Chapter 37
“An amendment to the divorce law, you say… If a marriage doesn’t even last two years… can that truly be called a sacred union?”
For a brief moment, it seemed as if the corner of Leon’s lips lifted in mockery, but his expression quickly returned to calm.
“Priest Leon, let us be honest. Among the nobility, how many couples marry for love? Most are political marriages. Even after accepting that reality, if a couple wishes to divorce but is prevented from doing so because the two-year requirement hasn’t been met, how miserable would those years be for both of them?”
I glanced at Stella, signaling her to hand Leon the materials. Stella passed him the documents analyzing divorce reasons and marriage durations.
Leon studied them for a long while before placing them on the table.
“There are quite a few cases where couples divorced immediately after reaching the two-year mark. And the reasons are extremely diverse…”
Stella had even organized the data into clear graphs, making it easy for Leon—who was seeing this information for the first time—to understand at a glance.
“Priest Leon. Even now, there are people trapped in unhappy marriages. We should help them avoid wasting their time.”
Though I spoke gently, he continued to stare at me with sharp eyes. I refused to back down and met his gaze just as sharply.
“Wasting time… Let us revisit this matter after the abolition of the first-night proof. We shall see whether you can offer something to replace that time.”
At those words, I immediately realized—this man was better suited to be a businessman than a priest.
“You’ll be satisfied once you hear everything.”
Already guessing what he wanted, I gave him a relaxed smile.
You need money, don’t you?
+++
Later, Diana proposed creating consecrated rings in exchange for abolishing the first-night proof, and as expected, Leon reacted immediately.
“Consecrated rings… Rings that can only be sold by the temple… Not bad.”
I decided to fan the flames of his business instincts.
“Diversify the materials and prices of the consecrated rings. For example, offer silver and gold versions. Commoners will buy silver, while nobles will purchase gold.”
At my words, heat finally entered his previously cold gaze, and the corners of his lips lifted slightly.
“At my wedding to His Highness the Crown Prince next month, I intend to wear a consecrated ring from the temple. It will be the Empire’s first consecrated ring.”
At Haine’s statement, Leon completely shed his priestly demeanor, leaving only the gleam of a businessman in his eyes.
“If the imperial family wears consecrated rings, the trend will spread among the nobility—and then to commoners. The temple won’t be able to handle the demand on its own. Marquis Bene’s house and the ducal house will cooperate to supply the materials, so please relay this to the temple as soon as possible.”
To secure the upper hand, I left Leon no time to think, pressing him to draft a contract immediately.
Stella swiftly pulled out a pre-prepared contract, slapped it onto the table, and even placed a pen in his hand.
Come on. Sign it already!
“Wait a moment. You’re moving too fast… This isn’t something I can decide on my own.”
Leon waved his hand, trying to regain his composure and slow our assault.
“Priest Leon. There are very few opportunities for the imperial family to promote consecrated rings. If you miss this chance, you will deeply regret it.”
Oh—so that was the authority of a princess.
Velita lowered her gaze slightly and applied subtle pressure with a calm voice. Her usual cute expression transformed into something dignified and imposing.
“Yes, Princess. This is indeed an opportunity we cannot afford to lose. I will personally persuade the temple.”
Leon finally raised both hands to shoulder height and surrendered with a wide smile. As expected, he had no intention of letting such a lucrative opportunity slip away.
“Duchess, then how do you intend to compensate for the time required to amend the divorce law?”
Now staring directly at me, Leon clearly wanted to squeeze out every possible gain.
This man should have been a merchant, not a priest.
Had he become one, the Abel Empire’s commerce might have flourished even more—or perhaps other merchants would have suffered greatly.
“Priest Leon, greed can be dangerous. With consecrated rings, the temple will achieve far greater financial stability than before. If you truly want more, I can offer additional ideas related to the consecrated rings. However…”
I paused deliberately.
“To receive those ideas, the divorce law amendment must come first.”
I had no intention of offering my labor and ideas to the temple for free. If I gave them something, I had to gain something in return.
“Understood. I will come for those ideas soon.”
Gone was the cold, sharp gaze Leon had first shown us. Now, his eyes burned with excitement at the thought of profits from consecrated rings.
+++
While strolling through the imperial garden with his aide Dennis, Silas spotted Philina’s group greeting a priest.
“Philina? She seems close to the princess… and even to the woman who’ll become the Crown Princess?”
Silas had thought Philina would be perfect bait to drive a wedge between Lucas and Callis, but now he wondered if things were veering off course.
“They’re members of the same group, apparently. It’s called the Abel Empire Human Rights Association.”
“Hahaha. I’m sure Philina came up with that name. What was the organization in the Luna Empire called again…?”
“The Luna Women’s Association. It was a group for commoner women.”
Listening to Dennis, Silas kept his gaze fixed on the direction Philina’s group was moving.
