The sculpture made by Julia established a clever method for exchanging letters in secret.
Thanks to that, the discussions needed for Lady Quiness’ divorce agreement could be held without others finding out.
And finally, Lady Quiness’ divorce came to a conclusion. Erin heard the related report in the study with Aiden.
“Lady Quiness’ divorce has been finalized. They say everything has been settled on their end.”
“Faster than expected.”
Even though the obstacles to the divorce had been resolved, it was still a divorce between a noble of one country and a duke of another.
They thought it would take a bit longer due to various procedures, but it didn’t.
“They said that most of the procedures were omitted at Lady Quiness’ insistence. Furthermore, due to the duke’s mistress causing a bit of a commotion, the process could proceed faster.”
The news of the divorce seemed to have made the mistress think that this was the moment she could secure her position as the duke’s wife, so she went to the estate and caused a scene.
This incident became a rumor and became the duke’s grounds for blame, so he swiftly handled the divorce process to address the issue.
“……” As Erin listened to Felix’s explanation, her expression dimmed.
Erin may have thought that Lady Quiness had moved her mistress. She must have wanted the divorce to be finalized as soon as she made up her mind to end her marriage.
“So you’ll be returning to the empire soon.” Aiden speculated on the situation.
“Yes. I expect it will take about two weeks for her to return as she is preparing to leave immediately,” Erin replied.
It was natural for her not to want to stay for even a moment longer.
“Has there been an official announcement from the palace?” Erin asked while listening to Felix’s report.
“Not yet, but we have received word that there will be an official announcement by the end of today.”
“I’m worried about the emperor’s reaction.”
Although everything had already been done and settled, she still couldn’t help but worry about the emperor’s reaction.
“You don’t have to worry too much,” Aiden reassured her.
“The emperor wanted to prevent Lady Quiness’ divorce, not to support Princess Arinasta. It’s already irreversible, so he probably accepted it.”
Aiden said calmly. Erin pondered quietly for a moment before nodding her head. “There is no turning back, indeed.”
Aiden’s words made sense. The Emperor surprisingly didn’t make an issue about past matters.
Furthermore, this was strictly Lady Quiness’ personal issue. The Emperor wouldn’t hold onto this matter and seek revenge. Making such a judgment gave them the audacity to go against the Emperor’s intentions.
Before the announcement came from the palace, the news of Lady Quiness’ divorce spread among the nobles.
This was intentional by Aiden and Erin. The interest from those who heard the news was explosive. Many people who had been away from the empire for a long time didn’t know much about her.
However, noblewomen of a similar age to Lady Quiness all remembered her. They were all intrigued by the news of her divorce. With the attention of the nobles so focused, the Emperor also couldn’t act freely.
In the end, the Emperor formally recognized Lady Quiness’ divorce.
“Jim’s beloved younger sister is scheduled to end her marriage and return to the empire.”
“AngErina Arinasta is still a member of the imperial family and will naturally be restored to her status as a princess.”
“I hope everyone will warmly welcome her.”
It was a very formal announcement. The Emperor had no choice but to recognize her divorce.
And if it had to be accepted, the person who had to take the lead to ensure that the honor of the imperial family did not fall was the Emperor himself.
Moreover, the Emperor must have already received a letter from Lady Quiness.
It contained the sensitive issue of how her property would be handled in the future. She had been given a provincial territory and a gold-producing mine.
The land was entirely hers, but the mine would continue to operate under the Emperor’s management, with a certain percentage of the proceeds being granted to him, as before.
With that, all the problems that had stood in the way of Lady Quiness returning to the empire were resolved.
“Ah, she is no longer Lady Quiness.”
Princess AngErina was returning to her homeland.
***
When Erin met Julia, she deliberately sought out “Angela.” Because Julia had also heard about Lady Quiness, she appeared visibly excited.
“Mother was really pleased. She said it’s been a long time since she saw you, and she’s already preparing this and that for the meeting.”
“You helped a lot this time, Julia. Thank you.”
