Now, Go Ahead and Stamp It - Chapter 41

“Everyone present here will be a witness to today’s decision! I have determined that Lady Krembell’s request is humanitarianly reasonable, and Duke Krembell has agreed to it.”

Hedges raised the gavel for declaration.

“Therefore, I approve their divorce!”

Bang! Bang!

The assembly began to murmur.

Everyone started talking in their own voices.

The seat of the Duchess of Krembell is vacant again!

But what about our business? Is Krembell still going to invest?

That will proceed without issue. We’ve already received confirmation.

Oh my, it seems Krembell has become quite relaxed in the meantime…

Amidst the murmuring, the attendants moved busily.

They placed a sheet of paper in front of Gillian and Ellen and then quickly stepped aside.

“What has just been handed to you is a documentation of what was discussed. Once you seal it, the imperial family will tear up your marriage document and keep this instead.”

As soon as Hedges finished speaking, Ellen took out a small ring symbolizing the authority of the Crient family head from her pocket.

The motion of stamping was very concise.

Press.

In front of everyone, the ring left its mark on the document.

With this, the final procedure she needed to complete was done.

As one side quickly finished the task, naturally, the other side found themselves the focus of everyone’s gaze.

However, Gillian was merely staring blankly at Ellen.

The attendant, waiting for him to stamp, grew restless and eventually whispered softly.

“Duke Krembell, His Majesty is waiting.”

“…Understood.”

Gillian slowly picked up the seal.

Ink spread beneath the firmly pressed seal.

Flap.

As the ink-soaked paper clung to the seal and then fell off, the attendant, who had been waiting for the stamp, immediately retrieved the document and sent it up to the Emperor.

“Bring it here.”

The Emperor took it, examined it carefully, and said,

“I have confirmed the intentions of Gillian Krembell and Ellen Krembell. Bring the marriage certificate!”

At the Emperor’s gesture, an attendant waiting behind opened the lid of a box they were holding and presented it forward.

Hedges took out the paper stored in the box and held it up for all to see.

“Here is your marriage certificate. Verify it.”

The attendant quickly moved his feet to ensure both Ellen and Gillian could confirm the certificate handed by Hedges.

“Have you verified it?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“I have confirmed it, Your Majesty.”

“Good. Bring it back.”

Holding the marriage certificate, Hedges lifted it high and spoke.

“This certificate will be destroyed here according to the wishes of both parties.”

He pulled the ends with force.

Rip!

“Now, there is no document proving the marriage of the Krembells! The imperial family accepts their divorce, and Ellen Krembell has returned the Krembell name and become a member of the Crient family!”

The divorce of the Krembell family!

The people began to behave more noisily than ever before.

Some were amused, some anxious, and others filled with anticipation.

But more than anyone, the most agitated were the people of the Crient family.

“Ellen!”

Count Crient rushed to his daughter.

He held Ellen’s hand, tearfully expressing how much she had suffered.

Elsier, who followed, patted both his father’s and sister’s backs but soon wore an oddly twisted expression upon hearing his father’s sobs.

Kaiden, who had been sitting far away in the imperial seat, approached her and greeted her.

“You’ve truly worked hard.”

“Ah, Your Highness.”

Ellen smiled brightly.

“Thank you for your kind words.”

Then Kaiden glanced at where Gillian was and said,

“Rather than staying here any longer, why don’t we return to my palace?”

“The palace?”

“Yes. We should unwind and also discuss future matters.”

He looked at the Crient family as he asked.

“What do the Count and the young master think?”

“For me, it would be an honor, Your Highness!”

Elsier, who had never properly visited the imperial palace, shouted excitedly at his invitation.

The Count released his daughter’s hand and slapped his son’s back.

“You rascal!”

Ugh.

Elsier let out a low groan and slinked behind Ellen, while the Count apologized with a flushed face.

“My son is still young and lacks maturity.”

“It’s fine. It seems the young master was raised with much love, and I think that’s rather nice to see.”

Kaiden waved his hand dismissively and laughed.

He extended his arm to Ellen and said,

“Anyway, let’s go now.”

At his escort, Ellen lightly smiled and gently placed her hand on his arm.

But just then, someone suddenly stood in front of them.

“…Gillian?”

“Your Highness.”

Gillian approached and blocked their path.

“What brings you here all of a sudden?”

Kaiden raised an eyebrow, and Gillian, looking directly at him, spoke.

“Your Highness, I have something urgent to discuss with my wife, so I ask for a moment of your understanding.”

“With Lady Crient?”

Gillian flinched at the precise designation of ‘Crient’ by Kaiden.

