Leave the Divorce to a Professional Lawyer

Natasha knew she was overstepping, but she quietly offered Janet some advice.

“If you want Lowell to grow up in a better environment, you should respect his wishes. But if that’s not the case… maybe running away is the better choice.”

Natasha had seen how illegitimate children of noble families lived.

Being a child not legally recognized was a miserable thing. Typically, they would be registered under their mother’s name, living in an ambiguous status—neither commoner nor noble.

Their lives were often lonely and isolated, shunned by both commoners and nobles alike.

“If the Duke of Müller adopts Lowell, he could grow up like a legitimate child. But that would mean he and Janet would be separated forever.”

Rumor had it that the duke already had a fiancée. By now, the Duke of Müller was likely married.

“Then again, you never know. Maybe his wife couldn’t conceive, and they’re seeking Lowell to secure an heir.”

That was often the case when nobles actively sought out their illegitimate children.

“…I think so too,” Jeanette spoke in a calmer tone. “If that’s what he wants, I’ll have to send him. He’s too smart to live the life of a baker’s son.”

“If that’s not the case,” she continued, “then we’ll run away without looking back.”

Her red, tear-stained eyes glinted fiercely. Natasha took her hand in silence.

***

Screeech.

The inn on the outskirts of the village was mostly a place for hunters or mercenaries to stay. As such, its facilities were far from comfortable, unlike other lodging houses.

The door groaned as if it were about to break.

“Mmm…”

Lowell rubbed his eyes as he woke up from the inside.

“Mom?”

“Lowell…”

The sharp-witted child immediately sensed that something was off with Jeanette. His drowsiness vanished in an instant at the unusual atmosphere.

“Lowell, can you be honest with me?”

“Mom, why is the lawyer lady from upstairs here?”

Instead of answering, Jeanette pulled out a letter. Lowell’s name was clearly written in the ‘recipient’ section.

Realizing what was happening, Lowell shot a sharp glare at Natasha for a moment.

“Tsk, tsk.”

Natasha clicked her tongue silently, causing Lowell’s face to harden before he quickly returned to his usual calm demeanor.

“Mom, that letter…”

“Yeah.”

“…I sent it.”

In the end, Lowell confessed. He gave up when he saw Jeanette’s resolute expression.

“But I didn’t think they’d come for me! Really! I even asked Uncle Anton to send it with a fake address…”

This clever boy wouldn’t have exposed himself without precautions. From what he said, he had taken significant steps to cover his tracks. He had befriended the mailman and his son, and with his smooth talk, he managed to alter the return address.

When the reply came back, it was supposed to be marked as undeliverable, but somehow Anton got hold of it and delivered it secretly.

“But you got caught.”

It was impressive they’d managed to hide the address for so long, given that they were dealing with a foreign duke. But it was only a matter of time before they were found out.

“They were probably just circling around until they figured out the real address.”

Given the Duke of Müller’s status as a war hero, it would have been a delicate diplomatic issue to send someone to another empire. The fact that he did so secretly meant…

“He must be pretty desperate.”

While Natasha was thinking this, the conversation between Jeanette and Lowell continued.

“I know you’re a smart child. I also know it might be hard for you to thrive in an environment like this. Lowell, do you want to cross over to Hamond and receive a better education?”

“…It would be a lie if I said I didn’t. But if I knew Mom hated it so much that she’d run away… I wouldn’t have sent the letter.”

Tears began to fill Lowell’s eyes.

“I just thought… if Dad was an important person, you wouldn’t have to struggle waking up early every day to bake bread, sniffling, and… I don’t want to be separated from you, Mom…”

As tears began to stream down Lowell’s face, Jeanette hugged him tightly, causing him to cry even harder.

No matter how mature he acted, he was still just a child.

“My sweet boy… You did it thinking of me?”

Sniff.

“I don’t see baking as a struggle. I feel so fulfilled when people enjoy the bread I make. You know that, right?”

“But… your fingers are always hurt, and your arms and shoulders ache…”

“Sometimes I get hurt, but the joy outweighs the pain, so I keep doing it. I must have made you worry, Lowell.”

At her gentle words, Lowell shook his head, tears still flowing.

“I’m sorry… for doing all this behind your back… Can’t we go back anymore?”

Jeanette’s face grew complicated.

With their address now revealed to Müller, returning to their old bakery seemed nearly impossible.

Moreover, Lowell was starting to resemble Ludwig Müller more and more.

If any of Müller’s knights happened to see him, they would undoubtedly realize whose son he was.

Seeing that Jeanette couldn’t answer, Lowell burst into more heart-wrenching sobs.

