Chapter 115
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Dear, I believe you may be misunderstanding. Episode 115 Time was not on our side. Even if I delayed our departure to Contana as long as possible, we had merely a week. Anything beyond that was impossible—the marriage vows were at stake. Once the Contana arrangements concluded, at least a month would have passed, and I had no way of knowing what might befall Torres. 'It won't do. That man is a crucial witness.' Carol's pleas weighed upon me, but Torres himself was equally indispensable. He had been Norman's hands and feet. For four long years, he had followed in Norman's shadow, undertaking every menial task imaginable—I needed him. If Norman so much as decided it, he could end Torres tonight. I could not afford to waste time.
"Tonight should be safe enough. There are things to extract from Torres, and by now Norman will have realized that you've vanished—which means he'll need Torres all the more."
At those final words, Carol flinched and trembled. Her ashen face was almost painful to behold.
"Don't worry. Someone mentioned that security here is so thorough that even the Royal Palace would struggle to breach it. No one will harm you carelessly."
Grace's reassuring words were reinforced as Lucas smiled and offered his own comfort.
"I'll station guards so tight that not a single insect could slip through. Rest assured."
It had been a chaotic day, as if swept through by a tempest. The Emperor's sudden illness, the past glimpsed through the incense burner, Carol's desperate arrival—all of it converged at once. Behind Grace's shadow, the wheel of fate spun with relentless momentum.
* * * That night, Grace could not sleep. The incense burner had already kept her unconscious far too long, and her heart burned with such restless turmoil that slumber eluded her. Grace spent the night organizing the materials Notia had provided. Thanks to Notia's meticulous nature, the documents were arranged beautifully. I selected only what was necessary and compiled the statistics. 'The numbers align quite well. If the average was 2.5 hospital visits per month...' Of course, whenever Norman pushed even slightly, she would rush to the hospital, inflating the average. Unable to sleep himself, Lucas sat beside her, pretending to read a book while stealing glances at her notes. His expression hardened from time to time, and his narrowed eyes darkened with barely contained fury, though he offered no comment. I could sense him wrestling with his rage. Grace placed the recording device before her and called to Lucas.
"Please retire to your room now, General.
"Am I in your way?"
"No, it's not that. I simply think it's better if you don't hear this."
"Why?"
"I'm afraid you might transform into Lucky again."
"...."
The contents were inflammatory enough to test even Lucas's restraint. He hesitated for a long moment before brushing off his clothes and rising to his feet.
"You need to get some rest, Grace."
"I understand. I'll just tidy up a bit and be right in. Go ahead and lie down, Lucas."
He stared intently at the jewel-box-shaped recording device Grace held, then entered the bedroom with an air of resignation. Only after watching Lucas disappear into the bedroom did Grace turn on the recorder. —Crack! The sharp sound of a palm striking a cheek rang out clearly from the device. —You shameless woman! Once she confirmed Norman's voice recorded distinctly in the playback, Grace closed the jewel box. The evidence was sufficient. Grace took a deep breath and retrieved a sheet of paper. Before Lucas triggered a relapse of her phobia, she had been able to write with a fountain pen. She had trained herself to the point where, as long as the sharp point wasn't directed at her, it caused no disruption to her daily life. But that scene in the Royal Palace Garden had awakened the trauma, and from that moment on, even holding a fountain pen became difficult. Now... how would it be? She hadn't completely overcome her needle phobia, but circumstances had changed. It was different from before, when she had feared sharp objects without understanding why. Now she understood perfectly why she had developed such fear. And she had even married the man who had triggered that phobia. With tension mounting in her chest, she grasped the fountain pen resting in its holder. After taking a deep breath, she withdrew the pen from the holder. '...I can do this.' Her heart raced, but this tension was different from the trembling panic she had felt before. Grace slowly drew the pen's nib across the white paper. Scratch— Gliding across the crisp surface, neat characters bearing Grace's own elegant style were inscribed. Grace closed her eyes for a moment and exhaled deeply. The instant she opened them again, without a shred of hesitation, she began writing a lengthy letter.
* * * I had asked Lucas to search for Torres, but finding him in just one day proved difficult. Grace, having anticipated as much, immediately moved forward with her next course of action.
"A favor?"
"Yes, could you deliver this to the Princess? I need to go somewhere else right now."
"Of course, that's no trouble at all."
Grace handed Selena one of the papers she had prepared overnight. As Selena received the letter from Grace, she suddenly caught Grace's hand as it brushed past her.
"Your hands are freezing."
Selena quickly grasped both of Grace's hands and brought them to her lips, gently breathing warmth onto them.
"I suppose I was a bit tense."
"You look like you haven't slept at all."
Warm hands held Grace's own, stroking them gently. Selena had already heard about everything that had happened throughout the night. But instead of pressing Grace for details, she offered her a cup of warm milk.
"The more you have to do, the better you must sleep and eat. You'll need all your strength."
"...Thank you."
"No matter what happens, don't worry, Grace. Lucas and I will do everything we can to support you."
