Please Provide Compensation Through Divorce-Chapter 33

What was even more despairing was Leto himself. How foolish he was to finally give in to that 'please.'

The betrayal and helplessness turned into sharp words. Yet at the same time, he had hoped for more explanations. Even if she had truly enjoyed a secret affair, he wanted her to give him a reason to overlook it.

But she chose silence. Her calm, composed gaze seemed like she was ready to end things with him.

He had grabbed her.

He was desperately anxious. The gaze that had once pulled him out of despair, those firm yet warm eyes, was now looking away. How could he not hold on?

He knew he was in a pitiful position, endlessly waiting for her response. Yet that position mattered more to him than his pride or honor.

That waiting was the only link connecting him to her, like the sleeve he had grabbed so tightly.

Leto had tugged on that thread, and she had kissed him suddenly.

Why had she done that?

Leto didn’t know for certain. He could only guess it was some impulse.

But wasn’t that reason enough? She had felt an impulse towards him, after all.

Leto looked up at the Imperial Palace. Lights were just being turned on in Libia’s bedroom.

‘Yes, this is just the beginning.’

A smile spread across Leto's face.

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“Meril Iste.”

Baron Iste softly called out to Elisana.

“From now on, this is your name. Do you understand?”

In the inner room of the Iste mansion, shrouded in darkness, sat the Iste couple and Elisana. The Istes were elderly with white hair, lifelong servants of the Goddess.

Baroness Iste held Elisana—now Meril’s—hand.

“Meril, thank you for becoming our daughter. And your appearance is so precious… It’s all thanks to His Holiness and the Goddess's grace.”

It was the High Priest who introduced Meril to them. The couple had fallen for Meril at first sight.

And today, they had officially become a family.

“Yes, Father, Mother.”

Meril answered demurely. The elderly couple was overjoyed to have gained a daughter.

“You must have had a hard time growing up as an orphan and serving as a saintess in a provincial temple.”

Of course, that was a lie fabricated by the High Priest. Meril nodded. Baroness Iste spoke.

“Meril, do you understand what His Holiness said? If people knew you were adopted, the nobles of the capital might look down on you… So, let’s keep that a secret, awkward as it might be. After all, we are now family.”

Meril looked at the elderly couple.

An elderly couple who had inherited a house in the capital from a relative. They seemed naïve and simple-hearted.

Perfect for exploitation.

Meril smiled sweetly.

“Yes, I understand. Father, Mother.”

The elderly couple looked at Meril with faces filled with emotion. Adopting a saintess was the greatest joy they could imagine.

“Father.”

“Yes, child?”

“When can I visit the palace?”

“The palace?”

The elderly couple exchanged glances. Baron Iste thought to himself.

‘She’s young and beautiful. Naturally, she’d be interested in marriage. To find a good match, she must attend social gatherings.’

“Soon, very soon.”

“Thank you.”

Meril bowed gracefully.

Later, in her room, Meril lay down on her bed. It was a large and luxurious room she had never experienced before.

Not just the room, but also the clean, crimson dress and pristine shoes were new to her.

For the past few weeks, Meril had received noble education. She had absorbed it all at an astonishing speed.

Now, everything felt natural and right, as if it had always belonged to her.

“Hmm…”

Meril flopped onto the bed.

“Boring.”

‘Flattering those old folks is tiresome. They’re not as wealthy as I hoped. And visiting the palace isn’t as easy as I thought? We can’t just go in?’

The Iste family didn’t have much money. They had merely kept their family name alive.

Meril wasn’t interested in their money. But having more money might open doors to the palace.

‘I want to go to the palace soon.’

More specifically, she wanted to meet the Emperor.

She remembered Leto from the ‘Forest of the Magician.’ In fact, she always remembered him.

His handsome appearance. The sheer power with which he dispatched monsters. And most importantly… the way he looked at the Empress.

His gaze was unwavering. Absolute affection without any hesitation. That gaze. Meril wanted that gaze. If it were food, she would have devoured it.

‘It’s tempting… in a way that’s hard to explain.’

Elisana's parents were wandering magicians. Their magic was weak, so they mainly survived through theft.

One day, they had abandoned Meril. Her appearance was too conspicuous.

That’s when Meril realized she would have to hide her face forever. She knew she had to be strong to survive. From that moment, she fixated on ‘power.’

