“No, my lord! What on earth have you done?”

Now fully convinced, Finley clutched at his red hair in despair.

“What have I even done?”

“You must have done something! You must have! Otherwise, why would my lady even mention divorce?”

“Technically, she wrote it in a letter. And really, how unpleasant – to assume it’s all my fault without even asking.”

Gulp.

Finley closed his mouth, but the suspicion in his eyes didn’t fade.

Anyone with eyes knew how much the Countess of Cabil loved her husband.

“I can’t believe it… She had just come out of the coma and I was so happy…”

How much must she have been holding back to ask for a divorce the moment she opened her eyes?

Finley, feeling his nose sting a little, asked cautiously,

“Why does she want a divorce?”

“She said it was for love.”

“I knew this day would come. The lady has finally given up her one-sided love, hasn’t she?”

“What are you talking about? Of course Regina loves me.”

Grey looked at Finley like he was an idiot.

Considering that Finley had dominated three fields – business, finance and law – at Esteban, the finest educational institution in Wailin, he found it deeply unfair.

“Then please explain in more detail. I’d like to understand the situation properly.”

Finley regretted this request in less than thirty seconds.

The words that came out of Grey’s perfectly formed mouth were far beyond what he had imagined.

“She said the problem is that I don’t love her.”

“Ah.”

“She said she couldn’t stay married to a man who wouldn’t even visit her when she was bedridden.”

“Ahh…”

“She said she needed love, so I offered to buy her a dog. Apparently that wasn’t enough. Maybe I should’ve got her a cat?”

“Ahhhh…”

“I also told her that it was inefficient to base a lifelong contract like marriage on something as fleeting and unpredictable as love – and her response was to say we should get a divorce.”

“Please, no more…!”

Unable to bear the ongoing disaster, Finley clutched his head. Grey calmly watched his aide suffer second-hand embarrassment, then casually asked.

“If this goes to court, what are the odds?”

“You’re taking this to court?! You won’t agree to a mutual divorce?”

“Why should I?”

“He’s really relentless…

At this point, Finley felt so sorry for Regina that he was on the verge of tears.

But sentimental or not, Finley Brixton was a man of action.

“The odds are very much in our favour. We can file a counterclaim for breach of marital duty – citing the instability of the estate during her year-long absence, the emotional distress and financial loss you have suffered, and the absence of an heir. And if we discreetly influence the judge, we’re looking at at least an 80% chance of winning…”

“What are you talking about?”

“…Pardon?”

Grey interrupted Finley’s passionate explanation with a single raised eyebrow.

“I meant the chances of getting the divorce petition dismissed.”

Finley’s jaw dropped.

He looked even more like a golden hamster than usual.

“You’re not going through with the divorce, my lord?”

“No. Even if Regina files, I want a plan to get it dismissed.”

“….”

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“No, it’s just… I realise you’re human after all.”

So he wouldn’t have to drag poor Lady Regina through the courts.

Finley breathed a sigh of relief.

“You made the right decision. No one will ever love you the way Lady Regina does.”

“That’s not why.”

‘Wow. Look at that confidence.’

Finley gave his boss a cold side-eye.

But Grey’s face was just too stunning to stare at for long.

“All right then. What’s your plan for the future?”

“I’ve already told you. We’re going to get the divorce petition dismissed…”

“That’s not what I meant! If you want to avoid the collapse of your marriage, shouldn’t you make an effort in other areas as well?”

‘Effort?’

Finley was at his wit’s end.

They were both married men – why was this one so impossible to reason with?

“If you ask me, this doesn’t even need to go to court. Just bring her a present when you get home – hug her, kiss her! What good is that pretty face if you’re not going to use it? Smile warmly and say it was all a big misunderstanding. Tell her you love her – even if it’s just sweet-sounding nonsense. Sometimes that alone is enough to fix everything.”

“Why should I go that far…”

Before Grey could question the logic again with a frown etched into his flawless features, Finley shouted.

