What is most important for a nobleman?
It's not the luxurious clothing, the top-notch carriage, the knowledgeable steward, or the invitation to a private salon, but rather the family crest that represents their lineage.
The inheritance of bloodline and honor is embodied in this small item. From the pattern on it, one can guess the family's background.
For example, the crest of a knight's family usually features fierce animals such as lions and wild boars, while families with a civil servant background often use birds and flowers in their designs.
If the flying bird on the crest is a pelican or swan, it is highly likely that a member of this family has served as a senior clergyman in the church.
On the purple shield, three yellow diagonal stripes are drawn on the bottom layer, and in the center of the entire pattern, there is a black crow. This is the Fraley Viscount family crest.
Albert's grandfather was a secretary in charge of handling intelligence in the military, and his meticulous calculations won him a considerable reputation.
Intelligence officers who served in the military often use the crow as the most prominent part of their crest after being granted a peerage. Crows have the meaning of warning and announcing death in people's minds.
Now, there are some small balance patterns added to the Viscount Fraley's family crest, which veteran prosecutors in the judicial field often add.
Well, in the eyes of others, Albert is indeed an old hand in the judicial field, even though he has just taken on the position of a formal prosecutor for only two years.
He is not the kind of hardline prosecutor who can make suspects and lawyers uneasy with his expressionless face and aura of authority.
He always sits quietly in the dock, with a gentle, somewhat shy smile on his face, as if he were a recorder experiencing a grand event for the first time.
But the words he speaks are razor-sharp, specifically targeting the opponent's weak spots. Even the most stubborn criminals and cunning defense lawyers cannot last more than a few rounds under his command.
Compared to the thunderous lightning in the sky, the silent flame burning next to the powder magazine is even more terrifying.
If a trial were an opera, then Albert would undoubtedly be the most dazzling performer.
He controls the emotions of everyone in the court, and his words seem to be imbued with magic, leading the audience and opponents to follow his footsteps of joy, anger, grief, and happiness.
As long as he stands in front of the solemn judgment platform, he is an omnipotent prophet. No matter how complicated the case, it cannot defeat him.
St. Albert is the nickname that employees of the Noble First Court give him in private.
Everyone speculated that in a few years, Mr. Fraley would become the youngest chief prosecutor in the history of Flondeck.
This speculation was based on Albert's exceptional ability and the support he received from the Leinshman family.
Everyone knew that Albert Freely was a part of the flourishing roots of the Golden Sparrow Flower family. In the past two years, in at least fifteen cases related to the interests of the Golden Sparrow Flower family, Albert had made judgments that leaned towards his own people.
He was called "Leinshman's loyal dog" by those who harbored ill will towards him.
Regardless of whether people liked him or envied him, they all admitted or had to admit that this twenty-five-year-old young man possessed a wisdom beyond his years.
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Just enjoyed a delicious meal at the restaurant. Guests are gathering in the large living room,, chatting in groups of two or three about various topics.A dozen or so waiters weaved in and out of the crowd, with guests occasionally taking a cup of stomach-settling grape wine from the trays held by the waiters before turning their attention back to the discussion at hand.
The gathering was attended almost entirely by legal professionals, so the conversation naturally revolved around law.
A group of judges and prosecutors were passionately discussing a bizarre case that had occurred not long ago.
The Flondeck Old District is a roughly five-square-mile area surrounded by patched iron railings.
Over the past century, this city cemetery had buried at least tens of thousands of people, and the old and new gravestones were densely packed like mushrooms growing in a marsh after the rain.
The space was simply not enough, so the graves had to be stacked one on top of the other.
Exaggerating a bit, one could dig down over ten meters from any corner of the cemetery and still see bones.
While the cemetery for the church is grand and luxurious, it is only available to wealthy believers who can afford it.
The average Flondeck citizen can only afford a sturdy coffin and a grave as high up as possible for their deceased loved ones.
Three weeks ago, this resting place for the citizens was turned into a chaotic mess as if a wild horse had charged into a garden. Countless bones were dug up from the ground and scattered around in various corners.
No one knew if it was a cruel prank or the precursor to some disaster.
The grieving families could not identify which bones belonged to their loved ones, so they all worked together to dig a big pit and buried them all together.
But the trouble was not over yet.
Two weeks ago, riots broke out again, this time at the sacred cemetery of the church.
When several noble gentlemen saw the skulls of their own ancestors hanging on the tip of the railings, their anger surged and they put pressure on the police, who had not found any clues.
It was said that Detective Lime had not slept for several nights and, with his bloodshot eyes, shouted at the powerful people who came to exert pressure, "Either let me sleep, or bury me alive in the cemetery."
"It's terrifying. I think there's a deranged maniac loose in Flondeck." one person exclaimed.
