Sensing the unease in my expression, Theodore quickly offered an excuse.

“No, I completely understand. It’s just that usually, I only meet with one party, not both together, so I thought I might have misheard… haha.”

“It’s a mutual consent divorce, not a lawsuit. He’s too busy to handle everything himself, and I need a representative due to health issues. You can handle it, right?”

Theodore swallowed nervously before responding.

“Of course, leave it to me.”

“You can boast about your experience after the divorce, but I’d prefer to avoid causing any unnecessary trouble beforehand, so please keep it as discreet as possible.”

“Don’t worry about that either. I won’t breathe a word.”

I didn’t have much faith in his promise, but I smiled anyway, playing along. Gossip tends to leak regardless. The moment the application is filed with the court, the entire empire will know. It’s inevitable. This time, instead of being swept away by the wave, I intended to ride it from the top.

“So… how familiar are you both with the divorce process?”

I smiled pleasantly as I responded, “Not very.”

I had intended to learn more, but someone—who will remain unnamed—burned all the family law books. I shot a glance at Ian. He, oblivious to the reason behind my glare, flinched and tried to figure out why I was upset. I let him stew and turned my attention back to Theodore, who kindly began to explain the process.

“…The most important part is that you’ll need to get the consent of everyone who signed your marriage contract. This includes both of you, your parents, the heads of your families, the witnesses to the marriage, and even the bishop who officiated. So, the first step is to get the church’s approval. After that, you’ll submit the application to the court, observe a reflection period, and finally, the Emperor’s approval will finalize the divorce.”

It didn’t seem too difficult. Both of our mothers had already agreed, and the heads of our families were Benjamin and Ian, so there was no issue there. The witness to Ian’s side of the marriage was Phillip. The only problem was on my side… My friend Joy, who stood as my bridesmaid and witness at the wedding, and I had grown distant over the years. It had been over two years since I last saw her. I felt uncomfortable at the thought but tried to brush it off.

“First, you’ll need to draft a statement of the reasons for the divorce. May I ask what your grounds are…?”

“Differences in personality.”

I smiled confidently, only to see Theodore’s face fall.

“You must be joking.”

“I’m serious.”

“No, that won’t work.”

Why not? Isn’t “irreconcilable differences” the most common and accepted reason for mutual divorces? Oh, right, divorces aren’t exactly common here.

“Even if that’s true, the church won’t accept it. A sacred vow made before the goddess can’t be undone for such a trivial reason. Please reconsider.”

I sighed. It wouldn’t be easy to find a valid reason.

“Then write that I’m barren.”

“Liv—!”

Ian’s sudden outburst startled me. I placed my hand over my chest and stared at him, confused. He bit his lip and sighed, then apologized.

“Sorry… I was just caught off guard. But no, we’re not doing that. Just say it’s my fault, that I’m a terrible husband.”

However, Theodore didn’t seem particularly fond of that explanation either.

“According to past rulings, divorces where the fault lies with the husband have only been granted in cases where the wife was on the verge of death from domestic abuse or had become disabled.”

Ian’s voice dropped, filled with frustration.

“Why does the reason matter so much? This isn’t a lawsuit; it’s a mutual agreement. I’ll speak with the Archbishop, so just write something down.”

Theodore, clearly intimidated by Ian’s anger, didn’t say anything, while I grew more irritated.

“Why does the reason matter? Just go with what I said. We don’t have time for this—”

“No.”

“Ian.”

I didn’t understand why he was being so stubborn. But when I raised my voice in frustration, he gave me that sad look again and spoke softly.

“If I had died back then, none of this would’ve happened to you.”

I was left speechless, biting my lip. We’d finally reached a point where we could talk openly to each other. I didn’t want to fight over something like this. But it seemed like we weren’t going to agree. Ian was holding onto his guilt, and I was too hurt to let go of my own resentment. Watching us, Theodore broke the tension with his practical tone.

“In my opinion, the lady’s suggestion is more reasonable. If we state health reasons, specifically the difficulty of conceiving, the church will likely accept it. They’ll see it as preventing the end of the Keppel line. Since you two don’t have children yet, people will assume that’s the reason anyway.”

