CH 37.1

“Benny.”

Benjamin was listening attentively as he was surrounded by children discussing their plans for a “tree fort.” When Grace called him softly, he turned his head to look at her, making sure not to miss her voice.

“My Lady, have you come to rescue me?”

“You make it sound like you were held captive somewhere.”

They aren’t a wicked bunch of children. As Grace added, Benjamin nodded in agreement, acknowledging that her statement was true.

“I nearly turned the children into villains. It’s my fault.”

“You don’t need to apologize to that extent. But right now, I have a problem that I need to fix. It seems dangerous for me to handle it alone. “

Knowing that if she acted alone, something could go wrong, Grace decided to report to Benjamin first. 

After all, if something did happen, it was already predetermined that Benjamin would be informed. It was better to request his cooperation from the beginning.

“A situation to fix?”

Benjamin asked, then understood her words saying ‘ah’ and nodded.

“Since it doesn’t seem appropriate to have the children overhear our conversation, it’s better to go back and talk.”

“Today, I was planning to visit other places as well.”

“No, you shouldn’t. Isn’t My Lady’s health not good today? I’m worried that going to crowded places today might make you collapse.”

With a concerned expression, Benjamin spoke to Grace in a gentle tone.

“At this level…”

Grace, who was about to say that she wouldn’t collapse at this level, sealed her lips. 

It was because she had a history of thinking she would be fine before and then collapsing.

“I’ll be careful.”

“I request that you do. My heart almost stops every time you collapse.”

Upon hearing Grace’s assurance to be careful, Benjamin smiled.

⋆★⋆

Instead of tea or coffee, herbal tea was placed on the table today. And next to it were a few pieces of juicy fruit for snacking.

Although Grace wanted to have coffee, Benjamin firmly insisted on serving her herbal tea, knowing her preferences.

“For now, I definitely need to step back from the orphanage work.”

Grace revealed to Benjamin the most important conclusion she had made in her heart. Benjamin was taken aback and asked.

“But didn’t you enjoy going there?”

“I can’t guarantee that there won’t be a similar incident just because we catch the culprit this time. And we’re currently in a period of divorce probation.”

“…That’s true.”

Benjamin nodded quietly.

Even if it was currently a crowd attempting to investigate the mysterious Duchess, if it became known that Benjamin and Grace were considering divorce, it could lead to various speculations and cheap articles.

“Somebody might be sniffing around and gathering information.”

And in that process, it was evident who would face the most attacks.

The weaker and more vulnerable side.

‘Not all reporters are like that, but…’

Grace absentmindedly scratched the cup with her fingernail, lost in thought. How could she catch that reporter? No, the method to catch them had already roughly formed in her mind.

“So, you think the reporter infiltrated the orphanage.”

“Yes.”

Grace nodded, but Benjamin looked uneasy.

“Your words make sense, but… if that’s the case, there must be another person as well.”

“Another person?”

“The workshop is locked, isn’t it? Inside the orphanage, there are only women and children. They are well aware of how dangerous such a situation can be, so they have taken strict security measures by locking the doors multiple times. Maybe one or two can be opened, but it would be more efficient to break through the rest.”

That’s if they were planning for a major operation, Benjamin added.

“However, there is something strange. The tea business hasn’t flourished yet. They have only started trading in a few restaurants, it’s not a trend yet.”

“Y-Yes, that’s true,”

Grace nodded in agreement with Benjamin’s valid point.

Thanks to Benjamin’s idea of supplying tea to support the military in the northern region, a significant profit was expected soon, but the general public was still unaware of this fact.

“So, I’ve been curious about this, and now I understand.” 

Benjamin nodded, rubbing his temple.

“It might be the orphanage’s director.”

“…Ah!”

Upon hearing the word ‘director’ coming from his mouth, Grace immediately thought of the director who ran away with the money.