Chapter 283

283 The Day Of The Trial (7)

“In this case, only an item that carries the Silverback sigil can open the Trust Box that contains a gift that hails from the Silverback family,” Elder Aaron pointed out.

“Oh, I see. Now that sounds rather complicated. Can we assume that Shayla Plainheart just grabbed this box and gave it to her lover?” Dane popped the question without skipping a beat.

Lucrethia said nothing in reply.

Elder Aaron answered again. “That would be rather inconvenient. The box is not small in size. Not for a belt.”

“Maybe she smashed the box and stole the content, then. The belt is found without any box by the Night Prowler Pack, is that not right?” Dane asked Elder Jonas.

“Correct,” the elder confirmed. “Only the belt was found.”

“You cannot smash the box open,” Elder Aaron insisted. “It must be opened with something that bears the Silverback sigil.”

“Not even by force?”

All elders shook their heads in unison.

.....

“Not even by force.”

“Madam, you became eerily quiet,” Dane remarked. “This is one question that you surely know the answer to. Did the maid steal the box or did she steal the belt?”

“... The belt,” Lucrethia said in reply.

“So the broken box is still in your possession?”

“Yes.”

“That makes sense, doesn’t it?” Elder Kragen spoke up after being silent for a long time. He seemed glad to have found something to say at last.

Now that the focus of the hearing shifted from Kieran Locksworth to Shayla Plainheart, Elder Kragen was too happy to defend Lucrethia.

“Shayla Plainheart hailed from the Silverback family. She must have stolen something from the pack before she goes to steal the belt from Madam Lucrethia,” he decided.

“Once she got it in her hands, she just went to unlock the Trust Box and ran away with the belt.”

Kinnon crossed his arms before his chest and cleared his throat.

“You know that that doesn’t make sense, right, Elder Kragen?” the Alpha of the Night Prowler Pack disagreed.

“If this young woman had an item to frame the Silverback family all along, why bother stealing one from the Woodland family? How did Shayla Plainheart even know that Madam Lucrethia kept a gift from the Silverback family?”

“Well, uh... Madam Woodland said that she worked as her maid. She might have had her eyes on the Trust Box for a long time before she decided to steal it.”

“Aha.”

“Do you display your precious belongings in the living room, Madam?” Ronan asked pointedly. “Or maybe put it in a place that is easily accessible to maids?”

“No,” the elderly replied.

“Then how did Shayla Plainheart even know about the belt in Madam Lucrethia Woodland’s possession?” Kinnon repeated his question.

“...”

Seeing that no one had the slightest idea, Dane burst into laughter.

“Hahahaha! Another loophole in the case,” he said with a touch of mockery.

Lucrethia humphed and shot him an icy look.

“I fear that you need to dig out Shayla Plainheart and ask her all these penetrating questions if you truly wish to uncover all loopholes, Dane Silverback,” Lucrethia snapped. “Do not think that I received the gift of divination from the Moon Goddess. I cannot answer your every question.”

“Indeed you can’t,” Dane commented.

And neither could Shayla Plainheart at this point, unless they hired a soul summoner and perform a soul-summoning ritual.

Dane Silverback leaned closer to the elderly who sat across him and pinned her with a bone-chilling stare.

“Shayla Plainheart might just grab any item with the Silverback family emblem from Ronan’s residence and use it to unlock that precious Trust Box of yours. Amazing thief, this young woman is. Pity that she had to die so miserably.”

“I share the same opinion. A highly talented thief indeed.”

“Has anyone ever tried to steal the belt before?”

“No.”

“Are you sure, Madam?”

“Yes.”

“It has always been inside the Trust Box until Shayla Plainheart came to steal it. Is this what you want to say?”

“Yes,” By then, Lucrethia sounded very agitated. “How many times do you want me to repeat it? I never thought that a man your age would have such severe hearing problems.”

Dane Silverback leaned back in his seat and gave Lucrethia an amused look.

“In that case, I would like to add two more items to the list of allegations that Madam Lucrethia Woodland already has.”

“...”

“...”

It was Gregor Gravecrown who reacted to Dane Silverback’s unreasonable demand first.

“What is the meaning of this, Dane? You are a member of the Werewolf Council. Even though this matter pertains to the Infinite Eclipse Pack, you can’t just take your son’s side,” Gregor hissed in a low voice to his colleague.

Dane casually remarked, “I am well versed in the rules and regulations of the council. Thank you nevertheless for reminding me, Gregor.”

Gregor Gravecrown’s lips parted in disbelief.

“Then...”

“I am making use of my right as part of the werewolf community and demand justice for my wife.”

Everyone in the room was so astounded that their mouths dropped open in unison.

When did Dane Silverback get married and who was it exactly that he married?

“Who... Who are you talking about, Dane? Who is this uh, this enchanting, fortunate lady that reserved the honor to be your lady wife?” Gregor asked the man the question on everyone’s mind.

“I have only married one wife in my entire life,” he quipped.

Ronan widened his eyes in disbelief.

“The two additional items to the allegations are one, the audacity to lie in front of the Werewolf Council and two, the murder attempt on my wife, Lady Adele Fangblade.”

Lucrethia scoffed.

“Wow. The accusations are becoming more and more ridiculous. What’s next, Dane Silverback???”

“Next, I am going to prove it of course.”

Dane’s confident words did not scare Lucrethia at all.

“Unless you can revive the dead, Dane, I think that is quite impossible.”

A mysterious smile appeared on Dane’s face. He stood from his chair and marched toward the door.

Behind the door was Dane’s personal attendant. The young man was holding the hand of someone who had left the world a long time ago...