Sally hesitated to answer for a moment.
“…..I don’t remember exactly when or how they went wrong, neither do I remember the details of the date nor the little events. Is that okay?”
“Yes, I’d appreciate it if you could divulge about this matter to me as much as you know, without hiding anything.”
“……Yes, I understand.”
“Then Sally, when did the ladies who got married or engaged to the Duke start getting weird?”
‘Which one should I start with?’
When Grace asked what came to her mind first, Sally tried to recall something for a moment then answered.
“It’s hard to say because the periods of their deaths were varied, but the rest of the survivors who were here almost as early as a week, or as late as a month….. they started to go crazy.”
“Really? Then can you tell me how it started getting crazy?”
“…..Well, each lady had different symptoms, so I can’t say what it’s like in common. Electra said that she suddenly saw something in her bedroom two weeks after she got married, and Bianca suddenly complained that all the water and food tasted fishy. And Raina kept scratching her whole body, saying it seemed like she had a groove in her body.”
“You mean nothing really happened?”
“Yes, the way I see it, Electra was alone in the bedroom, and there was nothing wrong with the water and the food. We haven’t found anything suspicious as well.”
“So only they’ve seen, heard, touched all the nonsense.”
Grace answered Sally with a nod. None of them had a symptom in common with the exception that all of them felt some sensory abnormalities.
‘Is it really because of the “curses” on Duke Arthur Felix that caused such symptoms?’
Grace frowned upon thinking this. She asked Sally a different question.
“So what about the people they met?”
“What do you mean by someone they met?”
“Ladies showed abnormal symptoms not necessarily because of the duke’s curse, but maybe because one of the duke’s political enemies deliberately harmed them. Like acquaintances who know all the ladies, or someone they’ve met in common. Was there anyone like that?”
Grace elaborated her question.
“….Well, Electra grew up only in the Principality of Royend and after marriage, Electra seemed to have few friends in this empire.Bianca hated meeting people because she was nervous and sensitive. Raina and Karen were sociable, but before marriage, they had sorted out all their relationships.”
“….Sorted out relationships?”
“Yes, so if they meet right after the wedding, they would only talk about the Emperor, the royal family, the nobles who were associated with the Imperial Family, and your father, Duke Fitzgerald Alberton.”
“……Father?”
Grace asked back in surprise at the name of Duke Alberton, who’s name sprang out of Sally’s mouth. Sally then answered, tilting her head as if she didn’t expect Grace to respond like that.
“Yes, you didn’t know? The Albertons have been attending the wedding parties for generations to cast a spell of blessing on the wedding or engagement of the royal family.”
“….I didn’t know. I’m not very cognizant about family affairs. Sally, as you know, I’ve always been excluded from important family affairs because I am not born with magical powers.
“….Oh, I see. I’m sorry, I made another slip of the tongue…..”
“No, you didn’t… that’s alright.”
Grace, who took Sally’s apology lightly, lowered her gaze with a thoughtful face.
Here’s what Sally has said so far.
So far, they’ve gone crazy as early as a week or as late as a month after marriage or engagement. And the common people they met before they went crazy were the emperor and her own father, the owner of the imperial family, the nobles and the Alberton family.
The symptoms of death or madness were not common, and none of the people they met seemed particularly unusual except for her father.
‘….If so.’
Grace stiffened her face.
‘My father?…..No, I don’t think my father, who is more willing to take advantage of power than anyone else, would dare to curse the wives and fiancés of the royal family.’
‘Then is it really all because of the curse on Duke Arthur Felix?’
However, there was also one more thing that she couldn’t comprehend yet. It was Leon’s curse. Grace asked Sally a question again.
“…..Sally, let me ask you one more question. Didn’t the Duchess of Felix, the Duke and Leon’s mother, just die of childbirth fever? So why do they say Leon was cursed for that?”
“Oh, you mean that?”
Sally then smiled bitterly and replied with a complex face.
“….Do you know that when the great lady gave birth to the current Duke, she once passed out to the point of death?”
“What? Really?”
“Yes, she lost too much blood during the birth process; the doctor even told to prepare a suit because it would be difficult to revive. The father of the current Duke of Felix was very devastated when he heard that.”
“……Oh, my God.”
“Fortunately, like a miracle, three days later, the great lady regained consciousness and recovered her health. Nevertheless, since then, her personality changed completely, and she became sensitive and nervous. More than a decade later, the great lady was pregnant with Leon again.”
“….Ah.”
“After another rough birth, the great lady eventually died. Then the royal family and aristocrats began to murmur behind them.
“She died after another great struggle with her child, not once, but twice after a rough birth.
