And then we both burst into laughter without a word.

Following proper etiquette that one shouldn’t laugh freely in front of subordinates, I tried my best to clench my lips and hold it in, but there’s a limit to restraint.

I couldn’t stop the laughter from escaping between my lips.

……Father had told me that Alex could no longer function as a man.

❀❀❀

After laughing discreetly for quite some time, around when my jaw joints started to ache, Father spoke up.

“Isn’t this truly fortunate? After treating you so terribly, he clearly received divine punishment.”

“……I think so too.”

Smiling in agreement with Father’s words, I suddenly remembered something I’d forgotten.

“Then perhaps.”

Was that why Alex insisted there should absolutely be no trial?

Again, as if reading my thoughts, Father nodded.

“According to the informant I sent, he can’t even walk properly.”

“Ah, indeed……”

I felt a little sorry for him, but the feeling of relief was greater. No, relief wasn’t enough. It was more like satisfaction.

Thinking about what I’d endured for three years, and especially just three months ago, made it all the more satisfying.

Yet somehow, I couldn’t laugh wholeheartedly.

‘I was wearing pointy shoes that day.’

Being kicked by Father must have contributed, but that day I had also kicked Alex hard between the legs with my stiletto heels while escaping with Ilina.

It would be stranger if he were still intact.

Recalling his last crazed expression, the fact that I had earned his hatred suddenly felt chilling.

Just as I was thinking I should be careful for a while regardless of what anyone said, Father called to me.

“Why are you spacing out? Still feels satisfying no matter how much you think about it?”

“That’s true, but……”

Ah. Unconsciously responding, I inadvertently agreed. Though it was true, the awkwardness of the situation made my face flush, and then something caught my eye.

“Take this. It will probably make you feel even better than before.”

Father was holding something out to me. A glance showed it was an envelope.

With anticipation, I carefully opened the sealed envelope.

As the envelope opened, revealing densely packed documents inside, I couldn’t close my mouth.

Only after scanning the documents for quite some time, wondering if my eyes were deceiving me, could I finally stammer:

“Is all this……”

The settlement details?

Before my question could be completed, Father answered.

“Didn’t I tell you? It’s quite substantial.”

I knew the Floredo family had made a lot of money through trade, but this was beyond expectation. I never thought it would be this much.

I pulled out and unfolded just the first few pages of documents. The words that met my eyes naturally made my pupils dilate.

“Five merchant ships and half the trading company shares……”

After roughly totaling all the documents, my conclusion was this:

The settlement was enough wealth for three generations to live in luxury without ever running out.

❀❀❀

The next morning dawned.

Early in the morning, Father and I headed to the family court.

Since we had received Alex’s signature for a divorce by mutual consent, we needed to cancel the trial we had scheduled.

As we got off the carriage and entered the courthouse, I felt the sidelong glances of countless people who recognized me.

Though I had anticipated it, the stares that clung to a divorced woman were unbearably sharp.

However, it wasn’t as shocking as I had expected, and I seemed to pass through the courthouse doors safely.

Until I felt a little girl bump into my leg.

“Ouch!”

A delicate, short moan rang out. Startled, I looked down to see a child so small she wouldn’t even reach my waist.

I gasped reflexively in surprise.

“Oh, are you okay?”

I bent down to check on the fallen child, and soon she raised her head.

At that moment, seeing her face, I couldn’t help but open my mouth.

‘She’s beautiful.’

I had always been fond of children. After all, children untainted by the world are lovable to anyone.

But saying she was beautiful now had a slightly different meaning. This child who had just bumped into me possessed considerable beauty even by objective standards.

Dark, ink-colored hair, ruby-like red eyes. And despite still being a child, her features were vivid, with flour-white, soft skin.

‘She’ll break many hearts when she grows up.’

My idle thoughts were interrupted when I had to open my eyes wide.

‘But why are her eyes so red?’

Staring at the child’s face, my gaze naturally went to her reddish eyes.

‘Did she cry?’

Just as I was falling into this faint speculation, the child’s shoulders suddenly began to tremble intermittently. Then her brow furrowed.

That expression, like she was about to cry, was…

“Waaaah! Mommy!”

……She really was going to cry.

“Oh, little one?”

When the child suddenly burst into tears, all eyes around us turned toward Father and me. Flustered, we could only look at each other.

“Father, I didn’t make her cry.”

“……Neither did I.”

But despite such excuses, the gazes directed at us were already filled with contempt. They were looking at us as if we had made a child cry.

In short, if we couldn’t console the child here, who knew what rumors might spread by tomorrow? Not just rumors—it might even make the front page of a tabloid newspaper.

“Count Ophelia and his daughter. Making a child cry and ignoring it. Their true character, quite different from their public image, finally revealed?!”

Imagining the sensational headline made my head throb. The Ophelia family was a prestigious house, ranking fifth in the Empire’s ceremonial order.

