The lawyer responded more quickly than she had expected.

Ariadne had been worried because she didn’t have much that could be classed as evidence. Fortunately, however, the lawyer wrote back to say that they had prepared several things on their end.

“Did they find something?”

“Not exactly. It seems they’ve found people who can testify about the current situation in House Ambrose. And… they’re hoping one of the estate servants might be able to testify as well…”

As Ariadne read the letter, she frowned. There was a servant from this estate who could provide a witness statement.

To be honest, aside from Jay, everyone here was firmly on Kieron’s side.

She doubted she could find anyone willing to speak on her behalf, and besides, she didn’t want to put anyone in an awkward position.

Moreover, she did not want to damage his reputation.

Even if she ended up getting divorced on unfavorable terms, that was the one thing she genuinely hoped to avoid. After all, he had never wanted this marriage in the first place.

Letting out a quiet sigh, Ariadne folded the letter and slipped it back into the envelope.

“Should I try looking, my lady?”

Jay offered to help, saying she might know someone among the servants, someone who, like her, was dissatisfied with how Kieron treated his wife.

“I can ask around. Maybe later I can check if someone else might be willing to say something?”

“That would draw too much attention, Jay.”

They had been told repeatedly that they must hide the fact that she was preparing for divorce. Gathering testimonies or evidence openly would expose everything.

If Jay even hinted that she planned to ask others, it would be discovered immediately.

Ariadne shook her head with a bitter smile.

“It’s fine. Honestly… I don’t want His Grace to suffer any damage if possible.”

“What? But you hired a lawyer. There’s no way he gets out of this without some kind of blow…”

Jay looked startled at her candid confession.

The fact that she was hiring a lawyer naturally implied that she was prepared for the possibility of a trial.

Otherwise, she would only need the paperwork.

If the lawyer was involved, that meant she was ready to go all the way, even if it turned into a mud-slinging fight.

As Jay pondered this, Ariadne quietly burned the letter in her hand.

“I just hope whatever happens won’t harm him too much. I have my father and my brothers behind me—I can recover somehow. But he can’t.”

Ariadne explained gently that she didn’t want them searching for witnesses. No matter how angry or hurt she was, she wanted the investigation to be just enough that he could still stand back up afterward.

“And accusations are ugly. Even if this goes to court, I want it to end cleanly.”

“Oh, of course, of course. Anyone can see how kind you are, my lady.”

Jay nodded absently, though inside she was far from calm. If she were in Ariade’s position, she would have wanted to beat the other party senseless.

There had been many times when Jay had genuinely wanted to punch Kieron herself. How could someone act like an emotionless doll all the time?

Although she had promised Ariadne that she wouldn’t look for witnesses, she had quietly resolved to keep a close eye on the servants.

Surely at least one of them must resent their master?

Repeating Ariadne’s instructions to herself, Jay made up her mind about one thing: she would never ask something as obvious as, ‘Would you be willing to tell someone else about this later?’

Simply identifying who might be willing to help would suffice and it would make things far easier if the matter ever did reach trial.

“For now, I think it’s best if I speak with His Grace first. It’ll be much simpler to settle things through paperwork than to go to court.”

“You’re going to tell him directly, my lady? But the lawyer said it’s better to keep your preparations a secret from His Grace until the very end.”

“Yes, but if we want to avoid a messy trial, this is the best way.”

Ariadne clearly saw things differently.

To be honest, Jay thought that dealing with a duke through the courts would be far simpler: clean, direct, and governed by clear procedures.

The lawyer understood that, too, which was why they were rushing to gather evidence. But her mistress was choosing the longer, more complicated path.

While kindness was admirable, Jay couldn’t help but feel that, at times like this, it was a little naïve.

Even so, she nodded.

“Then shall I ask Sir Herald when His Grace will have time available?”

Regardless of what Jay thought, she was not entitled to overrule her mistress’s decision.

After all, it was Ariadne who was living this marriage.

The divorce had to proceed in a way that suited her; otherwise, she would harbor regrets long after everything was over.

If even a small part of the process felt wrong or unjust, Ariadne was the kind of person who would silently suffer over it for years.

So Jay put aside her own opinions and chose to follow her mistress’s wishes. Of course, she still intended to keep an eye out for potential witnesses.

