The Ugly Wife of the Shady Duke - Chapter 125.2

But it wasn’t just the contents of the documents that unsettled Grace about this plan.

‘Why does all of this feel so familiar?’

It was unquestionably her first time seeing this plan, yet she felt as though she had encountered it somewhere before. She wracked her brain, wondering if she had ever discussed something like this in the past. Then suddenly, a spark flashed through her mind.

“…Ah!”

But it wasn’t a buried memory from her own past.

It was from the original novel, The Saintess’s Wish.

‘That gemstone from the original story!’

There had been a moment in the novel when a completely new gemstone was introduced. It wasn’t unveiled by the Empire, but by a merchant guild based in a foreign nation. Its beauty—an iridescence unseen in any other jewel—had captivated everyone.

‘Right. That gemstone appeared around the time Aria began trade negotiations with the Kingdom of Arsia. That’s why she even thought of trading with Arsia in the first place, because of that jewel.’

Even Sireni, who had traveled through countless countries in the novel, had been astonished that such a gemstone as it was unseen anywhere else. It had been discovered by an unknown merchant guild.

‘And Aria became interested when she saw her wearing that necklace, the one made from that gemstone, ‘Grace.’’

It had been so rare that even high-ranking nobles had to wait their turn to obtain one. And more importantly, Aria had shown up wearing it while asking for help, wearing an item she’d failed to obtain from Siren’s Song.

Naturally, Aria had been able to get the necklace because the male lead, Sylvester, had given it to her. In any case, Sireni had taken it almost as a challenge.

‘Come to think of it, maybe the reason Sireni didn’t fawn over Aria like the other characters wasn’t just because of bloodline.’

Aria had gone to see Sireni without wearing a single item from Siren’s Song, except that necklace.

Sireni might not have shown it, but her pride must have taken a serious hit.

‘Aria’s social and diplomatic skills weren’t better than mine. If anything, they were worse…’

Aside from her looks, Aria had grown up in the countryside with nothing particularly remarkable about her. She was revered as a saintess, but that was all. She’d never been taught formal social etiquette or diplomacy by the Temple.

She was praised for her straightforward, unrefined way of speaking and acting. But the fact that she never managed to form genuine friendships in high society showed where she truly stood among nobles.

‘Why am I only realizing this now?’

In the original novel, the gemstone had a different name and was never described in detail. It was simply referred to as a stone from a foreign land, glowing with extraordinary beauty.

Grace hadn’t immediately connected it to Ardel County, where it had been discovered.

‘I assumed it was a naturally formed gem. But to think it was all the result of human experimentation…’

These people had driven an entire county to ruin without a second thought, concerned only with their own profit.

If Grace hadn’t discovered the mine that day, events would have followed the original story. Ardel County would have survived on pitifully insufficient aid, never regaining its former landscape.

‘Should I tell Benjamin?’

With his authority, he could pressure the Magic Tools Association, perhaps even punish them. But if that happened, the remaining two groups she hadn’t yet identified would only grow more cautious.

‘And if I ask Benjamin to help me catch those other two… I don’t know how he’d react.’

This was a necessary step in understanding how Grace had lived and how she was meant to live going forward. Yet she couldn’t tell Benjamin what she truly wanted, which meant she had no legitimate reason to ask him for help outright.

Rustle—

As she stood there gripping the documents, lost in thought, Grace sensed someone approaching. She should have hidden. But before she could, the owner of the presence lunged at her, clamping a hand over her mouth.

“…!”

“M-Madam. Are you… the Duchess Felton?”

Grace struggled instinctively at the sudden attack, then froze, eyes widening at the title used to address her.

‘Now that I look closely—his clothes are different.’

He wore the robe typical of the Magic Tools Association, but the clothing underneath was awkward, ill-fitting.

“D-Do you know Miss Cleta? I came after hearing about you from her.”

“….”

“Would you… be willing to hear me out?”

Grace listened quietly to the desperation in the man’s voice, then tapped his hand lightly. It was a signal to remove it from her mouth.

Only then did he awkwardly pull away.

“I’ll hear you out.”

“Th-Thank you.”

He dropped to one knee before her.

“I am an artificer unaffiliated with the Association. My colleagues are buying me time, but we don’t have much. Before getting into the main point, may I ask you one question?”

From his words, it seemed several unaffiliated artificers had worked together to infiltrate the Association today, just to meet her.

Unable to grasp why they would go that far, Grace asked calmly,

“What is it?”

“Are you aware, Duchess… of the tyranny the Magic Tools Association is committing?”