“……!”

Rosia, who held the title of Crown Princess and Saintess, was utterly surprised.

‘How can she be like this?’

She had never seen someone repent so devoutly and sincerely.

She had seen many people come to confess in the temple, but they were mostly people who just wanted peace of mind.

People who wanted to keep everything they had.

People who wanted to be forgiven and feel at ease without losing their wealth, honor, and power.

‘I’ve occasionally heard from Magnus that she used to be a decent person, but……’

Rosia was deeply moved.

She had been feeling profound fatigue from meeting too many pigs who only sought to satisfy their greedy appetites.

“How……”

“Yes?”

“How did you come to have such a mindset?”

Rosia couldn’t help but ask out of genuine curiosity.

How could someone who used to look at people with contempt and disgust now have such empty eyes!

Eyes that seemed devoid of any emotion, as if liberated from the world’s suffering.

‘…How did I come to have such a mindset?’

Serena hesitated for a moment at that question.

But she quickly found the answer.

It was simple.

“You just need to have something you desperately want.”

It was because she just wanted to live an easy life.

“I found that it’s important to discover what’s most crucial in life.”

Money was the most important thing in the world.

“It’s an enlightenment I gained after enduring cold and hunger, and coming close to death.”

She thought of the time when Professor Kim Chul-soo told her to wait in a tent in the middle of winter so his daughter could get a limited edition bromide.

She also thought of when Lemerun threw her into an unknown forest with just a piece of paper, nearly causing her to starve to death.

The fact that the world was truly f*cked up.

“……”

“……”

“……”

Silence fell around them.

‘…The brink of death?’

Magnus’s heart sank.

‘Was it really that difficult?’

The annex might not be as comfortable as the main mansion, but it’s not terribly inconvenient either.

I’m sure I assigned her a maid……

‘Did they say she chased them away?’

No, if she chased them away, why didn’t they come to me?

‘Could it be that she didn’t chase them away?’

Come to think of it, I forgot to check with Pamel.

“……?”

While he was thinking, two pairs of contemptuous gazes were pouring down on him.

“W-what is it?”

“No matter what, how could you do that to your wife, whom you even married? Magnus.”

“……No.”

“I can’t believe you did that. Trying to starve someone to death, that’s a punishment that’s disappeared even from the empire.”

The Crown Prince looked at him as if he was seeing some strange trash.

The imperial couple, who were fundamentally righteous protagonists, tended not to hold grudges once someone sincerely apologized.

And what, giving up her noble title?

This couldn’t be dismissed as a lie.

The Crown Prince continued speaking to Magnus, who seemed at a loss for words.

“Actually, I thought this earlier too—shouldn’t you, at the very least, trust the Duchess of Kelahinum?”

Who was it that whined about not taking his side!

Magnus almost blurted out harsh words at him, forgetting that he was the Crown Prince.

“…I was originally.”

“I appreciate your loyalty to me, but people usually have things they should protect before that.”

“It’s alright, Your Highness the Crown Prince. What can we do if we’re not compatible?”

Serena took Magnus’s side, feeling that he was being unfairly criticized.

“I wasn’t a good duchess. When I leave, a good wife will soon take my place.”

At Serena’s calm words, Rosia covered her mouth with a face that looked like she was about to cry.

“And I feel at ease now that I’ve let everything go.”

‘Thinking that I won’t be entangled with the main characters anymore.’

Whatever they thought of Serena’s refreshing smile, the imperial couple simultaneously glared at Magnus.

“You, don’t tell me you already have another woman behind her back……”

“You’re the worst, Magnus.”

“No, of course there’s no one now. He’s a diligent person.”

Serena gently waved her hand at the atmosphere that seemed to have turned quite favorably.

‘But there will be soon.’

Of course, she had different thoughts inside.

“……”

Magnus just lost his words.

He was at a loss for words, being treated like a punching bag from all directions.

“But when we divorce, he’ll soon meet someone new. He’s handsome.”

“…A man without loyalty.”

Magnus, who was being inexplicably criticized, just wanted to go home.

“Does Marquis Lavernia know about this?”

The Crown Prince brought up the most important issue.

Even if she wanted to leave the family, it wasn’t something she could do as she pleased.

“Yes, he gave me money and told me never to show my face again, saying I don’t even need to pay it back.”

Serena picked up a cup of well-brewed black tea with a faint smile.

“I must have caused him a lot of trouble.”

“……Are you saying that marquis went that far?”

To the Crown Prince’s incredulous response, Serena just shrugged her shoulders.

Thanks to Magnus, she had no particular feelings now that she had let go of her lingering attachments.

“It’s okay, I didn’t feel good at first, but he gave me money, and Magnus cursed on my behalf.”

“Are you saying he went to the marquis and cursed?”

The Crown Prince widened his eyes, saying that was quite surprising.

“No, he cursed in front of me?”

Even if they’re going to divorce, would he go and curse in front of his father-in-law?

“……Are you sure you’re a man?”

The Crown Prince asked quite seriously. Unable to hold back any longer, Magnus raised his eyes.

“Then do I look like a woman to Your Highness? Is something wrong with your eyes? How about taking them out and wiping them?”

“No, why are you getting irritated?”

“Do I look like I shouldn’t be irritated right now?”

“Come on, what have you done right to raise your voice? Isn’t that right, Rosia.”

“That’s right.”

The two joined hands and drowned out Magnus. Serena was calmly organizing her thoughts.

“So the reason I requested this meeting today is to ask if you could quickly process the family expulsion documents.”

“…Well, if it’s a matter that’s agreed on, it’s not a difficult thing.”

The Crown Prince pondered.

Even if she repented now, there will be many people who remember the evil deeds she has accumulated until now.

Besides, she had often caused disturbances even when she went shopping, so her reputation among commoners wasn’t good either.

Is it right for her to lose even the shield of her family?

The Crown Prince thought, forgetting even the fact that he had tried to kill Serena.

He thought her divorce from Magnus could be understandable.

The two had been at odds for a long time, and for the sake of his old friend Magnus, he thought it would be better for them to part ways.

But if she’s also driven out of the marquis’s house, Serena will truly live the life she mentioned.

Of course, Serena had already made some arrangements with the president of the Imperial Merchants Association to ensure at least safe accommodation and meals.

And of course, she omitted that part because if she mentioned it, the sympathy she had gained so far would disappear.

“I’m somewhat concerned about you losing all your titles.”

The Crown Prince spoke with a rare serious expression.

“Regarding that point, I have some thoughts prepared.”

‘Did Marquis Lavernia give her quite a lot of money after all?’

The Crown Prince thought, seeing Serena’s expression that showed not a hint of fear.

“Including the 30 million gold that His Grace the Marquis gave me, and the 10 million gold from my emergency savings account, along with the alimony I’ll receive, I’m thinking of trying to start a business.”

“……How much did the marquis give?”

“30 million gold.”

“……”