Chapter 121
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Dear, I believe you may be misunderstanding.
Episode 121
'What on earth is he plotting?'
Capren Oellin gazed through the window of his study at his daughter, who sat leisurely sipping tea at a table in the Garden.
Grace had changed.
The Grace sitting there, calmly enjoying her tea, was no longer the Grace that Capren had always known.
Something had shattered her exterior, drawing forth the true nature she had suppressed deep within herself.
The very essence of this child that Capren and Norman had trampled and crushed countless times.
'...The Black Duke?'
He seemed to dote on Grace considerably.
If he could hand over a diamond mine so readily, that said everything.
'How on earth did he manage to change her like this?'
He changed into casual clothes and paced anxiously around the window.
His butler, Thomas, had gone to retrieve Norman and Torres.
He had them stashed away in a remote location on the outskirts of the Capital.
It would take exactly two hours to go and return.
With narrowed eyes, he watched Grace, who occupied the Garden as if it were her own home, savoring her tea.
Elia, who had rushed out with an approving nod, and the servants surrounded Grace, attending to her every need.
'What audacity. Anyone watching would think Grace was the true mistress of this Estate.'
Capren's brow furrowed with displeasure, but there were far greater concerns at hand now.
"If word of Norman's affair spreads, my reputation is finished."
Capren muttered in a voice barely containing his rage.
Rather than honor, he would be burdened with only infamy and disgrace, subjected to the cold disdain of the Nobility Council like some aged relic confined to a back room.
'This cannot happen! Not after everything I've accomplished...!'
One misstep and he would find himself not as the next chairman of the Nobility Council, nor even as vice-chairman, but cast out from his seat entirely.
"No, it cannot be. I, who am to become the next Prime Minister, cannot allow this...."
What could Grace possibly want?
Why had this girl suddenly begun acting this way?
Why!
Capren paced the room, breathing heavily and roughly.
Heat burned at his temples, unbearable to contain.
With heavy, thundering steps, he kicked the chair beside him.
With a crash, the chair toppled backward, and the impact caused the nearby dresser to tremble slightly.
Something that had been resting atop the dresser wobbled and fell.
It fluttered down like a falling leaf, landing precisely at Capren's feet.
As Capren's gaze fell upon it, his face drained of all color.
"Damn it all...!"
He recoiled hastily, as though he had stepped on something filthy.
With a pallid expression, he stared at the yellow paper lying carelessly on the ground.
At that very moment.
"Master!"
"Oh! G-goodness, you startled me!"
The Butler's voice suddenly pierced through the firmly closed door.
The door burst open, and the Butler spoke urgently.
"Norman has arrived!"
* * *
A circular table was laden with desserts that Grace adored.
Delicately steeped black tea, a warm pie brimming with nuts, and sweet yuzu pudding besides.
All prepared by Elia.
After hearing from Julie that Grace had rushed over without even eating breakfast.
"You're not just fussing over me, are you?"
"Since you've come after so long, it's only natural I should attend to you."
"Has it been difficult for you, Elia, all this time?"
"How could it not be? Just recently, I split firewood for an hour straight. Still, what can I say... it's manageable so far, Miss."
Elia whispered with a smile, her words reaching only Grace and Julie.
"I've taken quite a bit of authority for myself."
Before Elia became the head maid, all authority in this Mansion had rested with Thomas, Marquess Capren's trusted aide.
Thomas managed everything—the servants' wages, basic treatment, meals, and rest hours.
Capren had no desire to offer the servants anything beyond the bare minimum.
Thus, his aide paid no heed to wages or treatment beyond that baseline.
But he knew many cruel methods, and once servants or maids entered, he ensured they could never escape.
For the staff, Oellin House was hell itself.
Easy to enter, but impossible to leave.
A place from which one could not escape of their own accord unless cast out.
And with such poor treatment besides, the servants simply perished one after another.
At least... when the Marchioness Elenoa was alive, things were bearable.
After that, it became nothing short of a living nightmare.
Even after Elenoa's death, the servants had secretly aided Grace for precisely this reason.
"Now I manage rest hours myself. I've also abolished deducting wages from the servants when things break or are damaged."