Meril joined the guild. From the start, her goal was the forbidden magic stones.

She wasn’t afraid of losing her life. Nor of becoming a criminal. Her motivation wasn’t fear but blind ambition.

That ambition had always been right. Now, Meril was stronger than anyone. She just hadn’t found a place to use it.

And now, a new ambition had taken hold of her.

It was an inescapable desire. As if it were her destiny.

Meril pulled the covers over herself and smiled as she closed her eyes.

She was confident. She had always gotten what she wanted, by any means necessary. That’s how she had survived.

Morning dawned on the day of the Council meeting.

The palace was bustling from early morning, especially Leto’s secretaries, who were running around busily.

I stepped out onto my balcony. From there, I could see the central palace where the Great Hall was located. I watched as the ministers entered one by one.

It felt like it was going to be a long meeting.

I had done my part for the meeting. The rest was up to Leto. All I had to do now was wait.

Truthfully, I should have offered Leto some words of encouragement. We had prepared for this meeting together, after all.

But today, I wanted to avoid him.

It had only been last night that we kissed. I wasn’t ready to face him yet.

‘It’s still so embarrassing. When will this feeling go away?’

As I gazed downward, I saw Leto and his secretaries walking. They were accompanied by pro-royal faction ministers, heading to the meeting.

I leaned on the railing and watched him walk.

Someday, tell me the real reason.

Why did that line come to mind suddenly? How could I explain that he looked precious at that moment?

Just then, Leto stopped. He looked up at me.

A smile spread across his face. I was so startled that I froze.

It didn’t seem like he felt my gaze. Maybe he looked back just in case, with some hopeful anticipation.

Wouldn’t he be disappointed if I wasn’t there? Wasn’t he afraid of that?

Leto waved his hand broadly. The secretaries and ministers all turned to look at me.

They all bowed their heads at once. I couldn’t stay still any longer, so I nodded.

I also waved at Leto.

He smirked at my awkward gesture and mouthed the words.

‘See you later.’

He continued to gaze at me as if he wouldn’t leave until I responded.

I gave in. I had planned to avoid him.

I nodded. Only then did he smile and turn away.

Soon after, I heard that the meeting had started.

Alright. I had my tasks to do as well.

I called for a servant.

“Go to the Matrion House and bring Marquis Louis here.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

A little while later, Louis arrived at the reception room. He already looked worried.

“What’s wrong, Libia? Calling me so urgently?”

“Sorry for the sudden call, brother. Please, have a seat.”

We sat across from each other on the sofa. I dismissed the maids. Louis’s expression grew more serious.

“Is everything alright?”

“There’s nothing to worry about. I just need to handle something discreetly.”

“What is it? Tell me.”

“Do you know a woman named Elisana?”

I planned to ask Louis to help find Elisana. I thought he would help without asking too many questions.

“Elisana?”

He looked puzzled, as if he might know or might not.

“What’s her last name?”

“I don’t know. I only know the name Elisana.”

“There’s one Elisana I know... But why are you looking for her so suddenly?”

“I’m sorry, but I can’t tell you the reason. But I must find her.”

Louis would believe me if I said the goddess told me. But it would also worry him. It was better for him not to know right now.

“Alright. If you need to find her, you must have a good reason. The Elisana I know was a magician expelled from the guild recently.”

“Expelled?”

“Yes. She amplified her power using forbidden magic stones. No one truly knows how strong she is.”

I knew instantly. This was the Elisana the goddess mentioned.

“What’s her last name?”

“Lucy. Elisana Lucy.”

Good. Things seemed to be moving smoothly.

“Where is she now? I’d like to meet her.”

“What? No, it’s too dangerous. The guild gave up on her for a reason. And she’s completely disappeared.”

“Wouldn’t Master Luminous know?”

“He wouldn’t. Magicians are known for keeping to themselves. Besides, no one knows her face.”

“What? But she’s a guild member.”

“Luminous said her face is badly scarred, so she wouldn’t show it.”

“Scarred…”

“Yes. She’s had many accidents, being a vagrant.”

So no one knows her face. This might be trickier than I thought.

“Brother, please find out about Elisana’s whereabouts. But don’t tell anyone.”

He looked puzzled but eventually nodded.

“Alright, Libia. I’ll look into it.”