Ian closed his eyes. Theodore delivered his verdict with finality.

“Your Grace, it’s unavoidable.”

Ian remained silent for the rest of the meeting. Occasionally, I glanced at him as we wrapped up the consultation. Theodore promised to draft a preliminary statement of reasons for us, and I paid him an advance to ensure he had the funds to proceed.

“With the company formation and all, I’ll be quite busy for a while.”

Theodore smiled awkwardly and spoke.

“Um… Your Grace, thank you. Even though you had the Count’s recommendation and the case wasn’t too difficult, it’s not easy to trust just anyone with it… especially someone like me with so little experience… Thanks to you, at least I won’t have to worry about rent this month.”

Theodore spoke as if he still didn’t understand why I had specifically sought him out, smiling as though he expected me to explain. Sensing this, I glanced at Ian, who was waiting by the door, and said:

“Benjamin said you were the top student at the Cadia Academy, Mr. Wilson.”

“Ah, well, that’s true, but…”

“But I also heard that you’ve been unable to build a proper career because you’re too selective with the cases you take on.”

Theodore lowered his head. The cases he had taken on all had one thing in common: none of them were profitable.

He mainly defended those who seemed unable to afford proper legal fees and had lost quite a few cases. To believe that he could win solely on his abilities while facing opponents who used every trick in the book, including bribing judges, wasn’t just naive—it was foolish. Judging by the darkened expression on his face, it seemed he was aware of the problem.

It’s hard to consistently stand on the side of the underdog while losing battle after battle. Eventually, even those with money would hesitate to hire him due to his low win rate. At this rate, Theodore was headed for ruin. That’s why he probably wanted me to reassure him, to tell him he hadn’t chosen the wrong path, that he was doing the right thing. I could see through him, but for some reason, I didn’t feel like indulging him.

“Mr. Wilson, I think ruining your life with misguided idealism is foolish.”

Theodore flinched. He seemed disappointed, as it wasn’t the answer he had hoped for. But that was my honest opinion. Good deeds are only possible when you have the resources to support them.

If it’s not sustainable, it’s no different from a fleeting impulse. He might think he’s dedicating himself, but to me, he seemed like a fool caught up in the moral gratification of helping others without even being able to take care of himself. Seeing the hardened expression on Theodore’s face, I wondered if I had been too harsh, so I smiled softly.

“But Ben likes that kind of thing. He’s always been that way since he was a child. If there had been another heir to the Hershey family, Ben might have become a lawyer like you. So, it seems he hopes you won’t falter and that you’ll continue on this path… Whether you live up to his expectations or not is your choice. As for me, I don’t really care as long as you do the job I’ve asked you to do.”

Perhaps I could have said something nice. Maybe something like “I admire your character” or “Society needs more people like you.” But since my goodwill hasn’t always led to good outcomes, I chose to say what I wanted instead. Leaving behind Theodore’s eyes, which were now visibly shaken, I took Ian’s outstretched hand. As soon as I climbed into the carriage, Ian spoke.

“You didn’t like him, did you?”

Who? Theodore?

“I liked him. Out of the three people Benjamin introduced, he seemed the most desperate. He’ll probably work hard for us, don’t you think?”

Ian stroked his chin and said,

“I thought you’d like someone like him.”

“I don’t dislike him.”

There’s no reason to dislike someone who isn’t bad. I smiled, wondering why Ian was asking such things repeatedly.

“Don’t tell me you’re worried that I might fall for him or something?”

I was about to mention that Benjamin had said something similar, but Ian averted his gaze without answering.

Wait, could it be? Does he really? What does he think of me?

I like men who are capable, wealthy, and powerful—basically, someone who has it all. I was about to say that but stopped, realizing there weren’t many men like that in the world. However, perhaps interpreting my silence differently, Ian spoke with a defeated look on his face.

“It’s not that, it’s just… I thought you were being nice to him because you think he’s a good person, and he might misunderstand…”

“That’s the same thing.”

“No, it’s not.”

Ian said sternly.

“And I wasn’t worried. It just crossed my mind, that’s all.”

“That sounds like the same thing to me…”

“No, it’s not.”

It seems like it is, though.

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