No one could predict how things might unfold, and there was always a chance that something unexpected might happen.

Unaware of her loyal maid’s plans, Ariadne nodded as Jay offered to find an appropriate time.

“I’d rather not schedule a tea time. If His Grace has a free moment, I can just go to him briefly. Would that be all right?”

“Of course, my lady. I’ll check with Sir Herald and see when His Grace has an open slot. He can’t be working all day long, there must be a time he’s free.”

After their first cup of tea together, the idea of sharing a cup of tea had almost become traumatic for her. Despite his attempts to make amends at their second meeting, that ended badly too.

She loved nothing more than drinking tea in silence while reading, but doing so with him had become utterly exhausting.

At least she could still enjoy reading alone, just as she had before, without her thoughts becoming twisted into painful knots.

That in itself was a relief.

So she had no desire whatsoever to sit across from him at another tea table.

Ariadne softly patted Jay’s shoulder.

“Thank you, Jay. Really… I just want to drop the paperwork off without any tea time at all.”

“Then should I check when His Grace won’t be in his office?”

“Hm. Yes. Let’s try that. That might be even better.”

The plan was to slip into an empty room, leave the documents behind, and walk away. At the time, this seemed like the simplest and most ideal solution.

Ariadne nodded to herself as she thought of the divorce papers hidden deep inside her desk drawer. Until now, she had truly believed that the divorce would be straightforward.

He didn’t particularly like her, and as long as they unwound their political ties carefully, one step at a time, everything could return to how it had been before.

If she could persuade her father and Kieron to reach a reasonable compromise, there shouldn’t be any real obstacles.

Yes, she had genuinely believed that everything would go smoothly. Even though he had once told Lorelai that divorce had never crossed his mind, that was in the past.

Things had changed since then.

Surely his thoughts must have changed too?

How disastrously naïve she had been!

***

She met with Kieron two mornings later.

According to what Jay had learned from Herald, he almost never rested and often slept in his office.
Which meant the “best method”—slipping in to leave the documents behind—was impossible.

“So we have no choice but to go straight at it.”

“That’s true, but… will you really be all right, my lady? When you actually face him, you might not be able to get the words out. And you might end up having tea.”

Jay worried aloud, knowing how much her mistress dreaded tea time.

“It can’t be helped. I just need to say what I must and leave as quickly as possible.”

She appreciated Jay’s concern, but this was unavoidable.

Disliking tea time wasn’t a valid reason to take the longer, more complicated route.

This time, Ariadne was determined to grit her teeth and push through.

If she didn’t, everything she had endured and worked towards would have been for nothing.

If she stopped now, she might end up trapped in this life forever.

She might once have foolishly said that she would step down because she wasn’t good enough. But now, things were different.

Even if she didn’t remove herself, there were plenty of people eager to cast her aside simply for being ‘unfit’: Lorelei, for example.

Her brothers also seemed quietly supportive of the idea of divorce, though they would never leave unless she wanted them to.

She wasn’t sure how her parents would react.

Then there was Kieron, whose every action pushed her further away.

She had to leave on her own terms.

Staying would mean letting her heart die a little more each day.

Ariadne drew a slow breath and glanced towards the desk drawer where the divorce papers were hidden.

“If you really think it’ll be difficult, my lady… why not bring your lawyer with you? Having someone by your side might make it less painful.”

Following her gaze, Jay offered the suggestion with a worried expression. But this was something only she could do.

Ariadne shook her head with a faint smile.

“I’ll be fine. So schedule the meeting for the morning after tomorrow, just as planned.”

“Yes, my lady.”

Jay nodded, unable to change her mistress’s mind. She was worried, yes—but if her mistress insisted on trying, she had no choice but to support her.

“For the morning after tomorrow, I’ll ask them not to prepare tea.”

“Please do. I’ll just speak to him and come right out.”

“Yes, my lady. Should I ready your luggage and carriage as well?”

“Yes. I’ll go straight to my parents’ estate afterward.”

Once the discussion about the divorce was over, she planned to go straight to her family home to spend time with them and prepare for her bridesmaid duties.

If everything went smoothly, the divorce would soon follow.

This conversation had to go well.

Ariadne exhaled quietly and steeled herself.

She had chosen her day.

The day she would fight.