C17
A street in the plebeian district of Elynes.
"Wow! The weather is lovely!"
As I walked down the street, I stretched and enjoyed the bright sunlight.
"That's right."
Terence, who was by my side, agreed as well.
"Hehehe."
Naturally, a laugh emerged.
In fact, even if it rained and lightning struck, it would have looked beautiful in my eyes.
It felt that good. The reason is...
"Because the divorce notification has been filed!"
This morning, while reading the newspaper provided at the hotel, I found an article stating that a large number of officials from the Central Court had been arrested for corruption.
To be sure, I had a meal and headed directly to the central court, where a sign awaited me, informing me about the divorce request.
Furthermore, the person in charge informed us that the trial would probably begin soon.
The higher-ups are paying attention.
"I guess it's thanks to Terence, right?"
This happened shortly after meeting the person presumed to be the emperor.
As far as I know, there was no such incident in the original story.
"It might not have been mentioned because it has nothing to do with Liena."
It's probably not a coincidence that the inspection team directly under the emperor's command initiated a surprise investigation at the Central Court.
Originally, requesting the divorce was something I would have asked Terence to do during the transaction, but it unexpectedly happened sooner.
I felt that the discomfort I felt when I met Liena the day before yesterday instantly eased.
I steeled my resolve. Today, I will definitely make Terence acknowledge the efficacy of the medicinal tea.
"Excellent! Let's give them a lot of medicinal tea and close the deal quickly!"
So when I arrived at the hotel.
Something caught my attention.
Tables and chairs had been set up in the front courtyard of the hotel.
"After all, the weather is nice. Should we have tea outdoors?"
Terence readily accepted my offer.
"That's fine. I'll borrow the tea set then. Madam, please have a seat here."
After saying that, he walked to his favorite tea shop.
He disappeared into the alley before I could say I was going.
I sat down in a suitable spot and muttered.
"I'm really sorry for making you work again, Marquis..."
Still, it's comfortable thanks to this.
While we were together, he took care of me in many ways.
In a good sense, he was a meticulous person, but in a bad sense, he seemed to pay too much attention to what others thought.
"What was he like when he was young?"
Perhaps because he's a villain, Terence's background is only briefly presented in the novel.
As I imagined his growth process, an unwanted scene caught my attention.
Just like yesterday, the enormous carriage of the Cassius family stopped in front of the hotel.
This time, the person who got off was Leandro, not Liena.
For a moment, I found myself more bewildered than annoyed.
"Why is he like that?"
He had carefully combed his hair to one side, and his clothes looked uncomfortable, as if he was trying to be elegant.
Most of all, he had a large bouquet of roses, about the size of a child, in his hand.
"Wife!"
Leandro, who was entering the hotel, saw me and walked toward me.
He came right in front of me and knelt down with a nervous expression.
And he handed me a bouquet full of pink roses.
"I did everything wrong. Please give me just one chance."
"What's this?"
"Please come back, wife!"
It was a total mess.
Suddenly, I felt a headache coming on. Fortunately, the hotel where I stayed had low rates.
This means it's located on the outskirts of the Elynes district. Not many people passed by.
The only people who witnessed Leandro's scandalous behavior were a couple of passersby, a hotel guest, and an elderly man sitting at the nearby table.
I sighed deeply as I looked at the kneeling man.
"Leandro. Get up first."
"No. I'll stay like this until you forgive me."
"Enough. Stop talking nonsense and get up."
"Only my knees and my pride will be hurt to this extent. Don't worry."
Who cares about your knees and your pride? I got really angry.
"Hey, get up."
The voice was extremely cold even for me.
"W-Wife..."
Leandro seemed to have felt something odd and got up hesitantly.
"Follow me."
I quickly headed to the back of the hotel.
"I should have changed my accommodation!"
The news that Liena had come to visit meant that Leandro could also come.
After sending this person off, I will have to find a new place to stay. A place where outsiders can't enter.
Behind the deserted hotel, I looked back at the place where sheets and blankets hung on the clothesline.
"Why did you come?"
Leandro, who was still holding the ridiculously large bouquet of flowers, hesitated.
"Why did I come? Of course, I came to apologize to my wife..."
"Well, that's really surprising."
"What?"
"The point is, you still have the shame to apologize to me."
There was a faint line on Leandro's beautiful forehead.
"Why is it surprising? If you make a mistake, you should apologize and ask for forgiveness. Isn't that the natural course of action?"
"There are some apologies in this world that are better left unspoken. It's better for my mind and my body if you don't show your face."
"That can't be..."
Leandro seemed a bit surprised by the fact that I refused to accept his apologies to the point that I didn't even want to hear them.
"Moreover, what kind of courtesy is it to suddenly barge in and cause trouble for the other person? I suppose this is how you apologize to Cassius?"