Chapter 21

Briseyes was startled. She unconsciously shrank back, and the confusion intensified as his lips kissed and gently nibbled on the top of her foot.

His body heat soon melted through her stocking and reached the top of her foot. It conveyed both roughness and the softness of his skin.

“If you want the imperial throne, it’s yours too, Bri.”

Each time he spoke, his lips brushed against the top of her foot. When she saw him looking up at her with eyes gleaming like a red beast and smiling, her entire body tensed.

When she came to her senses and tried to pull her leg away, he held onto it and continued kissing his way up to her knee.

“You’re enduring for a long time.”

She found it amusing that he was pretending to be fine while clearly in pain from the blood rushing to his lower body.

Perhaps because of the creaking friction sound from the chastity belt, she felt somewhat sorry for him. His face flushed bright red, the veins standing out on his neck, and his heavy breathing.

“I’m always in pain when I see you.”

“You deserve the pain if you went to the battlefield wearing that thing.”

She spoke coldly and then turned her body away. The top of her foot that had escaped his hand still retained his warmth.

Being human, Briseyes felt the sensation when he touched her.

It was ticklish yet made her feel wary.

“Let me bite you.”

“Are you a dog? Wanting to bite.”

“Should I be a cat?”

She sighed, thinking he might make cat sounds again.

“I would have kicked you if you bit me.”

“I’d like that even more.”

“Sit properly. Don’t sit on the floor like that, it’s filthy.”

“Okay.”

At her words, he tried to act fine and sat on the sofa. Even so, he was still hunched over as if the weight below was still causing him pain.

He pressed his lower abdomen firmly as if his stomach hurt and gently leaned on Briseyes’s shoulder.

She thought about pushing him away, but strangely, perhaps because of the warmth remaining on her ankle, she couldn’t refuse.

“Bri, you smell like peach blossoms.”

Pretending not to hear his husky voice, she crossed her legs again and looked at the magazine.

Quite some time had passed, but he still didn’t seem to be okay.

“When will you be alright?”

“I’ll never be alright when I’m with you.”

“Take the key later.”

“Is it still in the drawer beside your bed?”

“Yes.”

“In the first compartment?”

“No, the second compartment.”

“Why the second? It was in the first yesterday.”

Callisten instantly returned to his senses and looked at her. He was still smiling, but his eyes weren’t.

Briseyes snorted at him and said:

“I almost threw it away.”

“So you thought about it at least once before bed. I’m happy.”

He returned to a bright expression and tried to grab her arm.

— Knock knock.

“Come in.”

Soon, someone who appeared to be a staff member and another person bringing tea were visible.

One was setting up the tea, while the other handed over papers and a fountain pen, saying:

“Please fill out the details below.”

Briseyes looked at the paper handed to her. It contained clauses related to married life.

“The more detailed you are, the more helpful it will be for the consultation.”

“When will Jeronis come?”

“The office manager will be here soon. He’s ending his current consultation early after learning that His Highness the Crown Prince has arrived.”

The guide said this and left with the staff member who had set up the tea, after giving a bow.

Then Briseyes began writing answers to the questionnaire.

“Do I have to write about our marital relationship too?”

“Don’t look.”

“I’m on your side. It would be good if I knew the details too, right?”

She frowned at his words but decided to ignore him.

“I thought so. You haven’t had your wedding night yet, right?”

“……”

“Ahaha.”

He laughed happily when he saw Briseyes marking an X next to the question about how often they kissed.

“I haven’t kissed anyone either. First kiss.”

As Callisten kept interrupting her like this, Briseyes sighed.

“Move away.”

“I’m not touching you.”

He adjusted his position so that he wasn’t touching her, afraid she might tell him to move far away, while still looking at her answers.

“It’s really a secret from the Marquis Philia family, isn’t it?”

“Yes.”

“After you get divorced, you won’t remarry, will you?”

She couldn’t answer when she realized he had easily figured out what she was thinking.

She needed to look for a suitable marriage candidate while preparing for divorce. The Marquis Philia family would never leave Briseyes alone after her divorce, especially since she hadn’t even consummated her marriage.

Perhaps after the divorce, if Callisten became Emperor, they might give her to him.

She didn’t want to become Empress.

If she became Empress, she would have to worry about whether the Emperor would take imperial consorts, or which woman he had slept with that day.

