Revenge Comes with Interest - Chapter 22

Late at night, Rapa was entertaining an important guest from abroad. Beside him sat Maddox, the second-in-command of their organization.

“There are over a hundred Hamilton General Stores throughout Galdensia. I assure you, you won’t regret this deal.”

From the beginning, Allen had no interest in doing business with Rapa. He disliked working with criminals, especially from a shady gypsy-run group.

But Rapa had offered the highest price, and walking away from it would mean losing money.

“The name Hamilton alone is still valuable. It guarantees profit.”

Allen found Rapa’s tone irritating.

“Let’s avoid using the name Hamilton. As you know, the Hamilton family is labeled as traitors. Customers will not want anything to do with it.”

Just seeing that name spread across Galdensia disgusted him. He was selling off the stores because he wanted every trace of the Hamiltons erased.

“Come on now. We have our own people in Galdensia. Most of them say Richard Hamilton was framed. The Hamilton stores still have a great reputation.”

This was not the reaction Allen had hoped for. He had considered closing a deal with them despite their criminal background, simply because they offered the best price.

“We will not use the name. You have my word. In return, maybe you could lower the price a bit?”

Rapa was quick to sense Allen’s discomfort and tried to adjust the deal.

“You want a discount?”

Allen leaned back and thought for a moment. After he announced the stores were for sale, the newspapers in Galdensia had filled with worried headlines.

Because of the traitor label, many people had tried to take advantage of the situation and buy the stores for almost nothing. That was why Allen had come to Lubeck, hoping to strike a better deal here.

If they wanted a lower price, he would need something valuable in return. Suddenly, an idea came to him.

“What if you take care of Duke Courtois for me? If you do that, I will sell at the price you want.”

Rapa and Maddox looked at each other silently. Then both of them burst out laughing.

“Did you just say Duke Courtois? You want us to get rid of him? He is practically the second most powerful man in the Lubeck Empire, and you want gypsies like us to kill him?”

“Do you not think you can handle it?”

Allen thought it was actually a clever idea. If the duke died at the hands of lowlifes, it would cause no political fallout. The blame would fall only on criminals, not on him.

These people were already known for smuggling anything if it made money, whether it was opium or weapons. Morality was not something they cared about.

“He is not an easy man to deal with. We could end up shedding blood ourselves.”

Every time Rapa thought of Duke Courtois, he felt a chill. At first, he assumed the man was just a celebrated war hero. But this was someone who had nearly destroyed an entire district just to get his hands on a specific medicinal tonic.

Rapa had never seen anyone so extreme. He did not understand negotiation or persuasion. The very concept of lowering himself or asking for help did not exist for him.

“Let’s drop the subject.”

Maddox waved his hand and refused.

Allen could return to his country once the deal was done. But anyone involved in the death of a national hero from Lubeck would be hunted down and executed without hesitation.

Terran was intense, but Allen was just as bold.

Selling a general store and asking to kill a duke? He had some nerve.

Or maybe he had tasted wealth and now believed he could control the world.

He clearly feared nothing. But money alone would not bend the world to his will.

After Rapa refused, Allen pressed on.

“Then let’s do this. I will lower the price. No killing. But I want something else in return.”

“Something else?”

“You people are good at making things disappear without anyone knowing. Isn’t that your specialty?”

“Enough talking around it. Say what you want clearly.”

“Take the duke’s fiancée and bring her to Galdensia.”

Allen believed that once Grace was in his hands, he could make her forget about Terran. No woman had ever resisted him before.

Of course, he wanted Grace. But more than that, he wanted to see Terran lose his mind watching the woman he loved get taken away.

Terran had started everything by manipulating others. Now it was Allen’s turn to get revenge.

Rapa and Maddox hesitated. At least it was not a request to kill the duke. But kidnapping the duke’s fiancée was still serious.

That said, it was not exactly difficult. Kidnapping was something they were good at.

Lea’s disappointment could not be hidden. She had believed the lace dress carefully made by Chenera would make her the center of attention. Instead, it had only damaged her reputation.

“You were just ahead of your time.”

Pauline, who had heard all about the ball, looked disappointed too.

“Do you think it would have been better if it was a little less daring?”

“No matter how beautiful the dress was, the noblewomen would have been jealous.”

It meant the approach had been wrong from the start. In their eyes, Lea was just a woman in a revealing dress trying too hard to draw attention. They did not even notice how well the dress was made.

Just then, there was a knock at the door. Pauline opened it quickly. James was standing there.

“My lady, the duke is asking for you.”

“Where is he?”

“He is in the drawing room.”

“I will be down soon.”

Lea looked at herself in the mirror. Since the night of the ball, she had been avoiding Terran on purpose. He had hit a nerve by pointing out her failure so directly. She felt angry at him, and also deeply confused.

“Pauline, Terran is a man, right?”

