Chapter Eight

Today is the day of the trial. Under the constant surveillance of Rubis, Diamante will leave the building for the first time to go on trial. There, she is either going to be seen as an innocent little girl or a menacing monster.

It's either between life or death.

"Are you nervous, Diamante?" Diamante rolls her eyes at his idiotic question. She is not. Diamante Stanzolio is a figure of strength and ingenuity. If fear strikes her, then she will lose said strength.

"Not at all, my friend. I know that I will be fine." Rubis slowly nods and unlocks her arms and wrists. Diamante looks down at him, and their eyes meet.

Rubis hates to admit this, but Diamante's shiny eyes are beautiful. And even though she is dirty, her beautiful blond hair makes her even more gorgeous. Diamante notices this and ignores it. Soon, Diamante's chains are in his hand, and they leave the cell.

Diamante hisses and closes her eyes, and the bright light shines into her eyes. Staying in that dark cell did a real number on her. Rubis takes her outside and takes her behind the Sûreté National.

"Where are you taking me?" Diamante asks. Rubis stays silent as he continues to walk her towards a horse.

"I cannot answer your question," Diamante nods as Rubis hoists himself onto the lovely mare. Years on the farm have taught her to do those with ease. She puts her foot into the saddle's footing, and with no use of her arms, she manages to swing her other leg over the horse.

The ride to the building is, for a lack of a better word, embarrassing. People from the same town is booing at her while throwing rotten fruits, vegetable and meat.

Diamante is livid; she knows that she will escape and teach these gremlins a lesson. But all she needs is time. So, as long as her recruits keep the streets in line, she cannot complain. Marcus and Jeffrey better be doing a good job.

Rubis looks behind him and cannot help but smirk and the smelly fruit-thrown wench.

She deserves it.

Both of them arrive at the grand courthouse. Never in France's history has there ever been a woman getting the sentence greater than Diamante. In a sick way, Diamante is proud. She cannot wait to tell the story to Onice and the other leaders once she is let go.

Rubis gets off the horse and ties the horse to a nearby post. He gives a local boy a couple of silver coins to look after her. He carefully carries Diamante down and walks up the stairs.

"You know that I can get down by myself,"

"I know. But I have to make sure that you are okay," Diamante can feel her cheeks heat up. Luckily the soot and dirt on her face are hiding the blush. How can he say something like that so nonchalantly? Diamante follows behind the police officer and enters the building.

When Rubis opens the door, the room is full of people watching. And on the judge's table, there is a group of three people up the front. All of whom are men. Diamante walks up to a small desk that's facing them and waits.

"Diamante, you are here for the murder of Authur LeGrand. Do you plea guilty or not guilty?" Diamante almost scoffs at the first judge's question. But she maintains a civil posture as she speaks.

"I plea not guilty," The crowd gasps as they hear the woman's voice holding such confidence and pure innocence. If she is to be anyone else, the room will believe her.

But this isn't anyone else; this is Diamante Stanzolio, better known as the Diamond Demon.

"Now that we know that Diamante Stanzolio pleads not guilty," The second judge begins. Diamante smiles with faux innocence; this is going to be too easy. "Let us bring out our first witness to the stand," Once the judge finishes speaking, Diamante's confidence quickly morphs into angry confusion.

Who dares to testify against the one and only Diamante Stanzolio?

"We present Fraser Aubert," The man walks across the aisle of chairs and people and sits inside the testimonial seat. The man is familiar, but Diamante can't remember where though.

"I will like to say that this woman is guilty of murder. As a matter of fact, Mister LeGrand isn't her first victim. Your Honours, I saw it with my two eyes. She killed two people in cold blood," Now she remembers. He is the man that she let escape.

"After we punished a negro, she ran back to the forest. After that, SHE comes. My friends and I try to warn her. But instead, she kills my friends. She is a MONSTER!!!" Fraser finishes with a shout of distress. The crowd boos Diamante, and she cannot be any more upset. He admitted that he hurt a little girl, and all they care about is her murdering some men. The judge on Diamante's right side raises a right hand and stops all speaking.

"Thank you, Fraser. You may now return to your seat. Diamante, what is your defense?"

Before she says anything, Diamante flicks her thumb under her top teeth in Fraser's direction. A pure sign of disrespect indeed. This action does little but makes the man smirk. The three judges see this and give her looks of disgust.

