C113
I continued reading the letter.
[I am Angela. It's been a long time since we saw each other.]
Angela? Is she Ethel's childhood friend?
I don't know her last name because only the name is written on the envelope and the letterhead.
[I can't write it in the letter due to circumstances, but I have something important to tell you. We must meet in person and talk.]
It was a phrase that caught my attention for some reason.
Then, the letter unilaterally specified a date within a week and a location in front of the fountain in Spring Flower Park.
[I'm sorry. I'm not in a position to arrange a meeting with you calmly at the moment. I'll wait until you come.]
The letter ended with a sentence that seemed quite desperate.
[This is a very important matter about your life, so come see me just once.]
I checked the envelope again.
There was no return address either. The only name was "Angela."
The only information available was that the letter was sent from the central post office of the capital, judging by the postage stamp.
"Oh, about that letter," Laura said after looking at the letter I was holding.
"I wasn't going to give it to you because the content was strange, but I thought it might be an acquaintance of Ethel, so I included it. Was it in vain?"
"No. Good job."
"As expected, it was an acquaintance."
Looking at the content of the letter, at least it didn't feel like a stranger.
"But I don't think they're that close."
It's been more than two years since I possessed Ethel's body, but isn't this the first time I've heard this name?
However, she didn't seem like a snob who approached me because she wanted money.
Before that, I was the young Duchess of Cassius.
If this person, Angela, had just wanted money, she would have contacted me a long time ago.
"So, will you go there?"
I thought about Laura's question for a moment and then replied.
"Yes. I need to clear my schedule for that day."
There was a high chance that it was an ordinary person, but for some reason, I felt drawn.
In particular, I was curious about the "extremely important matter about my life" written in the letter.
So, I stored Angela's letter in a drawer and started organizing myself again.
Because there were so many letters, it took a long time to respond even with Laura's help.
Time passed frantically. I spent most of the time battling the waves of letters.
Meanwhile, what was memorable was the mischief between Count Wallace and Samuel.
Even though they had written a memorandum saying they would never appear before me again, they tried to enter the palace to meet me.
"A father wants to see his daughter, so why are they stopping me? I am the father of Ethel Wallace, the owner of the best magic stone mine!"
Laura, who personally witnessed the commotion that occurred in front of the main gate of the imperial palace, even used vocal imitations to tell me in detail what she had seen and heard.
When the palace guards tried to remove him, Count Wallace lay on the ground and shouted.
"That thing took my mine! I knew in advance that it was a treasure! Give it back! It's the property of the Wallace family!"
Now it was mine in name and in reality.
The mine regained its old name, Lucibiu Mine, and I was Ethel Lucibiu.
Unlike his father, who was finally beaten and expelled for causing disturbances in the imperial palace, Samuel tried to act cleverly.
Sharon said that since an article about the mine appeared in the newspaper, he had been consulting with one lawyer after another.
Asking if there was any way to invalidate the memorandum they had written and then reclaim the mine through a lawsuit.
The result was a resounding defeat. There was no way such a convenient method could have fallen from the sky, and since I had joined the imperial family, I didn't know what sparks would fly if they accepted Samuel's request.
Moreover, since he was bankrupt, what lawyer would welcome Samuel, who insisted on paying only after winning the trial?
After all the commotion, the two people belatedly sent me a long letter, probably because they had discovered the situation.
I skimmed through the letter, which appealed to my sympathy by detailing how needy they were, and then tossed it in the trash.
Since that part violated the contents of the memorandum first, there was no need to consider it.
I showed Samuel's promissory note to a debt collection agency famous for ensuring they collected the money and entrusted them with the job.
The upfront fee was already paid, and a reward for success was promised, and the company was determined to get the money by any means possible.
I said firmly.
"They must work within the limits of the law. Nothing illegal. Understood?"
They nodded enthusiastically, as if understanding what I meant.
The company got to work quickly, and thanks to that, it had already been two days since Samuel and Count Wallace no longer appeared in the capital.
"Fortunately, the countess seems to have regained some sense..."
This is also something Sharon told me. Countess Wallace seems to be her current client.
The goal, of course, was to divorce the count.
