Leave the Divorce to a Professional Lawyer

“Oh, it’s not about trying to kill him. You’d probably have to sell a mine just to put in a request to assassinate the Duke.”

Natasha chose her words carefully, considering Estelle’s pocketbook, which, though full of gold, likely didn’t contain enough to buy an entire mine.

“Of course, if you can afford it, I think the death of a spouse is as good a reason for a breakup as any.”

“That’s not death; that’s murder…”

“There’s not much difference between death and divorce, is there? Both are two syllables.”

“They’re completely different!”

Estelle declared firmly.

“No assassination.”

As Natasha seemed about to argue again, Estelle took her money pouch out of her pocket and handed it over in full.

“Oh, of course! How could I possibly dare to assassinate one of the only four dukes of this great empire? Just joking, just joking.”

Even though she seemed quite serious, Estelle pretended not to notice.

Natasha began counting the gold with a pleased expression.

“If not assassination, what about surveillance…?”

“There’s no mistress on the side, I’m sure of it.”

With a client this stubborn, even Natasha found it difficult to push the matter further.

In the end, she decided to give up on the proposal this time.

“Isn’t there another way?”

“My, you’re quite particular.”

“There isn’t much time left. In the original work, there’s only—”

“What?”

“Oh, anyway, we need to hurry.”

It felt like she had heard something strange, but it must have been a mistake.

“The quickest way to divorce is through mutual agreement.”

“…”

“And since there are no official children, the cooling-off period would be only about a month.”

Estelle silently swallowed her frustration.

“Of course, mutual agreement is the fastest, but people who can divorce by mutual agreement usually don’t come to my office.”

“As I said… my husband is against it.”

“Don’t worry. I’m very good at making husbands want to get divorced.”

Natasha’s pale blue eyes gleamed with a spark.

Steam wafted up, filling the air with a mouthwatering aroma.

This was proof that the bread had baked well.

“Ah, the lawyer is here!”

Janet greeted her.

“I told you, call me Natasha.”

“Oh, how could I? You’re such an important person.”

“Just pack it up as usual. The bread price is…”

“It’s fine! Don’t worry about it.”

As Natasha reached for her gold coins, Janet stopped her.

“I don’t charge the lawyer for bread, you know.”

“How can a bakery not charge for bread?”

“If it weren’t for your help when I arrived here with no connections…”

“Are we talking about that again? It’s been three years already.”

Natasha grumbled, but Janet remained firm. She declared she wouldn’t accept payment, then went inside to fetch the bread.

At the same time, a child peeked out from inside.

The child’s flour-white cheeks and innocent eyes were striking. However, Natasha was certain that behind that facade, there were at least three sly foxes hiding.

“Hey, kid.”

“I’m not a kid.”

It was Janet’s son, Lowell. His blue eyes, much like Janet’s, rolled directly toward Natasha’s pocket.

“Take it.”

She tossed him a gold coin, which Lowell caught with ease.

“Don’t tell anyone I gave it to you, and don’t do anything unnecessary.”

“Okay, sis. Lowell knows nothing.”

“Where did you learn to talk like that?”

Natasha was startled, though it was easy to be deceived by Lowell’s doll-like cuteness.

Lowell, too, wiped away the innocent expression he’d been wearing.

The speed at which his expression changed was chilling. Moreover, Lowell’s real expression was far from innocent; it was almost cold.

“I can’t figure out what’s going on in that head of yours.”

There was something shrewd about him that was not at all childlike.

“Save up that money and give it back to Janet later.”

“Sure.”

His response was far from enthusiastic.

“I really like the bread Janet bakes, so don’t cause any unnecessary trouble in my life. Got it?”

“Uh-huh?”

Lowell suddenly widened his eyes and played cute.

And just then, Janet came back out with the bread wrapped up.

“Lowell! I told you not to come outside.”

“I just wanted to play with Natasha, sis… Sorry.”

“Didn’t mom tell you not to pester customers? Hmm?”

When Janet wasn’t looking, Natasha made an exaggerated gagging gesture at Lowell.

Not one to back down, he stuck his tongue out in retaliation.

‘How could such a sweet and kind Janet have a son like that…’

He must have taken after his father.

Although she didn’t know the exact details, it was clear that the circumstances that led Janet to leave her hometown and arrive in the empire with only her child were far from pleasant.

‘He must have been a real piece of work.’

Lowell was still sticking his tongue out. Natasha briefly considered the urge to smack him.

“What on earth are you doing with a kid?”

Ivan clicked his tongue disapprovingly from behind.

Not long after, a headline appeared on the front page of the Romanov Weekly.

It reported that the Duchess of Richard had bought some barren land at a high price, only to find out that a mine was buried there.

“‘There’s no doubt that the Countess of Blanche has a knack for discovering mines. The Richard family has hit the jackpot, and since a hefty price was paid, there’s no legal ground for reconsideration…’ We failed.”

