The room was littered with piles of documents stacked like mountains. Amidst the scattered sheets of paper, Natasha, wearing glasses, was struggling to keep up.
Her eyes were sunken from sleepless nights, and her hair was disheveled. Around her were remnants of coffee, consumed in place of proper meals.
Chloe tried to avoid stepping on the stacks of papers, but quickly realized it was impossible unless she could somehow float in the air.
Click, click.
In the end, Chloe trampled over the piles of documents as she made her way toward Natasha.
“Natasha.”
There was no response.
“…Natasha.”
Feeling uneasy at the thought of someone seeing them like this, Chloe raised her voice slightly.
But Natasha continued to bury her head in the piles of documents as if she was being absorbed into them.
“Natasha!”
“Hmm?”
Only then did Natasha turn her head.
“Oh… Madam, what brings you here? What if someone sees you?”
“That’s exactly what I want to ask you. How is the divorce case progressing?”
Even in her anger, Chloe exuded an air of nobility.
She slightly raised her chin and looked down at Natasha, conveying her displeasure through non-verbal cues without explicitly showing it.
Natasha seemed to understand as she briefly pushed the piles of documents aside.
“I was planning to visit you soon anyway… But since you’re here, you’ve saved me the trouble.”
Natasha took out a small bead-like object from her pocket. It was smaller than a pinky nail, hemispherical, with one flat side.
“That woman is due for her regular report soon, isn’t she?”
“…How do you know…?”
“Did you think I was going through all this trouble for nothing?”
Natasha shrugged, as if it was obvious.
“Since I took on this case, I’ve had free access to Mikhail’s office and reception room. I have a bit of a bad habit.”
She was implying that she had dared to snoop around the office of Duke Petrov.
It was something that could cost her life if caught, and Chloe’s eyes widened unconsciously.
“Anyway, I’ll be installing this around that time.”
“What is that exactly?”
“It’s a miniature recording device.”
Natasha raised her hand slightly, reflecting the recorder in the moonlight. It looked more like a decorative gem than a recording device.
“Evidence obtained illegally like this can’t usually be admitted in court… But using this, we can lay the groundwork for acquiring solid evidence.”
It’s really a shame.
They have to take the long way around, leaving the easy route behind.
It would be quite entertaining to play Mikhail and that mistress’s secret conversation loudly in court.
“But as you can see, this is a miniature recorder, so it only records the last hour. After an hour, the previous recordings are naturally overwritten.”
Natasha’s plan was as follows:
“No matter what Mikhail and that woman do in the reception room, as long as we retrieve this recorder right afterward? Voilà. We can know exactly what they talked about.”
“…You were planning all this.”
“Planning sounds like I’m doing something bad.”
Natasha smiled sweetly.
“It’s harsh to say that to a lawyer working hard for the peaceful destruction of your household.”
Isn’t that even worse? Chloe thought fleetingly.
“I’ve also considered several Plan Bs. They might tiptoe between legal and illegal…”
As Natasha predicted, that elderly couple later contacted her, saying they remembered something, that the man had brought a woman.
Once Chloe realized Natasha wasn’t just slacking off, she seemed a little relieved.
“I want to finalize the divorce proceedings as quickly as possible. I don’t need alimony or property division, just do it quickly.”
There was even a hint of urgency in her voice.
It was rare for the noble Chloe to show her emotions like this.
“You’re in quite a hurry to get divorced.”
“Who would want to stay with a cheating husband any longer than necessary?”
“Even so, it’s a bit extreme to give up on alimony or property division. I understand you’re fed up, but you’ll regret it later.”
Natasha had seen many clients like that.
Those who, tired and worn out, hastily settled, only to regret it bitterly later.
But Chloe was resolute.
“I won’t regret it.”
“…You’re so firm about it, I can’t argue. As you wish…”
“I don’t have much time left.”
Natasha looked up at Chloe, puzzled by the sudden remark.
She continued in the same calm tone.
“My doctor has given me a terminal diagnosis.”
“…What?”
“At most, I have a year. At the shortest, six months. That’s all the time I have left. Do you understand now why I can’t drag out this divorce case?”
Chloe’s cheek, bathed in moonlight, appeared especially pale.
Or perhaps, it was a ghostly pallor.
Only then did Natasha notice Chloe’s dress, buttoned up to her neck, and the white gloves covering her delicate hands.
Even the thin ankles peeking out from beneath the hem of her white dress.
Why hadn’t she noticed until now? Chloe’s ethereal presence had even masked the signs of her illness.
“…Does Mikhail know?”
“No. Only my doctor and I know. Not even my brother…”
“Not even the Duke…”
Natasha recalled when Claude had come to see her on Chloe’s behalf.