Her hand was tender as she stroked Grace's cheek with a soft laugh. Perhaps it was Selena's warmth. Though Grace hadn't eaten, her heart felt full.
* * * Grace had specially asked Notia to examine Carol's condition. Without hesitation, Notia rushed over and conducted a thorough diagnosis. After reviewing the detailed diagnostic records Notia had carefully documented, Grace turned to Carol with a request.
"These marks you've endured. May I use them?"
Carol startled, her eyes snapping toward Grace. Use them? What did she mean?
"Of course, I'll only use the data. You won't need to do anything."
"...B-but...."
"I've been beaten by Norman countless times as well. Because it was done by family, I had nowhere to turn for help. The Guard Corps is extremely cautious about matters involving families, especially nobility, isn't it?"
At Grace's admission that she too had suffered Norman's violence, Carol stared at her in a daze. She couldn't fathom that someone as noble and luminous as Grace Oellin could have endured such brutality. The fact that she had been abused for over twenty years struck Carol anew as horrifying, yet it seemed impossible that anyone could emerge from such cruel years with eyes so fierce and resolute.
"I don't want to be beaten anymore. When I was young, those moments when I couldn't resist my family's violence were unbearable. But back then, I was powerless and far too small."
"...."
"But now I'm neither small nor powerless."
Her violet eyes met Carol's with crystalline clarity. What separated her from Carol? What was the difference? Carol found herself mesmerized, staring at Grace in bewilderment.
"So... now is the time to act. So that the cycle of violence spreads no further. Tomorrow must be different from today."
Tomorrow. 'I see. For her... today wasn't the end.' She had been waiting for tomorrow, for the future. I never knew that the mere existence of tomorrow could feel so different. I thought tomorrow was merely a continuation of today. But those tomorrows accumulated, becoming ten years, then twenty. Carol's vacant gaze began to shimmer with emotion. Tomorrow, or perhaps a more distant future. Could I one day walk outside hand in hand with Melissa? Could there come a day when my little one, Melissa, and I could smile peacefully and drift to sleep... without fear? I couldn't be certain. It was an uncertain future whose probability I couldn't even calculate. But I knew that remaining still would never bring change. If I do anything at all, something will change. Carol wiped away her tears, straightened herself, and asked clearly.
"Is there... something I can do?"
Grace seemed slightly surprised, her lips parting before she smiled slowly.
"Of course. Let's do what we can."
* * * Two hectic days had passed. During that time, Grace received materials from Lucas that she had never anticipated. It was an incident from approximately three years ago involving a minor noble's daughter from the maritime city of Aperium. He had harassed her and nearly committed assault, and the document detailed how Marquis Capren had spent money to cover it up. The conclusion was chilling—after that day, neither the marquis nor his daughter could be found anywhere.
"...How am I supposed to handle this?"
"While investigating to understand the marquis, I stumbled upon this among other materials. Until now, I thought you didn't need to know, but... it seems necessary now."
Beyond that, Lucas had provided considerable documentation. Most of it concerned Marquis Capren's tax evasion and corruption.
"How on earth did you obtain all of this...?"
I knew it was a meaningless question, but the words burst out before I could stop myself—the absurdity was simply overwhelming. Lucas smiled silently, shrugging his shoulders.
"Actually... the tax evasion matter, I was able to uncover with Cain's help. But this material—I obtained it purely by chance."
Lucas tapped a local newspaper from three years ago that had covered the incident in Aperium. 【Where Has the Lovely Lorelai Gone?】 An article decorating the corner of the newspaper.
"While conducting background research, this article came mixed in. And through another remarkable coincidence, the paper containing this article was found precisely along the travel route Capren and Norman took three years ago."
It was an extraordinary coincidence. How could materials no one had deliberately placed be discovered in such a perfectly convenient location? Grace held the peculiarly yellowed paper and murmured.
"Is newspaper paper normally this yellow?"
"The further you go into provincial areas, the harder it is to obtain quality paper. I suspect that's the reason."
Grace scanned the article on the yellow paper once more, then carefully placed it back into the envelope.
"For Norman, women were... merely tools."
Tools for his desires. Tools for his frustrations. Tools he believed he could destroy without consequence.
"This wasn't something I could simply endure alone."
She murmured in a cold voice and rose from her seat. There was somewhere I needed to go. Since time was evidently limited, I moved immediately. Lucas also headed to the Royal Palace to check on Ludwig's condition.
"If the timing works out, we'll return home together."
"But I don't know when it will end?"
"Rüfel will handle it."
He laughed softly as if telling me not to worry, kissed my cheek, and departed first. I gently touched the cheek warmed by his touch and soon headed into the city. The first place I needed to visit was the Central City Square. And I also had to stop by the Orphanage. Grace Oellin urged the carriage forward with haste. And moments after arriving at her destination.
"Move, move aside!"
A black carriage suddenly barreled toward Grace Oellin, who had just descended from her own.
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Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org
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