Chapter 63 Celebration
◎ Shards of glass glittered beneath her feet.◎
Clank, clank, the carriage made a clanging sound on the flat ground.
The long and narrow passage of Shadow Rome leads directly to the inner city, and purple mist flies quickly from both sides.
Melia sat in the car, using her body to hold down the dragon-like Elena, preventing her from flailing and hurting anyone. Only when they embraced would her claws naturally retract, and she would lie flat.
Huh~ Melia breathed a sigh of relief. It was so dangerous just now.
As soon as they left Titus's estate and ran up the mountain, they saw clusters of torches burning at the foot of the mountain. A large group of slaves scattered all over the mountain like bees, looking for something.
Judging by their anxious expressions, Titus was most likely dead, if not dead, then crippled. That was why the guards were so anxious to seal off the scene, determined to find the murderer and kill him without mercy.
Wait, the one who did it... couldn't it be Elena?!
Melia poked Elena's arm and said, "Wake up, wake up quickly, we have something to discuss~"
After shouting several times, the scales on his arms slowly faded away, but the man still had his eyes closed and did not move.
"Ah... never mind, I'll figure it out myself."
She frowned in pain, recalling the previous scene: the sound of the frame bang was most likely made by Elena. She had transformed into a dragon, and maybe she had an argument with Titus.
What about the clanging sound of weapons behind... It could be that the slaves realized something was wrong and started fighting with the others, or it could be that the real "assassin" took action.
If they stayed where they were, it would be bad. Regardless of whether Titus was dead or alive, someone would inevitably draw suspicion on them. Even if it wasn't Sulla's doing, he, a chess master, would definitely be involved.
Now that I've escaped, I still can't clear myself of suspicion—you didn't kill him? If you didn't kill him, where were you at the time? Why did you run away?
"Meliya...are you there?"
The person below murmured, it turned out that he was too engrossed in his thoughts and his arm slipped away.
Melia quickly took her hand and rubbed it against her cheek. This time, it was the dragon's horn's turn to slowly disappear. Elena closed her eyes and stopped talking, apparently fast asleep.
"I'm...ah!"
Melia covered her mouth, her eyes lit up: I got it, since the road between Shadow Roma's mine and the inner city is almost equivalent to a highway, why not use it to create an alibi!
The principle was simple: they would return to the inner city of Rome early and make a public appearance in a busy area. Then, on the second or third day, when news of Titus's death or serious injury arrived, they could simply use the excuse of "the timing didn't match" to refute the claim.
Because Titus' last public appearance must have been at a party at his own estate, which happened to be in the evening.
It takes at least two hours to drive a horse from the manor to the inner city, but it only takes a dozen minutes to walk on the Shadow Rome Expressway!
If there is a clock or a probe, this method will have many loopholes:
For example, some witnesses may raise objections: I clearly saw Her Highness Elena attending the dinner at 6:20, and everyone else can testify to this!
But——this isn't it~
Even if someone remembered Elena showing up at the dinner, it would be impossible to pinpoint the exact time.
As long as she showed up in Rome early enough, she could create an alibi that said Elena had left the manor long before Titus' death and rushed back to Rome at full speed.
What's even more interesting is that Elena does give the impression of being a bit of a loner, at least very distant from Titus, so it makes perfect sense that she left without saying goodbye.
As for Melia - haha, in the eyes of aristocratic judges, the testimony of slaves is not credible. Is there any Roman citizen who can prove that Melia was present?
No, no means it’s not there!
With a clang, the carriage stopped in front of the archway. Just through the archway, across from Muala's luxurious manor in the inner city of Rome.
The driver and his entourage were all slaves familiar with both Shadow Rome and Rome, and they eagerly helped their master pack. Without Melia's instructions, Mili and another maid had already prepared two sets of clothes.
One is a gorgeous dress perfect for any evening, the other is a soft nightgown perfect for bed.
Melia looked up from her thoughts. "Mi Li, help us with our makeup later and change Elena into a dress she can wear. Also... wait until I get some sleep before deciding. If you don't wake me up for a meal, wake me up."
"yes."
…
With a swish, a white shadow flashed across the street.
A lively party, a super lively party, a party attended by many celebrities——
The little white cat scurried down the streets of the wealthy neighborhood, wanting to randomly pick a prominent individual to testify for them! It was best to have a large gathering of people at the banquet, so there would be plenty of witnesses.
Rome is brightly lit at night, and you can see tables of sumptuous banquets just by following the light of the torches.
Melia flew past the wealthy manors at a rapid speed, feeling a little anxious: Damn it, the most familiar Ilit and the others are all on Titus' side, and the royal family may perjure themselves in order to bring down Elena. Muro didn't get the position of the supreme elder, so he couldn't be won over. There was really no suitable candidate.
Wait, this place looks so familiar, isn’t this Sura’s house?
With a puff, the little white cat dove into the bushes and rolled along the shrubs into the courtyard. As expected, the courtyard was filled with low tables and long couches. After bathing, the nobles were lying on the couches, and there were many dancing men and women among them.
She carefully walked around the crowd and stepped onto the stairs from the back. Sulla always occupied the upper floor. Even when holding a banquet in the courtyard, he and his confidants would sit on the second floor.
Melia was almost familiar with their tablecloth, and she flicked her tail and crawled in.
"Great, great, really great~" The young man I heard before was even better than a cat and was completely drunk.
He waved his wine glass and complimented, "Your plan is perfect! With His Highness's help, hiccup, Melia will be easily captured."
Sura didn't answer. Someone laughed and scolded him, "Do you even need to tell me? We submitted the application to the court today. Even if she had wings, it would be too late tomorrow! Hahahaha."
