– Wow, you have no idea how shocked I was when I read the newspaper! The Crown Prince’s fiancée did something like that…
“It was quite a lot to deal with.”
– And yet, the wedding is still happening. The Crown Prince must really love Lady Lydia!
Through the communication crystal, Estelle continued chattering excitedly.
“…You could say that.”
Though it’s a type of love that most people might find hard to understand. Wasn’t it called polyamory?
– Does Lady Lydia love the Crown Prince too? Of course, there were some scandals before, but still, she’s marrying His Highness…
“Miss Estelle.”
– Yes?
“What exactly are you trying to say?”
Natasha poked at the truth, causing Estelle to shut her mouth.
They had exchanged letters from time to time, but this was the first time she had contacted Natasha through the communication crystal so early in the morning.
And judging by the background behind her, she was inside a moving carriage. For someone as busy as her with the launch of that new product, “Mint” or whatever it was called, there had to be a reason for her to reach out like this.
– As expected, I can’t hide anything from you, Natasha.
“It’s a basic skill for a lawyer.”
– Phew… You’re right. I was so shocked by the article that I barely slept.
Estelle brought her face closer to the communication crystal, showing off the dark circles under her eyes.
– I’ve mentioned it before, haven’t I? That Claude was destined to be with someone else. And when that person shows up, someone like me… would be thrown away in an instant.
“Yes, I recall recommending that you seek therapy.”
– ..But now that ‘Lady’ Lydia is marrying the Crown Prince instead of Claude…
Estelle seemed quite confused. Had she finally realized that her delusion wasn’t reality?
– …Did the original story change because I got divorced?
Not quite there yet.
Natasha coolly assessed Estelle’s mental state and responded calmly.
“Well, from what I’ve heard, that Lady Lydia did approach the Duke, but the Duke firmly rejected her.”
– Rejected her? Claude rejected Lydia?
“Yes. What did he say again? ‘I already have someone I love,’ I believe.”
Estelle’s face instantly turned beet red at those words.
– C-Claude said that?
“Yes.”
Natasha pondered the potential future of this couple.
– But… the female lead… No, now Lydia is the Crown Princess…
Estelle mumbled to herself, seemingly unable to process her confusion. Natasha, in the meantime, took a sip from her teacup but quickly set it down due to the awful taste.
– Well, the truth is, letters from Claude keep arriving.
“Letters?”
– I’ve blocked his calls through the communication crystal, so… Anyway, he always finds out where I’m staying and the letters are there, waiting for me.
Should this be considered obsession or dedication?
“And what do the letters say?”
– They’re all pretty similar. Just updates about how he’s doing and… how he misses me…
As she spoke, Estelle began fanning herself, her face flushing even more.
To Natasha, who had seen it all, such displays seemed like mere child’s play.
– Well, my business with ‘Mint’ will be wrapped up soon, and I was thinking of heading back to the Illyhad Empire to finalize things. Claude asked if we could meet when I get there. Should I… go see him?
“Why are you asking me?”
– You’re the expert, Natasha!
“My expertise is in divorce cases…”
She had never specialized in relationship counseling.
Seeing Natasha’s perplexed expression, Estelle continued to fret.
– What if I meet him and my feelings start to waver?
“If they waver, they waver.”
– What if we… end up getting remarried?
“Well, that would make you a VVIP client, which isn’t bad for me. And if you get divorced again, leave the case to me.”
– I’m not joking!
“Neither am I.”
Natasha replied in a deadpan tone, devoid of humor.
“I told you before. Plenty of my clients have remarried after divorcing. About 70-80% of them come back to me saying they want to divorce again. They tell me they must have lost their minds for a moment and that there’s no way they can live with that person.”
– So…?
“Then, about six months later, they remarry again, and six months after that, they come back asking for another divorce.”
– ……
Repairing a broken bond was no easy task. Especially when they had already gone through the ordeal of a divorce. There wasn’t much more to be said.
“Of course, there are a few cases where they remarried and lived happily. Most of them involved one party straightening out after the divorce, realizing they couldn’t act like they did before.”
– Then… what about us?
“Your situation is a bit different. You may not remember everything, which is frustrating for you, but legally, it was mutual.”
At this, Estelle slumped, looking crestfallen.
– …I guess you’re right.
“I won’t stop you, though. It seems you two have a strong bond of affection.”
Claude, in particular, had been quite the surprise.
Natasha had expected him to sulk for a few weeks before finding someone new and starting over.
Given Claude’s status, leaving that spot beside him empty would likely invite trouble. Though Chloe was helping with the duties of the Duchess now, once she was gone, the role would be vacant again, leaving the Duke vulnerable to pressure from all sides—proposals, and even distant relatives trying to push their sons as heirs.
All of that would shake the stability of the Duchy.
“There’s an old saying in the Eastern Continent: ‘Cultivate yourself, regulate your family, govern the country, and bring peace to the world.’”