“I actually enjoyed it.” Like a sweet dessert felt in the mouth, Julia also grinned, melting the other person.
“It made me feel emotional to hear stories about when I met your mother shortly after I was born. I don’t even remember it.”
Julia said with an embarrassed laugh. It was before Lady Quiness got married. Of course, she would have gone to congratulate her close friend’s birth.
“So, I made it with a truly sincere heart.” Julia said with a genuinely happy face.
It was made with the purpose of hiding a letter inside, but apart from that, Julia thought of it as a real gift. Erin was pleased to see Julia carving the piece and feEring a sense of accomplishment.
Therefore, she wanted to repay Julia for this favor. “It was a favor I arranged through my connection with Count Charte, but I still want to do something to repay you, Julia.”
“No, I’m okay with repaying. It’s really fine.” Erin said cautiously, but Julia earnestly extended both hands.
“And…”
“Yes?”
“I have a lot of money.” Julia said with a slightly embarrassed but proud expression, whispering softly.
She looked extremely proud.
“Every time I made something as the Duke demanded, he gave me money.”
“Aiden did?”
“I didn’t ask for anything from the beginning, so I refused, but he said that I should receive payment for the time and effort I put in.”
When Erin asked again, Julia nodded vigorously and spoke eagerly. It was evident that she was incredibly pleased to hear those words from Aiden. Julia continued to speak with a smile on her face.
“But you gave me much more than I expected. Thanks to you, I feel like I’ve become rich.” Julia said with a shy smile and happiness.
However, there was a slightly incorrect part in Julia’s words. Count Charte had not been focused on business for a few years, but he was still a recognized wealthy figure within the empire.
From the moment Julia became a Charte, she was already wealthy.
Considering the inheritance she would receive in the future, no matter how much money Aiden gave her, it would not compare.
“Doesn’t the countess give you enough?” Erin asked anyway.
“That’s different. It’s money earned through my own efforts,” Julia said as if it were obvious.
It was a thought that any other typical noblewoman would never have. Julia sincerely thought and felt pleased.
Erin also agreed with her words. Additionally, Erin found her pure demeanor very pleasant to see.
After chatting with Julia for a while longer, Erin rose from her seat. As she was leaving the store with Julia, Erin stopped and looked for Brody.
Brody had a reason for purposely seeking out ‘Angela’ today.
He intended to tell her about Lady Quiness’s divorce news. Among the nobility, there was no one who did not know about Lady Quiness’s news.
However, it had not yet been widely known among the common people, except for those who were quick with the news.
“Lady Quiness will be returning to the empire soon,” Erin said, and as soon as the words fell, Brody startled.
However, Erin casually pretended not to notice and continued, “I expect it will be in about a month, and I thought it would be nice to have a new dessert to coincide with her arrival. The only problem is that I don’t know Lady Quiness’s tastes.” Erin used the excuse of developing a dessert to inform Brody about Lady Quiness’s news.
“May I ask Brody for help?”
“Yes, I will prepare it well.”
“Then I’ll ask for your help.” Brody’s eyes seemed to waver, but soon returned with a calm face.
However, it seemed that even his trembling hands could not be completely composed.
There was no special purpose. Last time, Erin received an additional report from the boutique. Inside, it said that Brody from the cafe ‘Angela’ was the one who had a connection with Lady Quiness in the past.
Although she had an intuitive feEring that it might be the case, she was still surprised deep down. However, she had no intention of pretending to know this fact to Brody.
She just thought that Brody needed to know when Lady Quiness was coming back.
She hadn’t even considered how he would react. Moreover, it had been a long time since the two had broken up.
However, if there was even a slight remaining desire to see each other, Erin wanted to let him know that she was returning.
Moreover, judging by Brody’s reaction, it seemed like the right thing to do.
It was a small change for Erin. Ever since she tried to break up with Aiden due to the constraints of her original status and then reunited, Erin felt a bittersweet connection to the young Lady Quiness and Brody, who had broken up due to practical circumstances in the past.
When she put herself in Aiden’s shoes, she wanted to support them.
