C34
It wasn't unexpected.
If it were Cassius' loyal maid, she would have immediately informed Liena of what I did.
Leandro said with a disgusted expression.
"I don't know what you said to distract her, but the maid defended you. She said she ordered a portrait that was wrong. She apologized for disrespecting Liena."
I can't believe she still thinks that.
The head maid seemed more innocent than I thought. However, it wasn't a logic that could be applied to the Cassius family.
"Do you know how surprised and upset Liena was when she heard the news? She was depressed because she didn't know her sister-in-law hated her so much."
Leandro passionately expressed his emotions while thinking about his younger sister.
"My father was also angry. Even if you come back later and say you made a mistake, he'll never accept it."
Excellent. If he doesn't accept it, you can happily sign the divorce papers.
"Liena tried to dissuade my father. 'Please, give my sister-in-law just one chance.' She must be hurt, but what a good girl she is."
Liena, this is really...!
"Fortunately, my father is busy with other things right now, so his anger towards my wife has greatly diminished. This is a golden opportunity, so apologize quickly."
Wait a moment, is there something that is occupying the time of the Grand Duke Cassius?
My interest was piqued.
"Why is he busy?"
"There are circumstances..."
"What circumstances?"
"It's something that can't be disclosed to others."
"That's right. I'm only your wife when necessary, and at times like this, you treat me like a stranger. That's why I'm asking for a divorce."
Leandro frowned as if he had been stabbed and then barely opened his mouth.
"The head butler has disappeared."
"Excuse me?"
"They said he disappeared without saying a word, leaving only a resignation letter on his office desk. There's no one at home."
"And his son?"
"His son? Now that I think about it, he had a son. Around the same age as Liena."
The man frowned. He seemed to remember that Joshua had expressed interest in Liena.
"What does it matter? I haven't heard any news for a while, so I guess he left his hometown and lived on his own, leaving his elderly father behind."
"You're so careless that there's nothing you can't say."
"What did you say?"
"You're a bad person."
"Do you think I'm saying things for no reason? If the relationship between him and his son were good, the head butler would have said something. He would have told us either the good or bad news. We're like a family."
There's a saying that only the victim remembers the past, and the perpetrator forgets it completely, and this was exactly the case.
If the head butler and the Cassius family were really like a family, would the Duke have pointed his sword at Joshua? Wouldn't he have been curious about the son he never knew anything about?
There was nothing to say about Leandro and Leheim either. There is a clear scene in the novel where they growl at Joshua, who is very scared, accusing him of flirting with their younger brother.
I shook my head in disgust.
"It's fine. Even if I say it, my mouth will only hurt."
I wanted to break that arrogant illusion, but I held back. That was Joshua and the head butler's responsibility.
"You're criticizing me for no reason. Anyway, the problem is that the head butler has disappeared."
"I guess he got tired of Cassius and left."
"Does that make sense? He's been with my father for a long time, and he's someone my father deeply trusts. Maybe even more than blood relatives."
"So where did he go?"
"My father suspects that Cassius' enemies may have kidnapped the head butler to find out our family's weaknesses."
You probably want to believe that.
"The head butler didn't ignore my words."
When I thought about that, my heart sank a little. He was trying to change.
I still didn't know if the head butler would be on our side or not, but the fact that he had escaped from Cassius made me happy.
I feel especially better imagining the Duke stumbling around right now.
"If the head butler appears as a witness for us in the trial, he'll feel betrayed."
I barely managed to keep the corners of my mouth from rising at the happy thought. There was nothing good about letting people know that the head butler's disappearance was good news for me.
"Anyway, come back. Don't even try to steal this information. Even if you tried, it wouldn't work."
Sharon didn't spend a lot of money choosing someone she could trust and strengthening her security in vain.
"Why would I do something so bad? Victory will come to me anyway."
Those words were trustworthy. For your information, I believe in Leandro's arrogance, not his conscience.
Thanks to Liena, the overall confidence of the Cassius family had skyrocketed due to her continued success.
All errors and mistakes come from carelessness. Let's see who will laugh in the end.
But as expected, Leandro didn't seem to have any intention of returning obediently.
"Well, I can't convince you as I hoped. I need you to go somewhere with me for a moment."
"Why would I follow you?"
"That's unpleasant. I'm not some kind of criminal. I'm not asking you to go very far. I rented a table at the restaurant of the hotel called Crystal Branch, right across from here."
"Go back; I have nothing to say to you."
"You might have to have a conversation with someone other than me."
I could feel an inexplicable calmness in the man's expression.
"Countess Wallace has arrived in the capital. She's waiting for you at the restaurant now."