It meant that stabilizing one’s household was the first step to governing a country, which in turn would lead to peace throughout the realm.
– Thanks for the advice, Natasha.
“Don’t mention it.”
– I’ll make sure to visit when I get back!
“No need to…”
– I insist!
With that, the communication crystal went dark. Natasha closed her mouth, realizing there was no point in trying to say ‘you don’t have to visit.’
That girl was still as headstrong as ever.
“Estelle is as lively as ever.”
“Ivan.”
“Now that your call’s over, could you help me?”
Ivan muttered bitterly. Natasha glanced around the office.
“…How much do you think that costs?”
“How much does it look like?”
“Wow, are those jewels on that skirt sparkling?”
“It’s none other than Blanche diamonds.”
Insane. Natasha couldn’t help but feel her jaw drop.
It was a beautiful dress. The dress itself was blue, but layered with white fabric on top, giving it the appearance of a deep sky blue.
The jewels studded on the skirt sparkled brightly, becoming more densely packed towards the hem, glittering blindingly with each slight flutter.
It was a dress that perfectly matched Natasha’s sky-blue eyes. Although she hadn’t tried it on, the size seemed just right!
“…This is like a silent pressure to make sure I attend the wedding, isn’t it?”
“At this level, it’s like a death wish. ‘If you don’t show up, be ready to write your will.’ Something like that.”
“That makes sense.”
It was a dress sent by Lydia and Leon, urging her to wear it to the wedding.
She hadn’t even decided whether she was going yet, but receiving such a dress put her in a real dilemma.
‘…If I sold this dress, would I be arrested for insulting the royal family?’
While entertaining such a pointless thought, Ivan yelled at her to stop daydreaming and help out.
“There’s no space to put that dress, so just leave it here. Now, take these shoes and accessories.”
“Wow, what’s all this?”
The shoes looked expensive enough to make her eyes pop out. Earrings, a necklace, and even a hair ornament—all in soft, harmonious shades of sky blue and white.
“Should we put these in a safe?”
“I’m scared they’ll get stolen. Should we return them?”
“Come on, the royal family has some pride. They wouldn’t ask for them back, would they…?”
Despite saying that, Natasha opened the safe, just in case.
If they were to demand she pay for all of this, she’d have to work for at least three generations straight.
‘…Should I mention this to Duke Winchester?’
At this point, she had no choice but to attend the wedding. However, of the people attending who were on her level, there were almost no suitable partners for Natasha.
‘They’re all divorcees, one way or another.’
She mentally reviewed a few potential candidates, but there wasn’t much progress. Of course, if you considered it that way, Carlos also fell into the ‘divorced’ category.
“Soon, I need to send a letter… Huh? Ivan, did you bring the wrong letter again?”
“Oh, did I?”
While struggling to move the dress, he approached Natasha.
The seal bore the crest of a family she had never seen before, and the recipient’s name was clearly written as “Lowell.”
‘What’s this?’
Not once, but twice?
Last time, she had tried to check the letter’s contents but had been caught by Jerome, who snatched it away. It was clear that the sly little brat was up to something!
Smack!
“Give it here.”
“You shouldn’t peek at other people’s letters.”
“What did you do with the letter that came last time? You didn’t just hand it over to Lowell, did you?”
“I gave it to Lowell.”
“You should’ve given it to Janet!”
The fact that the recipient was “Lowell” and not “Janet” was suspicious enough!
“Fine, let’s do this. I won’t open the letter. But in return, you hand it over to Janet.”
Natasha proposed a rather reasonable compromise.
Ivan hesitated for a moment before nodding.
“Okay. I agree that Lowell seems to be plotting something strange.”
“Then you should’ve told Janet from the start.”
“At that age, it’s normal to want to keep secrets, you know.”
Look at him, acting all grown-up.
Natasha gazed at Ivan with a satisfied expression for a moment before heading out.
‘Whatever scheme Lowell is cooking up, Janet will make sure it gets shut down once she finds out.’
Despite everything, Lowell deeply cared for his mother.
Thud, thud.
Knock, knock, knock.
She knocked on the door of the first floor, but there was no answer.
“Janet?”
Even when she raised her voice, there was no response.
“That’s strange. The bakery has been closed for the past few days….”
Just yesterday, Janet had posted a closed sign, complaining that her wrists and elbows were sore from baking.
“Is she resting at home? Or maybe she went on a picnic with Lowell….”
Clunk.
But the door handle turned easily. It wasn’t locked.
“…Janet?”
An ominous feeling crept down her spine.
Creak.
The door opened with a loud noise.
Inside, it was a mess, as if they had hastily packed and fled. Clothes and various belongings were scattered everywhere in a rush.
It was completely different from the usual neat and tidy state of the house.
And there was no sign of Janet or Lowell anywhere.
“…They’re gone.”
Janet and Lowell had disappeared.
• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •By Esraa• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •
If you want to support the translation and the translator, you can buy a coffee~
