The courthouse was enormous.

After asking several people for directions, Ophelia finally managed to reach the office where documents were submitted. She stood there awkwardly for quite some time before the stern-faced court clerks as she struggled to file the divorce papers.

The atmosphere inside was cold and impersonal.

Her heart would not stop pounding anxiously, so she tightly gripped the hem of her skirt to calm herself.

“Hm. These documents are very cleanly prepared.”

The clerk, who had initially examined Ophelia suspiciously for arriving completely alone without even a lawyer, finally nodded.

Quiet relief escaped her inwardly.

“Both you and your husband have already signed everything. There doesn’t seem to be anything left to dispute. It’s been a while since I’ve seen such a straightforward divorce process.”

As he carefully reviewed the papers, he continued muttering to himself.

“You were right. You really don’t need a lawyer for this.”

“…….”

“You handled the matter of asset division privately between yourselves, correct?”

The clerk adjusted his glasses and asked again for confirmation.

Ophelia nodded.

In truth, she had received nothing from the Roswell estate.

But there was nothing she could do.

To pursue division of assets, she would need a lawyer.
And to hire a lawyer, she would need money.

Besides…

There had never been any chance the Roswells would willingly give her anything in the first place.

All she wanted now was to finish the process as quickly as possible.

After asking a few brief questions, the clerk finally pressed his seal firmly onto the documents.

As Ophelia watched the red ink sink clearly into the paper, her legs nearly gave out beneath her.

“All done now. You may go.”

“When you say… done…”

The clerk glanced briefly at the clock nearing the end of the workday before continuing,

“As of today, you are no longer Ophelia Roswell. You may use the name Ophelia Dauer once more. The divorce takes legal effect immediately.”

“Ah…! Yes. Thank you.”

Ophelia bowed deeply at once before turning around.

Her footsteps echoed rapidly against the marble floor.

The moment she stepped outside, cold wind brushed against her face.

Ophelia inhaled it deeply into her lungs.

“As of today, you are no longer Ophelia Roswell.”

The clerk’s casual words refused to leave her mind.

‘I’m no longer a Roswell.’

Her father, her mother, even the relatives connected to her by blood—

To someone who no longer had a single family member left in this world, the name Roswell had become her entire life.

Hemian had been her family.

Her home.

Her longtime lover.

That was why abandoning that name had not been easy.

And yet she had thrown it away.

With nothing more than a single sheet of paper.

The moment that reality truly sank in, tears burst from her uncontrollably.

They poured out so violently it hurt to breathe.

Unable to walk any farther, Ophelia curled up on the cold stone ground near the courthouse entrance.

And for the first time in a very long while, she cried openly and helplessly.

Passersby whispered among themselves as they stared at her while walking past, but she no longer cared.

This was the moment she severed herself from the brilliantly colorful memories of her childhood—

The memories she had cherished with all her heart.

The love she had devoted herself to with complete sincerity for so many years.

***

“Ophelia disappeared?”

Hemian heard the news in his office early that evening.

The young maid who had returned with swollen eyes from crying trembled violently as she reported everything to him.

Of course, she had not cried because she was worried about the mistress of the house who everyone treated with contempt.

She was simply terrified of what would happen to herself, whether she would be punished or dismissed and thrown out onto the streets.

Yet in complete contrast to the frightened maid, Hemian remained calm.

In a surprisingly gentle voice, he asked again,

“What do you mean she disappeared?”

“W-Well…”

Sniffling, the maid slowly began explaining.

“T-This morning, I went to ask whether Madam would be having breakfast, but I didn’t hear any response. I thought perhaps she was sleeping in, so I didn’t open the door. But even by late afternoon she still hadn’t come out, so I finally went inside and…The room was empty.”

Hemian rubbed between his brows as though a headache was coming on.

“Then why am I only hearing about this now, at dinner time?”

“We… we thought Madam was somewhere inside the estate, so we spent quite a while searching for her…”

The maid trailed off weakly.

In other words, no one had initially thought it was a serious matter.

He already knew the servants paid little attention to Ophelia, but to think it was this bad.