Because of that, I had to endure malicious reporters since childhood. At least after marrying Alex, I had been confined to the estate, so that stress was lessened.

But as soon as I returned to the capital, somehow countless media outlets covered everything about me, from rumors of discord with Alex to divorce speculation.

Probably even at this moment, there were reporters observing me. That’s why I needed to be careful with my behavior.

“Oh, little one. Be good, okay? Stop, stop crying?”

“Waaaah!”

“I said stop, please?”

So the first thing to do was to stop the child’s crying. But I’d never consoled a child before in my life.

Somehow, the more I tried to comfort her, the louder she cried. I grew increasingly anxious. Not only were people staring, but we might be late for our appointment.

“Father, what time is it now?”

Unable to console her, I discreetly asked the time. At my question, Father took out his watch and his face immediately showed dismay.

“It’s one o’clock. Our meeting is at 1:10, so I’ll go ahead. Our trials might get delayed because of us.”

It was a valid excuse, but somehow it felt like he was fleeing.

But I had no chance to object to that.

Father patted my shoulder a couple of times lightly and then disappeared into the building with the fastest steps I’d ever seen from him.

❀❀❀

In the end, only the crying child and I were left alone.

No, I was left alone. The child was still crying her lungs out, and my ears felt like they were being torn apart.

“Waaah!”

People everywhere frowned at me, as if wondering how I could remain so calm while making a child cry. I felt wronged. I was trying my best to comfort her.

How should I really console her? In situations like this…

“Why, why are you crying?”

Saying that, I wrapped one arm around the child’s waist, supported her plump bottom, and pulled her into my arms. Then, swaying slowly from side to side, I met her eyes and smiled back at her.

This seemed to work, as the child’s crying miraculously stopped.

‘Finally!’

A sigh of relief escaped between my lips. Now that the crying had stopped, what remained was…

“Little one, where is your mother? I’ll take you to her.”

A few seconds after saying that, I regretted it.

“Mom, I don’t…… have one.”

“Huh…?”

No mother? Momentarily taken aback by this unexpected statement, a realization soon crossed my mind.

Come to think of it, we were in front of the family court.

‘Did I just touch on the child’s wound?’

2. I Went to Get a Divorce, But Ended Up with a Child

I had inadvertently touched on a painful memory. I bit my lip hard.

‘This mouth of mine, again.’

The child’s tiny shoulders heaved again. Having experienced it once before, I knew well what this meant.

I hastily opened my mouth.

“Well, well, it’s okay not to have a mother! Don’t worry, I don’t have one either.”

I may have unintentionally said something a bit impious, but it was my best attempt at comfort. I just couldn’t control my tone due to urgency.

Fortunately, this child, less tainted by the world, didn’t seem to misunderstand the subtle nuances that could lead to misinterpretation. She just stopped heaving her shoulders and looked at me with wide, round eyes.

Her puffy little cheeks moved up at the same time.

“Auntie, you don’t have a mommy either?”

Though the term “auntie” grated on my nerves a bit, this wasn’t the time to quibble over such things.

“……Yes.”

At that moment, the child’s eyes wavered. I felt something like sympathy in her gaze. To think I’d end up being pitied by a child who didn’t even seem to be five years old.

Though it left a bitter taste, I was immensely proud of successfully stopping her tears. But the child seemed to take this fact quite seriously.

“It’s okay. That’s just how life is.”

To think the day would come when I, in my early twenties, would hear such words from a five-year-old child. Her tiny hand patted my shoulder.

“Th-thank you.”

……Is this the right way to respond? She was trying to comfort me, after all.

But the child seems excessively mature.

“If you’re that grateful, shall I do it for you?”

“Huh? Do what?”

“I’ll be your mommy. That’s what.”

At that moment, I almost burst out laughing but bit my lip to hold it in. The child’s tone was quite serious.

“Oh, really? That’s very kind of you.”

I spoke while pretending my laughter was due to joy, not because the child was adorable. At my words, the child remained silent for a while, then carefully opened her mouth.

“But I have a request.”

“Hm? What is it?”

At my question, the child hesitated for a moment before finally speaking heavily, her cheeks deeply flushed.

“You do it too.”

“Huh?”

Just as I was about to tilt my head at this sudden statement, the child answered.

“Be my mommy, I mean.”

“Huh?”

The child’s words brought an awkward smile to my face. As I chuckled, the child furrowed her brow.

“Why are you laughing?”

“Hm?”

Weren’t you joking? Just as I was about to ask unconsciously, I had to stop. The child’s crystal-like eyes were sparkling.

Her eyes had always sparkled brilliantly, but this was a different kind of sparkle. That is, tears were beginning to well up in the child’s eyes.

Not again?

“Don’t, don’t cry.”

Flustered, I patted the child’s small, fragile back as I spoke.

Despite this, the child’s tears showed no sign of drying up. Not only that, but her gaze toward me was tinged with resentment.

