C60
The next morning, I headed to the Town Hall early. I met Duke Cassius, who was waiting for me in front of the town hall, drawing everyone's attention.
He spoke with a slightly gloomy expression.
"Kyaden returned safely. I have no intention of forcing him to come back in the future, so you don't have to worry."
"I see."
"... I told him that I also wanted to apologize to Joshua, and he said he would ask carefully after the child's symptoms improved."
Joshua would never have wanted to see the duke again, or he might have wanted to receive an apology in person. The victim's own will was the most important.
"How did this happen? I feel like I've forgotten something important for a long time."
"Ah, I see. But please sign here."
Sorry, but I was not remotely interested in the duke's repentance. I had no intention of trapping him and scolding him.
"Done."
As soon as the Duke signed the agreement on behalf of Leandro as the patriarch of the family, I handed the paper to the clerk.
"Here you go!"
"Oh yes..."
The clerk was dumbfounded but did his job.
"The divorce agreement between Leandro Cassius and Ethel Cassius has been successfully received."
Yes! I clenched both fists.
How much I wished to hear this. I waited a long time for this moment.
"Then I will guide you through the follow-up procedures. Please note that your divorce will be officially approved only after all the procedures have been completed."
... Although it was not a complete divorce.
"Still, it's okay!"
Even if it's a follow-up procedure, it's only annoying, not difficult or unlikely.
Perhaps because I felt like I was flying, even the murmurs as they looked at us sounded like a fairy tale.
"Divorce agreement? Did Cassius just say that?"
"Yes, it's definitely Duke Cassius. The young lady next to him is Ethel Cassius."
"It's like a newspaper portrait!"
"No, that doesn't make sense. The divorce suit between the young Duke Cassius and his wife is in progress."
"That's right. They said the trial would also take place today."
"Are you saying they divorced amicably?"
Yes, that's correct. However, there is no law anywhere in the empire that prohibits divorce by agreement while the divorce process is ongoing.
Having submitted the divorce agreement, the trial is temporarily suspended and ends once the divorce is officially approved.
"Is it that good?"
The Duke asked me as we exited the Town Hall.
"Of course! But your son doesn't seem convinced. Since the Duke came in his place."
"That guy is still the same. He kept insisting that he couldn't do it until the end, so I left him at home and came back."
What a frightening family. That also made me happy today.
"Even Liena begged me to think again. Both of them are strangely obsessed with you."
The Duke seemed to feel the same as expected. At first, I thought it was just for the mine, but as time passed, I began to feel there was another reason.
"I'm very glad that the duke hasn't changed his mind after hearing the words of his beloved daughter."
Duke Cassius seemed to have perceived the truth in my words and responded apologetically.
"From the beginning, I thought there was no need to cling to someone who doesn't like you."
"I know. You didn't even care about me all this time."
"Are you criticizing me?"
"I am telling the truth. Even after becoming Ethel Cassius, you always called me Ethel Wallace."
"... That's right. I wasn't interested in you. You were just the woman who married Leandro, that's all."
The Duke stood upright in front of the Town Hall's main entrance.
"It's a bit disappointing. Thanks to you, I was able to find my wife's letter and apologize to Kayden. The end of a relationship is when I finally wonder what kind of person you are."
"Do you regret it?"
"It seems so."
"Then please be kind to the next woman your son marries."
That was all I had to say.
"No. If your son continues like this all his life, just don't let him marry, live with him for the rest of his life. Don't let other people become like me."
"... I'll keep that in mind. For me, this kind of chaos is no longer acceptable."
With this conversation, I parted ways with Duke Cassius.
"Come in, Ethel Wallace."
Duke Cassius called me Ethel Wallace until the end. But would it be strange if this time it sounded like a congratulation for my divorce?
"Eh?"
I rubbed my eyes with the back of my hand.
The Duke's blue eyes bidding me farewell as I boarded the carriage seemed somewhat different from usual. They might be a little, just a little, clearer.
-------------------
A few days later.