“Then who put the curse?”
“Maybe it’s because of the children with the odd eye.”
[T/N: People gossiping]
“How could it be the child’s fault? The child was just born.”
“….People find out, blame and blame the cause when they see a misfortune that no one can understand. Both of them were born with heterogeneous odd eyes, so they were perfect preys for nobles who liked to talk.”
“….Really, people are so mean.”
At Sally’s words, Grace sighed deeply and vented her resentment against them.
Sally, who had a bitter look on her face, soon said in a cheerful voice as if to change the mood.
“Well, you’ll be fine because a good lady like you came in as a hostess. If you’re alive and well, no one would ever say them cursed.”
“……Gee, I suppose so.”
Grace replied awkwardly with a smile. Sally’s words, to which she responded, had a slight conscience.
But Sally, who had no idea about her true feelings, smiled gently and asked her.
“So how much of your questions have been solved now?”
The question bemused Grace for a moment.
‘What should I do? Should I keep asking?’
Grace soon shook her head.
‘No, I heard what I was most curious about, but I want to ask her more now.’
She still had a lot to ask, but she couldn’t remember all of the questions. With that, if she inquired in more detail, Sally might get suspicious. She thought it would be better to stop for now. She was determined to look for another chance to inquire more information.
“Yes, to some extent,….but Sally, what time is it? I’m a little hungry.”
Grace said.
“……Oh, my God. Come to think of it, it’s already been this long! I’ll wash my hair quickly and help you eat!”
“I’m not that hungry, so take your time.”
Sally quickly raised her head when Grace said she was hungry.
Grace held back Sally and smiled softly.
After the meal, if she is left alone, she’ll keep a record of what she just heard.
2. Holy Wedding Party
Time went by so well, and it has been ten days since Grace came to Duke Felix’s castle here.
Grace had a peaceful time in her own way, overshadowing her worries and determination when she decided to have a political marriage.
However, when she met Leon a few days ago and had a sharp conversation with Arthur while going out for a night walk, she knew her life in the future will not be smooth. As she thought, it was a false tilt.
From the beginning, she was not asked to follow her duty as a duchess. As Arthur said, Grace only killed time in the main quarters and in the garden thanks to him who really asked for nothing.
Some of the most productive things she did were planning her escape and going for a walk with Leon once a day. Now that the escape plan has been outlined to some extent, the only productive thing left for her was actually a walk.
Grace, who came out for a walk in the garden after her constant simple grooming, was waiting for Leon to come. She blew warm air from her mouth on her frozen fingertips in the cold air.
“Lady!”
“Leon!”
On the other side of the garden, Leon was seen running towards her with a burly guardian knight.
Grace ran to Leon and spoke affectionately, covering his frozen red cheeks with her hands.
“What did you learn today?”
“Today, I learned rhetoric!”
“Did you have fun with rhetoric?”
“……No.”
“Why?”
“……Sir Lant gave me a lot of homework.”
“Really? ……so shall we take a short walk today?”
“Oh, no! It’s not like I don’t like it! I want to go for a walk with my sister-in-law as usual!”
When Leon shook his head as she asked for less time for a walk, Grace burst into laughter and stroked the round head.
Then Leon pushed his head on Grace’s palm as if to pat him more. Grace stroked Leon’s head to her heart’s content with the cute look.
Sir Oliver, the guardian knight standing behind Leon, watched as Leon was acting like a baby with Grace with a slightly embarrassed face.
“Dear Leon, the Duchess is in trouble.”
Sir Oliver said.
“No, leave him alone.”
Grace said, shaking her head gently at the dissuaded Sir Oliver. As with any aristocrat, at Leon’s age, he should learn to hide his expression and act like an adult. Nevertheless Grace did not want to stop spoiling Leon.
Grace stroked Leon’s hair as much as she liked, and when Leon gently let go of his satisfied head, she stood up and held out her hand and said,
“Then shall we walk a little now, Leon?”
“Yes!”
“Then let’s walk hand in hand since it’s cold and slippery. Come on!”
“Yes! Oliver, I’m going for a walk with my sister-in-law, so please leave us for a while.”
“What? But ……”
“It’s okay. I’ll stand by.”
Then Leon quickly grabbed Grace’s hand and forced his guardian knight, Sir Oliver, to step down.
Grace handed Sir Oliver an apple and held the hand tightly as Leon, who barely came to her pelvis, was about to fall. Then, Leon started to walk slowly, one step at a time, to keep up with Grace.
ㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡ
Stay safe and healthy and have a good day!
Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Stay tuned for more.
~Dazzel.D~