It was clear that Claude was focused on Chloe’s ‘divorce’ and was unaware of her fading life.
“I wanted to keep it as quiet as possible, but I thought you should know. So you can finalize the divorce as quickly as possible.”
“Hmm. I definitely understand what needs to be done now.”
Natasha replied, somewhat reluctantly.
Though it wasn’t uncommon to grow personally close to clients during divorce cases, she hadn’t expected to hear something like this.
It was unfortunate, but Natasha felt no particular emotion.
“Then I’ll prioritize speed in the plan. Though my specialty is dragging things out to squeeze out every last penny, as you know, I’m a competent lawyer, so this is doable too.”
A myriad of schemes flitted through Natasha’s mind before disappearing.
If she tried something too rash, she might just provide unnecessary leverage.
“Oh, the quickest way to divorce is through mutual agreement. Since you don’t need alimony, why not go for an uncontested divorce?”
“…You don’t pity me, do you?”
“Sorry? Well, no.”
Natasha shrugged indifferently.
“Fortunately, I’m a lawyer, not a life insurance agent.”
“That’s true.”
Chloe’s proud dignity couldn’t tolerate anyone daring to pity her.
For that reason, she was extremely reluctant to confide in this lawyer, but she was very satisfied with the unexpectedly calm response.
“A mutual consent divorce won’t work. Mikhail, against his nature, considers the concept of ‘family’ quite important.”
“That idiot?”
Natasha immediately retracted her words.
“Oh, sorry. So, that’s what he said?”
Chloe nodded, though she wasn’t sure what had changed.
“That’s what he said himself. He claimed that he developed a trauma after his once-harmonious parents divorced.”
Natasha thought it was utterly absurd.
“So, he said he would protect his family no matter what… He told me that when we got married.”
“He’s a real bastard.”
“I won’t deny it.”
Whispering sweet promises to protect the family when they got married, only to cheat with another woman right after—truly the kind of story that would set the Romanov tabloids on fire.
***
Shocking news was delivered. Natasha, who practically lived at the Petrov estate, was calmly having breakfast with them when it happened.
The head servant approached and whispered something in Mikhail’s ear.
Mikhail’s expression slightly stiffened.
“…I see.”
The head servant quietly returned to his place.
“What’s going on?” Chloe asked, and Mikhail responded nonchalantly.
“They say Yelena’s carriage overturned.”
Yelena. At that name, Natasha’s eyes glinted maliciously.
It was the name of the mistress.
“Is she hurt?”
“Fortunately, no. But they said she had to borrow another carriage from a nearby village, so she’ll be delayed by about two more days.”
Natasha took a sip of water, pretending not to be interested in the conversation.
Her throat felt dry.
‘She was supposed to arrive today, but now she’ll be two days late? Then… it coincides with the date of the merchants’ meeting.’
The mini recorder was literally tiny, with a capacity of just one hour.
At the merchants’ meeting, Natasha would have to stay longer than Mikhail, trapped in the proceedings.
As the final decision-maker, Mikhail could leave once the situation was settled, but Natasha had to review the detailed provisions before she could leave.
‘One hour… Can I finish the meeting and retrieve the recorder in that time?’
She pondered deeply, but wasn’t sure.
Every minute and second she delayed would mean losing precious evidence!
While Natasha was racking her brain over the problem, Chloe was discreetly observing Mikhail’s expression.
He seemed composed, but he was repeatedly missing his knife while cutting. Moreover, his tightly pressed lips suggested he was deep in thought.
‘Are you worried?’
Chloe smirked inwardly.
‘You’re really uneasy over the news of the overturned carriage, aren’t you?’
Her mouth tasted bitter. Chloe struggled to hide a bitter smile.
“It looks like it will overlap with the merchants’ meeting schedule. Are you sure you don’t need to change it?”
Natasha initiated, but Mikhail shook his head firmly.
“I was told there’s nothing special in this regular report. There’s no need to change the schedule. I’ll just listen to the report briefly.”
‘Don’t you want to spend more time with your lover since it’s been a while? I’ll pretend not to notice, so why not adjust the schedule a bit!’
Natasha barely managed to suppress the urge to shout.
‘Asking a client for a favor…? No, if someone who never lingered in the drawing room suddenly started doing that, it could raise suspicion.’
Moreover, if he felt a sense of crisis, he might hide it even more thoroughly.
In such a case, it was more natural for Natasha, often labeled as ‘uncontrollable,’ to take the reins.
‘I have no choice.’
If it can’t be done, make it possible.
Isn’t that the basic competence of a lawyer?
‘I’ll finish it swiftly within an hour…!’
• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •By Esraa• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •
If you want to support the translation and the translator, you can buy a coffee~
