C53
Silence. A very heavy silence fell. A silence that remained unchanged even after a long time had passed.
There were several moments of silence during the trial, but this time the outcome was a bit different. People simply blinked as if they had heard an impossible sound.
The judge did the same.
"What did you just say?"
"My husband, Leandro Cassius, is having a significant issue conceiving an heir."
As I repeated the same without making a single mistake, I finally got a clear response.
"So, if it's a significant issue... for succession..."
At that moment, it was easy to imagine what thoughts were common in the minds of many people.
I continued to make shocking comments without any consideration for those who found it hard to accept my words.
"He has been avoiding intimacy with me since we got married. From the first night until I left the Cassius mansion, all that time. We have never done anything resembling a married couple."
Sharon assisted from the side.
"This fact can also be confirmed by two witnesses, Laura Emerson and Kayden Moremo. They were responsible for managing the bedrooms of the plaintiff and the defendant, respectively."
"I have done everything possible to resolve this issue. I asked him the reason dozens of times, but my husband never told me anything."
A few dozen times was a bit exaggerated. But if you round to the nearest whole number, it would be twenty times, so let's say that.
"Why did my husband, who claims to love me so much, do that? I still don't understand."
Why can't we sleep together if we love each other? Honestly, there's only one reason.
"In addition to this issue, for the reasons you have seen and heard so far, I have chosen divorce. My heart does not change. I will definitely divorce my husband."
When I finished speaking and returned to my seat, Sharon applauded as if to wake people up.
"I would like to question both witnesses about this. First, the maid, Laura Emerson..."
"There's nothing more to hear!"
An angry Farrell shouted.
"How dare you utter such a scandalous insult to Young Duke Cassius?! We can never let this pass! The crime of defaming the duke's successor..."
Farrell, who was grinding his teeth at me, stopped speaking. He read something in my faint smile.
Suddenly, he looked back at his master. Leandro Cassius's face, who had said there was nothing to fear, was pale.
Seeing Farrell's expression distort, I gained confidence.
"As expected, you didn't say that, Leandro."
Before the trial began, I had some doubts. I wondered if the Leandro Cassius I know would honestly reveal his personal affairs to others.
Among the Cassius family, famous for their pride, Leandro had particularly strong pride. The novel claims that he was raised to be the successor of a great family from birth, but after losing his mother at an early age, he was desperate not to be looked down upon by others.
"After forming a family with Liena, he worked even harder because he wanted to be the perfect older brother."
There was also an episode where Liena took care of Leandro, who suffered health problems from overexertion, and consoled him by saying she liked her older brother just the way he was.
Could Leandro honestly reveal the true story of their relationship? When would Liena, who was deeply involved in the trial, know everything?
Well, even if he had confessed, there was nothing to worry about on our part. As long as Farrel doesn't know, he won't see this as a major threat.
"At most, some employees can testify that the two of us slept together often."
However, by observing Farrell's dramatic change of expression, it seems that Leandro concealed it, as expected. Was he sure there was no way to bring up such a delicate issue?
It's a conservative society where divorce is not easy. How many noblewomen would bring up such a delicate issue in a public event like a trial?
Furthermore, from what I experienced, the Wallace family was particularly patriarchal. If it had been the real Ethel, who was educated and raised by the count and his wife, she might have kept quiet.
"But if you thought I would be the same, you were wrong."
Leandro, you don't know me even though we have lived under the same roof as husband and wife for the past two years.
If you really wanted to fight with me, you should have been prepared to get down in the mud.
What ultimately became Leandro's obstacle was not the recorder or the butler's change of heart but the hypocrisy of his attempt to remain a good person until the end.
While Leandro and Farrell panicked, Laura testified.
"I have served Ethel-nim for the past two years, but I have never seen them sleeping in the same room. Even on their first night as newlyweds."
Even now, when I close my eyes, the events of that night come vividly to my mind.
Leandro, who had been sitting in front of me on the bed for a while, suddenly stormed out of the newlywed room.
"... I'm sorry. It's just impossible."
Simply leaving those words behind.
A similar situation occurred the next day and the day after that. Without fail, Leandro disappeared, leaving me behind, and I was left alone.
Honestly, I was heartbroken. It was lonely. It was difficult. Even though I didn't really love him, my husband rejected me so blatantly.
"This is a farewell now."
After Laura's testimony, the public was buzzing explosively like never before.
"Was the rumor really true?"
"What rumor?"
"Well, there was a story in the past that Young Master Cassius had an issue with that."
"Oh, I remember."
"But didn't that turn out to be false?"
"How do we know if we haven't seen it with our own eyes?"
The judge, concerned about other thoughts, couldn't silence them. Liena, who would have a sudden impact on the public, is no longer present.
Laura exited, and the butler entered. His testimony was even more detailed and shocking.
"Even after marriage, the young Duke used the bedroom he had used since childhood, not the marital bedroom. Likewise..."
He hesitated for a moment and continued speaking.
"In reality, he consulted me about this. It's a bit difficult to tell you the details, but he clearly said that it's difficult to be a normal couple with Ethel. He doesn't love her as someone of the opposite sex."
Sharon responded.
"If what the witness said is true, there is a contradiction. Even during the trial, the defendant claimed to love the plaintiff."
She looked at Leandro.
"He loves her, but he doesn't see her as the opposite sex, and they have never slept together before. How the hell did this happen?"
Farrell, who seemed to think it would be a big deal if it continued like this, stepped out to refute it.
