Leave the Divorce to a Professional Lawyer

Estelle was momentarily convinced she had misheard.

“Pardon?”

“Ivan.”

When Natasha called his name, Ivan rummaged through a drawer and pulled out an item. It was wrapped in fine fabric, which he handed to Estelle with respect.

“This is….”

Rustle.

When she unwrapped the cloth, she found a beautifully crafted hair ornament adorned with jewels.

“It’s a recorder.”

“This?”

“You need something that decorative to hide it in a lady’s outfit.”

It was undoubtedly something that an ordinary person could never afford, even with a lifetime’s earnings.

“Can you recognize it? It’s encrusted with Blanche rubies.”

“Oh, no. I don’t know much about jewels….”

“Really? That’s surprising.”

Natasha responded nonchalantly. After all, it wasn’t uncommon for noble ladies to lack an eye for jewels.

“According to imperial law, it’s legal to record a conversation as long as your own voice is included. Such legal evidence can be used in court as needed.”

“Recording my voice….”

It was more serious than she expected. Estelle was slightly confused as to why such a luxurious recorder would be in a lawyer’s office.

Natasha, as usual, answered her unasked question.

“This is just basic preparation for a lawyer.”

Estelle hesitated for a moment before finally accepting the hairpin recorder.

“Alright. I’ll give it a try.”

She struggled to calm her pounding heart.

For Estelle, who simply wanted to live a quiet and ordinary life, such a spy mission was nerve-wracking.

‘Once I finish this, I’ll really leave the original story and live peacefully!’

Making that resolution one more time, she tucked the hairpin into her bosom.

Natasha explained what Estelle needed to do, all while smiling.

“Well then, best of luck.”

By the time Natasha said that, Estelle had already clenched her fists tightly.

The first step towards divorce was about to be taken.

Click.

After a brief storm had passed, Ivan finally spoke.

“The last job fee was 3,000 gold, not 5,000.”

-How much did you get for your last case and hiring a lawyer?

-…It was 5,000 gold.

-Twice that. No, I’ll give you four times that.

“If I say it was actually 7,000 gold now, would you believe me?”

Ivan shook his head slightly in response to the casual remark.

“What do you think?”

“Who knows.”

Natasha nonchalantly responded as she organized files from another case.

“Don’t take any more clients for a while. Cancel all scheduled appointments.”

“Really?”

“Yes. This case won’t be an easy one.”

There was no way Duke Richard was someone to be taken lightly.

Especially if he was so meticulous as to steal away the prenuptial agreement from his private vault.

Moreover, according to Estelle, it seemed there was hardly anything that could tarnish his reputation as a guilty spouse.

“If Duke Richard had been too busy to have dinner with his wife, we would have clung to that. We could have submitted a 500-page document detailing the emotional damage caused by his neglect of the family.”

It was the most common tactic, but it always worked. Unfortunately, they couldn’t use it this time, which was quite frustrating.

“But do you think what Estelle said is true?”

Ivan’s question wasn’t serious, judging by his half-smiling face.

“What, that she foresaw her death in a dream?”

“Well, everyone knows how the wild Countess Blanche suddenly reformed after narrowly avoiding poisoning, right?”

“If that’s true, then the Saintess in the Verdine Holy Kingdom must be a fake.”

Ivan asked Natasha in a gentle tone, “What’s your lawyer’s intuition telling you?”

Perhaps because her job often required her to deal with dishonest people, Natasha was particularly sensitive to detecting lies.

Especially since she was exceptional at lying without batting an eye or quickly catching others in their falsehoods.

“…At least, she didn’t seem to be lying.”

Natasha folded the *Romanoff Weekly* in half and set it aside as she continued.

“She must have been seeing things.”

Gulp.

Estelle felt a dryness in her throat and took a sip of wine.

Her pounding heart echoed in her ears like a drumbeat.

‘If my heartbeat is this loud, can Claude hear it?’

She stole a glance upwards just in case.

And at that moment, her gaze met the icy blue eyes of Claude Richard.

Whoosh!

She quickly lowered her head again, but there was no undoing their eye contact.

“Estelle.”

“Yes?”

“I heard you went out today.”

Estelle flinched involuntarily.

“That hair ornament is new. Did you buy it?”

“Oh, yes.”

“It’s beautiful. It suits you very well.”

When Claude’s eyes curved gently, Estelle couldn’t help but slightly part her lips.

That overly handsome face often left her speechless.

‘Oh no! Snap out of it!’

Estelle quickly reminded herself of her true purpose.

‘Right. Slowly. Just as the lawyer said…!’

With a slightly trembling hand, she fiddled with her hairpin briefly before getting straight to the point.

“Your Grace. By the way….”

“Didn’t I tell you to call me Claude?”

“C-Claud. About the prenuptial agreement we made before marriage-it was in the private vault, but it’s gone now… Can I get a copy of it?”

Claude gazed at her with an unreadable expression.

After staring at her with a somewhat cold look, he eventually smiled faintly.

“I’m not sure what you’re talking about.”

