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Chapter – 17
I had experienced many incidents.
And I lived as a divorce lawyer.
Going as far as a divorce trial meant that one side did not want the divorce. Naturally, those who did not want to divorce would threaten me the moment the divorce was finalized, saying they would not leave me alone.
But nothing ever happened.
So I was not particularly afraid.
The only person I feared was my so-called father.
“Understood. Still, if you ever need help, please let me know.”
“Yes. Then I wish you all well. Let’s never meet again because of work.”
That was the kind of farewell a divorce lawyer could give—a wish for happiness.
With that greeting, I finished my second case.
Divorce lawyer Raviel.
The lawyer who successfully finalized the divorce of the Azbeck Marquis couple. At last, my name began to spread. Of course, that did not mean clients suddenly came flocking in. Because I was a woman, people still avoided coming to a divorce lawyer.
Well—there was someone who came.
“Where is Raviel?!”
A loud voice shook the mercenary office.
It was an ordinary day. No—actually, it was a pretty good day. I still had no new requests, but I had safely finished two divorce cases, and I had a good feeling that work would come soon.
My bank account was growing, and so was my peace of mind. Thinking the person looking for me was a client, I went downstairs—only to run into trouble.
“You crazy bitch!”
“…….”
My expression hardened instantly.
Kan, who had brought me down thinking it was a client, looked shocked when he saw my frozen face and the middle-aged man hurling curses at me.
“Now you’re ignoring your own father?!”
“……Yes, Father. You came?”
It was Raviel’s father, someone I had not seen in a long time. After suddenly becoming Raviel, I had only seen him once. The man who had behaved worse than an animal was standing there again.
I had expected to see him someday, and I thought I should prepare myself—but seeing him like this made my mood sink into a pit.
“‘You came’?! Are you really insane?! Is that what you should be saying right now?!”
“Then what should I say? ‘You’ve gained some weight, you must be living well’? Should I say something like that?”
“That little—! You don’t even know your own fault! Fine! Today, either you die or I die!”
“Unfortunately, I have no intention of that. I am already an adult, and I decided to cut ties with you.”
“Don’t be ridiculous! How dare a daughter talk about cutting ties! I’ll beat you until you come to your senses, then sell you off!”
He charged at me as I came down the stairs.
Two of Iz’s knights hurriedly blocked Raviel’s father. The problem was the woman he brought with him—Cynthia Avalon. She had been hiding behind his large frame, and the moment he was stopped, she rushed straight at me.
“Do you know what kind of hell I went through because of you?!”
Even though my body had grown stronger, it was impossible to stop Cynthia charging like a wild boar. I tried to dodge her, lost my balance, twisted my ankle, and was about to fall—
Someone firmly grabbed me.
An arm tightly wrapped around my waist.
“No matter how insane they are, causing a scene in a mercenary office… that’s quite some courage.”
I heard the voice before I could even thank them.
A very familiar voice. Too pleasant to ignore.
I straightened myself and looked up—and as expected, the owner of the voice was the Emperor.
The Emperor, who never had a good relationship with me. The man who openly picked fights with me—why was he holding me?
Countless thoughts flashed through my mind.
Is he going to use this as an excuse to demand money from me?
He probably did not truly covet my small fortune, but he was not someone I trusted. I quickly tried to step away. But instead, the Emperor pulled me closer.
“Father!”
Cynthia shouted angrily. Seeing the Emperor protectively holding my waist, she called out to her father, Count Avalon.
The count, who had barely shaken off the Baron Stork family’s knights that Iz sent, stormed toward us, panting.
“Hey, whoever you are, stay out of family matters.”
The Emperor had red hair again. Perhaps that was why Count Avalon did not recognize him—or maybe he was just a low-ranking noble who had never seen the Emperor properly. Either way, he only glared.
“Family matters or not, I hate seeing ugly scenes like this. How disgraceful.”
“Step aside while I’m being polite!”
But my so-called father’s anger had already reached its limit.
“I don’t feel like it. Even if you’re rude, I won’t step back. I need this woman.”
“Do you think my daughter is an object? Whether you need her or not is none of your business. As her father, I must discipline her properly.”
“What discipline does a grown adult need?”
“Just get lost, will you?!”
“I don’t want to.”
“Ha. You really don’t understand. Do you know what that girl did? She smeared filth on her father’s name! She ran away before her wedding! Do you know how much I lost because of that?!”
The Emperor clicked his tongue and shook his head.
“Sounds like you’re describing yourself. She must have hated marriage a lot to run away like that.”
“T-that’s…! Even so, shouldn’t a daughter obey her father?!”
“Nope. Go back.”
“Who are you to interfere in someone else’s family affairs?!”
“Me? I’m the man who needs her. So get lost.”
At that moment, men who looked like the Emperor’s knights began to gather around us.
“What do you think you’re doing?!”
“What does it look like? I’m chasing away a noisy pig.”
“Hah! You! I won’t let this go!”
“I’ll look forward to it.”
“Raviel, don’t even think about running away. I’ll come find you again. Next time, come quietly!”
In the end, my useless father was chased out of the mercenary office like a stray dog.
Only then did Kan approach me with an awkward expression.
“I’m sorry, Lady Raviel.”
“It’s okay, Kan. You didn’t know and brought me down. If I hadn’t come, he would have caused even more trouble. Don’t worry about it. And… thank you.”
I bowed and thanked the knights who had been blocking the count.
Of course, it did not end there. When I greeted the others, the Emperor pulled me toward him with a very displeased expression.
“I think I did the most work here.”
“Haha.”
I struggled to escape his solid arms, but it felt like my entire body was bound. The Emperor spoke proudly.
“Raviel, you don’t need to thank me so specially. I did it for you, not to receive courtesy.”
“No, thank you very much. And please let go of me…”
“You’re acting like an emotionless doll.”
He was the pillar of the Empire, the sacred and noble Sun called the Emperor. I had no idea what kind of expression I was supposed to wear in front of him. And why was he acting so familiar?
“If I don’t do this, you look like you’ll run away.”
“Run away?”
I flinched.
How did he know I planned to run because of my father? I forced a smile, my cheek twitching.
“Haha…”
Before I knew it, the knights and Kan had stepped away from us.
It wasn’t intentional. The Emperor’s knights had surrounded us, covering their faces with hoods. Even though they still looked worried about me, the ominous pressure they gave off left me completely isolated.
Some mercenaries complained about unknown people entering the office, but the overwhelming presence of the Emperor’s knights silenced them. In the quiet, I had no choice but to meet the Emperor’s gaze.
“So, what brings you here today?”
“You look busy, Divorce Lawyer.”
“……You seem very interested in me.”
“I am.”
His stiff finger slowly brushed my cheek. The cold temperature of his touch sent chills through my body.
“Raviel Avalon.”
Ah.
The family name I had abandoned came from his lips.
