Arthur, who was frozen for a moment at her appearance, immediately stretched out his arms and hugged her. Grace continued, digging deeper into Arthur’s arms that wrapped around her shoulders and back.
“That night, I met His Highness the Crown Prince because he hid the fact that I hid in my father’s study from my father.”
“… … You were hiding in Duke Alburton’s study?”
Arthur was startled at that, and gently pulled Grace from her arms and looked at her. Grace answered, staring lovingly at Arthur’s Odd-Eye, who seemed to have a lot to ask.
“Yes. I’m trying to find out the secret of the ‘Curse’ that involves you, Leon, and the former Duke and Duchess of Felix, and how to unravel it.”
“……Aaaahhh.”
“I’m sorry. I asked Sally because I was curious. She told me everything.…… Was it something I shouldn’t have done?”
“…… It’s not like that. What Duke Alberton investigated about the death of both of my parents and what happened to me was like an open secret among the sarcastic royal family who liked to talk. I thought my wife would already know before marrying me.”
“I didn’t know. My father has never talked to me about family affairs, especially magic. ……No, the truth is, I never had a conversation with my father for more than a minute. Because my father regarded me as less valuable than his servants.”
As Grace spoke in a light tone on purpose, there was faint compassion in Arthur’s eyes as he looked at her.
Seeing his gaze like that, Grace continued to speak with a brighter expression on her face.
“Actually, that’s why I agreed to my sister’s invitation on purpose. I was going to sneak into my father’s study and look at his records.”
“… … If that was the case, why didn’t you ask Sally or someone else to do it?”
“No. I can’t do that. It’s about your father and mother, and you and Leon. I wanted to find out with my own hands. And it was based on the calculation that it would be good to act by looking around when caught trying to infiltrate. Anyway, I took advantage of the crowd’s attention on my sister at the party, sneaked out, recalled the route and headed to my father’s study. There, I found a notebook with the investigation records that Sally mentioned, and I hid it in my dress. ……But then, someone came into the study at that time.”
“……Was that the Crown Prince, as you said?”
“Yes. His Highness told me to hide, so I hid under my father’s desk in a trance. And after a while, my father came into the study.”
“……Aaaahhh.”
“At that time, if my father found out that I had hidden in the study, I would have lost the record I collected. So, I did what His Highness told me to do, he hid me and told me to come out to the secret garden of the Alberton Mansion afterwards if I wanted to keep this a secret.”
“……I see.”
Arthur answered with a thoughtful expression, and Grace reached out to Arthur and said, staring at the blue and red Odd-Eye hidden behind his mask.
“And in the secret garden, he asked me how much I love you, and he confessed his heart freely. And I refused, and I ran away from him. That’s really all it is. Nothing happened more than that. So trust me. Arthur.”
“Yes. I trust you, my wife.”
Arthur replied affectionately, sweeping down the lovely hair of Grace, who tells him to trust in her.
“……Thank you and I’m sorry again. I can’t believe you went through that because of me and Leon.”
“No need to be sorry. We’re a family.”
“Actually, I did an investigation regarding the ‘Curse’.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Didn’t you want to find out about the death of my mother, who suddenly changed after giving birth to me, and the deaths of two people who suddenly passed away at the same time and the misfortunes that befell me? Seriously, I have collected enough books and records to fill the basement of the East Tower where my office is located.”
“… … So, did you find out anything?”
Arthur smiled bitterly and replied to Grace’s cautious question.
“Yes. I just couldn’t figure out anything else, except that their sudden death and my misfortune have something to do with ‘true love’ and ‘magic that should not be cast’.”
“Why?”
“Because the records are all in the language of the wizard, and all the wizards who can interpret the language are either from the Alberton family or have been favoured by the Alberton family.”
“… … So, did you get rid of all those records?”
“No. I’ve kept them all in the basement of the East Tower. Just in case.”
“Good job.”
In response to Arthur’s answer, Grace replied affectionately, patting his face lightly. It was fortunate that Arthur kept all those records.
‘I’ll somehow read the records on my own.’
It was at that time when Grace mechanically touched Arthur’s cheek, vowing like that with a firm face.
Lost in his thoughts, she inadvertently touched his face, and then she touched a part of the immovable mask that Arthur was wearing. When Arthur’s mask was ridiculously crooked, Grace was startled and supported Arthur’s mask with her hands so that it would not fall off.
“I-, I’m sorry! I was thinking about something else…….”
