"I went into town yesterday, didn't I?" Seraphina broke the silence first, her voice breathless but steady. "I bought that braised pork specifically for today. We’re in the middle of the wheat harvest—how is anyone supposed to work this hard without real meat?"

Caleb’s face lit up with relief. He remembered her trip to town. Of course, he thought, she must have scraped some coins together to give us a surprise. A wave of indignation washed over him. Evelyn must have caught wind of it and staged this whole scene just to frame them. The girl was more serpent than sister.

In the height of the harvest, anyone who could afford it prepared a "heavy" meal. As Seraphina said, manual labor required grease and grit. Most of the onlookers nodded in agreement. The white rice and bacon Evelyn already had were luxury enough; a second box of braised pork felt like an impossible indulgence for a girl like her. Meanwhile, the Dominic brothers had nothing but watery vegetables. It only made sense that the meat belonged to them.

Mark turned a cold, judgmental gaze toward Evelyn. "Well, Evelyn? What do you have to say for yourself now?"

Evelyn let out a short, hollow laugh. "I’m missing my pork, and there is a box of pork right there. Why is the immediate assumption that it belongs to them and not me?" She scanned the crowd, her eyes sharp. "Did any of you actually see Seraphina buy it?"

"I didn't see it personally," Mark snapped, "but I’m sure someone did."

"Exactly the answer I was looking for," Evelyn replied, a faint, cryptic smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. "A very logical point."

Mark hesitated, unsettled by her sudden calm.

Evelyn turned her attention to Dominic. "Did you see it? With your own eyes? Did you see Seraphina bring that pork back from town?"

Dominic felt as though his insides were being ground between millstones. He knew for a fact that Seraphina was penniless. The truth was screaming at him, yet he looked at Seraphina. She tilted her head back to meet his gaze, clutching her chest. Her eyes were rimmed with red, shimmering with the threat of shattering tears.

He thought of her frail heart. The lie tasted like ash in his mouth, but he couldn't bear the thought of Evelyn’s certain disappointment if he spoke. He looked away. "I saw it."

Evelyn’s expression shifted into one of pure mockery. She turned to Julian, her voice dripping with cold irony. "And you, Julian? Did you see this town-bought treasure too?"

Seraphina’s gaze moved to Julian—a masterclass in silent supplication. Her eyes promised gratitude, pleaded for mercy, and broadcasted a thousand unspoken tragedies.

Julian felt a bitter pang. If he told the truth, Seraphina would be publicly humiliated. She had already suffered a heart flare-up that morning; another shock could be fatal. He looked deeply into Evelyn’s eyes, silently wishing she hadn't pushed it this far. If you had just asked me privately, he thought, I would have given it back.

"I saw it too," Julian whispered.

Mark smirked triumphantly. "There! What’s left to say, Evelyn?"

"I knew it," Caleb jeered. "She just wanted to make trouble for Seraphina!"

Seraphina looked at the girl being condemned by the crowd. Though tears still pooled in her eyes, a weak, victorious smile flickered on her lips.

Evelyn remained eerily still. She looked at Seraphina with an expression that made the skin crawl. "You really think I’d come here without evidence?"

"What evidence could you possibly have?" Caleb spat, his hostility naked.

By then, Barrett had returned, leading Adrian into the clearing. Adrian had seen Evelyn cornered by this pack before, and seeing it again darkened his features. Evelyn looked at him, her long lashes fluttering, a mist of heat rising in her eyes as if she were finally reaching her limit.

"I happen to have two servings of braised pork from the town’s restaurant right here," Adrian announced. He stepped forward and placed them directly beside the contested lunchbox.

Three portions of meat sat side by side. Two were identical: large, rustic chunks, dark to the point of being blackened where the lean meat had scorched. The third—the one from the lunchbox—was different. The cuts were precise, barely a quarter of the size of the restaurant portions, and the glaze was vibrant, shimmering with a clear, honeyed light.

Evelyn’s pork had a signature: it wasn't mushy, it was fragrant without being greasy, and it carried a delicate hint of sweetness. It was the work of a gifted home cook, not a hurried commercial kitchen.

Barrett, having tasted Evelyn’s cooking before, had known the truth the moment he saw the box. But with the Mayor’s cousin involved in the dispute, he hadn't dared to rule on it alone. He had gone straight to the top.

The crowd went silent. The visual evidence was damning. If Seraphina had claimed she cooked it herself, she might have stood a chance—but she had specifically claimed it was store-bought.

Caleb, emboldened by his connection to Julian, tried to pivot. "There are two restaurants in town, aren't there? Maybe they just cook them differently."

Adrian arched an eyebrow, a lazy, dangerous smile playing on his lips. "Is that so? Tell me then, which restaurant did you buy this from?"

Seraphina bit her lip so hard it nearly bled. The shame burned across her face like a physical brand. She looked at Julian with frantic, pleading eyes. Make him stop. Please, make Adrian stop!

Seeing her turn deathly pale, Julian hesitated before stepping into the line of fire. "Cousin... I was the one who asked her to buy it for me."

He stared at Adrian, hoping the older man would take the hint. To expose Seraphina now was to expose Julian as a liar as well. Surely Adrian wouldn't humiliate his own family in front of the common villagers?

Adrian’s gaze was heavy, a physical weight that seemed to crush the air out of Julian’s lungs. He looked at Julian, then spared a cold, clinical glance at Seraphina.

"Which one?" Adrian asked, his voice chillingly neutral. "Tell me the name, and I’ll send someone to buy a sample right now for a final comparison."

Seraphina’s eyes widened. A chill started at the top of her skull and raced down her spine. Adrian didn't care about family loyalty. He was going to watch them drown.

Julian’s face twisted with humiliated rage. He couldn't believe his own cousin would throw him to the wolves.

Seraphina’s mind raced, turning from red to white. "I... Evelyn and I grew up together," she stammered, trying to shift the focus. "She never used to cook like this. I don't recognize it."

Barrett seized the moment. "Actually," he interjected firmly, "when the Mayor visited last time, Evelyn invited me to join them. I ate her braised pork. It was exactly like the meat in that box. The Mayor and the tractor driver can vouch for it as well."

The trap had snapped shut. The truth was out.