Leave the Divorce to a Professional Lawyer

Claude’s lawyer began the rebuttal promptly.

“In Civil Code Article 829, regarding agreements and amendments to marital property, it is stipulated that any expression of intent that restricts the decision-making of a personal status act is null and void.”

He stood in opposition to Natasha, blocking her path to Claude.

“Furthermore, according to Supreme Court ruling A-10447 in Imperial Year 231… even if a prenuptial agreement states ‘under no circumstances will we divorce,’ it is judged as a clause that violates public order and morals, as it restricts an individual’s decision-making authority. Therefore, there is a precedent that such prenuptial agreements are null and void, and this case appears to be similar.”

He slammed the desk with a bang and shouted.

“Therefore, this contract is null and void!”

“…Indeed, this prenuptial agreement has many legal issues. It would be difficult to demand the enforcement of the contract’s terms in a situation where the parties’ opinions are not aligned.”

If they’re citing a Supreme Court precedent, it would be hard to overturn this.

I never imagined they would bring up such an old precedent!

The ruling of the Illihad Supreme Court was not something easily accessible from the outside.

Only officially recognized legal professionals and their companions were allowed access to the reading room.

Moreover, since all court records were handwritten, the precedents had to be manually read and searched for.

“Of course, the cases are categorized by case number… but did they actually dig through records from as far back as 300 years?”

As expected of the Richard Duchy. I can’t even begin to imagine how many lawyers they must have employed.

“I do have knowledge of many precedents, but it’s limited to the last hundred years…”

The difference in manpower was inevitable. Even if I had locked Ivan in a room and given him a month, he wouldn’t have been able to find that.

‘Well, it wouldn’t be fun if it was too easy.’

Though I was surprised, it wasn’t to the extent of being dangerous.

“Your Honor, it is not merely a request to enforce the prenuptial agreement. My client is suffering severe emotional distress, and despite that, the reason for delaying the divorce proceedings for three years was solely to uphold the terms of the agreement.”

Natasha returned to her seat and gently embraced Estelle’s shoulders.

As prearranged, Estelle lowered her head and pretended to wipe away tears.

Estelle, who was terrible at acting, followed Natasha’s advice to wear a white veil to cover her head.

Thanks to that, she could convincingly pretend to cry.

“Please consider the emotions of my client, who, lacking legal knowledge, endured countless pains, believing that she could only get a divorce after three years!”

“The counsel is speaking falsehoods! It is well known within the residence that the Duke and Duchess had a good relationship, and despite his busy schedule, the Duke made it a point to dine with his wife three times a week!”

As if prepared in advance, the lawyer immediately requested a witness.

“I call Isabelle Mona, a maid who worked at the Richard Duchy, as a witness.”

“Permission granted. We will take a 30-minute recess while the witness is prepared.”

Bang, bang, bang!

Estelle paced nervously around the room, to the point that Gideon had to offer her a glass of cold water to calm her down.

“Please, calm down, ma’am.”

“Can I really calm down? Isabelle… Isabelle is my maid, but she was deeply loyal to Claude. She’s definitely going to testify in their favor!”

“It’s going to be alright.”

A witness could only be summoned with the agreement of both parties.

The judge could issue a compulsory summons only for witnesses deemed essential, but that was rare in divorce cases.

“From what I’ve found out, Isabelle Mona is a devout believer.”

“Huh? Oh, yes.”

“Then she’s someone who faithfully adheres to the doctrine of ‘always telling the truth,’ right?”

“Isn’t that the problem?”

Even Estelle thought that, aside from the first year, her relationship with Claude hadn’t been bad for the remaining two years.

If she testified as it was…

“I told you, didn’t I? The truth depends on how you piece it together.”

This isn’t a criminal trial.

This means that it’s not a case where the victim and perpetrator are dichotomously divided.

In a criminal trial, there’s always only one truth: ‘Who is the culprit?’ But that’s not the case in a civil trial.

“I already knew about the witness request. I even considered bribing her, as I heard her family wasn’t well off, but she seemed like someone who would only harbor resentment if I did that.”

“You might have really been reported if you did that…”

“Yes. So I approached it in a different way.”

Natasha smiled leisurely.

“The ‘truth,’ you see, is like a patchwork quilt. Ah, do you know what a patchwork quilt is?”

“It’s something made by piecing together torn bits of cloth, right?”

“That’s right. Piecing the patches together into a single fabric.”

Natasha waved her fingers. Estelle’s gaze followed the movement of those fingers.

“That’s the basic skill of a lawyer.”

“I, Isabelle Mona, swear in the name of the Lord Valda to speak only the truth.”

Isabelle Mona attended the trial dressed in her maid’s uniform, as if to prove she was a maid at the Richard Duchy.

She was a woman with striking red hair and freckles dotted across her face.

