tempered Edward couldn't help but go up and beat him up.

"You bastard! How dare you speak!" Edward knocked him down with a thud.

Wickman screamed for help, and it was not until the guards pulled Edward away that he saw Anna's eyes outside the crowd.

His wife, who had always been soft-hearted towards him, now had a cold look in her eyes, with a rational look that saw through everything.

"Mr. Judge, he is not my husband. He has been missing for a long time and is probably dead." Anna moved away in disgust, the silver chain of her pocket watch swaying with her movements. She opened the lid and showed everyone the portrait inside. "This is my husband. He loves me very much and is a handsome gentleman, completely different from this scoundrel."