Chapter 3
Taran saw Grace leaving after saying harsh words.
Immediately, Luke chuckled and said to Taran, “It seems Lady Grace has changed the plan.”
No matter how much he tried to sympathize with the duke’s feelings, if there was no response, it was probably time to move on more forcefully.
“No.”
“Yes?”
Luke looked at Taran in surprise as he firmly denied it.
It was the first time he had flatly denied what Luke said.
In fact, Tarann had initially thought he would react that way. However, the Grace from a moment ago seemed like a completely different person.
“Now please, be a bit more affectionate, Your Grace.”
Luke felt pity for Grace now.
Taran also wasn’t always as cold and indifferent as he was now.
He had lost his parents at an early age and had to take over the family due to the War of the Seven Years with Wales, which perhaps changed him fundamentally.
He became pessimistic in everything, rigorously controlling his emotions and preventing anyone from intruding into his world.
“Grace speaking Rangdes?” Taran’s surprise at Grace wasn’t just because she spoke a foreign language.
It was because he felt from her tone, actions, and gaze that she wasn’t the person he knew before.
“Is that dog really me?”
Taran smirked, raising one corner of his mouth.
“Your Grace, don’t you find it strange no matter how you think about it? Lady Grace reading the newspaper, rushing out here in tears, speaking a foreign language, and then going in alone?”
Except for rushing out on a rainy day, none of Grace’s actions today made any sense to Luke.
Moreover, her tone was different from usual.
“Luke, when will Taran come back? Grace, I’m so lonely.”
It was quite cute and endearing, but a moment ago, she was chillingly stern and tough.
On one hand, Grace could be quite precise. However, Luke suddenly thought of a woman who was even more pitiful than her.
“Your Grace, what should we do with Leah Hamilton’s body? Should we hand it over to her fiancé in Galdencia?”
Taran had witnessed Leah Hamilton’s accident while hunting not long ago and had personally retrieved the body from the cliff. Since it was an accident on his territory, he couldn’t ignore it.
“Where is the body?”
“It’s in the church. I’ve already ensured thorough embalming.”
“Funerals must be held, that’s the duty of a human.”
Even if they send the body back to the homeland, the Hamilton family has committed a grave offense, so they’ll probably just hastily cremate it and scatter the ashes anywhere.
“Richard Hamilton, they say he smuggled poppy flowers. Something seems fishy about that.”
Taran didn’t believe the newspaper article. The Hamiltons were one of the oldest and most respected families on the continent.
They were known for making money through fair trade and contributing a lot to society. Most importantly, Teren had met Richard Hamilton himself when he was young.
It was the day when an opera for the nobles and upper class was being held.
At the time, there were many children selling flowers, matches, and tobacco around the opera house.
Perhaps out of a sense of privilege, everyone ignored these children.
But only one person, Richard Hamilton, bought something from each and every one of those children.
“He didn’t seem like that kind of person, but there’s something forced about it.”
With Pauline’s help, Leah finished bathing and lay back down on the bed. During this time, she had many thoughts.
“Accept reality.”
It was the most difficult thing to do, but perhaps this intrusion of her soul into someone else’s body could be seen as God’s providence.
Originally, the blood of a cold-hearted merchant flowed in her body.
Maybe that’s why even as Grace, she had no hesitation in going to Alan to cry and beg about how love could change.
Instead, her mind became clearer, and she began to see reality properly.
“From now on, I have to live as Grace Visak.”
Judging coldly, surviving in Galencia under the name Hamilton would be difficult.
It would be better to become someone else and expose Alan’s vile schemes.
“The Chief of Security will be involved too.”
A hunter spends a very long time and effort to catch a beast.
Alan must have done the same. He would have carefully gathered information about Hamilton through her.
He would have also recruited allies to help him.
“I didn’t know there was ambition boiling behind that gentle face.”
Just becoming the son-in-law of the Hamilton family wouldn’t have satisfied him. What would his ultimate goal be?
“Having amassed immense wealth, all that’s left is honor and power. He wants to rise to an even higher position than now.”
“To confront Allen in the future, it was absolutely necessary to have the status of Viscountess Grayce Bizarre.
Leah got up from the bed and headed to the dressing table. Soon, she gazed at the dazzling beauty reflecting in the mirror.
‘I don’t know how I ended up in your body. But I’ll return it once my task is done.’
Whether it was possible or not, she was determined to keep her promise. She swore further.
‘I won’t do anything that would tarnish Grace’s honor.’
Despite my intentions, I wanted to make sure to keep that promise. Even though I had involuntarily swapped lives, I wanted to live properly while this situation lasted.
Just then, Pauline returned from fetching a dry towel.
“Miss, I have some new information about the Duke’s schedule.”
Seeing Pauline’s fussiness, it seemed she always reported diligently to Grace about Taran’s activities.
‘Not particularly interested.’
Seeing Leah’s indifferent expression, Pauline put on a more cunning one.
“A while ago, there was a dead woman found at the cliff.”
“A corpse?”
“I heard she was a prominent illegitimate daughter from Galencia.”
“Where’s the body?”
