After lunch, the court resumed trial, calling Marie Martin to the stand. As soon as she sat, her fingers ran nervously through her light brown pixie hair, which she had already checked three times in the mirror when she was getting ready. Her back straightened to project as much confidence as she could.

However, the fear behind her lilac eyes couldn’t be covered by those long eyelashes, nor could it be overshadowed by the dark circles underneath her eyes. If she wasn’t horrified right now, there would have been something wrong with her. As the Finance Minister, as someone who has direct access to government funds, she had so many...