The sky was getting light, and the cold early morning wind blew strongly.
A young man, walking slowly with heavy steps, went toward the large and important Palais Mermonia.
His face was very pale, and he looked numb and hopeless.
Just as he was about to reach the entrance of the Palais Mermonia, an unkind voice came from ahead. "Malo, you'd better think clearly. Your sister's future life depends entirely on a single thought of yours."
Malo looked up and saw Ske standing there with his arms crossed, looking down at him with an arrogant attitude.
He tried to hide his anger and shame, and forced a weak smile. "I know what to do."
Ske gave a cold smile. "Good that you know! If you try anything... Hmph!"
Malo silently clenched his fists, but in the end, he released them helplessly.
He lowered his head and walked into the Palais Mermonia.
When he reached the stairs, he glanced at the Chief Justice's office, then sneered, shook his head, and kept walking.
Before long, Malo arrived at the main hall of the Marechaussee Phantom.
He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down, but his voice still carried a trace of trembling as he said to a receptionist, "My name is Malo. I am turning myself in. I killed Flora."
As soon as his voice fell, everyone present stopped what they were doing and shifted their gazes onto him.
Their expressions varied; some were angry, some regretful, and others looked triumphant.
The receptionist looked serious and said, "Malo, you must think carefully about this. Once you admit to a crime, it is very hard to change what happens next."
Malo hesitated in his heart for a moment, but thinking of his sister, he gritted his teeth and said, "I have considered it clearly!"
After speaking, he seemed to lose all his energy and looked drained.
Just then, a gentle and magnetic voice rang out abruptly. "No, you haven't considered it clearly!"
Malo turned to look and saw Rei standing tall and straight in front of him, with Furina, whose face still held a trace of sleepiness, by his side.
"Malo, when life is very hard, don't be sad and don't give up. Look up and you will see Lady Furina. She is like the bright sun, showing you the way!"
Rei opened his arms and spoke loudly.
Hearing this, Furina raised her chin, trying hard to strike a pose she thought was cool, displaying the majesty of a goddess.
"Lady Furina's kindness is for everyone in Fontaine. We can never thank her enough."
Rei continued to praise Furina again and again, acting like he was her biggest fan.
Even Furina felt a little embarrassed and her face turned red.
She reached out and secretly tugged at Rei's clothes, speaking in a voice so low only the two of them could hear. "Rei, that's about enough!"
Only then did Rei stop, looking like he still wanted to say more.
He cleared his throat and looked seriously at Malo, who looked a bit shocked. "Malo, Lady Furina already knows about your sister's situation. Not only will she clear your sister's name, but she will also harshly punish those who lied about her on purpose."
Although Furina didn't understand exactly what the matter was, she still played along in an exaggerated tone. "That's right! This Goddess has long seen through everything! Look forward to my magnificent performance!"
Hearing these words, Malo completely let go of all his concerns and spoke up. "I am not the murderer. Someone used my sister's situation to threaten me, forcing me to turn myself in."
When he finished speaking, Ske, who was watching from not far away, looked very angry.
"Who was it?" Rei pressed.
Malo, however, lowered his head at this moment, lips sealed tight, falling into silence.
Rei quickly understood why and felt like hitting Malo.
He forcibly suppressed the anger in his heart and tried hard to make his tone sound a bit more peaceful. "Rest assured, your sister's matter will be properly resolved very soon."
After saying that, he didn't look at Malo again. He took Furina's hand and turned to leave.
When Rei took her hand, Furina felt a little dizzy and started to follow him without thinking.
It wasn't until they reached the elevator entrance that Rei reacted. In his moment of anger just now, he had actually subconsciously held Furina's small hand.
He quietly let go, pretending nothing had happened.
Furina looked down and didn't say anything.
Then, the two walked into the elevator, both feeling nervous.
Soon, the elevator reached the top floor, and the doors slowly opened.
They walked out of the elevator one after the other, heading toward the suite.
Just as they were about to reach the suite door, Furina suddenly stopped and asked softly, "Rei, why were you so angry just now?"
Rei explained sadly, "That bastard Malo... he says we have to fix his sister's problem first before he'll say who forced him."
The more he spoke, the angrier he got. If he did not need to send Olev to the Fortress of Meropide, he would not bother with someone so useless.
"Oh." Furina responded gently, then reached out to open the door and walked in.
Rei thought for a moment and decided not to follow her in. He called out to Furina's back, "Lady Furina, I'll head back first."
Furina did not respond.
Rei stepped forward, gently closed the door, and turned to leave.
Inside the room, Furina sat in front of the mirror. She looked up and saw her cheeks were very red.
She touched her cheek and it felt very hot. She felt shy and nervous in a way she never had before.
Love Fontaine Furina.
After leaving the Palais Mermonia, Rei made a trip to the Gardes headquarters and instructed Old Luke to handle Marina's case.
As someone who used to be a top agent of the Marechaussee Phantom, handling a small case like this was very easy for him.
The only thing that could stop him was the people in power behind the case.
And that was not something he or Rei could solve alone.
When Rei was leaving the Gardes, he encountered Captain Charles.
Not having seen him for a while, this guy was still as nauseating as ever.
"Rei, did you know? When discussing the procedures for your dismissal, I expressed my opposition very fiercely and even strongly demanded that the higher-ups reinstate you as soon as possible!"
As soon as Charles saw Rei, he smiled a big fake smile and acted like he really cared a lot about Rei.
Rei raised an eyebrow and gave a small smile. He asked, "So, by your logic, I won't be dismissed, right?"
Charles's face went stiff and he explained, "Well... I'm just a Captain of the Gardes. The leaders make decisions about who stays and who goes."
Rei really didn't want to waste any more breath on him and replied coldly, "I only look at the final result. As for what the process was like, I don't care in the slightest."
After saying that, he walked forward without looking back.
Charles stood in place, looking angry. He muttered quietly, "Rei, I wanted to help you, but you made things hard for yourself."
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