“Indeed.”

Who knew that advising a bit of extravagance would lead to this?

At the time, it was just a case of “bad luck.”

And then, the next week’s issue contained the following…

“A mysterious assassin who had infiltrated the Duchy of Richard was exposed due to the keen insight of the Duchess. Gone were the days of recklessness, leaving only a composed and wise noblewoman. Perhaps one could say that the true insight belonged to the Duke of Richard?”

“Failed again.”

It seemed like she had inadvertently touched upon something unfortunate while trying to cause trouble.

Was it bad luck or perhaps good luck?

Natasha wore a vague expression.

And the following week, Estelle came to visit in person.

Still a secretive visit, she was dressed in a light, luxurious fabric dress.

When she removed the hat that concealed her striking hair color, her hair, which seemed as sweet as candy, spilled out in waves.

Contrary to her bright hair, Estelle’s face showed clear signs of exhaustion.

“I’ve really messed up.”

“Oh dear.”

“How can I keep failing like this? Is it a divine decree that I should die as the Duchess?”

“Would you like some tea?”

“That’s harsh.”

Estelle straightened up as if nothing had happened in response to Natasha’s remark.

Ivan, unbothered, served the tea.

“I heard about it in the weekly news.”

“Am I really cursed? I deliberately paid double the price to buy a wasteland, and it turned out to contain an iron mine. I randomly slapped someone and acted out, only to find out he was actually an assassin… Do you know what happened today? I tried to indulge in luxury by buying all sorts of dresses and jewels, and they praised me for learning how to uphold my dignity as the Duchess!”

Each word she rapidly spilled out was astonishing.

At this point, it seemed that the heavens were trying hard not to tear these two apart.

“Lawyer. Do you think… I could get a divorce?”

Estelle spoke in a weak voice.

Natasha replied with a bright smile.

“I’ll work on it until the gold in your purse runs out.”

“So you’re not certain…”

“Bribing the judge would be quicker.”

“Should I?”

“Of course, if caught, your entire family could be executed for treason.”

“Ugh…”

The ‘law,’ which didn’t discriminate between royalty and nobility, was one of the strongest pillars supporting this empire.

Law, faith, and the royal family.

These three pillars firmly held up the empire.

And attempting to undermine the law with money or power was considered a grave offense, akin to defying the gods or the royal family.

The judge held a similar level of authority as a priest, and even the emperor could not act recklessly.

“Do you really have to divorce? Disappearing abroad quietly is also an option.”

At Ivan’s question, Estelle hesitated before responding, “It’s not like I haven’t thought about that.”

“If things get dire, I might have to run away in the middle of the night… but if I leave like that, it would cause trouble for the family I leave behind.”

Hmm. That’s true.

Natasha nodded slightly.

At best, the Blanche Count family might lose a couple of mines as compensation, and in the worst case, they could be completely subjugated to the Duchy of Richard.

“There’s precedent, after all.”

Everyone knew who she was referring to, so a brief silence fell.

Although Estelle might not have said it knowingly, Natasha had also handled that case.

Natasha and Ivan exchanged a brief glance.

“Then there’s no choice.”

Natasha broke the ice.

“We’ll have to resort to the last option.”

“Assassination is out of the question!”

“Right, Natasha. Even if the Duke dies, it would cause all sorts of headaches.”

At Ivan’s objection, Natasha looked slightly dumbfounded.

“Ivan, you too?”

The thought was clearly visible on her face.

“Not assassination… I’m planning to infiltrate the Duchy.”

“…Infiltrate…?”

“Yes. If we find the prenuptial agreement, everything will be resolved, right? There’s no better job than a maid for thoroughly searching the mansion.”

Estelle blinked.

“A maid… A maid! That could work!”

Suddenly, her face brightened.

“But they’ll be cautious after recently discovering an assassin. Will it be possible? Should I write you a recommendation letter…?”

“If I enter secretly and have a recommendation letter from you, they won’t even let me near the Duke’s bedroom.”

“What should we do then?”

Natasha replied as if it was no big deal.

“Don’t worry. I’ll enter with a fake identity.”

For a moment, Estelle thought she had misheard.

A fake identity to become a maid at the Duke’s mansion? It seemed almost as reckless as an assassination attempt.

“But if you get caught…”

“Shh.”

Natasha placed her finger on Estelle’s lips, stopping her hesitation.

“This is a basic skill for a lawyer.”

Natasha’s dazzling wink left Estelle speechless.

“Then I’ll see you at the mansion soon.”

“……”

“I’ll tell you the alias then. And if we happen to cross paths, don’t acknowledge me.”

“…Alright.”

Her expression was deeply skeptical.

Estelle wondered if she should admire Natasha’s competence or lament the vulnerability of a Duke’s household being penetrated by a divorce lawyer, not even a professional assassin.