As lawyers have the duty to maintain confidentiality, Sharon did not tell me the details of the countess's circumstances, but it was obvious even without looking at them.
In the Wallace I disappeared from, the weakest person at the bottom was the Countess.
"I suppose she couldn't take it anymore."
The day the countess knocked on the law firm's door, Sharon came to see me and said.
"I know how bad she was to you. But I can't bear to reject someone who needs my defense."
Sharon was truly a great lawyer and a good friend of mine.
I told her she didn't have to worry about me.
Instead of feeling upset, I was just glad to have a friend like Sharon.
"I received so many letters today."
At that moment, Laura placed a basket full of letters on my desk.
"Oh?... When did you read all of this?"
"What? Even while saying that, do I seem to be in a better mood than usual?"
"Are you referring to me?"
"Yes, she's smiling. Did something good happen?"
Well, yes. Besides having a good friend named Sharon, other wonderful things happened.
"Because I can finally see Terence!"
This morning, Terence sent a message through someone.
Now that he has some free time after a long time, he wants to have dinner with me.
His urgent schedule was suddenly canceled, so it seemed like he had some free time until tonight and tomorrow.
It was a good opportunity to reveal the truth.
I was nervous about how Terence would react after hearing this incredible story, but now I was more excited to meet him.
There were many conversations I wanted to exchange with him calmly, even about the Wallace family.
With him, who always listens to me.
I quickly checked my mail, hoping that night would come soon.
"This...!"
Then I picked up a letter and startled.
"Oh, that's one of the letters that arrived at the embassy residence while Ethel was away."
Laura heard my voice and opened her mouth.
"Miss Diana picked it up and sent it to me."
"I completely forgot."
"I didn't check the details because it seemed like a private letter. Is it very serious?"
"No."
The seriousness wasn't the letter but my memory.
How did the moving plans slip my mind?
The origin of the letter is the Kingdom of Soro, far from the Empire.
It was the place I had chosen to start my second life after my divorce.
I sent my representative to the Kingdom of Soro about a month ago.
He was a professional businessman who received compensation for doing jobs on behalf of people who wanted to immigrate to another country.
This letter was from him and said that he had found a house that suited my request, various furniture, and even necessities, so all I had to do was come in person.
There was also a detailed explanation of transportation to the Kingdom of Soro and a flattering comment that he looked forward to seeing me soon.
Looking back, I realized that the date I said I would go was just around the corner.
And to be able to reach the Kingdom of Soro on that date, I had to leave the empire at least today.
"At that time, I never expected a meteorite to hit the mine before it did in the novel."
As a result, I ran straight to the mine, fought the divine beast, confronted Viscount Cainbert, argued with Liena, and thwarted the empress's plot and Mikhail...
While experiencing a series of memorable events, I forgot about it.
"Well, I can't help it."
As the appointed time approached, I got up and left the Kingdom of Soro letter on the desk.
It had been a week since I received the suspicious letter from someone named Angela. Today was the day of the appointment.
There was no way the emperor and the empire would allow me to leave easily for a foreign country since I was the owner of a top-level magic stone mine, which was not just any magic stone mine.
It would be a big problem if I changed my mind about going to another kingdom.
It was obvious that if I said I was going no matter what, they couldn't stop me, but they would try to stop me as much as possible.
Unless I escaped without anyone noticing, it would be difficult to leave the empire today.
"I need to talk to Terence... Let's think about this issue slowly later."
With that in mind, I got into the carriage and headed to the promised place, Spring Flower Park.
I didn't want to meet a mysterious person in a place full of people's gazes, so I asked Vinetta to bring that person to the carriage where I was.
After a while, Vinetta brought the person standing in front of the fountain to the carriage.
She boarded the carriage only after undergoing a strict search by the imperial knights who were protecting me.
"H-Hello... Ethel. It's been a while."
She said, looking to the side repeatedly, as if she was afraid of Vinetta by her side.
She was a middle-aged woman with a disheveled appearance. Rough skin and a thin body.
"Do you remember me? I'm Teacher Angela."
Teacher? Is she the teacher who taught Ethel?
"But Ethel never went to school."
Finally, a comment Angela made was enough to surprise me.
"When you were little, you stayed at my orphanage for quite some time... We were close back then."
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