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Chapter – 23
“Just… she was the typical type of flawed spouse. A woman who acts like her own love is the greatest in the world and thinks she’s the center of everything.”
“A shameless woman, then. Well, show me your abilities, Laviel.”
The emperor sitting across from me let out a quiet chuckle.
“But I’m curious. Baron Taylor doesn’t want a divorce even though he knows all of Roseni’s faults, and Roseni wants one despite being the guilty party. What would you do? Would you prevent the divorce because that’s what your client wants?”
“To be honest, I’d push for the divorce.”
“That’s something the person themselves doesn’t want.”
“Isn’t it better than letting them get hurt? A relationship sustained at the cost of someone’s sacrifice isn’t truly living.”
“You’re always so decisive on this point. But would that really make him happy?”
I’d always only seen people who wanted a divorce. They came to me, sharing their own unfair experiences, struggling with their pain. But the baron was different.
“Even if it makes him unhappy… we can’t know what’s best for the future.”
“Indeed.”
Watching him nod slowly, a strange determination ignited inside me.
I will make them divorce. Even if the current baron doesn’t want it, there’s no way he could be happy living with a woman like her.
My fists clenched instinctively.
By then, the carriage had arrived at the mercenary office.
“I suppose I should be going now.”
“You’re not coming in?”
“Have you already… fallen for me?”
His bold remark made me laugh in disbelief.
“Well, since our relationship is bound to become special, you might as well start falling for me now.”
“No. I haven’t, so don’t worry.”
I shook my head the moment I stepped down from the carriage. He scoffed, but as I turned to leave, he called out to me.
“Laviel.”
“Yes?”
“If things get complicated, I’ll let you know. Such a lunatic woman—my way of dealing with her is simple enough: eliminate her.”
“…Is it really okay to wield power like that?”
“Who would stop me? I am the sun of this country.”
“Ha… I see. Still, I appreciate that you’re considerate enough to tell me.”
If it had been the emperor’s old personality, he probably would’ve killed her without a word. At least now, he asks first.
“You do have a sense of consideration.”
Every time I see the emperor, so confident and relaxed, I can’t read his mind at all. What is he thinking as he follows me around? Does he really just want me to handle a divorce?
Don’t overthink it. Just believe what he says.
A lawyer uncovers hidden truths and reconstructs reality transparently, making countless choices along the way. But here, there was no need to overanalyze.
Even if there’s some hidden motive.
If I refuse the emperor’s request, that ends everything.
“See you again.”
I gazed silently at him, cycling through countless expressions, and the emperor, grinning mischievously, nodded. The carriage door closed immediately after, and it departed.
I returned to the mercenary office, my resolve stronger than ever.
I already had the concise documents from the baron with me. I was about to head to my room when I decided to settle in a corner of the office.
“Did you have a good outing?”
“Kan.”
“You’ve been so busy lately, it’s hard to see you.”
As I sat, Kan approached and sat beside me naturally, bringing tea that radiated warmth.
The mercenary office, mostly catering to job seekers, had a small café corner. By evening, it even served alcohol. As part of that side business, Kan offered me tea.
“Thank you.”
“No problem. I felt sorry about what happened last time when that person came. And since then, I haven’t seen you at all.”
I suddenly remembered.
“Don’t apologize for my father. He’s always been irrational. Even if you hadn’t called me, he would have caused trouble eventually.”
“Still… next time, I’ll handle things myself to prevent incidents. I’ve instructed the staff not to let him in under any circumstances.”
“Thank you.”
I knew it wouldn’t really stop my father, but I appreciated the thought.
“So, what task have you taken this time?”
Kan gestured toward the documents I had brought.
“Oh, it’s about Baron Taylor’s family. Kan, do you know the baron?”
“Yes, I do.”
As expected from an elite staff member at the mercenary office, he continued immediately without hesitation.
“His family has been fortunate. They made a fortune in mining over generations. They even bought abandoned mines no one wanted, and there they found a rare gem showing two colors simultaneously. The Taylor family is said to be blessed by the gods. The current baron is no different. As for the family’s trait… perhaps they are short-lived.”
I hadn’t heard such details from the baron himself, so I found it intriguing.
“And about the current Baron Taylor… he’s a romantic of the century.”
“Because of Baroness Roseni?”
“Yes.”
Whether he was a true romantic or a pushover, I nodded in response to Kan’s words.
“The rare mineral from that abandoned mine was used to make a ring, which he gave as a proposal gift. Something priceless.”
“I see.”
“Their love story is famous, too. For Roseni, who had lost her fiancé, Baron Taylor paid off her family’s debts.”
“A love story… or a sucker’s story. Could that be all?”
“My knowledge is only surface-level.”
Still, he didn’t ask why I was curious about the Taylor family or why I was looking at these documents. That meant the story of the baron’s divorce was likely known to those in the know.
“I see… hmm.”
But my story couldn’t end there. I had to convince my client, and I needed valid reasons.
“You seem curious.”
“Yes… about Baroness Roseni. Oh, I heard that five years ago her family got into huge debt while trying to exterminate monsters.”
“That’s correct. Everyone tried to stop them. Roseni’s maternal family, the Gelas family, had no title and lived off trade. Suddenly, they decided to hunt monsters. It might seem profitable to someone unfamiliar, but in reality, it wasn’t much money.”
“Not much money?”
“Yes. Even knowing that, the head of the Gelas family pursued it.”
Roseni’s father, the head of the Gelas family, took on something that didn’t even make money?
In the end, all they gained was debt. Had Baron Taylor not helped, the family would have been drowning in debt.
Did they expect Baron Taylor’s assistance?
Questions filled my mind.
But would this information help? To convince a baron who wants a divorce? Even if they knew Taylor would help, it probably wouldn’t aid persuasion.
“Hmm… hmm.”
“Do you want me to find more information?”
“No.”
It didn’t seem helpful. It was all past events anyway.
“Sigh…”
“Eventually, the Gelas family went bankrupt after many attempts.”
“Really? They weren’t that notable, yet they left many rumors, even having owed a large debt to the Taylor family?”
“Yes. Roseni spread all of it. She talks a lot in salons, so we collected plenty of information.”
“What did she say?”
He smirked, pushing up his glasses.
“That her foolish father ruined the family with reckless acts, and shamelessly demanded money from her, spreading all sorts of slander.”
