Erina left the Kerenik mansion early in the morning and headed to the imperial palace.

Arriving at the entrance of the palace and going through the entry procedures, Erina was taken aback by the sight of two people in the distance.

As expected, her greedy uncle and his wife wouldn’t just let her go, especially now that she owned a mana stone mine.

She had anticipated encountering them at some point, but she never imagined it would happen the very next day.

Although today was publicly announced as the divorce date, only Peiron and Erina knew the exact time.

Now, shortly after breakfast, was when the palace’s key personnel were preparing to enter.

Erina was astounded to see the two of them sitting at the palace entrance, waiting for someone at such a time.

Entry to the palace was not allowed without scheduled business or a prior appointment.

That’s why the two of them obviously couldn’t enter.

Seeing them like this, she realized they hadn’t returned to the Medelia viscounty after yesterday’s founding festival banquet.

Their attire was exactly the same as what she had glimpsed during the banquet.

For these two greedy individuals, the matter of the mana stone mine must have been burning them up.

Erina felt strange seeing the two searching for her with bloodshot eyes.

On one hand, it was satisfying to see them desperately clinging to someone they had once dismissed.

Yet, it was also bitter.

Because her past self, who had struggled to gain their affection, now seemed so pathetic and pitiful.

Erina deliberately approached the two who hadn’t yet noticed her and were anxiously pacing.

“Viscount Medelia, Madam Viscountess.”

“Oh my, Erina!”

“Oh, Erina!”

The sight of the two waddling towards her was comical.

“Erina, you have no idea how long we’ve been waiting!”

“Yes, dear. We went to Count Eolse’s to find you, but you weren’t there!”

Erina found their exaggerated gestures and funny tones, as if they were acting, to be contemptible.

She couldn’t understand where the people who had told her never to think of returning to her family after marriage had gone.

Those who had been so hateful to her were now just laughable.

“You went to the Eolse mansion?”

“Of course we had to go when you were returning to Medelia!”

“Certainly! It’s only natural for us to welcome you back to your family home.”

In response to Erina’s question about visiting the mansion, the two showed excessive enthusiasm.

Erina couldn’t help but laugh at the words “family home” coming from these two who had vehemently rejected the term in the past.

“Pfft, family home?”

She tried to cover her mouth to stop laughing, but couldn’t prevent the sound from escaping.

Realizing that Erina was mocking them, Romdrick and Camil’s expressions subtly twisted.

“W-well! It is your family home! What else would the Medelia viscounty be if not your family home?”

Camil stepped closer, trying to act friendly and reach for Erina’s arm.

Erina stepped back, seeing no reason to endure the uncomfortable and unpleasant physical contact.

Camil’s hand swept through the air.

At this perfect gesture of rejection, Camil pressed her lips tightly together.

Romdrick, as if trying to cover up Camil’s embarrassment, cleared his throat and spoke.

“Ahem! Erina, you’re going to return to the Medelia viscounty, so why are you being so……”

“You told me not to touch you.”

“What?”

When Erina interrupted with a bright smile, Romdrick questioned back.

Erina recalled a statement she had heard from Camil when she had sought love at the Medelia mansion.

‘Don’t even think about touching me, it gives me goosebumps when a child who isn’t my daughter touches me!’

Once, after losing her parents, Erina, who had been having constant nightmares, went to Camil. When she reached out with both hands, asking to be hugged like a cousin sister, Camil had violently pushed her away until her hands turned red, and pierced Erina’s heart with words sharper than a knife.

Erina could never forget why those words hurt so much in her young days.

“The Viscountess Medelia said that when a child who isn’t her daughter touches her…”

“Erina!”

Camil called out to Erina with a pale face.

“It gives her goosebumps, so I shouldn’t think about touching her.”

As Erina continued speaking, ignoring Camil’s call, both Romdrick and Camil’s faces hardened.

Although it was still early for palace entry, there were quite a few people at the entrance as many came early to work.

Erina, as the owner of the mana stone mine, was a person of great interest to many.

The sight of Erina not entering the palace and instead arguing with others at the entrance naturally piqued people’s curiosity.

Romdrick and Camil faltered under the pouring gazes and attention.

“Oh, and Viscount Medelia, you also said something before the wedding, didn’t you?”

“Erina, let’s go over there for a moment and talk privately……”

Romdrick urgently called out to Erina, anticipating what she was about to say, but it was useless.

“You told me not to think of Medelia as my family home or even consider returning. You said I should die in the Eolse family even if I were to die. Remember?”