“Witness, what is your name?”

“My name is Isabelle Mona.”

“How long have you worked at the Richard Duchy?”

“Three years and eight months, approximately.”

“Then you were working there even before the Duke got married?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

The following questions were exchanged to confirm some basic information.

Claude’s attorney seemed quite experienced, as if this wasn’t their first time.

“In the past year, has the Duchess ever complained about any discomfort in her daily life?”

“Not as far as I can recall.”

And so it begins.

Aggressive questions started pouring in.

“Has she ever had trouble sleeping or shown signs of fear toward the maids or servants?”

“On the contrary, she was quite close with them. She often had tea with them as well.”

“How did her relationship with the Duke appear to you?”

“There didn’t seem to be any particular issues.”

“Has she ever refused to join him for dinner?”

“No, she hasn’t.”

The more the questions went back and forth, the more it became clear that the Duchess didn’t seem like someone who had been living in fear, just waiting for a divorce.

“How did the Duchess usually spend her time at home?”

“Well… we’re not entirely sure, but she always seemed busy with something. Only a few of her closest maids knew the details. Looking back, it might have been work related to the merchant guild.”

“Are you saying that very few people were aware of her work with the guild?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“And when did she start being so busy?”

“Shortly after the marriage, and it continued from then on.”

The two were perfectly in sync. There was no doubt they had coordinated their stories beforehand.

Fitting the truth together is the basic skill of a lawyer.

Claude’s attorney was also editing the truth in his favor, without crossing any lines.

“Given that the Blended Guild appeared around the same time, it’s reasonable to say that she started organizing the guild right after getting married.”

“That could be the case.”

“Strange. She claimed to have suffered unbearable torment during that period, but now it seems she was very busy with guild work.”

He glanced at Natasha.

Yet she still showed no sign of nervousness. She simply wore her usual languid smile.

“…That’s all for now.”

“Is it my turn to question the witness?”

Natasha stood up and approached Isabelle. Although Isabelle thought Natasha looked somewhat familiar, she couldn’t recognize her.

“First of all, being a victim doesn’t necessarily mean one must shut themselves in a room and refuse to eat or drink. Such an image is rather outdated.”

Natasha added, in an exaggerated tone, “I apologize in advance if my words seem offensive.”

If Claude’s attorney had reacted angrily, it would only prove that he was an outdated person, so he kept silent.

“Even when suffering heartbreak or the loss of a loved one, it’s natural to get hungry or sleepy, isn’t it?”

“Well, yes, but…!”

“And speaking of which… despite hearing that Lady Estelle was being harassed, didn’t the Duke carry out his official duties without missing a beat?”

Natasha submitted as evidence a record of Claude’s attendance at imperial meetings and the execution of his duties over the past three years.

“By that logic, one could reasonably doubt whether the Duke was genuinely saddened by his wife’s unfortunate situation. But as I mentioned, no matter how difficult things are, people still go about their work. Isn’t that right?”

Natasha deliberately looked at Claude’s lawyer as she asked.

If he answered “yes,” he would be admitting defeat; if he said “no,” the Duke’s sincerity would be questioned.

It was truly a catch-22, and he couldn’t respond.

“Miss Isabelle. Three years ago, were you aware that Lady Estelle was being harassed?”

“…Well…”

“Please answer with ‘yes’ or ‘no.’ Were you truly unaware?”

Isabelle swallowed hard.

The lawyer behind Natasha subtly shook his head, but Isabelle couldn’t bring herself to lie in court.

“…I knew.”

“And what did you do after finding out?”

“Pardon?”

“Did you inform the Duke or report it to the head maid?”

“Ah… no. I didn’t….”

“So, Miss Isabelle, you were a bystander. Hmm, I see.”

Natasha muttered her last words with a hint of mockery.

Everyone could sense the unspoken “What a trustworthy witness” that hung in the air.

Isabelle unknowingly felt her face flush with embarrassment.

“Now, just a few more questions.”

It was time for the finale.

“You testified that the Duke and Duchess seemed to have a good relationship, correct?”

“That’s how it appeared.”

“Then I assume they often visited the glass garden together, where the Duke frequently spent time?”

Isabelle’s eyes widened.

She seemed to barely hold back the urge to ask, “How do you know that?”

“Witness? Please answer.”

“Well….”

“The garden is something the Duke treasures deeply, isn’t it? Surely the Duchess enjoyed it with him, since you testified that they were a close couple.”

In the end, Isabelle had to admit defeat.

“…The Duchess was actually forbidden from entering the garden until recently, so she didn’t visit it often.”

“I see. Thank you for your testimony.”

A husband who claims to love his wife but forbids her from entering his cherished garden? What kind of contradictory behavior is that?

“That’s all, Your Honor.”

Natasha slightly bowed her head in respect.

It was a perfect victory.