A few weeks passed by, and although I only read about it in the newspapers, it seemed like everything was falling apart right before my eyes. Jean-Luc was charged with one count of manslaughter and one count of murder, while Romain was charged with two counts of murder. Antoine was thankfully spared, as Bergmann's death had been accidental, and he was uninvolved in the later murders. It all seemed unreal, watching two children be treated like common criminals, but perhaps Léa was right. Perhaps there wasn't anything more we could do.

The trial became quite the conversation topic among the so-called intellectuals of Paris, but every time someone tried to bring it up at a Nightingale meeting, whether they were speculating on what would happen to the two boys or asking what I thought of the latest piece of evidence they'd uncovered, I dodged the question. I never told anyone other than Léa and Moreau that I was the first one to figure it out, that Jean-Luc had told me what had happened before he confessed to the police. I had long since decided to keep a low profile, to stay as far away from the case as possible.

Occasionally, Léa and I would talk about the trial, if only in a desperate attempt to process what had happened, but neither of us had any brilliant solutions, any way to ensure that Jean-Luc and Romain would be safe. We agreed that guillotining two children felt wrong, but what else could we do? After all, it was out of our control now. Now that Jean-Luc had confessed, a conviction seemed inevitable, and sentencing was up to the judge, not us. I only hoped that he would have mercy on the two of them, as twisted as that seemed when Jean-Luc and Romain had killed three of the people I cared about most.

Otherwise, life went on, but every time I entered Sylvestre's house, it reminded me of the day when Jean-Luc had confessed his guilt. I considered quitting my job, but what else could I do? What other position would give me the time and support I needed to compose? It didn't feel like there was anything else I could do, any other way that I could support myself, so I kept on tutoring Sophie, even if I spent most of my time comforting her whenever she missed her brother too much.

One day, I met up for coffee with Léa, just to spend some more time with my beloved girlfriend. The trial was nearly over, the attorneys about to make their closing arguments, but neither of us particularly wanted to talk about. We already knew what the verdict would be - practically everyone in Paris did. With a confession from Jean-Luc, both of them would certainly be convicted. There was hardly any question about that.

When I arrived at the café, Léa hadn't come yet - I was all alone. I couldn't bring myself to read the newspaper - most of the stories would certainly be about the trial - so instead, I stared at the wall, dreaming of Léa and her bright blue eyes, wishing that she was here with me.

Thankfully, I didn't have to wait long. A few minutes later, Léa slid into the chair next to mine, wearing one of her finest dresses. She ordered a cup of coffee and then turned to me and said, "Mattie. It's good to see you again."

"Nice to see you again too," I said breathlessly, and I would have kissed her right then and there if we weren't in such a public location.

"How have you been?"

"Alright, I suppose. I feel like I haven't done a lot since I last saw you."

"Have you written any music lately?"

"A little. I started writing a few melodies, but I'm not sure what I'll do with them."

"You should play them for me sometime," Léa said with a smile.

"I should," I said. "It's just...it's been hard for me to compose lately. I can't write more than a few bars at a time before getting sidetracked, and when I do manage to write something, I can't stop tweaking it, or I'll start writing something else instead. I just get the feeling that whatever I write is never good enough."

"I'm sure whatever you're working on is brilliant, Mattie," Léa said. "I don't think I've ever heard a tune that you've written that was bad."

"You also haven't heard most of the things I've written," I said. "There's just too much going on right now, Léa. I can't be expected to compose in times like these."

"I understand, Mattie," Léa said as she wrapped her arms around me. "It must be hard with the tri...with everything that's happening right now."

"It is hard," I said, still hoping to avoid the topic of the trial.

"Wait," Léa said suddenly. "I have a brilliant idea."

"What is it?" I asked.

"You'll see," Léa said with a smile before sprinting out of the café.

"Léa!" I shouted as I ran after her. "You have to at least tell me what you're planning!"

"You'll know soon enough, Mattie," Léa said.

To be fair, most of Léa's ideas worked out in the end, but I was still skeptical, especially if she wouldn't tell me what it was. Hopefully, it had something to do with the trial. Hopefully, she'd found some way to deliver justice, but I couldn't imagine how she would possibly do it.

I followed Léa out of the café and all the way to the fencing hall. "So what's your plan?" I asked as Léa picked up an épée and practiced her lunges and parries.

"Judge Marchand is a regular here," Léa said. "He usually comes by around three o'clock."

"What does that have to do with anything?" I asked.

"You'll see."

Just a few minutes later, someone entered the fencing hall, and I quickly recognized him as the judge from Jean-Luc and Romain's trial. Léa smiled as soon as she saw him and then said, "Judge Marchand, I'd like to challenge you to a duel."

The judge thought about it for a moment and then said, "Let's do it. I'm sure I can easily defeat a girl like you."

"Fantastic," Léa said, her smile widening by the second as she twirled her sword around. "But if by some freak accident I win, I want you to lessen Jean-Luc and Romain's sentences. Keep them alive."

"But they're murderers," the judge argued.

"I'm sure you have nothing to worry about," Léa said. "You'll probably win."

"Of course," the judge said as he took his sword. "I accept your terms."

"Perfect," Léa said. "Let's duel."