C17
A street in the plebeian district of Elynes.
"Wow! The weather is lovely!"
As I walked down the street, I stretched and enjoyed the bright sunlight.
"That's right."
Terence, who was by my side, agreed as well.
"Hehehe."
Naturally, a laugh emerged.
In fact, even if it rained and lightning struck, it would have looked beautiful in my eyes.
It felt that good. The reason is...
"Because the divorce notification has been filed!"
This morning, while reading the newspaper provided at the hotel, I found an article stating that a large number of officials from the Central Court had been arrested for corruption.
To be sure, I had a meal and headed directly to the central court, where a sign awaited me, informing me about the divorce request.
Furthermore, the person in charge informed us that the trial would probably begin soon.
The higher-ups are paying attention.
"I guess it's thanks to Terence, right?"
This happened shortly after meeting the person presumed to be the emperor.
As far as I know, there was no such incident in the original story.
"It might not have been mentioned because it has nothing to do with Liena."
It's probably not a coincidence that the inspection team directly under the emperor's command initiated a surprise investigation at the Central Court.
Originally, requesting the divorce was something I would have asked Terence to do during the transaction, but it unexpectedly happened sooner.
I felt that the discomfort I felt when I met Liena the day before yesterday instantly eased.
I steeled my resolve. Today, I will definitely make Terence acknowledge the efficacy of the medicinal tea.
"Excellent! Let's give them a lot of medicinal tea and close the deal quickly!"
So when I arrived at the hotel.
Something caught my attention.
Tables and chairs had been set up in the front courtyard of the hotel.
"After all, the weather is nice. Should we have tea outdoors?"
Terence readily accepted my offer.
"That's fine. I'll borrow the tea set then. Madam, please have a seat here."
After saying that, he walked to his favorite tea shop.
He disappeared into the alley before I could say I was going.
I sat down in a suitable spot and muttered.
"I'm really sorry for making you work again, Marquis..."
Still, it's comfortable thanks to this.
While we were together, he took care of me in many ways.
In a good sense, he was a meticulous person, but in a bad sense, he seemed to pay too much attention to what others thought.
"What was he like when he was young?"
Perhaps because he's a villain, Terence's background is only briefly presented in the novel.
As I imagined his growth process, an unwanted scene caught my attention.
Just like yesterday, the enormous carriage of the Cassius family stopped in front of the hotel.
This time, the person who got off was Leandro, not Liena.
For a moment, I found myself more bewildered than annoyed.
"Why is he like that?"
He had carefully combed his hair to one side, and his clothes looked uncomfortable, as if he was trying to be elegant.
Most of all, he had a large bouquet of roses, about the size of a child, in his hand.
"Wife!"
Leandro, who was entering the hotel, saw me and walked toward me.
He came right in front of me and knelt down with a nervous expression.
And he handed me a bouquet full of pink roses.
"I did everything wrong. Please give me just one chance."
"What's this?"
"Please come back, wife!"
It was a total mess.
Suddenly, I felt a headache coming on. Fortunately, the hotel where I stayed had low rates.
This means it's located on the outskirts of the Elynes district. Not many people passed by.
The only people who witnessed Leandro's scandalous behavior were a couple of passersby, a hotel guest, and an elderly man sitting at the nearby table.
I sighed deeply as I looked at the kneeling man.
"Leandro. Get up first."
"No. I'll stay like this until you forgive me."
"Enough. Stop talking nonsense and get up."
"Only my knees and my pride will be hurt to this extent. Don't worry."
Who cares about your knees and your pride? I got really angry.
"Hey, get up."
The voice was extremely cold even for me.
"W-Wife..."
Leandro seemed to have felt something odd and got up hesitantly.
"Follow me."
I quickly headed to the back of the hotel.
"I should have changed my accommodation!"
The news that Liena had come to visit meant that Leandro could also come.
After sending this person off, I will have to find a new place to stay. A place where outsiders can't enter.
Behind the deserted hotel, I looked back at the place where sheets and blankets hung on the clothesline.
"Why did you come?"
Leandro, who was still holding the ridiculously large bouquet of flowers, hesitated.
"Why did I come? Of course, I came to apologize to my wife..."
"Well, that's really surprising."
"What?"
"The point is, you still have the shame to apologize to me."
There was a faint line on Leandro's beautiful forehead.
"Why is it surprising? If you make a mistake, you should apologize and ask for forgiveness. Isn't that the natural course of action?"
"There are some apologies in this world that are better left unspoken. It's better for my mind and my body if you don't show your face."
"That can't be..."
