The First Artificial Sky Island, underground city, Aries Palace, Hall of Audience.
Seated upright on the throne, Anieloje looked down at Luo Zhen standing below her and spoke in a low voice.
"Don't you have anything to say, Mr. Lorelei?"
Anieloje said this to Luo Zhen.
Ripa, Chris, and Emily were all standing nearby, but they could only watch from the sidelines.
Luo Zhen endured everyone's gazes without the slightest reaction.
"What do you think I should say, Your Holiness?"
Luo Zhen countered with a teasing question.
An angry expression appeared on Anieloje's face.
"You seriously injured former Councilor Dambelcru, leaving him crippled and confined to bed for the rest of his life. The Sky Knight squad guarding him also suffered severe injuries, and we don't even know whether they'll be left with lasting aftereffects. Don't you intend to acknowledge any of this?"
Anieloje reproached Luo Zhen.
But Anieloje was overthinking things.
"I acknowledge it." Luo Zhen spoke calmly. "And then? Are you going to punish me, Your Holiness?"
"Hmph." Anieloje snorted coldly. "Don't you think you ought to be punished?"
That question received a straightforward answer from Luo Zhen.
"No."
That single word nearly made Anieloje fall from her throne.
But if she asked him again, Luo Zhen would still have to give the same answer.
"That former councilor surrounded me with his private soldiers without authorization. He also intended to hurt me without distinguishing right from wrong, break both my arms and legs, and smash my mouth. I merely exercised my right to self-defense. What crime have I committed?"
Luo Zhen said it openly and without the slightest guilt.
"B-but he was still a former councilor. Don't you think your self-defense amounted to excessive force?"
Anieloje condemned him.
But did she really think she could convict Luo Zhen