‘Because it’s more efficient!’

Was that too loud?

Seeing his superior’s eyes narrow, Finley quickly added in a quieter tone.

“…At least more so than going to court. Think of the time, energy and manpower it takes to fight an annulment case. What a waste.”

“Hm.”

“Not that it will happen, of course – but let’s say, just hypothetically, that the divorce goes through. As you know, Wailin is incredibly conservative about divorce. If the owner of our bank got divorced, do you have any idea what that would do to our reputation? Our credibility? Our share value? Dear God… I don’t even want to think about it.

“That’s a fair point.”

Finley’s advice was sound.

If their marriage could be saved with a single gift and a few sweet words, it was a far better deal.

After a quick mental calculation, Grey picked up a blank cheque and handed it over.

“What’s this?”

“Go buy something.”

“What? All of a sudden, what do you—”

“Something women generally love… but expensive.”

Damn it.
The top graduate of Esteban rose from his seat, shoulders slumped in resignation.

“Finley.”

“…What now?”

“While you’re out, call Casey in too.”

Finley froze mid-step.
Praying he’d misheard, he turned back—but what he saw on Grey’s face confirmed the worst.

“…My lord. Still, about Casey—maybe you should reconsider.”

“You know me. I like certainty in everything.”

‘Well, he’s about to make something very certain.’
Divorce.

Finley forced his unwilling legs to move again.

Finley dragged his unwilling feet forward with a long sigh.

***

Regina, now recovered enough to come down to the lounge for the first time in a while, sank into the sofa.

Having just been informed in detail of Dain’s misbehaviour, the head maid offered a clean and respectful apology.

“I am terribly sorry, madam. I have failed to properly train the maids under me.”

There was a reason Melanie had such a good reputation.

Regina regretted not speaking to her sooner.

“That’s enough apology. Just make sure Dain is properly disciplined. Of course she’s to be removed from her post as my personal maid.”

“As you wish, madam. I’ll see to it that Dain’s salary is docked for three months and that she undergoes retraining. However…”

“However what?”

“As for removing her from her post… to be honest, that might be difficult.”

Regina had expected this.

There was a reason why Dain had acted so ruthlessly and with such impunity.

“How much do you know about Dain, Madam?”

“I know she’s worked for the Cabil family since she was very young, at least.”

“Yes. Her mother, Emma, serves the Marquise.”

But that wasn’t all.

“About the scar on Dain’s face…”

A conspicuous knife wound, all the more conspicuous because she had a pretty face otherwise.

Lowering her voice, Melanie whispered,

“It was actually the Marchioness who accidentally caused this scar. And because it was on a young girl’s face, she’s always carried a deep sense of guilt about it.”

Perhaps that was why her mother-in-law had always been so lenient with Dain.

Her almost always tightly drawn eyebrows would subtly soften whenever Dain came into view.

Because her own relationship with the Marchioness had always been strained, Regina never dared to discipline or dismiss Dain – for fear of provoking her mother-in-law’s wrath.

“This is only what Dain said, of course, but… she once claimed that the Marchioness was considering adopting her.”

“Isn’t that just another one of Dain’s lies? Why would she adopt a child who still has both parents?”

“I believe that too, but… the Marchioness is a woman with a strong sense of responsibility, madam.”

“Ah.”

Regina finally understood where Dain’s insolence was coming from.

If she had really been adopted, Dain would have been her sister-in-law – and maybe that’s why she acted as if she had every right to throw her weight around.

“Well, she’s still just a maid. If she wants to play the role of sister-in-law, she can do so after she’s actually adopted.”

Regina ended the matter with a crisp finality.

“I am the mistress of the Cabil household. She will follow my orders.

Send Dain to the kitchen and assign someone else to serve me.”

“My lady…”

Melanie’s expression wavered with hesitation.

And then –

“What are you two whispering about, with your heads together like that?”