Chapter 103
Elaina’s partner for the dance at the ball that night was Lyle—her first and last.
After finishing the dance, she returned and took a seat in a suitable spot. The place looked quiet for a moment, but that didn’t last long.
Soon, as always, people eager to catch her attention began to crowd around her.
“Long time no see, Your Grace the Grand Duchess.”
“Oh, you don’t need to use such formal titles.”
Elaina waved her hand dismissively. Several men exchanged glances at her response.
“Not using proper titles… is it not a matter of courtesy?”
At the gentleman’s polite inquiry, Elaina smiled inwardly. It was amusing to pretend ignorance even though she already suspected the truth. Outwardly, however, she maintained a composed, slightly embarrassed smile.
“As expected, there are still many who don’t know.”
“Pardon? What do you mean?”
“My divorce. Of course, the paperwork isn’t finalized yet.”
Elaina frowned in frustration. Others were left astonished at such a nonchalant remark about an event that had stirred everyone’s curiosity.
“Divorce? My goodness! Is that really true?”
Finally, they had the chance to hear the details of the event directly from the person involved. People, impatient with curiosity, started bombarding Elaina with questions.
“What on earth is the reason? There must be a reason, right?”
“Well… there are several reasons.”
“But…?”
“The main reason is that Duke Grant trampled on my pride.”
The shocking truth left everyone dumbfounded.
“To have your pride trampled—it’s a simple phrase, but the meaning behind it is far from simple.”
“I don’t understand why he’s still hesitating to sign the divorce papers. The reason I came to the ball tonight is because of that. Since he rarely meets me, I thought I’d take this chance to talk to him directly.”
With a sigh, Elaina rested one arm on the chair and pressed her temple as if she had a headache. Her hand happened to be her left, and the vine-patterned ring on her ring finger was extremely conspicuous to everyone.
A noblewoman swallowed nervously before speaking.
“Th-then, that ring…”
“Oh, this. I wanted to get a definite answer and return it today, but it seems I still can’t remove it. Sigh… I’ve already resolved my feelings, so I don’t understand why things keep making me uncomfortable. Both this ring and the title of Grand Duchess… I wish I could just shed them all.”
There was not a trace of lingering affection for Lyle in her sighs. One of the young men, wanting to gain her attention, spoke up.
“Of course, it must be because of the drug Sir Nathan created. Since you hold the usage rights, that’s the reason.”
“Usage rights?”
Elaina frowned in surprise, and the young man grew even more smug. Moving closer to her, he added with a smile:
“Exactly. It’s an item coveted across all the territories. Madam—or rather, ‘Miss’ as you prefer to be called—your summons alone determines its value.”
The young man boldly addressed the already-married Elaina as “Miss.” It was amusingly transparent how he was trying to impress her.
He had a habit of presenting well-known facts as if he alone had discovered them. Nevertheless, Elaina widened her eyes and nodded, as if she had only just realized the reason from his explanation.
“I see. That’s the first time I’ve thought of it that way.”
“Poor Northern territories wouldn’t be able to pay properly for the drug’s use. But the couple’s assets are managed jointly. Duke Grant must know that without a divorce, the northern lands could use it for free.”
“Truly a man of insight. May I ask your name?”
“My name is Robes. Robes Edant, Miss.”
“Oh, yes. You’re from the Edant family. I’ll be sure to remember your name next time we meet, Robes.”
When Elaina promised to remember him, other young men immediately started chiming in. They could not allow the attention to drift to an insignificant Edant family member.
“That’s just common knowledge, Elaina. Nothing special. What’s important is that you need to pay extra attention to your safety from now on.”
“…Excuse me? What do you mean?”
A flustered man glanced toward Lyle. He had long harbored a bad opinion of him.
“My apologies for the late introduction. Do you remember me? We’ve met before—albeit a long time ago…”
“Oh. Was your name James? I recall you introduced yourself as working at a law office.”
Elaina’s recognition drew a small, proud cough from him. He straightened his posture and waited to capture the audience’s attention.
“The Duke is delaying the divorce because of the drug usage rights. Anyone can understand that. But the critical point comes next.”
“Now, that was already explained.”
“Ah, did I say that? Very well, I shall explain further. How familiar are you all with inheritance laws?”
The woman who had teased him now stared at James wide-eyed. He beamed with pride.
“According to Imperial law, upon the death of a married person, all their assets pass to the spouse.”
Hearing this, the crowd was struck dumb. Robes looked panicked and interjected:
“Does that mean, sir, that the Duke would harm the Grand Duchess?”
“No, I never said that.”
“But! Even if not the Duke himself, how can one be sure there isn’t someone among his followers with misguided loyalty? Consider this—how many of you have heard of Drain, who manages Mavel?”
James made a scene, claiming that Drain was a dangerous, antisocial individual who wouldn’t hesitate to kill for the Duke’s sake.
“So, please be especially careful, Elaina. It’s wise to prepare for any unforeseen threats.”
Elaina glanced at him and smiled faintly.
“I see. That’s a valid point. I’ll always be careful. But James… may I ask one question?”
“Of course! Anything you wish.”
James spread his arms, inviting her question.
“After the divorce, if something were to happen to me, who would inherit the drug usage rights?”
James laughed heartily, as if asked the easiest question in the world.
“An extremely simple question, Elaina. The rights naturally revert to their original owner, Sir Nathan.”
“I see. Thank you for the answer, James.”
Elaina’s gratitude only made James beam even more proudly. Handling important cases often makes one forget trivial matters like inheritance law. A few days ago, someone asking him about something similar had been a stroke of luck.
“So, the couple’s property is shared, and in the event of death, it passes to the spouse. Hahaha!”
Satisfied with his consultation, the Marquis of Redwood paid ten times the usual fee and left. He insisted on secrecy about the consultation itself.
“You must not speak of today’s matter to anyone. You understand, right?”
James had no intention of spilling the matter. As a mere law office employee, he knew very well that crossing a close aide of the Emperor and a powerful noble could ruin his life.
‘This should be fine,’ he thought, brushing off a slight unease. After all, what he had been told to keep secret was his visit—not the details of inheritance. He had merely shown off a bit of his legal knowledge. Surely, nothing could come of it.
Oblivious to the meaningful glance Elaina cast his way, James laughed loudly, feeling completely at ease.
