CH 35.1

“In-Investigation?”

“Investigation… is it?”

To call it a date, when Benjamin mentioned going out he only mentioned to Grace, ‘I want to go to the places I’ve been reported to so far.’

Orphanage, workshop, market, gate management office.

‘Let’s exclude the gate management office.’

The remaining three places seemed far from what one would consider a typical date.

“It seemed like Your Highness wanted to verify the places I have visited so far, so I thought it might be an investigation…”

Sally’s expression subtly changed upon Grace’s response.

Although Grace mentioned “investigation,” all the staff members in the annex could guess what it meant.

“Madam, you have arrived.”

“Have you been waiting again?”

“Yes, I finished my work quickly today.”

For Grace’s outing, Benjamin had finished all the tasks for the day in the early morning. Grace arrived 10 minutes early, seeing him anxiously waiting in front of the annex, unable to sit still, just in case what if the appointment was canceled today…

‘It’s a date…’

‘It really looks like a date…’

‘What about the divorce…’

This was undeniably a date.

“Did you not have much work?”

Grace checked the time. It was a little past lunchtime. Benjamin shamelessly nodded his head.

“Yes, I have competent subordinates, so I don’t have much to do.”

If his aide, Abel, were to hear this, he would scream in horror.

Benjamin, with his characteristic warm and kind smile, told a shameless lie. The staff members in the annex all made an “ugh” expression while looking at his smile.

Only Grace fell for his lie.

‘Well, he did frequently appear by Aria’s side in the novel.’

The reason she fell for it was not because of Benjamin’s kind and warm smile, but rather due to his frequency of appearance in the novel. It had nothing to do with his genuine demeanor.

There was an old brooch attached to Benjamin’s chest. Grace quickly lost interest in it after realizing that it was the magical artifact Benjamin mentioned before.

Seeing that Grace had properly put on her cloak, Benjamin stepped out first. As they walked along the street, Benjamin continued to fiddle with the brooch on his chest.

Grace, walking alongside him, observed his repetitive behavior.

“Why are you doing that?”

“Oh, it’s because it’s quite old. The pin is giving me trouble.”

Benjamin raised the brooch, placing it on the palm of his hand to show Grace. The seam of the pin seemed loose.

“It seems quite old.”

“I suppose it is.”

Grace sought Benjamin’s permission and took the brooch to examine it. It indeed appeared older compared to the one attached to her cloak.

“Umm…”

Grace, after contemplating for a moment, untied the decorative ribbon from her hair and used it to secure the brooch onto Benjamin’s tie.

“Will this work? Should I tie it more securely?”

As Grace tied the ribbon, Benjamin, who had been tensed up, held onto the ribbon knot that connected the brooch to his tie as if it were the most precious treasure in the world.

“I will never untie it…”

“No, you should take it off when you change at home…”

“There must be a way to take it off without untying the knot.”

Grace couldn’t figure out how to respond to Benjamin’s remark. She hesitated for a moment before swiftly turning her head away.

“Go…Go ahead and do as you wish, then.”

“Haha.”

Benjamin chuckled as he followed her steps as if he liked Grace’s slightly cheesy response. Grace was much shorter than Benjamin, so it wasn’t difficult for him to keep up with her steps.

‘It’s strange.’

Grace led Benjamin towards the orphanage, feeling her face flush with warmth.

“You know this place, right?”

“I came here during the festival. I remember. You’re still called Linden here?”

“Because Linden isn’t particularly famous on the island.”

Benjamin couldn’t deny Grace’s words either. Even though the Linden family had a deep heritage, they were not famous.

Even among the nobility, they received treatment like, “Oh, there’s such a family? Huh? They have a deeper history than I thought.”

“If I were to mention the Feltons, everyone would immediately avert their gaze.”

Perhaps, as mentioned earlier, they might secretly dismiss her as ‘that incompetent?’

Grace felt that if the orphans in the orphanage were to look at her like that, it would hurt her heart.

Thinking about the negative reputation she had heard elsewhere, Grace felt another wave of sadness welling up inside her.