“Lady, do you have anything to discuss with Duke Krembell?”

“No, I do not.”

As Ellen rejected the idea outright, Kaiden, with an apologetic face, said,

“It seems not. I’m sorry, but the matter is still under investigation, and I need to respect the lady’s wishes. Let’s talk next time if the opportunity arises.”

“Your Highness, there hasn’t been a proper time to convey my final farewell.”

Gillian did not easily back down.

“There shouldn’t be any particular problem.”

To an outsider, it might seem like he genuinely came for a gentlemanly final farewell.

And naturally, the sight of the main parties still standing in place, holding each other’s hands, was enough to draw people’s attention.

Oh, look over there. What could they be discussing? The atmosphere doesn’t seem very good. I thought it was strange how smoothly the divorce process went…

Ellen glanced around and sighed.

“Duke Krembell.”

Her call drew Gillian’s gaze downward.

“Why are you asking His Highness? You can speak to me directly.”

“Because you don’t answer.”

Gillian’s voice, as if blaming her, was different from when he spoke to Kaiden, carrying a hint of restraint.

Finding his demeanor amusing, Ellen chuckled and said,

“No matter how much I speak, you ignore it, so you must’ve thought that I didn’t answer.”

“…What?”

“This is the last time. Please stop concerning yourself with me.”

“Ha. Stop concerning myself?”

“Yes. I have no farewell to exchange with you, and we are no longer husband and wife. So please, go.”

Gillian narrowed his brows and took a step closer.

“Yes, we are indeed divorced. I respected your and Crient’s decision and sided with it. However—”

“However, we are now unrelated.”

Gillian was momentarily at a loss for words, staring at her.

“…How can we be unrelated when we were married?”

“Didn’t you just stamp it yourself? You no longer have the right to interfere with me.”

At her words, Gillian lifted his bowed head toward her.

His chest rose and fell once.

After taking a deep breath, he leaned toward Ellen again and spoke quietly.

“Ellen Krembell. Now you—”

But then, Ellen suddenly shouted.

“Crient!”

With a face colder than he had ever seen, she stared at him and spoke.

“…Ellen. Crient.”

The words were deliberately emphasized, broken and clear.

“Don’t ever think of attaching such a name to me again, Duke Krembell.”

She spat out the words then stepped back from him.

As the two stared at each other, Kaiden interjected.

“Gillian, if you have something to say, send an official letter. Then take care. Count, let’s go.”

Gillian took another deep breath.

He must not reveal his emotions recklessly.

That was the basic stance for survival.

‘I know. I know, but…’

From the moment he became aware of himself, he had lived that way.

Unable to manage the chaos in his mind, he opened his mouth.

“…I was wrong.”

I was foolish.

“I should have supported whoever it was.”

So that you would just die there.

Gillian’s low growl made Ellen stop walking.

His strangely changed wife.

His own strangeness.

The tangled affairs.

As the sound of footsteps passing him stopped, Gillian unconsciously held his breath.

Gillian’s throat moved once.

Ellen slowly turned around.

As their eyes met, she slowly walked toward him.

One step, one step, she approached Gillian, and soon they were as close as they had been at the start.

Ellen leaned in close and whispered softly.

“Are you saying you wished for my death?”

“…Well. Did it sound that way?”

His eyes, once pretending to be sad, were now simply trying to hide his anger.

Gillian Krembell, what are you so aggrieved about?

“Ha.”

Ellen let out a light sigh, smiling slightly.

“In fact, I was quite curious about why you did it.”

“……”

“But now I’m not curious anymore. You’re just that kind of person. Someone who could kill me over and over…”

Gillian’s lips stiffened at her incomprehensible words.

Kill you over and over?

Me?

Why would such a misunderstanding—

“What? Say it again.”

Did she mean there had already been an attempt on her life? When exactly?

Thinking this might be the clue to their divorce, he unconsciously grabbed her.

But Ellen ignored his words and left only what she wanted to say.

“Did you say you should have supported whoever it was?”

“My words don’t matter. More importantly, what was that earlier—”

“Thank you for the support.”

At Ellen’s cheerful words, Gillian momentarily forgot what he was saying and stared at her blankly.

“…What?”

“Then, goodbye.”

His eyes widened with an emotion that could be either surprise or betrayal.

Ellen, having scanned the tangled emotions in his eyes, smiled with great satisfaction.

Leaving Gillian, who seemed broken and frozen, behind, Ellen walked out of the hall with the sound of her heels clicking.

The sound of those footsteps, along with the thumping pulse, echoed in his ears.