Chapter 77
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Dear, I believe you may be misunderstanding.
Episode 77
'I wonder how he's doing...'
More than a week had already slipped by since I last saw him, for one reason or another.
Since Lucas was undoubtedly as busy as I was, I hadn't bothered to reach out.
Or rather, if I'm being honest, he was probably far busier than I.
After all, he'd been working nearly through the nights back then.
'It's truly strange. I've never seen Norman or Father work through the nights like that... Shouldn't higher titles mean less work to do?'
Grace tilted her head slightly and stepped into the Lobby.
Waiting for her in front of the Lobby were the carriage Lucas had specially arranged for her use and Rüfel.
"I'm sorry for being late. Thank you for waiting, Rüfel."
"Not at all. I've had so little to do lately that I was actually growing bored. I was delighted to prepare the carriage when you mentioned having many places to visit today, Miss Grace."
Rüfel replied with courteous wit.
Just as Grace grasped the hand he offered and was about to board the carriage, another carriage came to a stop behind them.
The young coachman wearing a bowler hat was a familiar face.
Grace's expression hardened the moment she recognized him.
She hurried to board the carriage, but her skirt caught around her feet.
In that instant, the door of the carriage behind them swung open, and Norman emerged.
Norman's expression also stiffened upon recognizing Grace.
As they stared at each other with hardened faces, he suddenly grinned and greeted her.
"Well, well, if it isn't my dear sister, burning with love so intense it makes one shudder?"
Grace stared at Norman without responding.
Rüfel, as if reading her thoughts, gave the hand he was holding a subtle squeeze before releasing it.
A silent reassurance—don't worry, I'm here.
"Going out? You seemed so busy with wedding preparations lately you couldn't see straight... Though I suppose women must look their most beautiful when they marry, mustn't they? That's how they earn their husband's love, after all."
Norman approached with that same smiling face and spoke to her.
Though his words hardly inspired her to smile in return.
"I was hoping to see you anyway, so this works out. Do you have a moment?"
"Is there reason for my brother and me to exchange pleasantries?"
Norman's face hardened at her cold retort.
In the past, he would have already been trembling with rage and spewing curses, but for some reason, he maintained a veneer of civility.
His forced smile twitched slightly.
"That's true. The you and I of the past were like that. But time has passed now, and shouldn't our relationship improve somewhat?"
Such absurd words left me with nothing but laughter.
Grace let out a soft laugh and turned away.
He wasn't worth responding to.
Norman seized Grace's wrist as she turned.
"I'm talking to you, Grace."
Grace opened her eyes narrowly and looked at Norman.
She could see his jaw trembling from the force of his grip.
"Can't an older brother and younger sister have a conversation before marriage?"
Why was that arrogant fool acting like this? Patience and forbearance didn't suit Norman at all.
'...Is this connected to Father's change?'
That statement meant Norman was also conscious of Lucas Black.
There was nothing strange about it. Norman had always been weak before the strong and strong before the weak.
He must want something from Lucas Black, that powerful man.
And he was trying to obtain it through Grace.
'How absurd.'
Grace clenched her fists tightly.
She was determined not to let Norman or Father extend their sordid desires toward Lucas.
Even if it meant nothing to Lucas, Grace could not tolerate it.
"A conversation.... Fine. I'll set a date soon, Norman. But not now. I have a prior commitment, you see."
Grace responded coldly, her voice stripped of emotion.
The cheek he had struck and the belly he had kicked still throbbed with pain.
Those hands had not struck only her.
Julie and Elia, along with the young servants, had been beaten countless times.
There would be a second Julie and Elia in the future. There could even be a second Grace.
"I'll decide the time and let you know. As you know, brother, I've been rather preoccupied lately."
Perhaps the time to repay this debt had finally come.
* * *
"Yaaay! Teacher!"
"We missed you!"
"Why are you only coming now!"
The moment the children of the Orphanage spotted the carriage approaching from afar, they all came tumbling outside.
As the carriage stopped and Grace stepped out, the children who had been bouncing on their feet rushed toward her in unison.
"Hello, I'm sorry. It's been so long since I visited, hasn't it? Have you all been well?"
"Teacher! I've grown this much!"