“I’m sorry… I ruined everything you worked so hard for…”

“Shhh, it’s okay, Lowell. We can always start over. Don’t worry, it’ll be okay.”

Jeanette continued to comfort Lowell, who was crying so hard that his face had turned red.

‘As if everything’s okay,’ Natasha thought sarcastically from behind. ‘Does she even know how hard it is for someone with no connections to settle down in a foreign land?’

While transportation had improved, carriages were still only for those with money. Most commoners spent their entire lives in the place they were born.

In such tight-knit communities, everyone knew each other so well that even the number of spoons in their neighbor’s house was no secret. For an outsider to integrate was incredibly difficult.

‘Especially a young single mother with a child. She’ll be perfect prey for gossip.’

There would be all sorts of rumors following her for a long time. Overcoming that challenge would not be easy either.

“The Duke of Müller… might not be looking for Lowell with good intentions. Even if he truly cares and adopts him as his son, you’ll have to part with him forever. Are you okay with that?”

“No, I don’t want to be separated from Mom,” Lowell quickly shook his head.

“I want to stay with you…”

“…Alright. Then, let’s leave. So they can never find us… ever.”

Jeanette mumbled as she hugged her child tightly.

“So they’ll never find us… ever.”

After Lowell cried himself to sleep, Jeanette finally took a deep breath. She tucked him in before sitting with Natasha at the nearby table.

“What’s your plan?” Natasha asked.

“I’ll leave as soon as the sun rises. I’ve been waiting for a few days, watching to see if Müller’s knights would withdraw, but they’re not going anywhere.”

It seemed the knights had solid evidence that they were nearby.

“Where will you go?”

“…I’m thinking of heading to the Holy Nation of Verden.”

“The Holy Empire?”

It was a surprising choice.

“In the Holy Nation, even the Duke of Müller can’t search freely.”

“Ah.”

If that was the reason, it made sense. The last thing anyone would want was to risk being accused of blasphemy, especially given the notorious inquisitions of Verdin.

“Thank you for everything. Thanks to you… I was able to live a sweet dream, even if just for a moment.”

When Jeanette fled from the Kingdom of Hamond, she never imagined she could live happily. She had prepared herself to endure a miserable and dark future.

But because of Natasha’s help, she had been able to open a bakery, interact with the villagers, and live a normal life.

Natasha had been the one to feed and shelter a wandering single mother with no status or money.

Jeanette bowed deeply, expressing her gratitude one last time.

Natasha silently gazed at her for a while before offering a low-voiced piece of advice.

“The borders between the Empire and the Holy Nation are heavily guarded. If you plan to sneak in under a false identity, it’d be better to pass through the Kingdom of Dripolk.”

Jeanette blinked in surprise.

“If you want, I can introduce you to a good broker in Dripolk. It’ll cost you, but he’s the best at illegal border crossings.”

“How do you even…?”

Why would a lawyer know the ins and outs of sneaking into the Holy Empire? Janet couldn’t hide her shock.

But Natasha cut her off and continued.

“The temporary identity papers I made for you look convincing, but they won’t hold up to close scrutiny. When you go through immigration, I suggest you divert attention as much as possible.”

“…Thank you. I’ll keep that in mind.”

Jeanette decided not to ask any more questions. Natasha was always a woman of many secrets, even to Jeanette, who had known her for quite some time.

The only person Natasha seemed to open up to was Ivan. At times, it felt like there was a private world shared only between the two of them.

At dawn, when the sun was just beginning to rise, Jeanette packed the few belongings they had.

Lowell, with his swollen eyes, silently got ready as well.

It was closer to night than morning—the perfect time to slip away unnoticed.

Natasha decided to escort them to the edge of the village.

“Lowell, don’t take off your robe, alright?”

“Yes, I won’t.”

With a child’s robe over his noble-looking head, Lowell was ready.

“Hold on tightly to my hand. If it gets too hard, tug my sleeve twice, and I’ll carry you.”

“Okay.”

After several reminders, Jeanette finally seemed ready and reached for the door handle.

“From now on, we need to be as quiet as…”

Screeech.

Click.

As Jeanette opened the door while looking at Lowell, she saw both Lowell and Natasha’s faces turn to shock.

The door, which had been opening slowly, suddenly stopped as if something blocked it.

“Oh…”

Instinctively turning her head, Jeanette let out an unconscious groan.

A pair of cold green eyes stared back at her, watching her like a predator ready to devour.

He was incredibly handsome, but his gaze was fierce and terrifying. Janet knew those eyes. How could she ever forget?

Even during that one night they spent together, she had felt as though those eyes would swallow her whole.

“…Duke… Müller…”

Jeanette stammered his name in disbelief.