Countess Wallace, or Ethel Wallace's mother, was Leandro's move.
I felt that the time had come.
"I wondered why he hadn't brought her here yet."
Of course, Ethel's family, who were benefiting greatly from Cassius, wouldn't want a divorce, and their opposition would be the biggest obstacle.
Of course, this would be the case if it were the real Ethel Wallace.
"The countess herself has come from her territory to receive you, so let's go."
Looking at Leandro, who looked strangely triumphant, he seemed to think that meeting the countess would break my will.
In reality, Ethel was a devoted daughter. By looking at the diary she left behind, it was clear that she couldn't part from her parents and sacrificed herself for her family.
How could a noble lady live like a maid? Since there wasn't enough money to hire enough servants, the difficult tasks fell on Ethel.
"Other family members didn't even lift a finger!"
Even thinking about it now makes me shudder. I felt completely lost after transmigrating, but I received a lot of abuse for not being able to do my household chores quickly.
Although they treated their daughter so badly, they were so generous with their son that they even gave him a lot of pocket money.
It was so dirty and embarrassing that I tried to get rid of the household chores, but they kept giving it to me. If Leandro hadn't come to talk about marriage, they would have kicked me out.
Villains look as bad as if they were drawn in a picture. However, she acted like a person of character in front of others.
"You definitely don't plan to ignore your mother who came from afar, do you?"
Leandro also didn't seem to have any doubts that they were a good family. No, he probably wasn't that interested in my family relationships in the first place.
I was lost in thought for a moment. Crystal Branch was Duke Luciano's place of business and was a place where not even Cassius could act carelessly.
Alright, I've made a decision.
"Let's go. Lead the way."
Anyway, I definitely wanted to meet her at least once before ending our relationship. There were things I couldn't say... Most of all, looking at this person's expectant face, I can't help but shatter her expectations.
As we walked toward the nearby Hotel Crystal Branch, Leandro looked at Vinetta beside me.
"Who is she?"
"Can't you tell even when you see her? She's my escort."
Despite my cold tone, the man's face lit up.
"It seems that that arrogant guy from last time has been fired. Well done."
There was no need to correct the misunderstanding, but I hated to see his smiling face.
"Look at that person over there. Isn't this Leandro Cassius?"
"Is he divorcing his wife?"
"That's right. So, the woman by his side...?"
When I entered the hotel restaurant, my eyes naturally focused. There were many nobles who recognized Leandro, a celebrity and the most talked-about person of recent times.
For Leandro, it would have been very uncomfortable, but if he had asked me to go to a quiet and secluded place, I would have refused, so he had no other choice.
Nevertheless, the place where Countess Wallace was waiting was a separate room in the restaurant.
"Ethel! My goodness, how long has it been?"
Vinetta blocked Countess, who tried to hug me as soon as she saw me.
"Who are you?"
There was a furrow between the dark pink-haired lady's brows.
"I'm her escort. Access is not allowed in a certain area."
"There must be some misunderstanding, but I am that girl's mother."
"There are no exceptions. If you want to approach, get permission from Ethel."
"What kind of permission does a mother need if she wants to hug her daughter just once?"
"There are no exceptions. Please request permission."
Countess Wallace, who had acted nobly, furrowed her brows again.
On the contrary, I started to like Vinetta more and more. Leandro intervened.
"Hey, you. Meddling in family matters..."
"That's the way to go."
"Wife!"
Leandro opened his eyes in the shape of a triangle.
"Young Duke. Don't worry about me. It seems that that escort is working too hard."
Countess noticed Leandro's gaze and smiled, waving her fan.
"Isn't it a matter of Ethel giving permission? Can I hug you, Ethel?"
The look she gave me over the fan wasn't as kind as when she looked at Leandro. She was in the process of scolding me for not being able to get rid of this arrogant escort quickly.
"No, I don't want to."
"What?"
Countess blinked rapidly at the completely unexpected response.
"I don't want to. Don't come near me."
"Wife! You're being too harsh on your mother."
"Of course. I'm going to say even harsher things from now on."
Perhaps Leandro and Countess Wallace want to talk about the divorce, but it's not my business. There was something else I wanted to say.
"Starting today, Countess Wallace, I will sever all ties with the Wallace family, including you."
"Ethel, what is this?"
"I don't want to get involved with the Wallace family in any way in the future. Don't come to visit me or contact me."
"If there was something that bothered you..."
"I won't lend you a single cent. There's no reason for me to pay your debt."
"Stop, stop."
"Of course, you have no right to give me orders."
"Shut up!"
A shout filled with malice erupted. Her mask as a noble lady was finally broken.