Within days of receiving the invitation from Elanie, I went to the palace to have tea with her. Elanie, with her dark blue hair up in a bun and her golden eyes sparkling, was gorgeous and beautiful.

“Welcome. Long time no see.”

Thinking of her as someone who had nothing to do with my husband made my attitude very gentle.

“I greet the shining star of the empire, Princess. You look so beautiful today.”

“Yes, Laria. You’re doing fine, right?”

“…Yes?”

“Are you being imprisoned or threatened? At that time, you were with the Icard father and son, so I couldn’t ask.”

”Ah…”

“I went to visit you when they said you were in the mansion because you were sick, but at that time, I thought all the people in that house were like grim reapers who came from hell.”

When I recalled Evan’s face, who had chased after me and father’s face in front of Matilda’s tomb, it was not an exaggeration at all.

“That’s a bit of a misunderstanding… I was a little sick, so I couldn’t actively explain… Anyway, the man issue got tangled up a bit, but I’m really innocent.”

“Yes, there was someone worse than that Seymour Litshua guy.”

“….”

“Looking at the expression on Young Duke Icard’s at that time, it seemed that he would kill the big guy himself and save only you.”

The big guy was me anyway, so I quickly changed the subject anyway.

“Well, it was in the past. Anyway, Princess, didn’t you say you had some new information?”

“Oh, right.”

Saying so, Elanie smiled broadly and clapped her hands once.

“It’s about the divorce law. I think I can get it through soon.”

“Yes?”

I tilted my head and questioned her.

“Didn’t you say it would take several years?”

“Yes. However, the work is going on very systematically by bringing in an expert.”

“…An expert?”

At my question, Elanie grinned and rang the bell on her table, and the door opened before an unexpected person entered.

“Ah, Princess… The expert you mentioned…”

Fred was perfectly equipped with fair skin, a good impression, round glasses, neat and tidy clothes, and pure expression.

“Laria, long time no see.”

“Brother. You said you came back, so the place you went to was the imperial palace?”

When I asked back in a stunned voice, Elanie answered excitedly.

“It is said that he graduated from the East Continent Academy with a law major. I was looking for talent like this though I ran into him by chance and scouted him.”

I squinted my eyes and looked at Fred.

‘…It can never be a chance meeting.’

It was clear that it was a well-calculated meeting. When that human was kidnapped, he must have made a plan right away after getting information that Elanie wanted to enact the divorce law.

“He said he wanted to keep it a secret from you until they settled down to a certain extent, so I hid it until now.”

“Ah…”

“Count Rostri was really good at promoting it, probably because it was a universal law in the East Continent.”

Well, it was natural for Fred to be called Count Rostri since father had been dead for a long time.

Fred said with a deep laugh.

“I’m staying at the Imperial Palace right now, but I’m planning to buy Count Rostri’s residence again soon.”

Since he was staying at the Imperial Palace, even Sven didn’t know where Fred was… Even if I didn’t bother looking for him, he should have let me know if it had shown a noteworthy move in the Capital.

“I told you, I’ll make you a house for you to come back to.”

He was also my bloodline. Although I thought I had nothing, I found the best back that I needed the most.

“Laria, your brother is so smart and kind. It’s a downside that he’s too naive because he only studied, but scholars are like that, well. That’s what I need to take good care of.”

“….”

Listening to those words, I stared at Fred with aversive eyes, and he gave me a gentle smile.

“But, but Princess… it won’t be that easy to change the law.”

Even though it might be possible to make things a little easier by introducing a competent expert,it couldn’t be done with just one Fred.

“Yes, the noble family will give their consent soon.”

Elanie smiled brightly and said.

‘Evan would never agree…’

Since father had announced his retirement, Evan was expected to become the master of Duchy Icard soon. He had already scheduled his inauguration for a suitable day.

Leaving aside the legitimacy of the divorce law, Evan said he just didn’t like Elanie, and he didn’t want to cooperate very much. To me, that was part of the excuse, and in fact, it seemed that the word ‘divorce’ itself was extremely disliked by him…

“I have already obtained the cooperation of Duchy Icard.”

“…Yes?”

“I haven’t told anyone yet to take it out at the crucial moment…”

The next moment, Elanie held out a document on the table. It was a document stating that they agreed to the legitimacy of the divorce law, and at the very end, the official seal of Duchy Icard was proudly shining.

“Give me the seal, please. With my seal, the thing you were most passionate about was stealing Laria, right.”

“Hmm. Well, it’s not just that.”

It was something I never expected, as I had never dreamed that Lady Olivia would cooperate with Elanie.

“Of course, it was stamped by a substitute. However, as long as this seal has been applied, there will be no objection.”

Elanie added proudly.

I could easily recall the moment when Lady Olivia and Elanie joined hands for the first time. Hearing rumors that Lady Olivia was watching the affairs of Duchy Icard, Elanie must have tried to make contact quickly.

“When I stopped by that mansion once… I don’t know what’s going on thuogh Olivia Livienne doesn’t seem to want you to stay in Icard if you’re unhapp, so I got a feeling.”

It was obvious that after it was brought to Lady Olivia, she would have immediately stamped the seal so that I would not be legally lost to Icard. That was why she couldn’t hide her desire to go to Livienne soon…

“Even though it was stamped by a substitute… Still, the moment they completely deny this, the authority of the Icard seal will diminish.”

Elanie mentioned she had the paper without telling anyone, in order to use it when it was crucial. Since Duchy Icard had the greatest influence on the nobility right now, it was inevitable that things would become incredibly easy.

“Well, if they want to say it’s shameless, they could call it a shameless opportunist who cheats, but…”

She went on shyly.

“My desire for this… is very intense. I feel a little sorry for Young Duke Icard.”

The person who used that intense desire to cheat even more despicably was Evan in his past life. Knowing that time was going to run, he randomly set up huge conditions.

“No, Princess.”

I thought it would be okay for Evan to get stabbed in the back of the head in this life, so I smiled kindly.

“I like shameless opportunists. I will support the Princess’ will.”

In fact, I myself also think that there should be a divorce law.

“And…”

I added with all my heart.

“I will support you, Princess. I’d rather live in an empire ruled by the Princess than by the Emperor.”

It was because there was already a world that was destroyed once because of me, so it seemed that this world should be a better world for everyone than that world. Elanie seemed to make the Empire a much better place to live than the current Emperor.

“…That’s a dangerous statement, Laria. I appreciate your innocence, but never say that in front of anyone other than me.”

With Elanie’s words, Fred’s eyes changed in an obvious way.

In any case, Elanie would have no idea what did it mean for me, the future successor to the villain, to support her. I was the mistress of Duchy Icard, the head of the nobles, and could handle the powerful Dark Information Guild to my heart’s content and the family that was now about to regain its former glory.

“Of course, I will protect you no matter what.”

Elanie laughed heartily, and I thought to myself who was actually protecting whom.

“Then, would you like to play chess with me? Let’s bet two golds.”

In the end, I lost that chess game because Fred kept giving Elanie advice.

Come to think of it, I learned chess from Fred in the first place when I was young, so it seemed like it was difficult to overcome that wall.

“…I’ll be back. I’m waiting for you, brother.”

As I handed over the bloody two golds to Fred, I thought I could understand why Marcel was so eager to bet on chess with me.

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