C41
"What's happening with you?" The person who arrived a bit late asked, appearing to be the ambassador's wife.
"E-This..." His reaction, upon seeing the direction indicated by his trembling finger, was similar to that of his husband.
"Oh my god..." A similar scene appears in <Return and Walk on a Path of Flowers>.
After finding Anna, Liena goes to see the ambassador and his wife with a document. It was a record written by a person who found a lost girl near a southern tourist center a long time ago.
Needless to say, that girl was Anna. However, due to the bad atmosphere in the orphanage, the information changed, and Anna believed she had been found in a completely different place.
Liena searched the orphanage's storage and brought the record she found as evidence...
"The parents' eyes were one step ahead."
Because parents recognize their children as soon as they meet them. Even if a long time has passed and the hair color has changed.
The ambassador approached us unsteadily.
"Diana... Is it you?"
Diana was Anna's real name, and when she was a child, she could only remember part of the name in the confusion of her memories.
"Well, I..."
Anna looked at me, unsure of what to do. Although she seemed confused, she intuitively recognized her parents.
I handed the record to the ambassador and his wife, just as Liena did in the novel. Terence helped me obtain this.
Tears welled up in the ambassador's eyes as he read it. He hugged his daughter tightly and stroked her face with trembling hands.
"It's Diana, she's my daughter."
It's as if he's reflecting on whether she still looks the way she did when she was young.
"Mom?"
"Diana!"
The woman also ran and embraced them both.
"Where the hell have you been all this time?"
"I should have come here a long time ago..."
"I'm sorry. I regret losing you."
Before we knew it, the three of them were enjoying the reunion with tears streaming down their faces.
It was a sight that touched the hearts of those who saw it, so my eyes hurt. I looked around and saw that all the nearby guards were in similar situations.
Except for one person.
The first guard I saw had a complexion whiter than a sheet of paper.
"What you did to Anna will come true."
Even without looking at him, I could imagine how the ambassador and his wife, who cherish their daughter so much, would react.
By the way.
"... To be honest, I don't remember much from my childhood."
"It's okay, it's okay. It's enough that you've come back to us."
"But why is your face so damaged? How have you been? Where do you live now?"
No matter how you look at it, other people here are just distractions. Let's leave it to the family.
While waving my arms, the guards silently withdrew. They didn't forget to drag one of their unconscious colleagues away as if taking him with them.
Well, should I take a look around here for a moment? With that in mind, I got on the carriage.
"Wait a moment! What should I do if you leave like this?"
Anna shouted.
No, it wasn't my intention to leave. I was planning to spend some time and come back when you three calmed down a bit.
However, it seemed that Anna was completely mistaken.
"Mom and dad. She brought me here. If that person weren't there, I would have never met you two."
Strictly speaking, that's also wrong. Liena would have brought her there later.
The ambassador and his wife looked at me.
"You're the benefactor of our family."
"There's really nothing of sufficient value that can repay this favor!"
"And yet you're trying to leave without even receiving a reward. How can you be so ungreedy?"
I had no intention of not accepting it, but the insistence of the three people was so strong that it was a bit difficult to refuse. I feel like a faceless angel who secretly donates and then disappears.
"Well, I..."
While I worried about how to tell the truth, misunderstandings constantly piled up.
"I could never let you go like this. Don't hesitate and accept a reward!"
"We'll give you everything we can give!"
"Please, just say the word."
... Is the misunderstanding something that needs to be cleared up? Sometimes it's better to let things be misunderstood.
"If you say so, I have a favor to ask."
The faces of the three family members lit up at the same time.
"My name is Ethel Wallace. In fact, I'm currently facing a difficult situation."
A rather long story began.
------------------------
A few days later.
A long line of people formed in front of the main gate of the Central Court of the Asteroth Empire. It was the day when the most talked-about divorce trial in recent years was taking place.
Approximately half of the crowd were common citizens, and the other half were reporters who had come to cover the event.
"Now the time has come..."
People stretched their necks and looked at the carriage path leading to the city.
The other entrance is only available to judicial officials, so most likely, the people who are waiting will come from here.
At that moment, someone shouted at the top of their lungs.
"Oh, here he comes! It's Cassius!"
The first thing they saw were the duke's knights on horseback. The disciplined, military-armed knights entered through the main gate escorting two black carriages.
The carriages stopped in front of the courthouse, and everyone paid attention.
Many women blushed at seeing the two figures get off the first carriage.
"Look at Leandro's magnificent eyes."
"How can you be so cool even at a time like this?"
"What about Prince Leheim?"
"But both seem in a bad mood."
