C47
At that moment, I hated Farrell next to Leandro. But the shit wasn't over yet.
"In addition, the plaintiff launched harsh insults at the defendant in his home, where his family was gathered, simply because the defendant, who was busy with construction, had forgotten their wedding anniversary."
I told him to fuck off, but saying it like that sounds like I cursed in front of the Cassius family.
That happened when I was alone with Leandro on the second floor. What Farrell claimed wasn't a lie, but rather a clever speech technique that created an illusion in the listener.
"The actions that the plaintiff claimed the defendant did some time ago, such as background checks and surveillance, were nothing more than a misunderstanding resulting from the defendant's efforts to persuade the plaintiff to improve their relationship. The defendant is in a very difficult situation due to the series of actions committed by the plaintiff, but he doesn't want the family to dissolve. The defendant still loves the plaintiff. Therefore, the defendant cannot accept the divorce no matter what happens."
The judge asked Leandro.
"Do you have anything else to say?"
Leandro, who was considerably more haggard than before, though not as much as me, opened his mouth.
"No matter how busy I was, it was my fault for leaving my wife alone."
He directed his passionate gaze at me from where he sat across from me, on the other side of the conference table.
"I'm just reflecting on that. If I had a single chance, I would try harder. Please... Please just give up the divorce."
The audience became emotional again. This is because Leandro seemed quite pathetic and sincere.
"Did this person learn to act from his younger sister?"
In reality, if Liena had prepared for the trial, she would have stood by her brother and guided him step by step. The way to win someone's heart by appearing weak.
The number of villains who started an argument without knowing why, and then Liena cried first, falling alone into the abyss, amounted to more than five fingers.
As expected, this is a formidable opponent.
When I saw that, I unconsciously felt weak. Can we endure without the butler?
"No, let's trust Terence and wait."
Oddly enough, the belief that he would safely bring back the head butler helped me keep my composure. I met Leandro's eyes without avoiding them.
"You say you love me, but do you think I'm such a bad person? If that's your love, I refuse."
"......!"
Some audience members nodded. The opinions on the other side, where the word love coexists with words criticizing me, were inevitably contradictory.
From Leandro's perspective, there was nothing he could do. I am meticulously exposing Leandro's mistakes, but if you only respond with tepidity, you are likely to end up on the defensive.
A couple with children would say they would endure it for their children, but that is not our case. However, we cannot give the Philistine the reason that the purpose is to use an abandoned mine as a dowry.
Like with other nobles, it was difficult to give a reason like "protecting the alliance between families formed through marriage." Because Wallace is so ordinary that he has absolutely nothing to gain from Cassius.
In the end, his best argument was this. Since it's my fault, I have no right to request a divorce.
But still, Leandro still loves me, so I will live with him.
Although it might be seen as a sign that he loved his wife very much, it was also a dangerous assertion that quickly became uncomfortable the moment it tipped the scales one way or the other.
I put strength into my two intertwined hands. I hoped the other side would come up with something like this, but I couldn't help but feel angry.
"What is this bastard doing?"
Apart from swearing that he was an idiot with anger, everything he said was nonsense.
I will definitely destroy everything.
After listening to the arguments of both parties one by one, the judge summarized the situation.
"The main issue in this case seems to be 'whether the defendant's actions constitute grounds for judicial divorce under Article 408 of the Civil Code.' First, if you have any evidence, present it and state it."
"I request Laura Emerson, a maid who once worked in the Cassius mansion, as a witness. She is the person who, more than anyone else, has closely followed the life of the plaintiff, the young duchess."
Farrell objected to Sharon's request for Laura as a witness.
"I have an objection! Laura Emerson was the maid who brought the plaintiff from her parents' house. There is a high possibility that the testimony will be biased."
"Laura is a maid hired by the Wallace family just a month before their wedding."
It's true. Usually, when nobles got married and one joined the other family, it was customary for the incorporated party to take their subordinates with them.
Wallace was a family that didn't want to spend money hiring a single maid for their daughter, but they tried to have various ways to establish a relationship with the Cassius family.
"In addition, Cassius was the one who paid Laura's salary for the past two years; she moved to Cassius and worked there. Would she go to the extent of lying and siding with the young duchess?"
"Laura Emerson was recently fired from the Duke's mansion. There are many reasons for harboring resentment."
"This is a case that was amicably resolved between the parties; the head maid who fired her acknowledged that the dismissal was unfair and even received an apology."
The judge made a decision while both sides were arguing intensely.
"There doesn't seem to be any major issue. I will accept the plaintiff's request as a witness."
Farrell slightly frowned, but soon regained his rigid expression.
