Chapter 11: A Cold World

 Chapter 11: A Cold World

On the way home in the carriage, Hobert couldn't wait to open the file and start reading.

As Barton had said, the case was straightforward. The defendant, Mr. Robin, had borrowed £200 in cash from his friend, Mr. Henry, for investment purposes. However, Mr. Robin's investment failed, reportedly losing everything.

Recently, Mr. Henry urgently needed money. After failing to collect the debt, he had no choice but to take his former good friend, Mr. Robin, to court.

Mr. Henry had an IOU and witnesses, with ample evidence. The case could almost be concluded as soon as it started.

Although it was just a formality, Hobert still took his first court appearance very seriously. He began to rehearse in his mind the fierce debate he would have with Mr. Robin in court, ultimately applying to the judge for enforcement, leading to Mr. Robin's defeat.

During dinner, Christine had the maid pour Hobert a glass of wine. "Tomorrow you officially start work. This is an important step in life. Have a drink to celebrate."

Hobert did not refuse. After a few sips of wine, he became more talkative. "Donna, even if I'm not at school watching over you, you are not allowed to date. Those boys are still too immature."

Donna pouted, "I don't need you to watch over me. Besides, there are many mature and steady, or humorous and talkative boys."

Hobert took another sip of wine and said, "No, no, no, you don't understand. I'm a boy, and I know better what they are thinking."

Although Hobert had some estrangement from this family, both the original and the current Hobert tried their best to fulfill the responsibilities of an elder brother.

Especially since Hobert was always a grade ahead of Donna in school, he naturally had a protective instinct towards her.

Christine smiled and said, "Listen to Hobert on this matter."

Donna stuck out her tongue ungracefully, as if she had taken Hobert's words to heart, but whether she would follow them was another matter.

After dinner, Hobert returned to his room and reviewed the file several times, imagining various possibilities and unexpected situations, even foregoing his exploration of the "Nation of Disorder."

However, what happened in the magistrate's court the next day far exceeded Hobert's expectations.

Hobert still took the family's four-wheeled carriage to work. The carriage first took Donna and Tyron to school, then headed straight to the magistrate's court.

There were many magistrate's courts in Backlund, and the one handling this case was the one in the Chorwood district.

Although the magistrate's court had two large windows, the lighting was still not very good. Besides the judge's bench, the plaintiff's bench, and the defendant's bench, there was only a small public gallery with two rows of rough wooden benches.

Today's defendant, Mr. Robin, did not act like a debtor as Hobert had imagined. He wore a shabby coat and a patched hat.

To show respect for the court, Mr. Robin took off his hat and held it in his hand, pleading, "Your Honor, Mr. Lawyer, please give me a month. I will definitely repay the money in a month.

"Or let me repay in installments. I can pay £2 a week, no, £3 a week. Please don't sell my house. I don't want to lose my family or move to the East End or Bridge District."

This was unexpected for Hobert. When reading the file, he had unconsciously sided with the plaintiff, always thinking of the defendant as a villain. But Mr. Robin clearly did not intend to default and had his own difficulties.

Hobert flipped through the file again. Mr. Robin's only asset was his small house.

He tried to suppress his sympathy. "Mr. Robin, I sympathize with your situation, but if we don't auction your house to repay the debt, my client's family will go bankrupt. Should they move to the East End or Bridge District?"

Mr. Robin was speechless and looked at his former good friend with some shame.

Mr. Henry also seemed a bit reluctant, but he said nothing. As Hobert had said, if he softened, his whole family would suffer.

Hobert continued, "Mr. Robin, I see in the file that you have a stable job with a weekly salary of about £3 and a house inherited from your father, so you don't have to pay rent.

"£3 a week is enough for your family to live a 'middle-class' life. Why did you take the risk to invest? You are an adult. Since you chose to invest, you must take responsibility for your choice.

"I suggest you rent a house in the East End, work hard, and in a few years, you might be able to buy back the auctioned house."

He concluded, "Your Honor, I request enforcement."

The judge, who had been waiting impatiently, immediately agreed to Hobert's request.

After auctioning the defendant's assets, the court would receive no less than 10% in fees, which was a major source of income for the magistrate's court.

In the Ruen Kingdom, a high proportion of civil economic cases in magistrate's courts ended with enforcement orders, causing many middle-class families to go bankrupt.

After Mr. Henry and Mr. Robin's case ended, Hobert sat in the public gallery for ten minutes before leaving to take a public carriage back to the "Aslan-Barton" law firm.

Hobert first reported the case results to Barton.

Sitting in a leather chair, Barton glanced at Hobert. "You look tired."

"I'm just..." Hobert smiled bitterly. "I just realized that I live in such a cold world."

He had previously lived in the small world of Backlund's upper society and had forgotten that this was Ruen, this was Backlund, a time of primitive capital accumulation.

"What do you think we are?" Barton took a sip of coffee. "We are a pack of wolves in Backlund, biting off a piece of meat when we see a sheep."

Hobert was stunned. "Is this what a lawyer is?"

Barton smiled. "If you think lawyers are 'champions of justice,' you are very wrong. But if you have no sense of justice, you will never be a good lawyer."

He said, "Go home and rest today. Come back early tomorrow and follow me to handle an economic dispute commissioned by Earl Hall."

Hobert nodded. "Okay."

On the way back in the carriage, Hobert gradually figured out some issues. He shouldn't have prematurely judged the character of the plaintiff and defendant. His client couldn't always be on the side of justice, and some clients might not be on the side of justice at all.

But as a lawyer, he still had to fight for and protect his client's interests. That was the court. Outside the court, he could do his best to help those who deserved help.

During dinner, Hobert asked the maid for a glass of wine and said to his adoptive parents, "Father, Mother, thank you for your protection in the past. Today I realized what the world is like without your protection."

Christine patted Hobert's shoulder with relief. "Time flies. In the blink of an eye, you've grown up."

Melissa was almost moved to tears by Hobert's sudden gratitude.

Thank you to [Yuzhe] for the 100-point reward and for the continuous rewards over the past three days.

(End of this chapter)