Chapter 49

“Your Highness… are you all right?”

Fortunately, the Crown Prince Lucas hadn’t been hit with the blasphemous substance.

Only a few drops had fallen onto his teacup and the desserts. I jumped up from my seat, fidgeting anxiously. Surely the attendants had seen everything, yet for some reason, no one approached.

“I’m fine. Well… it’s just a little thing. Sit back down.”

“I’ll have them bring new tea.”

When Lucas lifted his teacup as if nothing had happened, I hurriedly reached out to touch his hand—and immediately recoiled in shock.

“Then… let’s just get new tea.”

“Huh?”

I looked down at my teacup, thinking carefully. I had already taken a sip, but there was a difference between the clean tea and the tea that had been contaminated by the flying drops.

“Yes, Your Highness. Let’s have a fresh cup.”

Well… it was typical of him, but if Lucas wanted it, it was only right to follow his wish.

“Very well.”

Lucas swapped teacups with me and ate dessert without any hesitation. Perhaps after three years of war, he had long since abandoned any obsessive need for cleanliness.

I returned to my seat and began eating the replaced tea and desserts.

“Where do you plan to stay after the divorce?”

Lucas asked again, as if to confirm what he had heard earlier.

I studied him carefully to see if he was serious, but he merely sipped his tea with his usual expression.

“You mean… a friend’s distant relative? Perhaps… she’ll go home? To her parents’ place?”

I answered as any woman with nowhere else to go might, myself wanting to return home as well.

“Come to the palace. Don’t go to a hotel or anything. I’ll give you a residence.”

With those words, I realized Lucas had already figured out I was considering divorce.

But… why would he give me a palace? I was trying to find freedom, not walk into a prison!

“Hahaha. Your Highness, I’m joking… I meant the relative of that friend. She can handle it herself.”

I hadn’t told Callis yet, and I didn’t want the story to leak through someone else.

‘I must… tell Callis immediately… maybe rumors have already started spreading!’

And if Callis heard this from someone else and felt offended enough to rally other nobles against me, I might be forced to endure the full two years with no way out.

“I see. Then we’ll leave that for later. I hope the friend’s relative can get through the divorce safely.”

Lucas smiled gently as usual, but I felt a strange tension.

‘What… is this eerie feeling…’

Anyway, after hearing good news from Lucas, I officially began preparing the divorce documents that very day.

+++

“Ugh…”

The pain was so intense that young Oliver groaned as he barely opened his eyes. They were swollen and bruised, his lips split and crusted with dried blood.

‘Where… am I?’

Thanks to Callis buying flowers, Oliver had enough money to keep selling them on the streets. Lately, factories weren’t calling children as often, so he was lucky to buy bread with his earnings. All the local children envied him.

It had been the night after selling flowers that he was attacked—suddenly something fell on him, and blows from sticks or boots rained down, leaving him unconscious. When he regained consciousness, he was in a shabby warehouse-like space.

It wasn’t completely dark; light filtered in through the wooden structure, just enough to make out shapes.

Around him were twenty boys about his age, all lying on the floor.

‘Ebony will be worried…’

Oliver, only five years old, worried about his little sister as pain wracked his body again. He wanted to stay alert, but exhaustion won out.

“Get up! You little brats!”

A rough adult male voice snapped him awake. Five men stood at the door with sticks, and Oliver jumped up, forgetting the pain.

The other children, used to it, rose mechanically and walked toward the intimidating men. Oliver quickly followed behind them.

‘What is this place? Why am I here?’

Oliver couldn’t figure out the situation, so he followed the men’s orders, eating whatever was handed—soup or water. Then he followed the other children into a narrow cave, observing and copying their work.

The children were mining white stones from the tight spaces the men couldn’t enter.

Oliver studied the surroundings and memorized faces, determined to avoid drawing attention. He forced his expression blank and his gaze free of intent.

‘Ebony… go to the Duke’s residence. You can make it there.’

He thought of his sister and held back tears, enduring each day as best he could.

+++

Callis and I were still at the palace since Lucas and Heine’s wedding was approaching. We planned to return to the duke’s residence the day after the ceremony.

The scandal of the obscene exhibition was reported in the evening paper, ironically helping our brand, Beautiful Woman Pusike, gain recognition more quickly. Because it involved high-ranking nobles, it caught public attention and made the front page.

Thanks to the promotional underwear, the store gradually regained energy, and Vivian’s frown began to lift.

Heine had written a short story where lovers tied red ribbons on their wrists as a romantic declaration. The story spread, and occasionally, couples could be seen tying red ribbons like that.

On February 7th, I anxiously waited for Stella in my room with Margaret.

Click. Finally, Stella arrived carrying a stack of documents.

“Milady, here are 20 pages. I had to insist to get this many. Just have them ready for signature—I’ll review them for you.”

“Understood.”

I sat on the sofa and completed all 20 documents, and Stella double-checked them.

One thing I never understood in romance novels: the heroine always prepares only a single page for divorce. The hero immediately tears it up, and… well… you know.

I was not aiming for that. I wanted a completely proper, clean divorce.

Even the more prepared novel heroines only managed two pages.

Tsk tsk… that’s not nearly enough.

For a divorce to carry weight, at least 20 pages must be prepared.

I didn’t plan to hand over all 20 at once. I intended to give two pages per day over ten days, making Callis sign out of sheer exhaustion.

“Perfect. Now all you need is his signature.”

Stella returned the documents to me.

“The toughest part is yet to come.”

“Milady, I’ll prepare everything. You will succeed!”

The three of us nodded, readying ourselves for the coming operation.

That night, with Margaret’s help, I dressed in a gown that reached my neck, wore pants underneath, added a coat, and carried the document folder to Callis’ room.

Originally, I planned to give him the papers after dinner, but he had been so busy with work lately that seeing him was difficult. So I waited until he returned home that night.

‘I can do this! I can do this! I can do this!’

I took three deep breaths outside his door and knocked.

The guard glanced at me curiously, but I ignored it.

Knock, knock, knock.

“Who’s there?”

“It’s me, Philina.”

Callis opened the door, wearing a bathrobe instead of pajamas, and hurriedly pulled me inside. I clutched the folder with two documents tightly.

‘Dress properly! Exhibitionist!’

The loose robe exposed his chest, and its short length revealed his bare calves. I swallowed nervously and squeezed my eyes shut. That robe must not come off. Never!

“Philina, coming here at this hour… I must have missed you too much.”

Oblivious, Callis smiled slyly, speaking flirtatiously.

‘I’m sorry, Callis… but I just want to go home. I want to see my mother and father.’

I said nothing and sat on the sofa. He followed and sat beside me.

“We haven’t seen each other in three days, right?”

‘Why so… affectionate… it’s weakening me.’

He smiled at me, pleased by my visit, and my guilt grew with it.

I calmed my racing heart and prepared to state my purpose, swallowing hard.

“Callis… let’s get a divorce.”

“What?”

While he looked shocked, I quickly laid one divorce form on the table, pen beside it neatly.

“I’ve… prepared everything. All you need to do is sign here.”