Erina smiled brightly as she brushed back her falling side hair.

Unlike Erina, Romdrick’s mind went blank as he was thoroughly humiliated in front of many onlookers.

Just yesterday, Romdrick had been pretending to be an affectionate family member in front of numerous nobles, boasting about it.

Seeing some of the nobles he had briefly encountered standing not far away, listening intently, Romdrick couldn’t continue speaking.

In social circles, unfavorable rumors spread faster than favorable ones.

The scene of him being humiliated in front of Erina now would spread to all nobles by the afternoon, that’s how fast it would travel.

Romdrick and Camil’s faces contorted unpleasantly.

“Don’t worry, you two. Even if I return to Medelia, I won’t be returning to you.”

“E-Erina. What do you mean by that, hm?”

As Camil tried to approach again, Erina turned her back on them.

“Erina!”

Romdrick, who had been standing still, rushed forward in panic and grabbed Erina’s arm.

Due to Romdrick’s strong grip, Erina’s body, which was about to enter the palace, was suddenly pulled back.

Erina staggered from the force, but ironically, she didn’t fall because Romdrick was holding her.

“Did, did you feel hurt because we didn’t treat you like a daughter? No, because we discriminated between you and our daughter? I’m sorry, it’s unavoidable that we feel more affection for our daughter. You understand, don’t you, Erina?”

Erina was so dumbfounded by Romdrick’s rambling, incomprehensible words that she couldn’t even feel angry.

It seemed her uncle still saw her as the child who used to reach out her hands in her younger days.

Otherwise, how could her uncle be spouting such nonsensical words so earnestly?

“Uncle.”

“Yes, Erina! I am your only family!”

When she called him uncle instead of Viscount Medelia, Romdrick seized the opportunity to pretend to be close again, enthusiastically spitting as he spoke.

“To think we have to keep an orphan whose parents are dead until she becomes an adult because of those damn laws, tsk tsk.”

“Gasp!”

“That’s what you said, isn’t it?”

Romdrick was taken aback by Erina’s words, spoken in a low voice while glaring at him coldly.

It was part of a conversation the two had shared on the evening when Romdrick had practically snatched away the head of the family’s seal.

After her parents passed away, Erina had trouble falling asleep due to constant nightmares.

That day too, having lost the family head’s seal, the last and most precious item left by her parents, she had difficulty sleeping and was wandering around the mansion.

Then, seeing her father’s study brightly lit, she rushed there, and just as she reached the door, she heard the voices of two people.

Camil’s voice urging to kick her out of the mansion soon, and Romdrick’s voice complaining about being unable to do so because of the law, echoed through the corridor.

How could she ever forget?

The conversation of the two people who were desperate to kick her out, taking place in her father’s study, a place filled with only the happiest memories in the world.

“Y-you heard that.”

Erina roughly removed Romdrick’s hand from her arm and said with a disgusted expression.

“And please be careful, I also get goosebumps when someone who isn’t family touches me.”

Romdrick couldn’t retort to Erina’s words, his face ashen.

“Don’t think about coming to see me anymore. I have no intention of seeing you two either.”

Erina quickly moved into the palace, as if even facing them was unpleasant.

The knights standing at the entrance welcomed Erina’s entry with bright smiles.

Romdrick and Camil tried to follow Erina, but were stopped by the palace knights at the entrance.

“You cannot enter the palace without going through the entry procedures.”

The cold face of the palace knight was filled with contempt.

The knights guarding the entrance couldn’t help but overhear their conversation.

Moreover, if the soon-to-be center of attention was standing at the entrance, they couldn’t help but pay attention.

Listening carefully, it seemed that the person claiming to be an uncle was pretending to be close just to get some benefits.

And worse, they were trying to butter up now after turning their backs when it really mattered, like trash.

The usually businesslike palace knights openly clicked their tongues at the two.

As Erina left, the people who had been quietly observing nearby began to whisper in not-so-small voices.

“Pretending to be close now that she has mana stones, how terrible.”

“Indeed.”

“I heard that even the Medelia viscount title was actually taken from the young lady.”

“Oh my, really? No wonder.”

“If it were me, I would have slapped them at least once. The young lady must have a really kind heart.”

The whispers surrounding Romdrick and Camil came from all directions.

As time passed, more people arrived to enter the palace.

The events that occurred at the palace entrance would continue to spread by word of mouth.

Romdrick and Camil stared blankly at Erina for a while, but unable to withstand the sharp gazes, they fled from the scene.

Behind the two who were running away with their tails between their legs, the knife-like whispers of people did not stop.