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Chapter – 07
“Ize…?”
“I’m here!”
“Should you really be this cheerful? You’re already divorced, so there’s no reason to keep coming to see me, right?”
“My father said your ex-husband might try to harm Lawyer Raviel, so he assigned knights from our family to protect you.”
Ize’s face was glowing as if she had just eaten a nourishing tonic. At the same time, she introduced nearly ten knights she had brought with her.
The atmosphere in the mercenary office turned tense. It was the kind of wary hostility from people worried their positions might be taken.
“It’s really fine. Since I’m staying at the mercenary office, it might actually be better to hire people from here.”
“But… then just a couple, please. They’ve protected me since I was young, so they’ll be reliable for you too.”
“Thank you.”
Unable to refuse further, I ultimately had no choice but to accept the Stork family knights.
I thought that would be the end of my meetings with Ize.
But the next day, and the day after that—
She kept coming back.
On the third straight day, Ize rushed in looking for me.
“It seems urgent, Lawyer Raviel.”
I, just barely awake, had no choice but to go down to the first floor of the mercenary office. At first I thought something serious had happened—maybe her ex-husband was harassing her again—so I hurried down without even getting properly dressed.
But not anymore.
Now I took my time, putting on something casual, and came downstairs leisurely.
Ize lit up when she saw me and grabbed my hand seriously.
“You pass!”
“Excuse me? What exactly passed?”
Before I could say anything else, she had already put me into a Stork family carriage and stared at me for a long moment.
“Where are we going…?”
Thanks to the first case ending perfectly, I no longer needed to worry about survival for a while. Still, new clients could come at any time, so staying at the mercenary office made sense. I was still at the stage of building my name.
“You don’t need clients?”
“I do. I really do. But Ize, are you bringing me a new client?”
“Yes. Because it would be difficult for you to come here due to your status, they asked to meet you separately.”
“Thank you for going this far for me.”
I felt touched. A divorce attorney really was the best profession—clients lined up like fish on a string. Maximum job satisfaction.
As I looked at her moved, Ize looked oddly proud.
“No, actually… this isn’t really thanks to me.”
“No, if it weren’t for you, I might not have any clients at all.”
Suddenly, I remembered that strange man from before—the one who had started trouble. Handsome, but unpleasant. Hard to forget, even if I wanted to. Especially the face.
I quickly shook my head.
Ize misunderstood my reaction and quietly dabbed her eyes with a handkerchief.
“I didn’t expect you to care about me this much. But really, this isn’t because of me. I only told her what I went through during my divorce.”
“Her?”
“Yes! And I realized something. The day I first met you… what you said to me. At first I didn’t understand, but after getting divorced, I finally understood. The face of someone who truly wants a divorce. So I told her everything honestly, without changing a single detail.”
Ize then explained what had happened.
After her husband Daven Raydick married her, he immediately quit working and refused to do anything, leaving Ize to support the household.
As a noble lady who had lived her entire life as a sheltered daughter, Ize had almost no skills for work. She had never been trained for it. In the end, she ended up taking a job as a maid doing menial labor in another noble household.
The client today was the lady of that household.
Because Ize was diligent and capable, the lady had taken a liking to her. Once she learned of Ize’s situation, she tried to help her however she could—but the unfair treatment Ize suffered was not something that could be fixed with one-time help.
If the lady gave her money, Ize’s husband Daven would take it and beat her. He even forced her to bring more money, leaving bruises on her body. Eventually, even the lady could no longer help properly.
But then, unexpectedly, Ize appeared one day with a bright expression. The lady asked what had happened, and Ize told her everything—how she had gotten a divorce recently and would be returning to her family, leaving her job.
“We’re here!”
With Ize’s unusually excited voice, the view of a magnificent mansion unfolded.
“This is…?”
“The Azbek Marquis household.”
“And the lady you mentioned is…?”
“The Marchioness of Azbek! I originally came here as a maid, but now I come as her companion.”
The Stork carriage entered the estate without being stopped even once. Compared to the Avalon Count estate, this place was on a completely different level.
Trying not to openly gape, I followed Ize off the carriage and into the garden. There, I saw a woman with black hair tied up neatly, calmly drinking tea.
“Madam.”
“Ize, you’re here?”
“Yes! This is the lawyer I told you about.”
She slowly raised her head and looked at me with a gentle expression.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Lili Azbek, Marchioness of the Azbek family. I heard you’re a divorce attorney.”
“I’m Raviel.”
“Raviel… hmm.”
“May I sit first?”
“Of course.”
Unlike Ize, who seemed detached from high society, the Marchioness reacted differently. Her eyes narrowed slightly as if she recognized something about me. I smiled awkwardly and sat down.
“You don’t seem to want to speak about your family. Is there a reason?”
“I don’t think my family matters for this work.”
“I see.”
After my sister was sent to marry an old wealthy noble in my place, things had calmed down somewhat—but my father still hadn’t stopped looking for me.
If I were caught, he’d likely grab me by the hair first thing.
‘Given how things are still chaotic, he might already be searching for another wealthy target.’
It was a useless line of thought. Not important right now.
What mattered was why the Marchioness had called me.
“So, why did you ask for me?”
“If I’m looking for a divorce attorney, there’s only one reason. I want a divorce.”
“Is an uncontested divorce possible?”
“No. The Marquis of Azbek will never agree to divorce.”
“Then it must go to litigation… may I hear the story?”
“You want a version favorable to me, correct?”
“All of it, including that.”
“This might take a while. Have some tea first.”
The Marchioness raised her hand, calling a servant over. The maid, used to such things, set down a teacup and poured tea before quietly stepping back.
Only then did she begin.
“I married the Marquis of Azbek when I was twenty. By marrying me, he was able to legitimately inherit the marquisate. It was a fairly ordinary marriage.”
She said it lightly, as if it meant nothing, but her expression looked more sorrowful than ever.
“As the Marchioness, I lived without lacking anything. Coming from a declining noble family, I was able to live comfortably thanks to him. But does living wealthier than others mean you’re happy?”
“Hmm…”
“He doesn’t hit people, he doesn’t drink excessively, and he has no gambling or theft issues. From the outside, the Marquis of Azbek is a perfect man. He has the Emperor’s trust and is highly capable.”
A seemingly flawless noble house.
“If I ever asked for a divorce, he would say: ‘After everything I’ve given you, now you want a divorce?’ That’s what he would say.”
“So… have you already brought up divorce before?”
“Yes. His position is that he will never divorce because of his honor. He knows I also don’t want to damage my reputation. He’s been relying on that. He knows I won’t go through with it.”
“There must be a reason you can’t speak openly.”
“There was. But now I will speak it.”
After finishing her tea, she gave a faint, awkward smile.
“Thanks to him, I’ve lived comfortably. But did you know? The Marquis of Azbek’s children—the five children listed under my name—are all children of different women.”
The words he’s like a dog in heat almost slipped out of my mouth.
