Chapter 128.1
Instead of returning to the annex, Grace decided to stay in her room in the main residence that night. In her current state, she couldn’t bear the stifling confinement of the annex and more than that, she didn’t want to leave Benjamin alone.
‘Of course, just being in the same building doesn’t mean I’ll get to see him.’
Benjamin, who normally tried to stay glued to her at every opportunity, had been completely absent since then.
“F-fine. It’s not like I don’t have things to do either.”
She muttered sharply to herself. Benjamin’s frightened expression still lingered in her mind. But no matter how much she thought about it, she couldn’t go to him. So she had no choice but to focus on something else.
‘What if I go and he turns me away?’
If that happened, she would truly collapse, unable to do anything at all. The fragile happiness she had barely managed to build could crumble in an instant.
“Let’s start with the newspapers.”
She’d bought them before entering the Magic Tools Association and left them in the carriage. Judging by the stack, she must have bought every copy the newsboy was selling.
Grace flipped through them one by one, looking to see if there was anything about her.
But there wasn’t a single scandal involving the Duchess of Felton.
‘The name ‘Grace’ does appear. But it’s about the gemstone, not me.’
Had she always been this insignificant? In the novel, she hadn’t even appeared in person.
‘Still, it was said that whenever you opened a magazine, there’d be criticism of the Duchess of Felton.’
Thinking about it now, that was strange. The original Grace had been too depressed to go out at all.
Scandals usually pile up when someone acts. But Grace herself, and even her surroundings, had been eerily quiet.
‘Was it simply that they didn’t like someone they disliked sitting in the duchess’s seat?’
After arriving at that reasonable conclusion, Grace shook her head.
“Maybe I was just imagining it…”
A few people had occasionally hinted at rumors involving the director, so she had assumed articles about the Duchess of Felton would start appearing again. Yet the newspapers she finally read contained nothing about her.
‘How is there not a single mention?’
Not even one sentence, as if she didn’t exist at all. There were short articles about the Duke of Felton, but nothing about her.
“….”
The absence of slander should have been a relief.
Instead, it made her uneasy.
It felt like standing at the eye of a storm.
“Get a grip.”
Grace muttered to herself. This wasn’t the time to be consumed by anxiety. There were too many things she still needed to do, too many things she had to take care of.
Benjamin’s frightened, wounded face surfaced in her mind again, weighing heavily on her chest.
She now understood clearly that he had endured many lonely years on his own like herself.
If she didn’t want to add to anyone else’s pain or solitude, then she had to move forward even if it hurt.
Grace called for the butler.
“His Grace must be quite exhausted today. Could you send him a cup of milk tea?”
* * *
From that day on, Grace didn’t see Benjamin.
Whenever she asked the servants, she was told he was out or had gone to the imperial palace. He never showed himself.
He was avoiding her deliberately.
Grace considered resuming the purification work in the annex during her free time, but decided against it.
‘If I collapse again, it’ll just make things worse.’
If she fainted like last time, Benjamin might restrict her outings altogether. Though he wanted her to be healthy and free, he was equally vigilant about her safety.
The next time she finally saw Benjamin was on the day they were set to visit the mages’ hideout.
Grace studied him carefully as he smiled at her with ease.
‘Even this appointment was arranged through letters.’
There had truly been no chance to meet him in person.
“It’s been a while since we last met. I’m glad to see you looking well.”
“It hasn’t been that long.”
“One never knows what might happen from one day to the next.”
He said something faintly ominous in a calm tone as he escorted Grace to the carriage. When he noticed something as she stepped onto the stairs, his expression softened noticeably.
“What is it?”
“Oh, it’s nothing. I was just happy to see you wearing the shoes I gave you.”
He said it was nothing. But judging by his face, it clearly wasn’t.
“I was worried you might not like them.”
“They’re incredibly comfortable. The most comfortable pair I’ve ever worn.”
The design was clean but adorned just enough, making them easy to pair with her dresses. Benjamin must have taken that into account as well.
“That’s a relief.”
Once Benjamin was seated, the carriage began to move.
“Just in case, we’ll be traveling around the capital by carriage. There may be people watching the ducal household.”
Grace nodded. Considering cases like Birkin’s, it made sense. Whatever their objective, there was a high chance someone was following them.
‘But is he really going to pretend that nothing happened that day?’
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