"Thank goodness our family's burial plot hasn't been disturbed. As soon as this happened, I hired ten night guards." another replied.
"After the police investigation, they came up with a strange theory: from the position of the bones and the traces of soil in the graves, the skeletons seemed to have woken up from a dream and climbed out of the several meters deep underground on their own."
"Ha-ha, that detective has become addicted to this. Ever since the famous Midnight Butcher murder case a few years ago, where he claimed that it was the work of the devil, he's now insisting that it's the work of vengeful spirits. But you have to admit, it's a good excuse to blame everything on supernatural factors and not take any responsibility."
"In that case, at the next trial, I'll confidently say to the suspect, 'Although there's a lack of evidence, two nights ago, the Saint of Justice appeared in my dream and personally recounted the crimes you committed. Therefore, we're prepared to burn you at the stake.'"
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The prosecutors laughed. They didn't need to worry too much about catching the culprit or gathering evidence, as that was the job of the police department.
Apart from that, prosecutors are also men, and men's conversations inevitably revolve around women. The young lady of the Golden Sparrow Flower family is often the focus of this topic.
At this moment, the focal character is sitting next to the Chief Justice of the Noble Court, Count Carman, apparently chatting intimately.
The young lady's attire is very casual, a white woolen suit and pants, not much different from what she wears in court, except that she has let her hair down from the usual ponytail tied at the back of her head.
At first glance, Penny doesn't fit the standard beauty criteria. Although her facial features are delicate, the lines on her face are a bit too strong, and she often has a sharp and sarcastic smile at the corner of her mouth. Her movements are also rough, and her sharp gaze makes people dare not stare at her.
However, these flaws blend together to create a strange beauty, as if she was born to be described with words like "free-spirited" and "handsome", which belong to men.
So in the circle, many people who consider themselves a good match have launched passionate pursuits on her, but with no result.
To this day, people have not discovered any close male companions for Penny, except for the scandalous leading role Albert Fraley, which lasted for two years.
While discussing Penny, it's natural to bring Albert into the conversation and scrutinize him.
"A guy who climbs the ranks based on his sexual performance." This is a malicious comment.
"At least he's a smart person." This is a neutral comment.
Albert was alone in the smoking room next to the banquet hall, stroking the delicate outer texture of the leather cigarette case and considering whether to light up another one.
Since his smoking habit had reached two packs a day, Jenny had been forcing him to cut down on the number of cigarettes he smoked.
The method was to limit the number of cigarettes in Albert's pocket to seven per day.
"Seven is a lucky number, the number of days it took for the Bright Seal to create heaven and earth," Jenny emphasized with an unrelated topic. "I don't want you to have a mouthful of cigarette stains, making kissing a painful suffocation torture."
Now, there was only one cigarette left in the case, and Albert couldn't make up his mind whether to enjoy it immediately or save it for bedtime. When the craving for a smoke hits, he can't sleep well all night. It's like a little worm wriggling in his heart, making him feel uneasy and uncomfortable, which is a kind of punishment.
"You've been here for half an hour." Just then, Penny entered the smoking room, protesting the smoke-filled small room with a disgusted expression. "I need your help."
"What is it?" Albert frowned. Dealing with Penny was not an enjoyable task.
Whenever this young lady appeared, it was usually a compromise of law, power, and interests. And it was always himself who had to make the compromise.
All of this made Albert feel helpless and resentful.
Pushing open the window near the smoking room, Penny leaned out and took a deep breath, letting the fresh air dilute the smell of smoke in the room. She sat on the windowsill and said straightforwardly, "The guild presided over by Viscount Ares is facing a dispute over the ownership of a hundred thousand gold coins between him and his partner. The Viscount's hands are obviously further away from that pile of gold coins."
"This should fall within the jurisdiction of the commercial court."
"Viscount Ares' noble status allows the first court to take on this case, and the Golden Sparrow Flower has always been grateful to the Viscount for his kindness to the family and hopes to repay him for it."
"So, I have to tarnish my already not-so-innocent reputation a little more?"
"Don't complain like a child." The young lady sneered at Albert. "People who value honor as their life and uphold virtues only exist in stories. You're not so naive as to believe that saints really exist in the world, are you?"
Albert sighed slightly, finally making up his mind and lighting the last cigarette. "I'll do it."
After getting a satisfactory commitment, Penny changed the topic to ease the atmosphere. "Why didn't you bring your cute little mistress?"
"She's not suitable for this kind of occasion. Besides, she's not my mistress."
At first, Jenny kept insisting on coming to these high society gatherings, but after a few times, the little wildcat saw it as a terrifying experience.
"Oh my god, I really don't know how to communicate with those noble ladies. I can't get a word in edgewise, and I can only stand there and laugh stupidly from beginning to end. I think in other people's eyes, I'm just a stupid girl who just came from the countryside." Jenny cried, the tedious etiquette, the latest trends and tastes, she just couldn't learn them.