As Lea walked down the stairs, she asked Pauline a quiet question.

“He’s not a woman, right?”

Pauline gave her a puzzled look and answered.

“Of course not. Why would you ask something like that?”

“No, it’s nothing. I just… never mind.”

She scolded herself for even thinking about repeating what she had overheard from Dr. Wilson. It was already bad enough that she had listened in on that conversation. Telling Pauline would be going too far.

If Terran ever found out, it would be deeply humiliating for him. Still, the look in his eyes and the heat in his voice—those were things only a real man could make her feel.

I can’t exactly ask Dr. Wilson to confirm it either.

Lea shook her head, trying to push away the ridiculous thoughts.

Before she knew it, she had reached the door to the drawing room. After avoiding him for days, she wasn’t sure she had the courage to face him.

“I’m here.”

When she spoke softly, both Terran and Luke looked up at her. The table in front of them wasn’t set with tea or refreshments. Instead, it was piled with letters.

“Everyone leave. Except Grace.”

Terran’s cold voice made Lea nervous. Was he angry because she had been avoiding him, skipping meals and walks and teatime?

“Come and sit.”

Once Luke and Pauline had stepped out, Terran spoke to her again.

“Are you still upset?”

“Yes.”

Lea answered honestly.

“I didn’t wear that dress to look like some prostitute. Chenera made it with care, and I had a plan. I had my reasons.”

“Who said you looked like a prostitute?”

“Some of the women at the ball did. They called me attention-seeking and vulgar. Said I was trying to seduce men on purpose.”

“Unbelievable.”

“Didn’t you think the same thing? You said you wanted to rip the dress off because you were ashamed of me.”

“What?”

Terran’s face twisted in frustration. He realized now that Grace might be more naive than he thought.

He had shown his desire so clearly. How could she have misunderstood him?

No. He needed to make sure.

“Grace, what am I to you? Other than your fiancé?”

“Family?”

He stared at her in disbelief and said nothing for a long moment.

He had been hoping she would say “a man.”

Family? That word carried a sense of emotional distance, the kind that came from being married for decades and losing all romantic spark. She didn’t even seem to realize that.

“Ask me the same question.”

“What am I to you, Terran? Other than your fiancée?”

“My woman.”

Lea’s heart started pounding wildly.

For a moment, Terran seemed to glow. He looked so stunning that she could hardly believe this was the same man she once doubted. He sounded like the most masculine man in the world, and yet he was the same person she had worried might not even be a man in the physical sense.

In that moment, she hated the world’s unfairness. How could such a perfect man be denied something so fundamental?

“Let me ask again.”

Terran was persistent. She could feel how badly he wanted to hear the answer from her.

“What am I to you, Grace? Other than family?”

Lea hesitated. Now that she knew what he was hoping for, the words became harder to say.

She was so embarrassed, she wished she could disappear. But when she looked into his dark eyes, eyes that seemed to burn through her, she couldn’t avoid it any longer.

“My fiancé… no, my man.”

Finally, Terran smiled.

“You misunderstood me. When I said I wanted to tear your dress off.”

“But you did want to rip it off.”

“Yes, because I couldn’t stand the idea of other men seeing my woman’s smooth, bare skin.”

“What?”

“I hope you only wear it when you’re with me. Actually, I like that idea better. Easier to take off.”

Only Terran could say something like that with a straight face.

He crooked his finger, motioning for her to come closer.

Lea was drawn in by his eyes and sat beside him without even realizing it.

“There’s nothing more hypocritical than humans.”

“What do you mean?”

“Those letters. Look at them.”

He gestured toward the pile on the table, and Lea began opening them one by one.

Her eyes widened.

She flipped through the letters quickly, her expression changing with each one.

“Do you believe me now?”

“I heard them say it. They really called me a prostitute.”

Lea burst into tears.

The same noblewomen who had insulted her at the ball had written these letters. Each one praised the lace dress she had worn, saying it left a strong impression. Many of them said they didn’t care how much it cost and begged to know where they could get one made for themselves.

Overwhelmed, Lea threw her arms around Terran’s neck and sobbed.

Then she realized what she had done and tried to pull away in embarrassment. Of course, Terran caught her wrist before she could.

“It’s too early to cry just yet.”

“There’s more?”

Lea looked at him with teary eyes.

But then something strange happened. Terran’s body began to react.

Before, when Grace cried, he only thought she looked lovely. Now, something deeper stirred within him. A strong desire.

He wanted to hold her while she cried. That was not normal. Something had definitely changed.

If crying turns you on, doesn’t that make you a pervert?

Even so, he wasn’t sure he was behaving like a normal man anymore either.

Terran picked up a letter he had set aside and handed it to her.

“This one is from Her Majesty the Empress.”

“Really?”

Lea opened the letter with trembling hands.

“My goodness. The Empress wants to place an order too.”

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