Devon pulled out a knife, pricked his finger, and let the blood drip onto the pebble. The smooth surface of the pebble absorbed the blood without hesitation.
Taking the knife from him, I cut my finger without hesitation. A thin red line appeared, followed by small droplets of blood.
Plop. The blood dripped onto the pebble, flowed down, and emitted a bright white light.
At the same time, we both recited the spell and vowed to keep our respective promises.
Devon agreed to sign the divorce papers and withdraw his lawsuit against Edmund Mipedian. In return, I promised not to pursue the forged will and to destroy the evidence. As the pebble shone bright red before fading, I closed the box containing it.
“Sign it.”
I took out the divorce papers I had prepared. Devon glanced at me, as if wondering where I had brought so many documents from, then took them and went to the desk to sign.
The quill in his hand trembled slightly for a few seconds, which filled me with satisfaction. He then signed irritably and handed the papers to me.
Taking a deep breath to steady my emotions, I accepted the divorce papers. My hands trembled.
Finally. It was finally happening. Trumpets blared in my mind, and a shiver ran down my spine. The memories of all my efforts flashed before me, almost bringing me to tears.
I took a deep breath and said,
“I’ll handle the artifact. It won’t respond to anyone but its owner anyway. What about Mipedian’s lawsuit withdrawal?”
Devon, seemingly annoyed at having to follow my orders, curled his upper lip in displeasure as he took out his communication device. He instructed his lawyer to proceed with the lawsuit withdrawal.
Then, as if asking if that was enough, he glared at me fiercely.
I smiled playfully and took out my own communication device. Devon frowned and scanned me from head to toe.
“What are you doing?”
“It’s over. You can come up now.”
I spoke into the device. Soon, the sound of many footsteps echoed. As they climbed the stairs, the mansion trembled like a stampede of horses approaching.
“W-what is this?!”
Devon stepped back from the desk, his eyes darting around, searching for an escape. Then his gaze landed back on me.
And he saw the triumphant smile on my face.
“You…! Did you forget the oath? Do you want to die?!”
“Who? Me?”
I chuckled lightly, then let my smile fade into a cold expression.
“The oath was never valid.”
“What?!”
“An oath requires the blood of only two people.”
I opened the box containing the oath stone and flipped the pebble over for him to see.
“Before coming here, I bought some cow’s blood from a butcher and smeared it on the stone. It never absorbed properly, since it’s not human blood.”
I smiled sweetly. Devon’s face turned deathly pale as he snatched the box and checked the bottom of the pebble. There was a small clot of dried blood.
“Since it’s neither human blood nor from just two people, the oath could never take effect.”
A spell involving life wouldn’t allow such a careless trick to work.
“B-but it glowed red, like the contract was sealed…”
“Oh, that?”
Bang—!
As the imperial investigation squad barged in, I turned and smiled, nodding toward the certificate lying on the bed.
“Read the instructions carefully. Just because it glows red doesn’t mean the contract is valid. Even if it fails, it still glows red.”
Devon threw the box aside and rushed to read the certificate. Meanwhile, an investigator formally announced that, by imperial decree, an investigation was necessary for the security of the empire.
The moment Devon manipulated the will and received both wealth and a noble title, this ceased being a private matter between individuals. It became an act of defying the state, a blatant abuse of power.
As knights grabbed his arms and dragged him away, Devon remained frozen, staring blankly at the certificate in his hands.
His dazed eyes finally lifted to meet mine.
I smiled sweetly and handed the artifact to the investigator, then glanced at Devon with a teasing smirk.
“You…! You cunning woman!”
Devon struggled violently, his rage shaking through his body. As he thrashed, his back seemed to spasm, and he let out a pained cry, throwing his head back.
The knights calmly restrained him and continued dragging him away. I stood at the top of the stairs, watching him with a smirk.
“Don’t be ridiculous, you wicked woman! I’ll withdraw my lawsuit cancellation! I won’t go down like this—!”
“Oh? Too bad. Before coming here, I had a talk with your lawyer. He said that once you withdraw the lawsuit, you can’t refile it, and even if you try, it’ll be dismissed.”
“What?!”
“Didn’t you know? The lawyer who handled all your affairs is actually the legal representative of the Buell family. He’s one of many people who despised your cheap business tactics over the past four years.”
Realizing his mistake, Devon clenched his teeth in frustration.
“Etricia—!”
Devon, now completely out of control, was dragged away while shouting threats.
“I’ll kill you! I’ll destroy you! How dare you do this to me?!”
As his crazed eyes locked onto mine, a chill ran down my spine for a brief moment.
But then I smiled confidently.
“Devon, try to be humble in prison. If you strut around too much, you might get into trouble with your cellmates. Got it?”
“You—!”
His face turned red with shame as he lunged at me, but the knights held him back. No matter how much he struggled, the victory was mine.
With a relaxed smile, I even waved at him.
“You think you’ll be happy without me?!”
“……”
“I was the only one who put up with you! Without wealth and a title, no one would ever look at someone like you!”
“……”
“No one will ever truly love a woman like you!”
With a final scream, Devon was dragged out into the bright sunlight.
I held my head high, listening to his distant cries.
No one would ever love me? For a brief moment, my chest ached.
The years I spent being neglected and disrespected as his wife flashed through my mind, bringing a sting to my eyes.
But emotions are fleeting. I blinked rapidly, refusing to cry over someone like him.
Devon was nothing but a sore loser making a pathetic final statement.
Scoffing, I glanced at the door where he had disappeared.
Who needs love? I was done with romance and marriage.
Taking the box with the oath stone, I thought, I might find a use for this someday.
Finally, stepping out of the accursed mansion, I walked under the warm sunlight.
Raising my arms in exhilaration, I laughed with joy.
At last, I was free from this long nightmare.