A faint, humorless laugh escaped him before he spoke again.

“Were there any missing belongings?”

“I-I haven’t checked.”

“Forget it. I’ll look myself.”

It was not truly a major issue.

She was probably just throwing another pointless tantrum again.

Still, it irritated him. It angered him.

Yesterday, she caused a ridiculous scene.
Today, she ran away from home.

Why did she insist on turning the household upside down every other day?

The image of Ophelia quietly crying flashed through his mind, and for a moment it felt as though shards of glass had lodged themselves in his chest.

But Hemian forcefully pushed the unpleasant feeling away.

“You may leave now.”

At the dismissal, the maid bowed repeatedly before hurriedly fleeing the room.

Relief was written all over her face at not being dismissed from the estate or severely punished.

Left alone in the now silent office, Hemian released a long sigh.

To him, Ophelia’s disappearance was nothing more than a foolish act of rebellion.

Something insignificant.

Something that would end within a day.

“…Ophe. You’ll come back soon anyway. Why are you doing this?”

Did she really think acting like this would make him pay more attention to her?

His muttered words dispersed into the air like smoke.

***

Ophelia boarded another train.

This time, she headed farther north from the capital to a city called Edent.

“145… 146… Here.”

Mrs. Bovary.

After hesitating briefly, Ophelia approached the house at the listed address.

She had sent a letter in advance, but because she had specifically asked for no reply, she was not even certain whether it had arrived safely.

Still, the neighborhood itself was peaceful.

Green ivy climbed over the low fences surrounding each home.

Climbing the three stone steps leading up to the door, Ophelia placed a hand against the wood and took a deep breath.

Knock, knock, knock.

The sound echoed softly.

After a short wait, the old hinges creaked open.

Standing behind the door was a middle-aged woman with graying hair and a warm, comforting appearance.

The moment their eyes met, the woman’s face filled with shock before she hurried outside.

“My goodness, Miss Ophelia!”

Without hesitation, Mrs. Bovary pulled Ophelia into a tight embrace.

A gentle, familiar scent wrapped around her.

Caught suddenly in the woman’s arms, Ophelia could not hide her surprise.

Yet regardless of her will, warmth stung sharply at the tip of her nose.

“Oh, look at me rambling. The weather is chilly. Come inside quickly.”

Mrs. Bovary gently held Ophelia by the arm and guided her indoors.

Sophie Bovary had once worked as a maid for the Dauer barony.

Ophelia’s father, Baron Dauer, had pitied the orphaned little girl no one wanted and taken her in as a maid.

He had given her clothes to wear, food to eat, and a place to sleep.

And the Baroness had taught her both work and literacy.

Having regarded the Dauer family as lifelong benefactors, Mrs. Bovary had repeatedly told Ophelia to come find her if she ever needed help someday.

Even though she must have had countless questions about Ophelia’s sudden arrival, Mrs. Bovary asked nothing at all and instead served her a warm cup of hot chocolate.

“Miss, you must’ve had a difficult journey. You can’t imagine how shocked I was when I received your letter.”

“It was all so sudden. I’m sorry.”

“Oh, don’t say such things.”

Mrs. Bovary replied playfully as she clasped Ophelia’s hand resting atop the table.

“What happened to the Baron and Baroness was truly heartbreaking, Miss…”

Her eyes reddened as she recalled the tragedy that had struck the family years ago.

Ophelia shook her head with a faint smile.

“I’ve gotten much better now, Mrs. Bovary.”

“But… what brings you all the way out here, Miss?”

Ophelia calmly explained her situation.

That her marriage had not been an easy one.

And that she had divorced her husband.

Mrs. Bovary did not press for further details.

Instead, from the moment she received Ophelia’s letter, she had already prepared something in advance.

“Don’t worry. I happen to have a spare room.”

“Thank you so much, Mrs. Bovary. Once I find work, I’ll immediately look for a place of my own.”

At the mention of work, Mrs. Bovary tightened her hold on Ophelia’s hand before speaking carefully.

“Miss… have you perhaps considered ghostwriting?”