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ANOTHER SPONSORED CHAPTER!!
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Grace, who came out to the garden after a quick breakfast, shrank herself in the cold wind.
As Sally said, it was colder today than yesterday. Grace walked carefully into the garden, blowing in her gloved hands and touching her frozen face.
Sally said to Grace, who, unlike yesterday, wandered around as if she was looking for something.
“Are you looking for anyone or anything?”
“Ah, yeah, well, maybe…”
Grace looked around, answering Sally’s question half-heartedly. Well, just a few minutes. Grace, who came all the way to where she met Leon yesterday, was looking at a small meadow where Leon could hide.
“Ah, it’s Confucius! What the hell are you doing here?”
At Sally’s raucous cry Grace quickly turned around and approached him.
Then, behind the little bushes where Sally stood, Leon, dressed in the same black coat as yesterday could be seen squatting down.
Grace quickly approached him and sat eye-to-eye and said.
“Hi, Leon, good morning.”
“…Hello, lady.”
Leon, who hesitated for a moment at Grace’s greeting, soon nodded and greeted her.
Nobody knew how long he had been waiting by himself here. As she looked anxiously at Leon, whose fingertips were red, Sally asked Grace as if she was surprised.
“Oh, my God! How do you know Prince Leon?”
“You ran into him yesterday. Isn’t that right?”
“….Yes.”
Grace, who answered Sally’s question, smiled and asked Leon back, who answered in a low voice.
Grace drew closer to the child wearing the same mask as yesterday, making eye contact with the hidden eyes.
“Have you been waiting for me for a long time?”
“…No.”
“No, I don’t think so…. your hands are freezing red. If I had known, I would have come out earlier.”
Grace frowned slightly and folded Leon’s clenched hands in her own hands. And as she blew warm breath in between, Leon’s eyes opened wide under the mask.
‘Oh, my God. Maybe he didn’t like it.’
Grace, embarrassed by the child’s rather surprised appearance, put her hand down and asked.
“Why, why, you didn’t like it? I’m sorry, I just touched your hand without permission.”
“….No, I didn’t mean…”
“Then?”
“Curse, you may get cursed.”
Leon pouted his lips, hiding his hands behind his back because Grace would hold his hand again.
Grace felt sorry for Leon, who dropped his head again with a tearful look.
How heavy was the curse of this child, who is only five years old? He also does not possess the “magic abilities” that he should have as a member of the Alberton family, maybe that’s why he is treated coldly and being ignored.
She could guess a little bit because she grew up receiving it.
Even more painful it felt to know how painful it was to be hurt by the cold gaze, and to blame yourself while swallowing your sorrow alone.
Grace shook her head with a wry smile and said.
“Leon, do you remember what I said yesterday?”
“…..Which one?”
“If someone tells you that you are cursed, take it in from one ear and let it out from the other.”
“….Oh.”
“If you forget, I’ll tell you again. Leon, there’s no way a merciful God would curse a child as cute as you. Right, Sally?”
“Yes, ma’am, you’re absolutely right!”
Grace looked back at Sally behind her as if she was asking for consent, and she replied with a smile as if she had been waiting. Then the odd eye of the child hidden by the mask looked at Grace.
“….Really?”
“Ofcourse.”
“But that’s what other people say. I’m cursed. ”
But despite Grace’s repeated denials, Leon was not easily convinced. Grace seemed to know what it felt like. But with just a few words like this, there was no way she could get rid of his wounds.
But she no longer wanted to see the child grieving in front of her, mentioning his own curse.
‘What should I do?’
Grace, who was thinking, soon burst into laughter at the thought of one passing by like lightning.
‘Well, that’s alright.’
Grace cleared her throat and stiffened her expression in a laughable way. Then she purposely sighed loudly, avoiding the gaze she had been keeping with Leon all along the way.
“I see. Oh, God, I’m in trouble.”
“What? Why?”
“I heard that cute Leon is celebrating his birthday soon, so I prepared a gift for him…But Leon says he’s cursed?”
“I can’t help it. I’ve prepared a birthday present. I should just give it to another child.”
Grace purposely took out the velvet box and shook it in front of Leon, as if to ask him to look at it.