“Sniff, that’s mean. Sion said she’d be your mommy, but why won’t you be mine?”

“That’s……”

I was about to explain that an unmarried woman couldn’t be a mother and that a young child couldn’t be an adult’s mother, but when the child grabbed my blouse collar and met my eyes, I had to close my mouth.

Aside from the eyes glistening with tears, her pouting lips and cheeks puffed like a carp…

I unconsciously had to swallow. After all, this was too lethal.

‘……So cute.’

My heart trembled at the adorable figure that made my whole body curl up. Though I knew I shouldn’t get involved, I wanted to protect the pure innocence in those round eyes.

That must never be broken!

The finishing touch came right after.

“Why won’t you answer? Hmph.”

Saying that, she wrapped her warm arms around my neck. At this explosion of cuteness, I thought maybe I should just agree.

But I quickly regained my senses.

‘My role is only to comfort the child until her guardian arrives, nothing more, nothing less.’

I felt that making irresponsible statements might lead me to cross a river of no return.

“Well……”

That’s when it happened. The child burst into tears.

“Waaaah! Why won’t you answer!!”

“Ah, little one. I mean, Sion, right……”

Facing a crying child up close for the first time, I confronted an awkward emotion. What should one do in this situation?

In reality, no matter how much I hugged, stroked, or tried to comfort her, the child wouldn’t stop crying. I suddenly wondered where her guardian was. With the child crying like this. Meanwhile, the stares from around pierced my skin.

“Little one, stop. Be good, okay?”

“Waaaah!”

“Little one, please. What will make you stop, hmm?”

The child mumbled through her tears.

“Waaah, mo-mommy…… if you say you’ll be Waaaah!!”

“Yes, yes, good girl……”

In the midst of desperately trying to console her, the child suddenly stopped crying and looked at me with clear eyes.

“You’ll do it?”

“Huh?”

“You just said you’ll be my mommy, hic!”

When did I? Just as I was about to deny it, a bright smile appeared on the child’s face as if nothing had happened. It was a smile so pretty it was bad for my heart.

‘……So cute.’

Her eyes, glistening with tears, now shone with joy, and her tiny lips spread into a bright smile. Thinking this smile would disappear if I denied it, I was at a loss for words. Then the child called out to me.

“Mommy.”

Flustered by the child’s quick adaptation in calling me immediately, I looked around, worried someone might misunderstand. Fortunately, there was no one around except the child and me, but the question was how to resolve this misunderstanding in the future.

It wasn’t wise to just avoid the immediate situation. Especially in a situation like this.

‘The child might be hurt after I leave.’

But in that brief moment of my contemplation, the child swooped in.

“By the way, what’s your name, Mommy?”

“Uh, um? You mean my name……”

After hesitating briefly at the sudden question, I opened my mouth.

“It’s…… Levedi.”

“That’s a pretty name.”

The child said with a twinkling eye-smile. Ugh, my heart ached. She didn’t even look five years old, yet she had such a bewitching smile.

Cute, so cute. I could die without regrets.

That cuteness made me completely forget my earlier anguish.

“Then what’s your name?”

At my question, the child rolled her round eyes, staring blankly at the empty sky, then smiled back and answered.

“Elysion.”

Her eyes curved into crescents. The golden eyelashes between her lowered eyelids sparkled in the sunlight. I was breathless at her smile, as radiant as the sunlight.

Suddenly, I thought I really wanted to raise such a daughter. The problem was that I had resolved never to marry again.

“Elysion is pretty too.”

I smiled back at Elysion. Following suit, Elysion’s plump cheeks blushed lightly as she smiled broadly.

But this dream-like happy moment was brief.

Turning my gaze, I discovered the clock on the distant spire pointing to 1:20.

Only 10 minutes remained until the trial.

I needed to quickly take Elysion to her guardian.

‘She said her mother wasn’t around, so her father must be.’

With that judgment, I met Elysion’s eyes and carefully opened my mouth in a deliberately gentle tone.

“Where is your father?”

“Inside that building.”

At my question, Elysion pointed her slender finger at the family court.

“What is your father doing?”

When I carefully asked, Elysion hesitated for a moment before answering.

“He’s with uncle.”

“Uncle?”

Just as I posed the question:

“Daddy!”

Elysion, shouting this, struggled in my arms.

“There, there’s Daddy!”

Surprised by her saying her daddy was there, I quickly put Elysion down and turned my head. I immediately looked in the direction Elysion was running.

There, a man who appeared to be in his early thirties was walking somewhere. Was that the man Elysion just called Daddy?

I moved toward the courthouse, intending to say goodbye after the child met her father.

“Daddy!”

Just as I made this decision and was looking toward the courthouse, I heard a voice filled with frustration. Turning my head, I saw Elysion sitting on the ground, pointing at the man she had just called Daddy and whimpering.