Tomorrow's too late? One of the cat's ears lifted up. Is tomorrow an important day? It seems they and Titus have reached some kind of agreement to keep her at the manor.
"Don't laugh too soon." Sura finally spoke. His tone was a little proud, but more cautious: "Don't forget how many times you have failed before."
"No, absolutely not!" the young man struggled to retort. "Lord Sura, we've already contacted that person. As soon as the court opens tomorrow morning, we'll notify Melia immediately!"
So that's it! The clues connected in my mind.
According to the rules here, when a major case involving aristocrats is accepted by the judge, a messenger will be quickly sent to look for the defendant and notify him (her) to come to court immediately.
People living in Rome are required to arrive on the same day by default. Of course, if you cannot arrive on the same day for special reasons, it is okay. The notary and judge invited by the plaintiff will need a logical explanation and then choose another nearby date to hold the court hearing.
At first glance, it sounds like nothing, just answer "I was at a party at Titus's house and was not at home, so I didn't receive the notice." The problem is that Titus kept her at the manor to "arrange a marriage"!
If everything went well and she agreed on the spot, Titus would probably make some demands at night. He and Sulla were probably secretly allies, and the wife of the Fourteenth Prince was also an ally.
Under such circumstances, she and Sulla would have to make peace, most likely by making concessions: Sulla would "apologize" and promise to demand fewer benefits and stop assassinating, while she would have to cede some of her interests to Sulla under the witness of the court.
As for the consequences of rejecting Titus, he had seen them clearly the last time he died: no alliance? No chance of returning to Rome. Either surrender or die "accidentally."
"You're really vicious, Sura." The little white cat trembled its whiskers. "You're really not an ordinary opponent. You even calculated this."
If I don't give you a nice gift in return, you will really be looked down upon.
…
The moon rose to fill the night sky. Sura raised his cup and took a sip under the gaze of the stars.
He looked coldly at the bustling crowd below, with no emotion in his heart: they came for profit, but were unwilling to think even a little bit more about the profit, and were only concerned with following the leader and picking up the sparse ears of wheat.
This is good. There is only one person who can be the leader.
Before he could even put on a faint smile, the crowd below suddenly became restless. The crowd gathered in a certain direction like a gathering of crows, not even lying on the couch.
Some of the most insignificant guys even stood on tiptoe, stretched their necks, and lay down on the courtyard fence like the common people in the market.
He frowned, and the slave beside him hurried down the steps to find out the truth for his master.
It was in vain, because Sulla soon saw the mastermind behind all this: the girl wore a golden laurel crown and a silver-red cloak, and appeared on the scene as brilliantly as the protagonist in the story.
Clusters of torches illuminated her path, and servants on both sides rang bells to attract the attention of neighbors in front and behind. Countless bored spectators followed the team, wanting to see what they were up to.
Melia stepped on the glittering golden slippers and walked towards Sura's courtyard step by step.
The slave guarding the gate was at a loss: She definitely didn't have an invitation, but...but could he really stop such a noble from making such a fuss?
Jingle bells, jingle bells
The bells rang rhythmically, even disrupting the rhythm of the musicians in Sura's yard. Their music became scattered and they had to stop playing for a moment and look outside with the others.
Elena, who should have been very conspicuous, looked a little dull. She looked half asleep, her eyelids drooping as she followed Melia. Two maids surrounded her, as if afraid she would fall.
However, her mere presence here can help others let their imaginations run wild: Yo, the Seventh Prince, who never chooses sides, is he going to join Melia this time... to surrender? Or is he going to seek revenge?
"Lord Sura~" Melia looked up at the sky: "I'm here to celebrate your birthday~"
Sura gently patted his confidant's shoulder, and the man quickly shouted, "You remembered it wrong! Master Sura's birthday is not today!"
"Yeah?"
Melia tilted her head slightly, then smiled brightly. "It's okay. There are two dates in a person's life that are most worth remembering. It's almost here."
What's coming soon? Lord Sura's birthday was in the summer, so it just happened a while ago, right?
He turned to look at Sura, hoping to get some advice, but found that Sura's eyes were trapped in darkness, which was chilling.
"Oh, and there are gifts. It would be a shame not to give a precious gift on such a significant occasion."
The girl spun in the firelight and danced to two exquisite gift boxes, which were held in the arms of two male servants, one on the left and one on the right.
As she moved her fingers, the gift box was carefully opened from the top, revealing two identical glass bottles.
The crowd exclaimed "Hmm" and "Wow." The transparent bottle reflected the light of the flame, flickering like a burnt object.
Melia picked up the glass bottle on the left...
Clang! After a loud noise, the glass bottle shattered instantly.
The scene was suddenly silent, and everyone looked at the broken pieces on the ground, at a loss as to what to do. Such a perfect glass bottle must be so precious, how could it be like this...
"Lord Sura, you don't have to thank me."
Melia smiled brightly as she gazed at the sky. Although it was in Sura's direction, it felt more like she was talking to the stars. "I wonder if you've heard the story of someone who bought two precious rubies. Their color, luster, and size were identical. They're said to be the most beautiful rubies in the world."
She placed the remaining vase at Sura's door. "Then the buyer—whoosh—threw a gem into the sea. Someone asked, 'Why were you so wasteful?'"
Sura looked down quietly. He looked down at the arrogant girl, but felt that her gaze was everywhere, even down to the sky.
"He replied: No, no, no, now it's unique in the world."
Melia raised a hand. "The value of the most precious and beautiful things is their uniqueness."
Shards of glass glittered beneath her feet.
The author has something to say:
Thanks to jgbvgyfch's Lei Lei~
Thanks to Lily yyds and Super Moose for their support~
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