Chapter 30

‘I have to investigate this matter more and find out how much my father has intervened in this. How far does he know?…. I am sure I will know how to break the ‘curse’, if I know that.’

Ergo, she must have to reveal the truth even if it’s something she never wants to face.

While ruminating and making her mind, Grace felt her body quivering with anxiety that was slowly becoming unbearable to her.

‘I want to see him right now.’

Engulfed by the warmth of his heart, she wanted to apologize for her jealousy a little while ago and to put this anxiety to rest. Grace got up in a hurry. Then Sally said, surprised by her sudden behavior.

“La-Lady? What’s wrong?”

“…I need to see Duke Arthur right now. Where is the Duke’s office?”

“What? The office?”

“Please guide me right now.”

In a hurry, she ordered Sally to guide her. Grace hastily approached the door and opened it.

“…Madam?”

Arthur, with a worried face, stood in front of the door.

“…….”

Grace ran without saying anything and hugged him tightly. It was because she was overwhelmed to see that the person she missed the most and wanted to talk to was in front of her eyes.

Arthur too, embraced Grace, putting his chin on her head and asked affectionately.

“What’s wrong? Did something happen?”

“No, I just… I just missed you. I am happy to see you standing here.”

“… Is that so? I am glad you’re back.”

Arthur gently patted her soft shoulders with his big hand when Grace spoke out her feelings on impulse. Grace enjoyed Arthur’s gentle touch and dug deeper into his arms. There was a low burst of laughter above her head. Arthur said, hugging her head with his big hand.

“Sally, I want you to stay away for a moment. Tell the knights over there to go downstairs for a while too.”

“Okay, Duke.”

Along with the words, Sally’s careful steps were heard by Grace. She just wanted to have a talk with him, but she was grateful for his consideration.

After all the people left, the two remaining embraced each other in silence in the empty hallway. Then when they were alone, she didn’t know what to say. Grace glanced at Arthur, who looked down affectionately at her.

Then, over Arthur’s black mask, the blue and red odd eye bent gently. It seemed to reassure her that she could speak slowly because he could wait forever. Grace was encouraged by the loving and considerate gaze and carefully began speaking.

“Have you been waiting here for a long time?”

“Well, I haven’t been waiting for a long time. I went to put Leon in a separate room and came back.”

“…I see. I thought the Duke was in the office.”

“I was going to do that, but when I tried to return to my office, I couldn’t go because I kept thinking about your condition.”

“…Ah…”

“However, looking at my wife’s face now, I’m glad to see you. You don’t look so happy. What did you talk about with Sally?”

Arthur looked down at Grace with a perturbed look and stroked her pale cheeks. Grace overlapped her hands with his sweet and big hands and stared at him. Grace, who had been staring at his face for a while after that, spoke with difficulty.

“…… Before I tell you that, I have to apologize to the Duke first.”

“Apologize to me?”

“Yes… I’m sorry I doubted you for a second.”

“….Doubt? I did something wrong, didn’t I?”

Arthur tilted his head.

Grace replied with a slight smile to his troubled appearance, which seemed to be agonizing over what the hell he did wrong.

“No. That’s not true. The Duke did nothing wrong.”

“Really?”

“Yes… I just saw one ‘fantasy’ before I collapsed and doubted it on my own.”

Arthur’s expression darkened. He said impatiently.

“A ‘Fantasy’?What did you see that made you lose your consciousness? What a terrible thing you saw…. As expected, because of the curse…!”

As Arthur became increasingly anxious about Grace, Grace quickly hugged his back with her arms tightly.

“No, no! No, it wasn’t as terrible as the one I saw at the ball.”

“…Then what did you see?”

“Well… I saw a lady lying in the secret garden and a gentleman crying while hugging her.”

When Arthur asked what she saw, Grace thought for a while and replied. Arthur’s eyes trembled faintly when he heard her. Grace continued with a bitter smile.