"This man, and his goons, came to my property. I told them to leave; they said no. So I defended myself and sadly his friends had to be taught a lesson," Diamante explains. She is not sorry for killing those men. They are cockroaches, and she needs to exterminate them. The judges nod and turn to each other to speak. Diamante looks at her side and sees Rubis standing near the door.

"Diamante, since you are not being charged for the murders of Fraser's friends, we shall not charge you on that. However, we do have evidence of your partaking in the massacre that took place in the LeGrand Mansion," The third judge states. Diamante does not believe a word he is saying.

Oh please. No one can be a true witness because those who attended the party are dead. All they have is speculation, and it will not hold-

"We shall bring in our second and last witness, Marcus Allard," Diamante's previously calm composure vanishes. And in its place is pure anger and vengeance. Marcus's smug face is all that she sees as the surrounding environment around him is clouded in red.

"Mr. Allard, can you point at the murderer in this room?" The man nods and points a straight finger in her direction.

"Will you like to explain how you know the killer?" Marcus slowly nods before giving a glance at Diamante. Her stare was hot enough to burn him alive, but he manages to pass the heat off.

"That woman hired me and others to kill the LeGrands and the attendees at the masquerade ball. Before I went inside, I told her to stop, but she refused to listen to me."

"LIES!!! THAT IS NOT TRUE!" Diamante interrupts with a harsh shout.

"YOU KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT!!!" The boom of the central judge's voice causes the entire room to be silent. For the next twenty minutes, Diamante has to watch Marcus lie under the skin of his teeth. Meanwhile, her throne is slowly chipping away in front of her eyes.

"... so I told her that I was done and went home. When I heard of her arrest, I knew that I would need to speak my truth," Marcus finishes his statement with a fake tear. The three judges nod and send Marcus back. The judges whisper between each other for about ten minutes.

This is the deciding moment of Diamante's life.

"Diamante Stanzolio, we find you guilty of the murder of Authur LeGrand. The punishment is death. This shall be done in four days," Diamante's scream rings through the room. Everyone, except for Rubis, covers their ears in pain as her shrieks of nightmares continue.

It seems that her throne is gone.

Rubis escorts the banshee out of the building and places her behind the horse. By now, the night is here, and most of the townsfolk are inside their homes. However, some of them are looking out of the window as they see the silhouette of a shrilling animal trotting away.

~~

For the first time in her life, Diamante Stanzolio feels defeated. By now, her voice is lost, and she is sure never to see her family again. She holds onto Rubis' shoulders for dear life as they arrive at the familiar building.

Rubis gets off and places the horse inside the barn. Before he closes the horse's gate, he carries Diamante down and takes her back inside. Diamante holds on to the fire twin for support as they leave the barn and enter the prison.

"Death is inevitable, Diamante. It is my job to make sure scum like you is taken care of," The small girl sobs at his nonchalant voice and lifts her head. There Rubis sees something that tugs his chest. Diamante's silver shiny eyes continue to shimmer and shine. But now they are amplified due to the tears.

He honestly doesn't know what to do. Even though she is dirty and smelly, her innocent features and tear stains make her look vulnerable. Rubis opens the cell door and places the little girl on the cot. He turns around to leave, but Diamante grabs his hand.

"I don't want to die, Rubis. Please..." Diamante whispers. Her eyes stare into his very being, and he is in a trance. The townspeople are right; her eyes are magnificent. But soon, Rubis can't handle it and quickly leaves the room.

Diamante's sobs continue until she hears Rubis disappear. Once he is gone, she immediately stops and sits up.

Now that Diamante is alone, she can be able to think of a new plan to escape. Because she has been found guilty, Diamante will have to be quick. Her throne of power is gone, but that doesn't mean that she can't regain it.

Unlike Onice, who gets everything without lifting a finger, Diamante earns her things. She will do anything in her power to get what she truly deserves. And it doesn't matter who doesn't make it along the way. And now it seems like she does have a way out of her dire situation.

Why didn't she think of this before? Her escape is right in front of her. Even though she despises the idea, it seems that she will need to use pity and sorrow to her advantage.

Because Diamante Stanzolio is going to use Rubis to escape.