“…what’s wrong with you both?”
Leon called the two, wondering why they looked silent, creating a suffocatingly awkward atmosphere. Instead of answering him, Grace thought while hugging Leon more tightly in her arms, ‘I hope someone breaks this silence.’
“Madam! Madam! Where are you? … Sir Oliver, you said you saw Madam and Prince Leon here?”
“Yes, I did.”
“So, she should be over there. Madam, if you’re here, please answer!”
At the time of this stifling silence, Sally and Sir Oliver’s voices were heard looking for Grace on the other side of the garden.
Grace responded to their voice with a noticeably brighter face, “Sally! I’m here!”
“Oh! You were here?” Grace came running to where Sally and Oliver stood, with hastened footsteps.
When they saw Arthur standing at quite a distance, they opened their eyes wide and said,
“Oh, the Duke was with you. I greet His Excellency.”
“I greet His Excellency.”
“Long time no see, Sally,” Arthur, greeted Sally with a blunt look on his face, and spoke to Oliver, who sat on one knee in front of them, “But Lord Oliver, where have you been? I’m sure I told you not to leave Leon’s side.”
“…I’m sorry. Sir, it’s my fault.”
“Don’t scold him, brother. I just wanted to go for a walk with Sister-in-law alone!” Leon quickly struggled and shouted in Grace’s arms at the sight of Arthur berating Sir Oliver in a cool voice.
Arthur, who glanced at the scene, sighed briefly and scolded Leon in Grace’s arms, “Even if you want to be alone with your wife next time, never let Sir Oliver leave you. It’s dangerous.”
“……Yes, I’m sorry.”
“Don’t scold Leon. I told Sir Oliver I’d take care of Leon,” When Leon replied timidly at Arthur’s stern words, Grace sided with him. Arthur his head with a burning gaze, and nodded slightly towards her, “I know. I heard that, and I came down.”
“…what? Ah……” At Arthur’s reply, Grace’s face grew blank, and an exclamation left her mouth.
Come to think of it, that night, the building right next to this garden was his office. Arthur was probably listening to Leon’s conversation in the garden as he did last time and intervened.
‘Did that mean he’s been watching me take a walk there all this time?’ When she thought so, she got goosebumps all over her body.
‘Did I make any mistakes while I was walking alone? I’ve never spoken of words like escape or smoke, have I?’ Grace’s hair was standing up with embarrassment, and she rummaged through her memories to see what she had mumbled to herself.
“But Sally, what brought you here? If there’s anything you have to tell her, I’ll leave you alone,” Arthur asked Sally in a frank, business-like manner.
Sally replied, shaking her head slightly, “No, that’s not so. What I would like to inform her this time is something the Duke should know.”
“Something he also needs to know? What’s that?”
“Oh, really? What’s going on?” Arthur asked back, frowning, and Grace also questioned Sally in a curious voice.
Sally then took out a letter of red silk from her arms and put it in front of Arthur. Arthur picked it up and opened it. Grace approached him slightly and checked the letter he had opened.
“…from the royal family, a wedding celebration for us?” Grace, who read the letter muttered, soon hardened her face.
Just a few days ago, she remembered the conversation she had with Sally.
She had asked a question regarding all of the women who apparently had ties with Duke Felix, ‘Did something unfortunate happen after they met someone?’
There was no solid physical evidence or circumstantial evidence, but Sally didn’t say it clearly.
But after thinking alone, Grace’s conclusion was; if the ‘Curse of Duke Arthur Felix’ is not innate, but someone was trying to frame him, it must have something to do with the wedding celebration. At the thought of it, Grace was suddenly scared. As she bit hard on her lower lip, Arthur, standing next to him, folded his correspondence and said to Sir Oliver.
“…it’s been over a week since our wedding. But celebrating it now, I don’t know how to feel about this.”
“Your Excellency is a special servant and relative. So I think this marriage is something that I would like to truly bless.”
“Blessing, I wonder if this is truly an event to bless my marriage. I’m sure the royal family and nobles who are there will be talking about me and my wife behind our backs. Will Lord Alberton’s blessing spell win, or will my curse win?”
“…….!”
“S-sire! That’s not the case.”
Arthur’s mouth, with his cool voice spitting out these words, was firm.
Grace felt a chill run down her spine again. Arthur also seemed to be thinking that, ‘After attending a wedding party, my bride or fiance would die or go crazy.’
‘Did that mean he knew where the curse came from? Was he sure there was something about the wedding celebration?’
Grace looked at Arthur, her eyes shaking.
If that was the case, it wasn’t Arthur that she should be most afraid of. She also needed to revise her own “plan.”
Just what was the truth behind this curse? Who was the curse attributed to, and if the curse was cast at the wedding celebration, why did he continue to attend? And why didn’t he explain the curse?
‘What the hell is the real truth? I want to know. I want you to say something that’s good enough to help me.’Grace stared at Arthur, swallowing dry saliva. Again, she wanted him to tell them about the ‘truth’.
“Just joking, Sir Oliver. I also don’t think your Majesty would make such an event to mock this poor servant.” But Arthur turned away with a bitter smile while saying so. Grace sighed secretly with a slightly discouraged look on her face.
Sir Oliver replied to Arthur, with a stiff look, “…of course. Your Majesty wouldn’t do that. There’s no servant as faithful to your Majesty as you are.”
“But apart from his sincerity, this wedding celebration is not very welcome. Can’t you write me a letter saying no, Sally?”
“…you know that’s impossible, Your Excellency. He’s already sent a letter with a date.”
“… this is a very difficult situation. Can’t you tell him that I can’t attend a wedding party alone?”
“……what? What do you mean? You’re going to attend alone?” Grace asked back in surprise at Arthur’s remark as if she were confused. Arthur gazed at her and answered, “How long will the bride last, when and how will Duchess Felix die?”
“……!”
“They will not speak out, but they will probably all look at you with that cruel curiosity. Are you confident you can handle those eyes?”
“Ah…”
“And I heard you already know that it is Duke Alberton who blesses us. I’ve heard that you had an uncomfortable relationship with him.”
Arthur’s blunt words were cold to hear at first glance, but there was faint consideration in them.
Grace felt her face turning red again at his consideration, which was unfamiliar to her. It was the first time that someone thought of her position first… ‘No, wake up. Don’t get distracted.’
Grace, soon, regained her mind. She shouldn’t have thought too much about Arthur’s words a while ago.
‘Don’t forget. I returned from death to live as a “Grace,” not as “Grace Alberton” nor as “Duchess Grace Felix. I have to go to the celebration to get out of here safely as planned.’
Of course, unlike when she first made the plan, she became attached to Leon, and had strange feelings towards Arthur. So, she slightly revised her plan from a few days back.
She said she would be the last ‘Crazy Duchess’ in this Felix mansion.
‘If Leon is no longer to be hurt and raised, I must be the last to die or go crazy.’ For him, she needed access to the substantive truth. Grace sent a gaze to Leon in her arms, who stared up at her with his pretty odd-eyes, and said after laughing, “You don’t have to worry about that. I’m also used to those eyes.”
“…are you used to it?”
“Yes, you were right when you said that I had an uncomfortable relationship with the Albertons. Indeed, ‘uncomfortable’. More specifically, they looked down on me unilaterally, but I’m used to it. Their eyes were also filled with cruel curiosity.”
“So don’t worry about me. And anyway, the Emperor’s orders cannot be disobeyed.”
‘Yes, just like how I ended up dead when I disobeyed his orders to marry you.’ Grace added calmly in her mind, feeling her whole body shaking at the vivid memory of “death” again.