"I did all my homework and waited, but I was worried when you didn't come!"
"Waaah! I really, really missed you!"
Following the older children, Rüfel toddled forward but was swept away by the children's momentum and tumbled to the ground with a thud on his bottom.
The sound of the baby's wails was drowned out by the raucous voices of the children, but Grace, somehow hearing it, approached the crying Rüfel and lifted him into her arms.
"Rüfel, have you been well? You've grown so much in the meantime."
In just a month or two, the four-year-old had grown unrecognizably. He had gained weight, grown taller, and most of all, his vocabulary had expanded considerably.
"Gracie, Gra, Icy! Waah!"
Rüfel called her name with increasingly clearer pronunciation.
Grace joyfully pressed her face against Rüfel's plump, rosy cheeks.
In turn, the mischievous red-haired Chris, Anna with her endearing freckles across her nose, and finally the most mature Christine embraced Grace.
"Why has it been so long?"
"Did you forget about us? Are you not going to play with us anymore?"
"No, that's not it...."
Grace chuckled softly, a hint of embarrassment coloring her cheeks as she leaned toward the children.
As she brought her hands together as if sharing a secret, the children rushed forward, eagerly tilting their ears toward her.
"Your teacher is getting married soon."
"Whaaaat?!"
Several children bounced up excitedly, tumbling over one another in their frenzy.
Among them, Anna was the most startled.
Anna let out a squeal and clung to Grace.
"With whom? How? What happened? Did you kiss?"
'...Um, Anna?'
Grace's face flushed crimson at Anna's rapid-fire questions, which seemed to outpace even her own thoughts.
"Ohhhhh! You must have kissed! What do we do!"
"A kiss!"
"Teacher kissed someone!"
'Wait, you all...? This is rather embarrassing for your teacher...?'
The word "kiss" echoed through the Orphanage where the children played.
As Grace stood there, flustered and at a loss for words,
"You mischievous little ones. What will you do if you scare the teacher away?"
Kelly Crackson, the director of Hills Orphanage, appeared like a savior and gently guided Grace away.
* * *
"It's been so long, Director."
"Indeed. I've missed you dearly. Have you been well, Teacher?"
Kelly, her white hair streaked with silver, took Grace's hand and asked warmly.
Her hands were rough, yet still radiated warmth.
Grace studied Kelly's face with concern and asked gently.
"Your face looks quite worn. Has something happened?"
"Oh! It's nothing serious. The eastern fence broke, and I've been working hard to repair it."
"The eastern wall? Did you repair it yourself, Director?"
"The western wall collapsed a few days ago, so I had to redirect all available hands there. The fence is something the children and I can manage well enough on our own."
Seeing the elderly Kelly had suffered, Grace's expression darkened.
She immediately rolled up her sleeves and stood.
"Where is it? Let me help you!"
"Oh, please. Your presence here is help enough. You have no skill for repairs, after all. You can't even bear to look at sharp objects."
The director's words were true.
How could someone who couldn't even touch nails or blades possibly help with repairs?
Grace sat back down, her spirits deflated.
"Don't make that gloomy face. No one blames you. You do so much for us already, even without doing such things."
"But it troubles me. The small wounds on the children's hands, the calluses forming on your weathered palms...."
Kelly smiled and patted Grace's shoulder reassuringly.
"That's how everyone becomes stronger. Just as strength comes from exertion, everyone grows through hardship."
The director, well into her sixties, smiled as always and gently comforted Grace Oellin.
Kelly Crackson was the person Grace Oellin admired most.
She found her resilience truly remarkable—the way she never carelessly revealed her pain.
Though she wore shabby clothes, her inner nature and spirit were more refined than anyone's.
"By the way, I heard some wonderful news... Are you getting married?"
"Ah, yes. You've heard about it?"
"Well, actually I saw it in the newspaper a few days ago. Your wedding is the hottest topic in society right now, isn't it?"
It was an unprecedented marriage in Zeronium, arranged in less than a month.
Lucas Black had given an interview at some point, and the article even included a photograph of him seated in an antique chair, spouting the most absurd nonsense.
[A passionate love at first sight.]
...Excuse me?
Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org