After completing her identity verification on the witness stand, Laura stood in front of the speaker's table.
Although she looked a bit nervous, she accepted the oath calmly.
"I, Laura Emerson, swear by the goddess Miella that I will only speak the truth according to the conscience of my heart."
Sharon, who requested Laura as a witness, began to interrogate the witness.
"You, witness, have served my client more closely than anyone else for the past two years, haven't you?"
"Yes, fortunately, Ethel-nim trusted me and made me her exclusive maid."
Then, Sharon asked about her work as a maid as if it were an absolutely necessary question, and Laura also listed in detail what she was dedicated to.
It would take some time for the butler to arrive.
It touched my heart to see the effort these two people put in for me. I felt like I had to get a divorce for them.
After a while, Sharon's questions finally began to get to the point.
"It is well known that the witness was very close to the plaintiff. So, according to my witness, what was the usual relationship between the duke and the duchess?"
"Well, actually... I really have nothing to say. The duke didn't seek out Ethel-nim very often. Apart from when he visits the capital, there are only a handful of times I've seen them together."
"Is that true? Didn't the witness serve as an exclusive maid for two years?"
Laura nodded slightly.
"The two have been living in separate rooms since they got married and ate separately unless there was a special event. As a result, there were many days when they didn't see each other even once."
"Can we say that the two met two or three times a week?"
"At the beginning of the marriage, it was like that, but after half a year, maybe two or three times a month at most?"
"One of those days must have been when they went to the capital for the Cassius Duke family gathering."
"That's right. And in months without family gatherings, they never saw each other face to face."
Someone sitting among the audience sighed. No matter how you look at it, they were not a normal couple.
Farrell raised his hand and shouted.
"I object! There are plenty of cases where couples can't see each other often due to special circumstances."
"Your Honor! I am currently examining the witness."
"No objection. Defense of the accused, please refrain from speaking during the examination unless it's a significant rebuttal."
In the imperial judicial system, it is possible for the other party to intervene when questioning witnesses or presenting arguments.
However, the principle is that it should not be abused and slow down the progress of the trial. This was welcomed from the perspective of someone who had to waste time, but it was nothing more than a distraction now that the audience was responding.
"You're under pressure."
Probably, Farrell didn't expect his previous objection to work either. The real purpose is to attack at any moment and gnaw at the other person's spirit by catching them by the tail.
"They misunderstood her. It might be counterproductive for other lawyers, but not for Sharon."
If she were so timid, she wouldn't have focused on divorce cases that were not well-received by the public, where she was even threatened by her clients' spouses and had unstable income.
Sharon continued to question the witness without hesitation.
"You said earlier that the two met two or three times a week at the beginning of their marriage. Was their relationship better back then compared to now?"
"That's not true. Ethel-nim gave up."
"Could you explain it in detail?"
"At first, Ethel-nim approached the young Duke first several times. She asked to eat together or go for a walk together. But each time, the young Duke immediately refused."
"T—That means the couple didn't meet frequently because the accused didn't want to."
"Yes! Ethel-nim was always upset. There were times when she cried. One day, she went to the young Duke's office without an appointment and was turned away at the door..."
The story of my terrible experience, which cannot be heard without tears, unfolded through Laura's mouth. Laura must have been immersed and enthusiastically recreated the past events.
Honestly, it was a bit exaggerated. Tears came out while I yawned. Although I kept denying it, Laura thought it was because I felt embarrassed.
"Well, it's better for me this way!"
The fact that people remember me as the woman Leandro rejected hurts my pride, but it's a minor sacrifice.
My period of suffering came to an end when the number of spectators sighing increased from one to five.
Subsequently, Sharon responded appropriately to Farrell's criticisms and formulated some more questions. Then at some point.
"Thank you very much, witness. I have one more question."
Her eyes lit up.
"Do you think the young duke was really busy when he rejected my client? According to the defendant's argument, he was so busy that there were months when he didn't see his wife even once a month."
"Mmm... I'm not saying the young Duke seemed free, but I'm not sure if he was actually that busy."
Laura answered, pretending to remember.
"When he was having a private moment in his room, Ethel-nim went to visit him several times, but he refused, saying he didn't feel like it. Oh, while he was having tea, Ethel-nim appeared, and he got up to walk away without saying a word."
"I won't ask any more questions."
The atmosphere in the hall calmed down. Because Leandro's treatment in Laura's story was too harsh.
In a divorce trial where there are various serious reasons for divorce, this can be a problem, but since Leandro's existing image was good, there was a strong sense of disconnection.
The higher you are, the greater the impact when you fall.