“It’s at the church. But the Duke has arranged for a funeral service and burial at the church cemetery.”
“When is that?”
“In three days. And he’s planning to inform her fiancé in Galencia too.”
Leah’s heart began to race.
So, the man she saw when her body was dying was Terran indeed. Then he must have handled the body.
In an instant, Leah’s mind flashed.
‘Right, my necklace.’
On the day of her wedding, the precious necklace her father put around her neck came to mind.
Take it, Leah.
[Father! Is this…?]
It was a necklace with an old bronze key attached, a meaningful item to him.
The key bore the insignia of the Hamilton Upper and a golden carriage. Terran would have recognized the significance of that necklace.
[It’s a gift from your father. I wanted to give you something meaningful.]
[I can’t accept it. I know what this necklace means better than anyone else, how can I…]
[Take it. If not you, then who else? Your father is getting old. If something happens to the Upper, you’ll have to handle it. For that, you’ll need the necklace.]
‘Did Father foresee such tragedy?'”
“If that’s the case, she had to retrieve the necklace no matter what.
‘Ah, I should have refrained from being rude to Duke Courtois.’
Leah fell into serious contemplation.
To attend my funeral, she needed to find a reason that Taran would accept. Above all, it was important to win his favor.
Leah shook off her melancholy and got up, doing her makeup properly and dressing herself neatly.
At first, she struggled with how loudly Paulin had applied her makeup, having to adjust it.
“Miss Grace, no, I find lighter makeup suits me better, Paulin.”
At first, Paulin seemed puzzled, but once she adjusted Leah’s makeup and hair as she suggested, she nodded in agreement, patting her hands together.
“Oh my, heavy makeup was ruining your face, Miss!”
She neatly tied her hair back and chose a dress in the most modest style possible. She opted for minimalistic jewelry, avoiding anything too flashy.
“Hurry, or you’ll be late for breakfast.”
“Yeah.”
Fortunately, she had breakfast with Taran every morning.
Meeting him would give her the opportunity to bring up the funeral. However, she wished she knew more about Grace before meeting Terran, feeling a bit regretful.
‘Did Grace not write a diary?’
Lost in various thoughts, she arrived at the restaurant in no time.
Leah entered the restaurant with a bright smile.
“Good morning, Duke Cour.”
Leah greeted Taran, who was seated at the head of the table, with a slight bow of her knees.
“You look cheerful.”
“Thanks to your consideration.”
Only now did Leah see Taran properly.
His chiseled features, hidden behind a gloomy expression, came into view. He was a robust man with a tall stature, a typical cold-hearted gentleman.
‘’In contrast, Allen was a charming man who could melt people’s hearts with his smile, like whipped cream.”
“I don’t understand why I should kill that bastard…!”
Leah shook her head roughly, feeling pathetic for even briefly considering Alan. But she had to apologize to Taran.
“I apologize for my behavior last time. I won’t act recklessly like that again.”
Leah apologized bluntly.
But Taran just narrowed his eyes, observing Leah without replying. His gaze was sharp, as if trying to unearth the inner thoughts of a person.
“Grace.”
Taran finally called her after a while.
“Yes, what is it?”
“The ‘son of a bitch’ you mentioned last time in Randles’ language, does it refer to me?”
“That… how could it? ‘Son of a bitch’ is a separate term. It’s not related to you, Your Excellency.”
At Leah’s response, Terran chuckled and rubbed his forehead with his hand.
The servants who were serving the meal momentarily stopped their movements. It seemed they were quite surprised to see the Duke laughing for the first time.
{When did you learn Randles’ language?}
Terran asked Leah in fluent Randles’ language.
‘When? I learned it when I was young.’
Leah felt embarrassed. In fact, she had learned many foreign languages since she was young and had read all related books. As a result, she could speak many foreign languages. However, Grace didn’t know when she had learned Randles’ language.
{I taught myself because Randles’ clothing was pretty. I wanted to purchase it directly through letters.}
{You learned it on your own and did so to purchase directly through letters, hmm.}
Only then did Terran nod as if understanding.
Leah was starting to want to bring up her main point to Taran.
“The Duke of Couture, I heard you retrieved the body of Miss Leah Hamilton from Galdensia. And that you will also hold the funeral.”
“Indeed.”
“May I also attend?”
‘Now, he’ll ask why you want to attend, right?’
Leah prepared her answer and waited. But no matter how long she waited, he didn’t ask.
“Go ahead. It’s a good thing to have one more person present when there are hardly any mourners.”
“T-Thank you.”
Come to think of it, was Grace someone who would attend the funeral of someone she didn’t know? What was her connection to Leah Hamilton?
In fact, when she saw Grace enter the restaurant, she felt it again. She wasn’t the Grace Visac she knew before.
It wasn’t just about her appearance changing. It was, how should I put it, a feeling similar to the day when it rained.
‘She doesn’t seem like the Grace Visac I know.’
There was one solid evidence for such a conclusive judgment.
The old Grace was always busy worrying about herself all day long. Even during meals, her eyes were always following me, but the current Grace seemed indifferent
.
‘She’s becoming more and more intriguing.’