Then she cautiously approached Albert and asked, "Am I embarrassing you?"
"To be honest, I can't adapt to that atmosphere either, so every time, I hide in the smoking room and pass the time until the end." Albert comforted her.
Jenny nodded in agreement and sympathetically declared, "Next time you go to a banquet, you can bring two extra cigarettes."
Penny widened her eyes as if she had heard a joke and scrutinized Albert from head to toe. "God, you're not really falling in love with that country girl, are you?"
"Please watch your tone," Albert felt it was time to end the conversation. He stood up, crushed his cigarette butt in the glass jar, and prepared to leave this repulsive room. "The 'country girl' you mentioned will soon become my wife, and I hope you can attend my wedding with a friendly attitude."
This girl always made him feel like they were not on the same page.
These bigwigs always looked down on everything around them with disdain and arrogance, as if they were the masters of the world.
"A prosecutor's fiancée who used to work as a prostitute in a tavern. Believe me, you will become the funniest joke," Penny sneered, "especially when one of your colleagues finds out that the bride in a wedding dress is a lowly whore he bought for a few coins a few years ago."
Albert's body seemed to stiffen, panting heavily as if he wanted to exhale the burning hot breath that was burning in his chest.
He slowly turned his head, and his deliberately restrained emotions made his voice hoarse. "Please don't interfere with my life anymore, madam, although you seem to enjoy doing so. But allow me to say one more thing, in my eyes, you are no nobler than anyone else."
The guests in the large living room whispered to each other, looking strangely at the most promising prosecutor in the rumor, who left with a sullen face without stopping for a moment.
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Albert walked quickly, almost running. Suddenly he felt very tired and just wanted to go home - to the home with a warm fireplace, a warm atmosphere, and warm people.
The third floor of 37 Ram Street was lit up. Just as he climbed the stairs and reached for his keys, he heard whining sounds coming from the other side of the door, as if a pet were scratching the wooden door with its paws.
The door opened and Jenny stuck her head out. Jack, a two-month-old puppy, wriggled out from the gap and ran in circles around Albert's feet, wagging its tail.
"The party ended pretty early today," Jenny's charming green eyes wrote with question marks. "I wish I had put the bread and soup on the stove earlier. You must be hungry."
"What about grandma?" Albert asked.
"She's asleep. The old lady can't stay up late," Jenny put her finger to her lips and made a quiet gesture. Immediately, she understood why Albert had asked.
A storm was brewing on the sofa in the small living room, where the air was thick with the fragrance of spring and the only other sound was a moan emanating from Jenny's throat.
"Oh, you're crazy. Don't wake grandma up. Let's go to our room," Jenny gasped as she tried to catch her breath and protested in a soft voice. But obviously her plea was rejected, and the response was another wave of stormy hot kisses.
Jack looked up with round eyes and barked twice, then shrank back in fear under the gaze of his mistress.
"You damn little thing, go back to your own bed, or else you'll be stewed tomorrow," Jenny scolded the puppy with a glance, threatening him helplessly in her heart. She trembled, her skin flushed with moisture, and struggled to resist the increasingly intense pleasure, trying not to make a sound.
"You damn big jerk," hugging her lover tightly, Jenny bit him hard and then waited for the storm to come even more violently.
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The luxurious carriage of the Leinshman family slowly moved along the gravel road, and the angry expression on Penny's face had subsided.
Penny always remembered the thing she held as truth - for those in power, there were only two ways to control others: the whip and the candy. The whip reminded them who was the master, while the candy made them willingly grovel at her feet.
However, she had never been able to truly control Albert. "Was I too kind to him?" Penny thought. This man had insulted her with such disdainful language. As a prosecutor, she had at least ten ways to make him fall to the very bottom of the abyss.
Penny had always had a strange emotional attachment to Albert. She admired his intelligence and his clever performances in court, skillfully leading his opponents into traps step by step.
Manipulating intelligent people and making them dance to one's own tune was undoubtedly a more interesting game than toying with stupid monkeys. But no matter how fun a toy was, if it didn't obey, it was no different from the despised garbage on the street.
Penny had kept a well-behaved and obedient dog when she was a child, which only listened to her and stuck to her all day without leaving for even a moment. Penny loved it so much that she even hired a famous chef to take care of the dog's diet.
However, when Penny returned home after studying at a boarding school for a year, the grown-up dog didn't recognize her anymore and barked fiercely at her.
The next day, Penny's lunch was a bowl of greasy dog meat.
When the carriage stopped, the young lady of the Leinshman family made a decision: she would give that toy one more chance. If it could satisfy her, she would generously give him a doghouse and chain made of gold. Otherwise, she would destroy him.