Then Leon’s eyes shook violently behind the mask when he saw the gift box. He wanted to know what the gift was in Grace’s hand, and he wanted to confirm it, so he had to get rid of the perception that was firmly brainwashed into him, the perception of the “cursed child”.
Grace told Leon, who was wondering what to do.
“I could give it to you if you take back what you said that ‘Leon is a cursed child now’.”
“….Really?”
“Sure!”
“….Then I’ll take it back. I, Leon, am not a cursed child.”
“Well done.”
Grace placed the velvet box in Leon’s hand, who was looking at her with eager eyes, as if he was looking for food from his mother bird.
Leon carefully clenched the present in his hands and stared at it. Grace looked affectionately at Leon and said.
“Are you not going to open it?”
Grace was so impatient that Leon hesitated to open the box.
At that moment, the light blue topaz necklace, wrapped in a dark velvet box glittered faintly. Grace, forgetting to blink, said to Leon, looking at the necklace.
“….You don’t like it?”
Leon shook his head at the words. Then, thinking that someone would steal the necklace out of the box he held it tightly with both hands, and said.
“I really, really like it.”
“Really?”
“…..Yes! I won’t give it to anyone even if someone asks for it!”
Grace smiled broadly at Leon’s response, greedily dragging his hands holding the necklace into her arms.
Her mood was also brightened by the happy face of the child. Watching the scene from a step behind, Sally smiled satisfactorily and said to Leon,
“Prince Leon, did you like the present?”
“Yes!”
“Then did you thank her?”
“Oh, that’s right. Thank you, lady!”
“Thank you for being happy, too.”
Grace also responded by lifting the hem of her dress slightly to Leon’s deep bow like a knight.
Smiling at the two, Sally gently advised Leon.
“Oh, my God, Prince Leon. You should say “sister-in-law,” not “lady.”
“….Sister-in-law?”
Leon tilted his head, and Sally leaned over and answered, maintaining eye-contacting with the child.
“Yes, the lady in front of Prince Leon is the wife of your brother, Duke Felix, of course you should say that to his wife.”
“….My brother’s wife?”
The moment Sally said so, Leon’s expression visibly darkened.
Grace’s face was also clouded by the sudden disappearance of the child’s smile and his eyes dropping with an expression full of anxiety.
Grace tilted her head, forced her gaze upon Leon, and asked carefully.
“What’s wrong, Leon? Huh?
“…… ”
“Why do you look so sad, can you tell me?”
Leon hesitated a few times to answer Grace’s question, but soon answered in a crawling voice.
“….Can you promise me that?”
“Huh?”
“….Can you promise me you’ll stay with me?”
“Huh? What?”
In Leon’s reply, Grace felt her mind turning blank for a moment.
Perhaps the child had noticed her secret plan?
Even though she knew it wouldn’t happen, Grace couldn’t provide a straight answer.
Then Leon continued his words, drooping down the corners of his mouth.
“Lady Electra and all the ladies who said they’d be brother’s wife left in the future. La, Lady Electra even promised to stay with me for a long time…. ”
“……”
“And La, Lady is also my brother’s wife? Then will Lady also go away like everyone else?”
Lastly, Leon looked at Grace with a gaze filled with fear.
Grace wanted to avoid the desperate and earnest gaze when it touched her heart. Leon’s pleading gaze was heartbreaking, and she wanted to answer as Leon wanted, but she couldn’t help but keep her mouth shut.
There was no lie in those pure eyes. So instead of answering, Grace hugged Leon’s little body tightly.
Then Leon, as if he understood that it meant that she would not leave, held Grace’s neck tightly with his small arms wide open.
Grace patted Leon on the back, hugging her tightly as if she would never let go.
“…I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that…”
“No….Sally didn’t do anything wrong.”
And Grace smiled helplessly at Sally’s apology with a tearful face. Like he said, Sally didn’t do anything wrong. Of course, it wasn’t even Leon’s fault for being anxious.
‘…..Duke Arthur Felix, his words may not be wrong.’
As Arthur had said, perhaps she is shaking the child’s heart with half-hearted sympathy and pity. She’s the one who wants to leave this place and be free anyway.
Grace sighed secretly, feeling complicated in her mind.
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Edited by: Arya
Proofread by: Ether_ria
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Stay safe and healthy along with your loved ones. And have a good day!
Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Stay tuned for more.
~Dazzel.D~