"Your Honor! They are just two people talking!"
"They are the two people who observed the plaintiff and the defendant more closely than anyone else."
"Laura Emerson is the closest collaborator of the plaintiff."
"Mr. Moremo, the head butler, has been a faithful servant of Duke Cassius for decades. This is a sincere confession of conscience on his part."
"But there is no such thing as a confession of conscience..."
"Besides conscience, what benefit does Mr. Moremo gain by siding with the plaintiff?"
Sharon did not miss the opportunity when Farrell yielded and attacked fiercely.
"Money? As you know, my client did not ask for a single penny in alimony. Not to mention the circumstances of her parents, the Wallace family."
Anyway. Now I am ruined and depend on Terence.
"Honor? Don't you all know this? However noble this confession born of conscience is, there is no family that welcomes a servant who turns his back on the master he once served."
It's out of anxiety that someone who betrayed once might do it again.
"He stayed here, giving up not only the loyalty of the past decades but also his future. As a comrade who once served the same family, do not distort his sincerity, Attorney Phillip."
It was a truth that even a three-year-old could know. The butler would gain nothing by helping me. As long as he was exposed to difficulties by becoming an enemy of the great Cassius family, he would have opened himself up to trouble.
"—…….."
Even Farrell bit his lip as if he couldn't come up with anything to say immediately.
At that moment, an unexpected commotion erupted.
"Lies!"
It was some sort of mishap. We and the other party suddenly faced off.
"Don't act like you don't have money! You sold all the gifts Leandro gave you!"
A young woman sitting amidst the audience jumped up and shouted loudly.
"With that money, you can even hire a lawyer! Don't you have a conscience? Are you going to slander Leandro vulgarly over something like this?"
Judging by her attire, she seems to be a noble, and from what she's saying, she's likely a follower of Leandro or Liena.
In fact, there was no need to distinguish between the two. Most of Liena's young followers were also fond of her brothers. If she were a little older, she would probably fancy Duke Cassius.
"Terence clearly said that those favorable to Cassius were excluded from the audience list…"
It seems not everything was leaked.
In reality, it was difficult to keep track of all the members of Liena's fan club.
An unexpected situation no one anticipated.
"Well, this evidence is really…"
"Please, quiet."
The judge shook his head as the public continued to invade. The judge seemed weary of the Cassius family and its followers as well.
"Everyone, don't be deceived! Leandro is innocent! I saw the ring he sold at a jewelry store!"
As the woman caught by me shouted, I picked up the bag I had left on the floor and approached Leandro.
"If it's a ring, is this what you're talking about?"
Leandro, who had been keeping his head down, raised his head. The blue eyes that gazed at the hand I had lifted were colored with astonishment.
On my right middle finger, a large emerald displayed its brilliant light. The Princess of Verdant. It was an expensive jewel that Leandro won at an auction and gave to me as a gift.
For reference, that person gave his sister a necklace called the King of Verdant. Needless to say, which one is more valuable: the king or the princess.
I took out the ring and placed it on Leandro's desk. I retrieved a wooden box from my bag and placed it beside the ring.
"Now look. These are all the jewels you gave me and that I brought with me."
Leandro's shoulders, after inspecting the contents of the wooden box, nearly caused an earthquake.
"That. It can't be! I saw it with my own eyes!"
The follower screamed and left the courtroom. It wasn't a lie. She must have really seen the Princess Verdant at the jewelry store.
That is also correct.
"Because I sold it and bought it back!"
It was when I was trying to get rid of the jewels I brought from the Cassius mansion. There was an image that flashed in my mind.
Even if the trial ends with a victory for this team, Leandro will most likely cling to it again. The man's actions were obvious even without looking.
"At that moment, I'll throw these jewels at him. Take this and go!"
"……."
"Is that too childish, Tay?"
"It's okay. Let's do it."
"Yes?"
"Yes, I want to see that scene too."
"As expected, we have a common language! Oh, but I've already sold all the jewels I initially had…"
"You can buy it again. Don't worry, I'll help with the cost."
"Thank you! I'll definitely pay you back the money!"
"Haha, why bother?"
The demonstration before Terence, despite the embarrassment, was a great success. With his help, I managed to repurchase all the jewels I had sold.
This was possible thanks to luck. The jeweler who bought my jewels did not sell a single piece to another customer.
"I thought that if Leandro and I managed to reunite, I would buy it back."
When I lived up to his expectations and bought the jewels back by paying more, a smile blossomed on the jeweler's face. As I wanted to surprise my husband, he even willingly accepted my request to keep this a secret.
I'll say it again, the commotion caused by that young woman was truly an unexpected situation. However.
"Victory goes to those who can turn unexpected situations in their favor."
By then, the murmurs of the audience had grown loud enough for me to hear.
"I think that's the famous ring. I saw it at that auction too."
"So, what was that she said earlier?"
"It must be a lie. Like the head maid."
"Oh God! Her too?"
"Is there any way to prevent something that happened once from happening twice?"
They choked on their words because it was the most powerful person in the empire, but what followed was obvious.
Leheim, who wasn't as skilled as the Duke or as cunning as Liena, could only look down with a dead expression.
I delivered the final blow to Leandro, who looked back and forth between the jeweler and me with trembling eyes.
"I don't want to keep anything you gave me."
I felt it was a waste to return these expensive jewels. But guess what? I can make money again through mining, and it feels great.
"Divorce is the only gift you can give me."
A feeling of despair spread across Leandro's face.