CH 10.2

The reason Grace’s complexion paled at the mention of the mask festival was very simple.

‘Did Benjamin ask me to go with him?’

There was an episode about the mask festival in the original work.

Grace recalled the details of that episode.

But at that time, Benjamin was definitely not with Grace. He wanted to be with his wife, but couldn’t, so he complained to Aria with a puppy-like face.

‘In the novel, he even pouted at Aria with a puppy-like face.’

He asked if Aria could choose a gift for his wife, saying he didn’t know women’s hearts well, and thanked Aria by buying her a gift as well.

He then identified Aria’s taste and continued to buy her gifts regularly, saying we were friends whenever she felt burdened.

He was a perfect sub-male lead.

Grace recalled the characteristics of a person who commits adultery. The first characteristic of an adulterous man who cajoles innocent women is to emphasize how domestic he is, breaking down the other person’s guard.

Yes, it was like laying the foundation for garbage. [1]

‘Is it the same mask festival?’

But this time, Grace agreed to go with him.

Will the original’s content change? Grace wondered.

‘Can it be different from the original?’

This was the reason she accepted his proposal despite feeling complicated about Benjamin.

‘Did he propose to Grace to go together in the original as well?’

Grace couldn’t understand Benjamin’s actions, so she decided to think again about the title Duke Felton.

‘Duke Felton.’

The Duchy’s symbol was a tree bathed in sunlight. The former Duchess of Felton was from the prestigious Kremlin Countess family…

Grace recalled the history of Duke Felton but then stopped her thoughts.

‘Isn’t this crazy?’

Even though she had almost no memory of herself, she remembered the history of the Duke’s family very well.

Grace thought of the “setting” she knew, rather than the actual history of Duke Felton.

If the symbol of Duke Felton was a tree bathed in sunlight, then the sun was obviously the royal family.

Duke Felton had been with the royal family since the establishment of the empire and was a family that always supported them.

‘But in ‘The Saints Wish’, many background characters used to say that the tree was not supporting the sun, but devouring it through.’

The reason for this was the Felton Duchy, which had been ruled by the Felton family for generations. The empire had a mild climate, but there was only one territory that was barren. Naturally, it was in the north.

‘Don’t most northern dukes have black hair?’

Grace decided to stop thinking about Benjamin’s appearance. It seemed like a prejudice.

Putting aside the fantasy-like history of the empire, the first Duke of Felton was someone who took up a sword to prevent monsters from crossing over to protect the empire, as the north was boiling with monsters.

The emperor bestowed upon him the title of Duke and named his vast northern territory the Felton Duchy.

After two generations, as the empire grew and became powerful, it granted two more territories with a mild climate to the Felton Duchy to rule over.

‘Of course. The northern land is the hardest place to live.’

There were few inhabitants, and in reality, only monsters kept coming out.

The title of Duke was more of an honorary position. Even in books, it was emphasized that the Felton Dukes of that time had no greed, and their wives were all the same.

However, something happened that suddenly changed the status of Duke Felton.

With the rediscovery of magic, a new profession called “mage” emerged, and with it came the concept of “magic stones.”

And although the magic stones were found in various minerals across different regions, the purest ones were made from the hearts and bones of monsters.

‘There are so many monsters in the north.’

The empire couldn’t demand the land or donation of magic stones, citing them as their property. For generations, the Felton Dukes had covered military expenses with their own savings.

Grace was amazed that he had made it this far.

No matter how much he became blackened and turned into a corrupt man in the latter part of the story, he still was her favorite until then.

‘After reading the paper book I shouldn’t have looked for the next volume on my phone because I was too curious about the next part… I should have just stopped reading at the previous volume.’

Anyway, with the start of selling the highest-grade magic stones, the power of the Felton Duchy grew stronger, and the imperial family felt the need to suppress their ambition.

“And that choice was me.”

Tl note:

[1] (( the phrase is used to criticize an approach or process that is likely to produce a negative outcome.))