“Pardon?”

“A prenuptial agreement? Did we have one?”

Under the table, Estelle gripped her dress tightly.

‘I’m doomed!’

-First, bring up the prenuptial agreement in conversation. Say something like, “About that clause in the prenuptial agreement,” and if he responds with something like “That’s nonsense,” it means he acknowledges the agreement’s existence.

The lawyer’s advice from earlier, as she lounged like a cat, flashed through Estelle’s mind.

-But if he responds with something like “What are you talking about?” then… Well, let’s hope that doesn’t happen, but if it does, it means he’s trying to deny the very existence of the prenuptial agreement.

-What should I do then?

What did the lawyer say when Estelle nervously asked that question?

-…If that happens, just repeat what I tell you.

“Don’t you remember? We agreed to a mutual divorce after three years of marriage, with half of the Richard family’s assets being transferred to me.”

Of course, it was a lie.

As soon as Estelle said it, she realized how absurd her words sounded and froze.

Claude’s blue eyes briefly glanced over her.

‘Is he angry?’

But she had to endure it. For the sake of the divorce!

‘Right. Now he’ll get angry and say something like, “What nonsense is this?” Then I can prove that the prenuptial agreement exists….’

But Estelle’s thoughts were shattered by Claude’s response.

“You must be feeling unwell today.”

“Excuse me?”

“Talking about prenuptial agreements and whatnot, it seems you’re a bit off.”

At that moment, Estelle realized with a sinking feeling:

‘He’s seen through me…!’

In the end, she silently picked up her knife again.

“I’ll send the doctor to you after dinner.”

“…No, I’m fine.”

The first operation had ended in complete failure.

“I figured that would happen.”

Natasha responded nonchalantly, puffing on her pipe.

Estelle felt foolish for agonizing over what to say to her the previous night.

“Then why did you ask me to do it?”

“Because it was the easiest and quickest way. Though it failed. Oh, and please return the hairpin. It’s quite expensive.”

Before Estelle could say anything, Ivan gently retrieved the hairpin.

“Ugh… I feel like such an idiot.”

“If you need consolation, that’ll be 100 gold.”

“That’s expensive!”

“My consolation is rather priceless, you see.”

Estelle seriously considered taking out 100 gold from her pocket and handing it over.

“Here, try this.”

Just then, Ivan brought out some refreshments, and Estelle, recalling the previous awful tea time, momentarily turned pale.

But this time, the tray was filled with muffins instead of tea.

“This is…?”

“It’s a local specialty. There’s a famous bakery on the first floor of this building.”

Come to think of it, she seemed to recall seeing a long line there.

Cautiously, Estelle took a bite of the muffin, and her eyes widened.

“Delicious!”

“Right?”

Ivan looked rather pleased with himself.

“What about me?”

“Guests come first.”

“That’s harsh. I’ll dock your pay for that.”

Natasha lightly scolded him as she tapped her pipe.

“What do we do now?”

Estelle asked, her brows furrowed in concern.

Without finding the prenuptial agreement, it seemed certain that a peaceful divorce was out of reach.

“Don’t worry, my dear client. There are various options available.”

“Really? But you said we couldn’t even step foot in court….”

“That was before you handed me over 20,000 gold. It might be slightly illegal, though.”

Before Estelle could ask what she meant, Natasha continued.

“If we put someone on the Duke’s trail, we might discover a ‘secret lover’ or an illegitimate child.”

“Pardon?”

“Surprisingly, while many nobles openly keep mistresses, in the empire, an illegitimate child or infidelity can be grounds for divorce!”

It was said in a tone that almost warranted a dramatic sound effect.

Ivan, instead, clapped twice as if to fill the gap.

“……Did you just mention an affair?”

Estelle, in a daze, asked once more.

“Yes. Isn’t it the virtue of noble lords these days? Ah, if you happen to have a lover as well, Estelle, it would be wise to end things beforehand. Although mutual infidelity is a perfectly valid reason for a divorce, it does come with a hefty alimony price.”

It was rather an unethical piece of advice coming from a lawyer.

Estelle was at a loss for words, unsure of where to begin her rebuttal.

“……I don’t have a lover,” she weakly protested.

Natasha had spoken as if she were certain that all nobles must have lovers.

“There’s no need to be embarrassed. As I mentioned, I’m on the side of those who pay me. And from what I can see, you seem to be quite a generous client, Estelle.”

“No, it’s not that I’m embarrassed! I really don’t have anyone else. Neither does my husband!”

But Natasha didn’t pay her words any mind.

After all, nine out of ten noblewomen who had claimed, ‘My husband would never do such a thing,’ had eventually come to admit that Natasha had been right.

“We’ll find out once we put someone on the case.”

“I’m telling you, there’s no way! Besides, where would you even find a cheating male protagonist in the first place……! Oh, no. Claude is so sensitive to his surroundings that it would be impossible to follow him!”

“Don’t worry. I know a good assassin’s guild. They’re quite pricey, though….”

“An assassin’s guild?!”

Estelle instinctively sprang to her feet.