Leandro seemed a bit surprised by the fact that I refused to accept his apologies to the point that I didn't even want to hear them.
"Moreover, what kind of courtesy is it to suddenly barge in and cause trouble for the other person? I suppose this is how you apologize to Cassius?"
The excuse is that he's an aristocrat who lives by appearances and dies by them.
"But if that weren't the case, wouldn't you have met with me?"
"Of course. I have the right to decline your visit."
"We're a couple. Is it so wrong for a husband to come see his wife?"
"Ah. Did you and I have a relationship that could be called a couple?"
The man remained silent, as if he had nothing to say.
I was quite curious and asked him.
"Leandro, do you think your mistakes can be forgiven?"
"...I heard Liena explained it well regarding the mine."
"Ah. Are you lying when you say that the reason you approached me in the first place was for the mine, but then you developed feelings for me and proposed marriage?"
"It's not a lie! It's true. When my wife mentioned the mine for the first time, I felt so embarrassed that I couldn't explain it properly."
What? Are you trying to deceive me?
"Then let me explain this to you."
"Even if you're concerned about me, why did you treat me coldly for the past two years?"
Leandro was left speechless by this question, just like last time.
"That..."
With nervous movements, he only touched the ribbon tied to the bouquet.
I waited patiently, wondering if he had prepared some kind of grand excuse.
After hesitating for a while, he let out a very low sound.
"I can't tell you."
He didn't even have the sincerity to prepare a plausible excuse.
"Then the story ends here. Whether you do well or not depends on you."
I was about to leave, but Leandro blocked my path.
"Instead, I promise you one thing!"
He knelt down again and once again handed me the bouquet of flowers.
"If only my wife would come back, this wouldn't happen this time. I will make sure there is no such thing. I promise to fulfill my duties as a husband with utmost sincerity and to treat my wife with respect!"
"...."
I accepted the bouquet of roses the same color as my hair.
For a moment, a glimmer of hope appeared in his bright blue eyes.
Until I took a few steps and threw it into a large trash bin against the outer wall of the building.
Flowers, I'm sorry.
There's nothing wrong with you, but I hope you won't be abandoned in your next life.
"It's already too late."
It was an unchangeable truth.
Even if Leandro kneels, even if he swears a serious oath, even if he looks at me with sad eyes.
It only provokes annoyance and no resonance at all.
Yes, just like those aimless, trembling eyes and pale cheeks can't evoke even the slightest sympathy.
It was truly a perfect ending.
"Don't waste your time and go back."
I tried to walk past him.
"Wait a moment!"
The man who got up hesitantly and grabbed my wrist said.
"Don't do that, just give him a chance! Please, just once!"
I really didn't understand.
Even though you have a lot of money, is this something you would do for a mine?
Or is there some other reason why you must trap me?
Of course, my curiosity was not great enough to give him a chance to speak.
"Let me go!"
"I'll let you go if you promise to take the time to have an honest conversation with me."
"No, I don't want to. Why would I?!"
"What's so difficult about having a conversation?"
"I don't want to!"
It was just then that I was about to kick him in the shin.
"Ugh!"
Leandro let out a brief groan and fell forward.
A man holding a tray appeared. Terence was right behind Leandro and seemed to have kicked him in the back of the knee, causing him to fall.
He said, moving in his seat as if to hide me behind his back.
"If you forcibly hold onto someone who doesn't want you, I can't help it."
A pitiful look was directed at Leandro.
"I'm sorry. I was late because I had to wait for the tea shop owner."
On the other hand, for me, it was a very polite and friendly look.
"Who are you?"
Leandro quickly got up and became alert.
"He doesn't seem... like a waiter."
His gaze passed from the tray with the teapot and tea cups to the sword at Terence's waist.
Only a few nobles have ever seen Terence. The Duke Cassius may not have known him, but Leandro probably didn't either.
"I'm good at making tea, but even better at other things."
Terence shrugged.
"For example, a job that helps a lady much more than flaunting flowers?"
I responded on his behalf.
"He's my escort."
"Escort...?"
"Yes. I hired him a while ago because I was afraid that you would come to visit me like this."
Leandro stared back and forth between Terence and me, who were standing side by side.
After a while, his expression began to distort.
"What is your relationship with him?"
A clear look of disgust and mistrust.
I somehow had an idea of what direction the conversation would take in the future.
"I told you. He's my escort."
"Is there a problem with my hearing? Why should I ask what I just said?"
Terence asked aloud, pretending to whisper to me only.
"There's nothing wrong with my hearing."
Leandro was furious.