"Before the divorce trial, young Duke Cassius had a gloomy expression all the time."
The journalists quickly wrote in their notebooks, recalling the content of the article that would be published in today's evening newspaper.
Then the door of the second carriage opened. Liena Cassius stepped out of the carriage, escorted by Duke Cassius.
Whoa! Applause erupted here and there.
"It's Liena!"
"She looks as lovely as always today too!"
"Aww, I wish I could touch those soft cheeks just once!"
"Princess, please look this way!"
"Liena! I love you!"
The source of the commotion was Liena's fan club. Most of the common citizens gathered in front of the main gate were fan club members.
"Hello."
When Liena, with a slight smile, gave a simple greeting, the applause was louder than before.
"Oh my god! I can't believe I got greetings from Liena."
"Today will be a lucky day."
Regardless of what others said or didn't say, the four members of Cassius spoke calmly.
Leheim frowned and looked at the duke.
"When I go home, I will travel in the same carriage as Liena."
"You must win rock, paper, scissors."
"Next time, I will win at all costs."
"Today the pups don't know how to fear a Tiger."
Liena skillfully stopped the two people.
"Come on, dad and brother, that's enough. As the weather is getting colder, I plan to travel with Leandro when I return."
"Nonsense!"
"Where was this agreed upon?"
"You should be considerate of your heartbroken brother."
"...Thank you, Liena."
"This is embarrassing, brother!"
"Don't cowardly take advantage of your situation."
When the Cassius family has to go somewhere in a group, they usually split into two.
And among the three wealthy men, the one who wins the bet rides in the same carriage as Liena as the winner's privilege.
"I guess the duke won today."
"All three are adorable. They argue like children."
Happy smiles spread among Liena's fan club members, who not only like Liena but also her family.
However, that was the fan club's situation, and the reporters' situation was a bit different.
The journalists hurriedly approached the Cassius family. They asked questions despite being blocked by Cassius's elite knights.
"Prince Cassius, how do you feel now?"
"Are you sure you'll win in court?"
"Is there anything you would like to say to your wife before the trial?"
"What is your wife's current residence? Are you really separated?"
"According to rumors, your parents abused your wife and forced her into marriage. Is this true?"
Leandro, heading to the courthouse with his family, ignoring the barrage of questions, stopped. Liena stopped her brother, who was about to say something.
"Brother, you just have to convey your true feelings."
After making eye contact with her younger sister, Leandro regained composure and spoke.
"There's only one thing I want to say. I love my wife with all my heart and hope to resolve the misunderstandings between us and come together."
The pitiful atmosphere of the small Duke shone alongside his beautiful exterior.
Although he was always cold and strong, seeing him tired and weakened was strangely touching.
"Everyone, please pray that my brother does not face the tragedy of divorce."
After making a final plea, the Cassius family took their steps again.
"Oh, wait a moment!"
"Just answer this!"
Cassius's Knights with fierce expressions blocked the path to the reporters.
It seemed like they were about to point their swords at them at any moment.
There was another interruption.
"Get out of here!"
"Evil people taking advantage of others' pain!"
"Don't bother our Leandro anymore!"
The angry members of Liena's fan club attacked the journalists. If it were known they were polar opposites, it could have escalated to violence.
The journalists had no choice but to retreat. Cassius was feared by them anyway, so there was a group of people persistently following him. Moreover...
A journalist whispered to his colleagues.
"It's fine. Ethel Cassius will arrive soon."
The Wallace family has no power and a few days ago, they publicly expressed their position that they do not want Ethel to get divorced.
They hope that the two individuals and the two families will return to the same relationship as before.
In other words, unlike Leandro, she did not have a shield protecting her.
The journalists were full of anticipation, wondering what questions to ask Edel with their words and pens.
It would be better if she showed a reaction that could be a scoop.
"In any case, she's like a tough wife without blood or tears."
This was the collective thought of the journalists gathered here.
Generally, when there is a target to criticize, interest becomes more intense.
Furthermore, the recent situation has been unfavorable for Ethel.
However, the only thing they regretted was that Ethel might lose the trial and return to being a member of Cassius, so they couldn't write an article that crossed the line.
With that mindset, they were waiting for Ethel.
"The carriage is approaching!"
The journalists prepared to run at the shout of a person. However...
"Oh? What kind of soldiers are those?"
Soldiers armed surrounded the carriage on the left and right sides. They wore uniforms that looked familiar.
"Wait a moment, that carriage..."
Looking closely, you could see that the emblem of the Leok royal family was drawn on the beautiful white carriage.
Why is it there?