“The lady in the ‘fantasy’ was dying from bleeding too much, and the gentleman holding the lady cried, saying he could never let her go. I was puzzled by the appearance, and I couldn’t intervene there, so I was just looking at it…. At that time, I made eye contact with the gentleman who was holding the lady.”

“Then?”

“When I got awakened by surprise, the gentleman’s eyes looked so much like the Duke that I doubted.”

“The gentleman and my eyes looked alike, so you doubted me?”

Arthur twisted his mouth as if he didn’t understand Grace’s words well. Grace said, gently sweeping around his mouth.

“Yes. I thought the gentleman in the fantasy was the Duke.”

“…What?”

“The fallen lady looked like she was pregnant….So maybe the gentleman was the Duke, and that lady was either a former Duchess or one of the Duke’s ex-fiances. In that fantasy, the gentleman seemed to be desperately in love with the fallen lady, and so I thought that the Duke had loved someone so badly before… ”

Grace, who was about to confess how jealous she was, was interrupted by Arthur with a firm shake of his head.

“I don’t know who that gentleman was in the fantasy, but it’s not me.”

“I know. I know now…. When I got myself together, I kept contemplating about it and was upset. That’s why I questioned Sally.”

“…Sally?”

“Yes… So Sally answered me. What I saw may be the Duke’s father and mother, the former Duke Felix and the First Empress Aileen. With that, I think I somehow came to know about what happened afterwards.”

Grace dithered to elucidate. Arthur, who was hearing it, briefly exclaimed. He smiled bitterly and spoke to her.

“…I see.”

“…Yes.”

“I don’t remember well, and I don’t know well because no one would tell me about that time even if I asked, but… Maybe what Sally said is right if she said so. No one has served as long as she has in Felix’s castle.”

Arthur answered, looking at her with a low-sinking gaze.

Grace said impatiently when she saw Arthur’s face being overshadowed by his words.

“Don’t make that face… I’m sorry. I didn’t think about it. I wanted to ask the Duke directly, but to be honest, I was a little upset.”

“……Upset?”

“Don’t you know? Jealous! I was jealous!”

“…What?”

“Sorry… I was just disappointed.”

When Grace said all those with a penetrating voice, Arthur’s mouth stiffened.

Then Arthur replied in a slightly excited voice, gently sweeping down Grace’s fine hair in her arms.

“Why are you apologizing? I’m glad my wife was jealous.”

“Yo-You’re glad?”

“Yes, I’m glad.”

Arthur slightly put his lips close to Grace’s cheek, which was slightly red with embarrassment. When Grace opened her eyes wide to the appearance and saw Arthur, he smiled affectionately and continued.

“However, on the other hand, I’m a little upset.”

“….Why?”

“I think I’m lacking in expressing myself to the point of doubt.”

“…Duke.”

“So I’ll tell my wife here for sure… I’ve never had anyone more in my heart as much as my wife. Also, none of the ladies who had been connected with me until now gave me their heart like you.”

“…Duke.”

“So there’s nothing to be nervous about. You’re the only one for me, before, now, and in the future.”

Arthur said so and put Grace’s slightly drooping long hair behind her ears. Then he stared at her sweetly as if honey was falling. Grace began to laugh shyly.

Grace was happy, grateful, and sorry that he said so. She was content and grateful to receive such great affection, but she felt sorry for him too as she was still trembling with fear of the curse in a corner of her heart.

However, Grace felt a small seed of courage sprouting in her fearless mind.

‘If you love him so much, why don’t you trust him a little more?’*

[*T/N: Grace is talking to herself.]

Why don’t you tell him everything you’ve been through and think about a solution together, instead of doubting and fearing alone like this?

‘I died once.’

She doesn’t have the courage to confess that she is a person who has returned alive, but at least she should have the courage to confess what she is going through now.

Grace, reassured her heart, consistently, lovingly looking at him.

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