Arthur grabbed Grace’s hand as she was putting back Arthur’s crooked mask and brought it on his cheek.
Grace held his hand tightly with the mask and pressed it down on his face. And Arthur’s eyes, looking down at her with a strangely shimmering gaze, along with a blank expression was momentarily on his face. Arthur said to her like that.
“…….Remember, madam.”
“What, what?”
“The words of my wife that asked me to take this mask off with your hands when the fear of me is gone and only the heart of love remains.”
“… … Yes, I remember.”
How could she forget that time?
Grace nodded, recalling the face of Arthur holding her and the cold night when she put all of her heart and his heart into a reckless bet.
Arthur hesitated and continued.
“When my wife said so, I was happy on the one hand and afraid on the other.”
“… … Why were you afraid?”
When Grace carefully looked at Arthur’s face and asked Arthur smiled helplessly. Then, he hesitated for a while as if he was afraid to bring it up, but then he spoke with difficulty.
“……To be honest, my conversation with His Highness in the morning is not all that I was talking about a while ago.”
“Then? What else did you two talk about?”
“His Highness talked about my face hidden under the mask and said that there would be no one who would truly love a monster like me. Maybe if my wife sees the face underneath, you would end up like those women who had a relationship with him.”
“What does that mean? What does your face have to do with my love for you?”
As if Arthur’s words were difficult to understand, Grace slightly frowned and asked back, then Arthur replied with a bitter smile.
“Do you know why I and Leon wear masks?”
“… … To a certain extent. Isn’t it because of both of your Odd-Eyes?”
“That’s half right and half wrong.”
“What? Are you saying there is another reason why you wear a mask? What’s that?”
When Grace asked back with a surprised face, Arthur held her hand tightly, which was still touching his cheek, and pulled it down.
Grace felt Arthur’s eyes trembling with faint fear under his mask as he eagerly grabbed her hand. So she waited patiently for him to courageously answer her. Whatever he would say, she was willing to listen to it and trust him.
Could it be that Grace’s straight gaze like that gave him courage? It wasn’t long before Arthur looked into her eyes as if he had gained courage and answered.
“Have you ever had a question like that? The reason why is that even though they knew I was cursed, they kept talking to me.”
“I heard that His Majesty the Emperor has arranged your marriage all the time, but it seems that wasn’t the only thing?”
“Of course, that’s right. But even before Your Majesty took an active role in my marriage, there were many who, though ashamed, wanted to marry me. The reason is… It’s not just because of my wealth or the title of Duchess Felix.”
“Then?”
“… … It’s because of the ladies who wanted to own the face under this mask.”
“… … They wanted to own it?”
At Arthur’s ensuing words, Grace made a blatant impression and asked back. To say they wanted to own his face, she didn’t have a concrete idea of what that meant.
‘So you’re saying in reverse that women wanted to get married because they liked his handsome face’
Grace’s head could only interpret it that way.
So, Grace spoke to Arthur with half jealousy towards the women who had fallen in love with Arthur’s face before, and half wanting to tease Arthur, who was secretly showing his pride around.
“So now you are warning me to get ready in advance, honey? So that I don’t get surprised to see your handsome face under your mask, right? What, you’re bragging about this. Right now?”
“..……I didn’t mean it in that sense. I never once thought my face was handsome. Even there were times when I thought this face was terrible… … .”
“Why? Why was it so terrifying to have such a handsome face that other ladies wanted to be by your side despite the curse?”
At Arthur’s embarrassed voice, Grace asked as if teasing in a more playful voice. Then Arthur, who heard this, gave a bitter smile and answered in a low, subdued voice.
“… … Just because my gaze is on another lady for a moment, and they might put a dagger in my eye saying they want to dig out my eye?”
“What!??”
“There was a time when they tried to strangle me while I was asleep in a carriage because I smiled at Leon for a moment.”
“Really? No, no, that’s crazy…….”
“… … All the young girls who married me and didn’t die went crazy like that. They had never loved me for a second, they only wanted to own me. This face of a curse.”
Arthur replied and shook his hands faintly.
Grace looked sadly at Arthur’s darkened face.
‘They don’t want to love, they just want to own it. Is it like the heart of a collector who greedily craves for pretty jewellery?’
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Because collectors only buy and collect jewellery, they don’t ‘love’ them like humans.
Grace felt her heartache when she imagined Arthur who had suffered countless physical and mental injuries among them.