CH 9.1

Thud.

As Grace hit the desk, she heard the sound of the seam of the desk drawer falling.

“Huh?”

Grace lowered her head and checked between the desk drawers.

In the middle, a book was secretly hidden.

‘Wow, it’s definitely a diary….’

Grace Felton seemed to have hidden her diary very carefully.

She opened the diary.

The content was from some time after she got married.

‘Hmm, she didn’t write as consistently as I thought?’

Grace wasn’t as diligent as she thought. Some days, there wasn’t even a date written.

She also wrote her diary like a memo.

‘But it’s better than nothing.’

As she read Grace’s diary, more stories came to her mind than what was written.

For example, Grace actually wanted to have a child, but she was struggling for various reasons.

‘I didn’t want to know this.’

She once told Benjamin about this, but after reading his not-so-amused expression, she never talked about children again.

‘I really didn’t want to know…’

Grace wondered why she had to be hurt when it wasn’t even her business.

“Ah…”

Suddenly, Grace looked up at the ceiling.

The ceiling of the study was turquoise, with beautiful patterns drawn in gold dye.

It was perfect to Grace’s taste, but she didn’t like it all.

Tears welled up in her eyes.

Her hand holding the diary weakened. As memories of Benjamin came to her mind, she felt more convinced that his affection has been just affection, not love.

Grace’s heart ached. She knew it. This feeling was not her own.

This pain was a trace left by the original.

But it still hurt.

It was natural.

Unrequited love was not something that could be ended when one wanted to.

Honestly, Grace couldn’t deny that she had such expectations.

Expectations like, “As in other reincarnation novels, I’ll change and my husband will fall in love with me.”

But as Grace’s memories returned, her depression and unrequited love drove her crazy.

Gradually, her original self disappeared.

Fortunately, it was not too bad. Her original life was not particularly happy, so she was able to adapt to this life quickly and live without thinking too much about her original self.

Grace read the diary and became depressed, skipping walks and staying in her room for a week. People are more influenced by emotions than they think.

The staff in the annex panicked when they saw Grace return to the study and become depressed again. Unbeknownst to Grace, a ‘Madam Saving Committee’ was formed.

Perhaps Grace would never know about it.

Sally was the representative of that group.

Approaching Grace, Sally said quietly, “Madam, there will be a festival in the village soon. How about going to see it?”

“……”

“It-It’s a mask festival!! You can even wear a cloak and a mask! There are many beautiful things to see. And with many knights present, it should be safe with a mask on…”

Sally knew very well how much Grace didn’t want to show her appearance. Not only Sally, but everyone in the annex knew it.

“Madam, I know you’re on a diet, but there will be many delicious foods at the festival. How about enjoying some tasty food just for that day?”

“……”

“Madam, you haven’t eaten much lately.”

Sally spoke almost in tears. In fact, tears were welling up in her eyes.

If it were Grace who used to care about Sally, she would have stood up by now, saying she would think about it. But now, she couldn’t even sort out her own thoughts.

‘Why is she being so kind to me?’

Is it just her nature?

Grace liked Benjamin’s kindness, but at the same time, she hated it.

She knew they had been forced into marriage. The extras in “The Saint’s Wish” emphasized that point whenever they had the chance.

Grace had read it so many times that she was sick of it.

‘I can never expect Benjamin to fall in love with me.’

Before that, what if I actually fall in love with him?

If that happens, I would accept anything he does out of love and slowly die.

Perhaps Grace Felton in the novel felt the same way.

Grace imagined her future while curling up under the blanket. She heard Sally swallowing her tears behind her.

“…Sally?”

Finally, Grace pulled back the covers and stood up to face Sally.

“Why, why are you crying?”

Grace asked, feeling dizzy and disoriented due to her lack of food. Sally was upset about everything.

“Madam seems to be unwell, and I don’t think I can be of much help.”

“Oh, no. You are very helpful.”

Grace looked at Sally, feeling flustered.