“Hahaha. Princess! If it snows heavily, I’ll come up with something fun again!”
Why did her voice have to be so bright and loud—so unlike a noblewoman? Philina truly stood out wherever she went.
After confirming that no one else was nearby, Dennis stepped closer and lowered his voice.
“I’ve heard that the Duchess requested a divorce law amendment from Crown Prince Lucas.”
At those words, Silas’s eyes widened slightly before returning to normal, a broad smile spreading across his face.
“Philina… divorce, huh? Then where will she go… Lucas? Or Chester?”
Silas watched until Philina completely disappeared from view, then finally moved on. Her laughter still seemed to echo through the garden.
“Dennis. You said the Emperor of the Luna Empire is gravely ill, didn’t you?”
“Yes. Everyone expects Ian to become Emperor soon.”
At Dennis’s reply, Silas smiled even more broadly, the corners of his eyes creasing.
“Dennis. Make sure word reaches Ian. Tell him that Philina will soon be getting a divorce. And… let him believe she never consummated the marriage.”
“She didn’t consummate it?”
Dennis asked in shock, as if wondering how Silas could possibly know.
“Dennis… tsk. Whether she did or didn’t isn’t important. What matters is making Ian want Philina. Then she won’t be able to return to the Luna Empire. She must stay here, in the Abel Empire—beside Lucas and Callis. You understand, don’t you?”
“Yes. I understand.”
Already aware of the relationship between Ian and Philina, Dennis smiled as he answered.
It felt bitter to stop a young woman from returning to her family, but if it meant driving a wedge between Lucas and Callis, Silas was prepared to do even worse.
As Silas walked toward the detached palace with Dennis, he glanced briefly at the darkening sky, heavy with the promise of snow.
Philina… I’m sorry. You’ll never return to the Luna Empire.
Believing that Philina’s heart would soon darken like the sky above, Silas continued on.
+++
Callis, Lucas, and the high-ranking nobles responsible for the Abel Empire’s iron distribution spent the entire day in the detached palace arguing with the Nebula Empire’s envoys over iron tariffs.
In the end, they concluded negotiations by using grain as leverage to lower the tariffs as much as they wanted—but the exhaustion was immense.
After the meeting ended, everyone except Lucas and Callis left the conference room, rubbing their stiff necks with weary expressions.
As Lucas and Callis leaned back in their chairs with their eyes closed, attendants entered, replaced their drinks with chilled refreshments, and quietly exited.
“Duke. Now that we’ve lowered the tariffs sufficiently, secure as much iron as possible.”
Lucas spoke without even opening his eyes.
“Yes. Your Highness should do the same. We don’t know when another opportunity like this will come if not this year.”
Callis drained his drink in one long pull and set the glass down.
So in the end, Lucas is marrying Haine for money.
Perhaps because of the cold drink, Callis felt his fatigue ease slightly.
“Agreed.”
Lucas opened his eyes at Callis’s words, then frowned when he noticed Callis’s familiar smile.
Callis… this is hardly the time for you to be smiling.
He wanted to tell Callis immediately that Philina had asked him for a divorce law amendment—but remembering his own bleak situation, his mood sank.
Even if she divorces, she won’t come to me… By then, I’ll already be married.
Lucas stood and opened the conference room window.
Snow clouds had swallowed the moon and stars in the darkened sky. Large flakes drifted down, strangely beautiful despite his mood.
When snowflakes began to blow into the room, Lucas closed the window.
“We’ve found the trail regarding the pharmaceutical company.”
“I see. This time, ensure they’re punished severely so they can never toy with medicine again.”
“Yes, Your Highness. Please ensure that commoners are no longer sacrificed for the games of wealthy nobles.”
Callis’s gaze lingered outside the window before returning to Lucas.
Lucas’s hand was damp from holding the cold glass as he pulled a neatly folded handkerchief from his pocket—the one Philina had embroidered with his name.
She asked him to take all ten handkerchiefs she ruined while practicing. She should’ve given them to Haine instead.
Callis’s expression hardened. He still hadn’t received even one of Philina’s handkerchiefs, yet Lucas had ten.
“It’s snowing. We should head back.”
“Yes, Your Highness. I’ll see you at tomorrow’s meeting.”
After Callis left, Lucas stood alone by the window, watching the snow fall more heavily.
“You’re the only one who’s ever thrown snow at royalty like that.”
Recalling the day he had a snowball fight with Philina, Lucas smiled faintly.
For the first time in his life, Callis thought snow looked beautiful.
Is it because it’s falling during peaceful times?
Snow had never stirred anything in him before. During war, it only froze soldiers’ feet and turned into thick mud the next day.
I’ve never shared snow with Philina. I heard she even had a snowball fight with Lucas.
Only then did he realize he hadn’t seen her even once today.
Upon returning to Lily Palace, Callis headed straight for her room.