Moreover, she would have to share her bedroom situation and was obligated to bear children. She hated loveless marriages, but what she hated even more was bearing children she couldn’t love.

And now, her goal was no longer to marry an impressive man like before.

She needed a man who would listen to her and would divorce her when the time came.

She was now sick of men. To the point where she deeply missed her previous life when she could freely do what she wanted.

“How about me? Aren’t I perfect as a remarriage partner?”

“Which Emperor would marry a woman with a divorce history?”

“Me. And Emperor Father did too.”

The current Empress was originally the wife of an obscure baron. After catching the Emperor’s eye, she divorced and became an imperial consort.

After becoming an imperial consort, driven by the desire to make her son Emperor, she caused the death of the previous Empress, Callisten’s mother, and took her place.

Briseyes knew all this because it was in the original work.

The death of the previous Empress was only recorded as being due to illness.

“You know, if we get married, I’ll do it four times a day.”

“Then you’ll die of happiness.”

“I meant kisses.”

Briseyes frowned and glared at him.

“Hahaha. I’m joking. How could I kiss only four times?”

She sighed and continued filling out the form.

“If four is too many, how about three?”

“……”

“Two. I can’t go lower than that. Instead, I’ll have to kiss about twenty times.”

“Sure, do as much as you want. Though I feel sorry for your future wife.”

“It’s cute how you pity yourself.”

He answered like that and sat properly next to Briseyes, coming close enough for their arms to touch.

— Knock knock.

“Come in.”

This time, Jeronis Abein entered.

“I am honored to see the Small Sun of the Empire. It’s my first time meeting you, Your Highness the Grand Duchess.”

“I look forward to your help.”

When Briseyes extended her hand, Jeronis shook it firmly.

“Does the Grand Duke know you’re here?”

“He doesn’t. And it’s as I wrote in my letter. The Grand Duke violated the marriage vow clauses, and Bri absolutely needs a divorce.”

Jeronis nodded, recalling the letter he had received from Callisten. Then he took the document Briseyes had filled out and scanned it with his eyes.

“You’ve been married for over a year, but you haven’t had your wedding night yet.”

“The Grand Duke Mays went to the battlefield right after the wedding.”

“What’s the reason you didn’t do it after he returned?”

Callisten tried to answer, but Briseyes spoke first.

“He brought a mistress on the day he returned. And I saw him kissing that woman.”

“Are there any other witnesses?”

“No.”

“Then is there any evidence that woman is his mistress?”

Briseyes had been worried about this point herself, so she shook her head.

“Isn’t it enough if I say I saw it?”

“For that, Your Highness the Crown Prince’s testimony lacks effectiveness. Since you grew up together from childhood, it’s difficult to see you as an impartial witness.”

“For evidence to be effective, it’s better if the third party has no vested interest, right?”

“Yes.”

Jeronis nodded, confirming what Briseyes had studied in advance.

“Is divorce always this complicated? It seems like Emperor Father just asked for her and that was it.”

Callisten knew that when his father took the current Empress as his imperial consort, he had almost forcibly made her his concubine.

“His Majesty the Emperor is an exception. And even then, the paperwork was exactly the same as now.”

Jeronis, who had been the Minister of Justice at that time, shook his head wearily as he recalled that incident.

“And at that time, Baron Oberon was favorable. Seeing that you’ve come here in secret from the Grand Duke, I assume you, Grand Duchess Mays, expect the Grand Duke to oppose.”

“That’s right.”

“Then we’ll have to go to court.”

“I know.”

A divorce by mutual agreement was easier compared to litigation.

“What are the chances of mutual agreement?”

“He might agree if I give up all my assets.”

“Then we’ll have to litigate.”

“Yes.”

Jeronis sighed as he recorded the conversation.

“The key is to prove that the other party is the guilty spouse. Until then, notify him of your intention to divorce but continue living in the same house.”

“That’s what I’m doing.”

“You can also pretend to still have lingering feelings. That method makes it much easier to gather evidence.”

“Is that effective?”

“Yes, very much so.”

Briseyes had actually hated herself whenever she showed reactions as if she still had lingering feelings. However, she felt strange about the fact that she could use this to her advantage.

“Is it possible to fall in love again in such situations?”

Callisten asked, raising one eyebrow.

“Yes, it happens.”

At Jeronis’s cold answer, Callisten stared at him with wide eyes like a madman.

“What?”