CH 2

Grace trembled, reminded of the future that awaited her. 

Benjamin asked with concern as she shuddered.

“My Lady, is something wrong?”

“No, there’s nothing wrong.”

“Is it because of the cold? Would you like to go inside? It might be uncomfortable since it’s been a long time since you went out.”

“No, really, I’m fine.”

As Grace had recalled earlier, she had never directly appeared until the end of the story.

‘Can a character who never appeared even once be called an extra? It’s just a part of the setting.’

Even her death was not described, and Benjamin’s mention at her funeral that she ‘died of an illness’ was all there was, preventing anyone from speaking about the death of the Duchess.

And after Grace’s death, Benjamin began to reveal his true nature.

With brown hair and green eyes, he was said to be a trustworthy and affectionate man, but the author seemed to want to stab the readers in the back, as he became the ultimate villain facing the female lead and the male lead.

“He attempted to kidnap the female lead and even tried to kill her.”

With obsession after obsession, he met his end in the arms of the female lead.

Such a person could even go as far as to disguise his own wife as sick and kill her to claim the female lead. read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.Although it was not clearly mentioned in the novel, but as Grace, who loved Benjamin the most, she could not help but make such a guess.read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.

‘He was my favorite.’

When Grace read the novel, she believed that Benjamin was definitely not a sub-male lead.

Benjamin would often bring up his wife’s story to the female lead, Aria.

Grace liked Benjamin for his domestic side and kindness, not because he was obsessed with and crazy about the female lead.

Grace recalled a confession that Benjamin had made to Aria before he died.

“I just wanted to be happy with you, the one I love…”

Grace acknowledged it neatly, feeling betrayed by him.

‘Well, no one could really love a wife like her.’

Nevertheless, Grace’s heart felt uneasy.

It was the original Grace’s feelings toward Benjamin.

Although Grace and Benjamin were a married couple, they lived separately.

It did not mean that they used different rooms, but that they lived in different buildings altogether. read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.Benjamin lived in the main house, while Grace lived in the annex.read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.

‘It’s better than having no memory at all….’

Even though her original memories still lingered ambiguously, they were still essential and helpful.

For example, there was information that Benjamin never entered the annex.

‘It’s tough.’

Grace, who had returned to the annex after a short walk, lay on the couch as if she were dead.

In fact, she wanted to walk longer, but she couldn’t because Benjamin followed her like a goldfish poop. read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.[1]read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.

‘Why didn’t I just tell him not to follow me if I wanted to walk alone?’

But Grace couldn’t refuse Benjamin. read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.It wasn’t a matter of taste or anything like that.read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.

‘I don’t want to offend him by telling him to go away…’

The last thing Grace wanted was to offend Benjamin and speed up her death of “dying of an unknown illness”.

‘Well, of course, it’s not clear if Benjamin is really the one who killed Grace, but…’

Thinking about her own death, which she couldn’t know the exact cause of, Grace trembled.

“Madam, should I light up the fireplace for you?”

“If you’re too cold, I’ll turn on the heater for a moment.”

“No, it’s okay.”

Grace fluttered her hands and looked at the maids.

Even if she lay on the sofa as she pleased without dignity, the maids didn’t say anything or show any signs of discomfort.

‘Isn’t it too much to be bullied like that?’

Grace had two titles, “the mistress who lived in the annex” and “the unkempt mistress.” [2]

Despite rarely seeing Benjamin, she secretly yearned for him and rarely showed herself outside of the annex.

‘On the days when the couple had to fulfill their duties, Benjamin always vacated the mansion.’

Grace stared blankly at the ceiling.

There was no need to speculate or probe her memory. read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.She had read “The Saint’s Wish” countless times.read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.

The people around her often grumbled about how unfair and unreasonable Benjamin’s marriage was.

The speculation about the Duchess was so rampant that even Ariana, Sylvester, the protagonists of the original story, heard a lot about her. 

“But Grace never actually appeared in the story,” she thought. 

The fact that they had not spent the night together was also known, and many people gossiped behind their backs.

“How ugly must she have been that he didn’t even want to touch her?”

“….”

Grace felt uneasy even though she knew she wasn’t the real Grace.

“Still, I am glad that he’s always the one who vacates the mansion.”

