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Chapter – 10
Andrea had managed to persuade the Marchioness of Azbek, and she soon came to me saying she wanted the divorce again. After that, everything went smoothly, as if carried by the current of flowing water.
However, when the Marquis of Azbek entered the courtroom, he wore a relaxed expression, as if he had no worries at all—like someone who was certain he would never lose this trial.
That made me uneasy. Something was off, but I couldn’t figure out what it was. And not long after the trial began, it became clear what he was relying on.
Court proceedings were usually open to the public, so entry was generally free. However, divorce trials were different. Because they dealt so heavily with personal matters, even family members could not enter without prior permission.
Many people wanted to attend the Azbek Marquis family’s divorce trial, but no one had been granted entry. As a result, only the area in front of the courthouse became noisy and crowded.
“So they’ve gone and disgraced the family like this.”
“Why? Are you worried now? You?”
The Marquis looked dissatisfied. The Marchioness, on the other hand, looked at him calmly, lifting only the corners of her lips.
“Worry? I’m not worried at all. I’m just annoyed that I had to come to a place like this over something so pointless.”
At that moment, the judge entered the courtroom.
It was the same judge I had seen at Iz’s previous divorce trial. Whether it was because we had met before, or because his status as a judge had risen after that case, I couldn’t tell—but he gave me a faint smile, glanced at me briefly, and took his seat.
“This court now opens the divorce trial between Telia Azbek, Marquis of Azbek, and Lady Lily Azbek.”
So the trial began.
The Marchioness immediately expressed her intent to the judge.
“I, Lily Azbek, request a divorce. As for my husband, I hope we can avoid unnecessary conflict and settle this peacefully.”
“Ha! Peacefully? After I gave you a life of luxury, you want a divorce now?”
It was exactly as the Marchioness had predicted. If she mentioned divorce, the Marquis would say something like that. Perhaps because there were no outsiders in the courtroom, his tone—unlike his public image—was rough and harsh.
“So there’s no intention of an amicable divorce from either side?”
“No. None.”
“I do want one, but my husband does not, as you can see.”
“Honestly, this whole divorce talk is ridiculous.”
He raised his voice as if complaining to the judge.
“I haven’t beaten anyone, I haven’t done anything! Where else will you find a perfect man like me? Tsk.”
The judge allowed the atmosphere to loosen in the beginning so the conversation could proceed freely. In the past, this would have been impossible, but this was a class-based society, and the rank of a marquis was far above that of a judge.
Because of that, the couple continued arguing and insulting each other for quite some time.
“If it weren’t for me, would you have lived as such a noble marchioness anywhere else? Don’t think I don’t know it’s because some so-called divorce lawyer woman stirred things up that you’re suddenly saying these ridiculous things.”
“Don’t insult Laviel. She didn’t stir anything up. I decided on this divorce because I can’t endure it anymore. It’s true you provided me a comfortable life, but thanks to you, my heart has burned black and turned to ashes.”
“What did I even do wrong? I gave you money, bought you everything you wanted. What’s the problem?”
“The problem… the problem is your affairs. You shared beds with me and then went out to flirt with maids, or brought other women to the terrace to do those things.”
When the Marchioness pushed back firmly, the Marquis clicked his tongue and pointed at her.
“How dare a woman raise her voice!”
“Must I stay silent just because I’m a woman? Must I accept everything because of that?”
“Who told you to accept it? In any case, you cannot divorce me. You’re too naive, only speaking without evidence.”
What gave him such confidence?
“….”
“Then bring proof. Proof that I was involved with other women, or that I harassed maids. Any evidence will do.”
At that moment, the Marquis’s five children—including Andrea—entered the courtroom late.
The judge looked displeased at the disruption but, upon hearing they were the couple’s children and today’s witnesses, he reluctantly nodded.
“Come in.”
As soon as he saw them, the Marquis stood up.
“Father.”
Thinking they had come to him, he opened his arms. Adult children were both witnesses and evidence in divorce trials; they could testify about abuse or one-sided suffering.
“I thought you would come to me,” he said.
“Why are you late?”
“We came together with our siblings.”
“Good. Even better. All of you together. Now speak. Tell me your mother has lost her mind and is speaking nonsense. I haven’t done anything wrong, right?”
He gestured for them to come to him.
But Andrea and the others walked toward us instead.
The Marquis, frozen, opened his mouth in disbelief.
“…What are you doing? Andrea, you’re supposed to come to my side! I made you heir!”
The Marchioness ignored him and seated the children one by one beside her.
“There is no clause that requires me to take my father’s side just because I inherited the title.”
“Y-you…”
“I stand with my mother. Even if my shame is exposed.”
“You ingrates! I gave you everything!”
“This isn’t about sides. It’s about truth. Father, stop this.”
The Marquis’s confident expression from the beginning had completely collapsed.
“So what? You think this changes anything?”
“At the very least, we can testify to what you’ve done.”
“Judge! This is all arranged! They’re lying because their mother told them to!”
“Unfortunately, a child’s testimony is considered the strongest evidence unless you can present counterproof,” the judge said.
“That’s absurd! This is a scheme to strip me of my title and take my money!”
The judge shook his head.
“Further disruption will result in your removal from the courtroom. You will then be unable to testify at all, Marquis Azbek.”
“….”
“There is something our mother kept hidden for our sake. She once considered abandoning the divorce because of it. But now, we will speak. We are all children of different mothers. Contrary to public belief that our father only loved one woman, he has been involved with other women since the very day of his marriage.”
“That’s not true!”
“We saw it from childhood. Our grandmother told our mother she was infertile and should still raise the five children well—even though they weren’t hers—and she would beat and verbally abuse her when we weren’t present.”
“That’s nonsense!”
No one listened to the Marquis’s denials, as he had no evidence.
“Despite everything, our mother raised us with love. We did not even realize she wasn’t our biological mother. We can all testify that our father brought other women into the household.”
“That’s not true. Yes, I did bring other women. But it was because my wife was unbearable. A man naturally seeks comfort elsewhere. That’s all.”
The Marchioness let out a cold laugh.
“Judge. Doesn’t that sound strange? If I were truly so unbearable, why would he refuse to divorce me?”
“Y-you—again, women rambling on…”