"Rest hours? That's truly remarkable!"
At Julie's near-jubilant exclamation, Elia shrugged her shoulders with a smile.
The servants who had followed Elia also quietly smiled and nodded in agreement.
Seeing this, Grace finally felt reassured.
I had worried so much about leaving Elia alone in this harsh place.
Elia bore the brunt of the men's demands in Oellin House and was foremost in handling the dirtiest work.
But all I could do was press a small sum of money into her hands in case of emergency before departing.
Staying in this Mansion had been entirely Elia's choice, after all.
Yet... contrary to my worries, Elia is thriving.
And while protecting those she wishes to protect, no less.
"Splendid, truly. Elia has always been splendid."
"Do you know? The only person who has ever told me I was wonderful, that I did well, that I was appreciated—it has always been you, Grace."
"Is that so?"
"Yes, ever since you were very young."
Suddenly, the image of Elia taking the mud splash meant for me came flooding back.
Elia screaming at Elenoa, who had lost her reason after her eyes were scratched.
"I might not have survived here without Elia."
"And I might not have survived without you, Miss."
The two of them locked eyes and laughed.
Julie, who had been watching quietly, interjected with a playful smile.
"I wouldn't have survived without both of you either. You know that, right? You're not leaving me out?"
At Julie's lighthearted interruption, Grace and Elia laughed simultaneously.
And at that very moment,
"What the—! You should have told me!"
Norman was dragged out forcibly by the knights Capren had sent.
* * *
The moment Norman saw Grace leisurely sipping tea at a table set up in the Garden, his teeth clenched.
Here he was, suffering, while the Duchess sat there with that radiant face, contentedly drinking tea.
He wanted nothing more than to wipe that haughty expression clean off her face.
It felt like it would finally relieve the constipation he'd been holding for ten years.
Before his trembling legs could lunge forward, the attendants positioned behind Grace stepped forward in unison.
'What are these people?'
Looking closer, three knights bearing the Black Family seal, the head maid Elia, and four or five servants from the Mansion had formed a defensive perimeter around Grace.
Their obvious hostility toward him made Norman's expression darken.
"What is the meaning of this?"
"I was planning to tell you without being asked. Don't be hasty, Norman."
Grace spoke calmly and set down the teacup she had been holding.
Her gaze fell upon a young man being dragged along by two attendants.
His face was so battered it was unrecognizable.
One of his legs appeared to be broken.
Whether conscious or not, he couldn't stand on his own and was being supported by those dragging him.
Even in that state, he had not opened his mouth.
His legs broken, his nose shattered from the beating—yet he had not revealed where the Baby was.
Grace regarded the man with an inscrutable gaze, then looked at Capren, who came rushing out in a frenzy.
"What is this? What on earth is happening, Father?"
"Be quiet! You have nothing to say right now, not even if you had ten mouths!"
Capren roared and took another step toward Grace.
Clink—
As if to warn him not to come any closer, the knight standing guard beside Grace drew his sword slightly.
Capren stood frozen in place, his face a mixture of anger and irritation as he spoke.
"Now then, I've given you everything you wanted... so hand it over, Grace."
"Just a moment. The story isn't finished yet, Father."
Capren could no longer contain himself and shouted.
"What on earth are you doing, Grace? I knew things weren't good between you and Norman, but did you really have to go this far?"
Only then did Norman sense something amiss and examined the paper envelope Grace was holding.
Father's gaze remained fixed on that envelope, refusing to look away.
'There's something in there.'
Grace shook the envelope she was holding.
"You look curious about what this is."
"...Insufferable woman."
Norman spat out the curse without restraint.
Torres, whom he'd brought along, and Father's demeanor—everything pointed to the same conclusion.
Grace had undoubtedly seized upon some weakness of theirs.
Seeing Torres dragged here alongside him, she must have learned about his mistress.
I was curious how she'd found out, but now wasn't the time to press the matter.
"Do you understand what you're doing right now? Do you comprehend what you're attempting to accomplish?"
"Why wouldn't I? At the very least, I live with consideration for my actions and their consequences."
Grace met Capren and Norman's gazes directly as she spoke.
"I'm well aware that the Oellin House could collapse."
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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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