Chapter 56
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Dear, I believe you may be misunderstanding.
Episode 56
"You have no idea how much I envied you both today while staring at tedious documents all day long."
Lucas descended the staircase and approached the two of them.
Having already showered, he wore a comfortable knit sweater, his slightly damp hair falling naturally around his face.
His blue gaze held nothing but Grace.
He approached her without hesitation and extended his hand.
"Did you have an enjoyable time with Mother? She's such a mischievous woman that I'm worried she may have startled you. Be careful. If you let your guard down, she might reduce you to tears."
"Son, I'm right here. Right beside you."
"Indeed. I hadn't noticed."
"Oh? I didn't realize my presence was so faint. It suddenly reminds me of when our Lucas used to cry and cling to his mother's skirts, whining for a hug."
"Me? Whining? I'm afraid I have no memory of such a thing."
"They say shock therapy is the best way to revive lost memories. Perhaps this mother of yours should devise something shocking for you?"
Lucas, who had been bickering back and forth with Selena, finally raised his hands in surrender.
"Please spare me such frightening words, Mother. Instead, why don't you tell us about the wonderful things you purchased today? Grace, what magnificent items did you acquire?"
He gently steered the conversation in a different direction.
Selena pretended to relent and changed the subject.
"I was itching to tell you how splendid and remarkable and amazing the things we bought are. Why don't we change clothes and meet again in the Dining Room? This outfit is far too warm."
A subtle shift had occurred in the Dining Room.
Grace noticed it immediately upon seeing the table that Cotti had so carefully prepared.
"This is..."
Grace ran her fingers over the wooden dinnerware placed on the table. The grain of the smoothly oiled wood felt soft beneath her touch.
Lucas shrugged casually as he spoke.
"Apparently wooden items have become fashionable in the Capital lately."
A lie.
Wooden forks and spoons were things used by commoners.
Most nobles used silverware. The sharper and more gleaming, the better.
Yet in the Dining Room now, there was nothing shiny or sharp to be seen.
"From now on, Cotti will cut the meat dishes and bring them out. The meat that Cotti cuts has a different quality to it."
He spoke as though it were nothing, but I understood that such actions were far from simple.
"If there's anything that makes you uncomfortable to look at, please tell me anytime. You can tell me directly, or you can relay it through Gabriel or Haem."
Something felt strange in Grace's heart as she looked at him.
The objects around her kept blurring while his face remained in sharp focus.
Her heart wasn't racing, yet a heavy vibration resonated all the way to her mind.
"Hmm? What is all this? Wooden dinnerware?"
Selena, who had just entered the Dining Room, stared at the utensils on the table with surprised eyes.
"They were specially procured. They're items from the Eastern Continent that came across the Kaine Sea. These woods are said to reduce the toxicity of food."
"Oh, is that so? How unique and lovely."
Though one might expect resistance to something unfamiliar, Selena too accepted the wooden fork and spoon without hesitation.
Though it would have been natural for her to feel reluctant about something unfamiliar, Selena accepted the wooden fork and spoon without hesitation.
The people of this household were truly peculiar.
Without hesitation, they kindled warmth within my heart.
I settled into my seat, biting my trembling lower lip.
Moments later, Cotti's signature chicken soup was placed directly before us.
The dining table was suffused with a savory aroma.
* * *
"This belongs to Grace."
"Pardon? But this is something the lady purchased."
"It didn't come into my hands legitimately. It's not truly mine. Besides, I could never become so shameless as to claim something before its real owner."
Selena returned the incense burner—which she had obtained with great difficulty—to me.
She spoke of how it couldn't be kept when its true owner existed.
I was startled that Selena had given it to me, but what shocked me more was that she had believed my words entirely.
There was no way to properly prove that this object was my mother's keepsake.
Though I possessed the key to the incense burner, it remained at my family home and couldn't be brought at once.
Yet Selena gazed at me intently for a moment, then simply handed over the incense burner.
"We can always acquire another. The fortunate thing is that this incense burner isn't the only one in existence. If we found one, why couldn't we find two? Wouldn't you agree?"
It was what they called the "Dream Incense Burner."
Selena explained that this nickname arose because lighting the incense and sleeping would allow one to dream desired dreams.
"It's said to show visions of the past, future, or even desired fantasies. Not every time, but if one yearns earnestly enough, they can see them."
I had never known this object—which I'd only understood as my mother's possession—to be something so remarkable.
Well, it must have been traded at high prices in the auction house because it possessed some utility.