According to Grace’s memory, Benjamin always made excuses to vacate the mansion when that day approached.

Since it was always Benjamin who made excuses to leave the mansion, the criticism towards Grace was minimal.

… So, except for external reasons, the criticism towards Grace was minimal.

As she continued to have negative thoughts, Grace felt like there was a foul odor coming from her body.

Grace lifted her arm and sniffed her own scent.

It hadn’t been long since she had taken a bath, and her body naturally exuded a sweet fragrance from walking in the garden in full bloom.

‘It’s just my mood after all.’

Grace lifted her heavy body.

“I’m hungry.”

Even while disparaging her own body, Grace was still hungry.

When Grace said she was hungry, the maids’ faces brightened.

“Shall we prepare a meal in the dining room?”

“If the madam wishes, we can prepare it for you to eat in your room.”

“… Can I eat in my room?”

When Grace asked cautiously with wide eyes, one of the maids nodded her head. read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.Grace’s gaze turned towards the balcony.read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.

“… Then can I eat over there?”

“Whatever the madam desires.”

After the maids left, Grace stood there blankly. read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.She stared at the closed door for a moment before heading towards the window and sitting down by it.read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.

Grace looked down at her plump hands, shadowed by the window frame.

“Am I not just chubby, but fat?”

To other people, she might seem overweight regardless of whether she was chubby or fat. read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.Grace tried to think positively instead of getting depressed again.read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.

Grace thought to herself, for example, her current body is much better than her previous life before the reincarnation.

“….”

She clenched her hand tightly as she looked down.

She could smell the medicine, hear the sounds of machinery and people walking in the hallway, and…

“Ah.”

Grace stopped thinking.

She tried to have positive thoughts, but instead, she fell into a depressed state.

‘Is my original self dead?’

In her original life, it wouldn’t be strange if she died anytime.

Then, she heard someone’s breathing from somewhere.

Grace froze in place, her head jerking up.

“Did I hear wrong?”

There was no one else in the room but Grace.

Yet, her heart was pounding so hard that she felt uneasy.

‘No, I’m sure I heard something….’

Somewhere, the sound of breathing followed by a disgusting laughter could be heard.

‘Definitely….’

It was a laughter that tore at her, mocking her.

At that moment, a knock was heard from beyond the door.

“Madam, I’ve brought your meal.”

With the knock, Grace’s thoughts were abruptly interrupted.

Grace took a sharp breath and looked towards the door.

“…Alright.”

Grace’s answer was very quiet, but the maid who heard it did not miss it and opened the door.

A basket containing warm soup and bread was placed on a tray.

“I prepared something light as you haven’t eaten much.”

“Thank you.”

After taking on Grace’s identity, for several days, she did not leave her room and barely ate anything.

To accommodate Grace’s condition, the maid brought her light meals.

‘Even with this body, I moved quite well, didn’t I…’

Grace, who noticed the maid’s consideration, lifted the corners of her mouth slightly and expressed her gratitude.

“I can leave it here, right?”

“Hmm.”

The maid stepped back after placing the tray with the dishes on the empty spot next to Grace.

Grace picked up a piece of bread and tore it apart. read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.It still held the fragrant aroma of freshly baked butter.read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.

“Delicious.”

The sweet and rich taste melted smoothly in her mouth as she chewed.

Grace seemed to be trying to digest all the thoughts that had just crossed her mind as she slowly munched on the bread.

As she dipped the remaining half into the soup, a carriage being prepared outside caught her attention.

‘What’s that?’

Benjamin, who was now dressed even more neatly than before, rushed out of the main gate and boarded the carriage.

Grace stared at the carriage with her bread still in her mouth.

“Do you know where His Highness is going?”

“Ah”

Not knowing Grace would ask such a question, the maid give her a surprised look.

“Do you know?”

“I, I believe so…”

“So you know.”

Grace turned her head toward the direction where the maid was standing.

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[1] Goldfish poop is often viewed as a nuisance because it can accumulate quickly in a fish tank, and it can be difficult to remove completely. read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.The comparison suggests that Benjamin’s behavior was similarly unwanted and difficult to get rid of.read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.

[2] The mistress who didn’t keep up appearances.