Veronique was silent for a long while.
"Brother… he believed in you…"
"He believed you were someone who stood on the side of justice."
"I used to believe that too. I saw the look on your face after you finished that scene. I even thought you were really going to pull the trigger on him just now!"
"I still can't forget how cold Mother's hand felt. Is this the fairness you speak of? Is this your justice?"
Chevreuse understood exactly what those words meant.
The siblings had been willing to tell her so much because they saw how fiercely she hated evil. They had naively believed she would fire the shot and deliver private punishment to Mr. Morris.
But an eye for an eye, a life for a life, had never been the justice that existed in reality.
There was once a time when Chevreuse herself had thought the same way.
Back then, she had been a prodigy—the undisputed number one among her peers in the Special Patrol Team. With superhuman talent and iron will, she had passed every rigorous internal training. She had memorized all operational guidelines and law enforcement regulations. Her pursuit of justice earned the admiration of many teammates.
But the deputy captain at the time—her uncle—had poured cold water on her fervor. He never let Chevreuse participate in important missions.
"Why?" Unable to endure it any longer, Chevreuse confronted him.
"You're not ready yet," Grisetti replied.
"Straighten out your ideals, Chevreuse. If the justice you understand is nothing more than 'an eye for an eye,' then you'd best leave. This isn't a place for private executions. It's where justice finds its voice."
At the time, Chevreuse still didn't understand. She didn't even know when she would finally be considered "ready."
Perhaps she would need a lifetime to grasp it.
Perhaps she had to be ready in the very next second.
During an emergency pursuit operation, Grisetti, short on manpower, had no choice but to bring her along. He instructed her to stay by his side at all times, obey every command, and never act on impulse.
The team split up in the pouring rain to cut off the criminal gang's escape routes. Chevreuse and Grisetti hid together behind a thicket. The criminals never appeared.
Just as the two of them decided the intel was wrong and prepared to withdraw quietly, a single cold gunshot struck Grisetti down…
In that instant, Chevreuse retaliated. Using the brief flash from the muzzle, she locked onto the shooter's position and took him down with precision.
But Uncle Grisetti would never speak again.
Only Chevreuse and the criminal remained at the scene. Rain poured heavily enough to muffle gunshots. The Special Patrol Team might not investigate too deeply why the man who murdered one of their own had been shot dead.
The murderer stood right in front of her. If Chevreuse wanted to uphold justice, this was her only chance.
She raised her musket and aimed it directly between the criminal's eyebrows…
Then slowly lowered the barrel.
The Special Patrol Team existed only to give voice to justice. True "justice" could only be decided by the Court.
"Fontaine Special Patrol Team. You're under arrest."
In that moment, Chevreuse finally understood—she was ready.
But the price had been unbearably heavy.
The vicious criminal ignored her warning. Since she neither fired nor cuffed him, why not run?
He grabbed a stone from the ground and attacked her, trying to escape under the cover of the rainy night. Assaulting an officer, resisting arrest—Chevreuse had every reason to shoot.
And she did.
The musket fired, striking the criminal's right leg. He screamed and cursed, rolling across the ground until he fell right in front of the other arriving team members.
Chevreuse holstered her weapon. Only then did she notice something new on the grip—
A Vision, declaring the justice she upheld.
Mu Yang glanced at the Vision on Chevreuse's person.
If the two siblings had known how Visions truly came into being, they probably wouldn't have tried to get her to fire an illegal shot. Of course, Chevreuse almost never spoke about her Vision to anyone. Only someone with Mu Yang's level of information could possibly know.
Reality could never be judged through pure retribution. That would only trap everyone in an endless cycle of revenge. Rules would cease to exist. Society would cease to exist.
Reality had its own system of justice and law.
As for someone like Mr. Morris, after sentencing, he would not have an easy time. After all, as captain of the Special Patrol Team, she could tell the Duke quite a few stories about this gentleman.
Veronique could not understand, and Chevreuse did not force her to. She only did the work she was supposed to do.
The Special Patrol Team members entered and took both Mr. Morris and Veronique away. Everyone else came out of the warehouse and explained the situation to the rest of the crew.
Only then did Xavier realize that this investor had approached him from the very beginning with the intention of sabotaging the film. But his background limited his ability to express himself… After thinking for a long time, he could only squeeze out one sentence:
"What a terrible man."
[Xavier's standards need lowering]
[I'll handle this—this rotten old man is really bad!]
[Newborn]
[Brother among brothers! Don't let me see you in the Fortress of Meropide. I'll rip that headgear off and slap you across the face!]
Xavier hesitated. "What do we do now? The film is already finished, but… should we still release it?"
After all, both the author who authorized it and the visible investor had been arrested. And the crew had included a murderer. Could something like this even be screened?
Mu Yang said there was no problem. He would go explain everything to the Film Association. They would not let one case destroy everyone's hard work. On the contrary, this was an opportunity. While exposing Mr. Morris's scandal, they could also promote Fontaine's law enforcement. Why not take it?
Chevreuse saluted Mu Yang. "Thank you for your help. I also hope this story reaches more people."
"Although the real-life ending is bitter and far from beautiful, art should have its own unique romance—to fill in some of the regrets reality cannot."
In the film's ending, the two sisters would probably flee to the ends of the earth and eventually find a sea of flowers where they could live out their days in solitude.
But in reality, Veronique and her brother would stand trial alongside Mr. Morris at the Opera Epiclese. All three would likely be sent to the Fortress of Meropide in the end.
Though the three of them would probably live very different lives inside.
[Wriothesley: Give the writer extra meals in the cafeteria and Morris the boxing special, huh?]
[So the Duke is the real one in charge!]
[Wriothesley apparently ended up in the Fortress of Meropide because he killed his adoptive parents. I wonder what he'd think hearing this story.]
Seeing everyone looking gloomy, Furina immediately stepped in to lighten the mood.
"Alright, alright! Since the case is over, let's continue the banquet under the night sky!"
"Chevreuse wasn't here earlier, so you're not allowed to run off now."
"I'm in."
"Hehe, fireworks incoming!"