That's why my father had taken it from me as well.
Yet despite having possessed the incense burner for over a decade, I had been unaware of its function.
This object wasn't something commonly used in daily life.
It required a long stick to be inserted and lit, but most people didn't even know its name.
I inserted the long stick I had received with the incense burner into it.
Selena called this an "incense stick." When burned, it produced white smoke with a distinctive fragrance, which she said aided restful sleep.
"...A desired dream, then."
I wished to see my mother's face, however faded it had become.
"I must repay the lady somehow."
Since arriving at this estate, I seemed only to receive.
The parched emptiness surrounding me had been filled with something warm and fragrant.
What could one even call this? Concern? Affection?
Being on the receiving end felt strange and peculiar. I was grateful... and afraid.
Afraid that their affection, which had seeped in like the tide, might recede like the ebb, and that I would feel loss in its wake.
I laughed softly and murmured to myself.
"...So this is what it means to be unable to eat even when served?"
I was pathetic, worrying about something disappearing before I could fully grasp it.
I would repay them in kind. No—I wanted to give back more than what I had received.
I wanted to repay Selena and Lucas Black more than what they had given me—this warmth, this tenderness that made my heart feel at ease.
'I need to find what I can do. First, I should speak with him....'
But what does he need?
Could he possibly lack anything?
The moment such thoughts crossed my mind, someone knocked softly on my door.
"Grace, may I come in for a moment?"
It was Lucas Black.
I thought the timing was perfect and answered quickly.
"Yes, sir. Please come in."
I could simply ask him directly.
* * *
"House of Marquess Oellin continues to send word requesting your return. We've made excuses and turned them away for now, but I thought you should know regardless."
It was something I already knew.
Father had sent a servant directly with a note for me as well.
"I see. Thank you for your consideration, sir."
I expressed my gratitude calmly while calculating when I should return home.
Selena had entrusted me with an incense burner and a task, so I couldn't leave immediately.
At least two or three days seemed appropriate.
'This works out well. There are things I need to understand.... I can't avoid this forever. It's time to face it head-on.'
I met Lucas Black's blue eyes, which bore into me with unwavering intensity, and quietly steeled my resolve.
At first, there was fear.
Then came surprise, and now... I trusted him.
I was no longer afraid of this man.
Rather, as I faced him now, I felt my heart racing of its own accord.
"If you don't wish to return, I can make any excuse necessary. You may stay here until the marriage is finalized, Grace."
Marriage.
Lucas Black spoke of marrying me without a moment's hesitation.
As if he meant to protect me.
I smiled and shook my head.
"No. I must return. I appreciate the sentiment, but this is... a problem I need to face myself. And truthfully, I think it's time I confronted these issues."
But this was not something that could be resolved through someone else's protection or strength.
It was something I had to face and resolve myself—not through anyone else's power.
"However, Grace, as you know, this country still has many institutional disadvantages for women. And there are still many who accept this as perfectly natural."
"Yes, I know. In fact, I could say I know better than anyone."
At my calm response, Lucas Black's straight brow furrowed slightly.
He exhaled quietly and rubbed his forehead with his clenched fist.
"If they were to...."
Lucas paused mid-sentence.
I watched as tension built and released along his masculine jawline, the muscles in his thick neck tightening and then relaxing.
"If I were to hurt you—whether through words, violence, or any means whatsoever—if I were to wound you in any way at all."
At last, he moistened his parched lips with visible anxiety, then drew out his confession in slow, measured tones as though restraining himself.
"I suspect I would be quite angry, Grace."
He exhaled a breath of uncertainty, his expression twisting into something between a grimace and a smile.
His face was complicated—conflicted.
"Your Grace."
"Grace, whether you believe it or not, I'm not actually someone who loses his temper easily."
"...."
"But when it concerns you, strangely enough, I find I cannot."
Lucas Black's hand came to rest against Grace's pale cheek.
His large palm cradled her delicate face entirely. The skin of his hand burned against her cheek like living flame.
Grace swallowed against her trembling breath and asked.
"What... cannot you do?"
Lucas Black answered with a soft laugh, his words clipped short.
"...Restraint."
His face drew closer, inch by inch. His breath fell audibly against her.
Violet eyes and azure eyes clashed fiercely in the space between them.
Surely even a gaze could carry heat. Grace felt every point where his eyes touched her ignite with warmth.
Her eyelids, the bridge of her nose, the inside of her lips....
"I cannot do it."
His whispered breath tickled against her lips.
Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org