Revenge Comes with Interest - Chapter 3

Terran watched Grace walk away after throwing sharp words over her shoulder.

A moment later, Luke let out a small, dry laugh and spoke to Terran.

“It seems Miss Grace has changed her approach.”

She must have decided that since trying to win the Duke’s heart with kindness wasn’t working, she would now try something more aggressive.

“No.”

“Excuse me?”

Luke looked at Terran in surprise. It was the first time Terran had directly disagreed with him.

To be honest, Terran had thought the same at first. But just moments ago, Grace had seemed like a completely different person, as if she had a new soul.

“Please be a little kinder now, Your Grace.”

Luke now felt genuinely sorry for Grace.

Terran hadn’t always been this cold and distant. He had lost his parents at a young age and was forced to take over his family’s responsibilities. Then, the Seven Years’ War with Wales had completely changed him.

He had become pessimistic, kept his emotions tightly controlled, and never let anyone get close.

“Grace spoke Langdesian?”

Terran wasn’t just shocked that she had spoken a foreign language. It was also her tone, her movements, and the look in her eyes. Somehow, she didn’t seem like the same person he once knew.

“Could that crazy woman actually be me?”

Terran let out a short laugh, lifting one corner of his mouth.

“Your Grace, don’t you find it strange? Miss Grace ran out here crying after reading a newspaper, suddenly started speaking a foreign language, and then just went back inside alone?”

Luke couldn’t make sense of anything Grace had done today, except maybe running out into the rain. That part seemed like her. But everything else felt completely different.

Even her way of speaking had changed.

[Luke, when is Terran coming back? Grace feels so lonely…]

She used to speak sweetly and gently. But just now, her voice had been sharp, cold, and even a little frightening.

Luke felt sorry for her, but another woman came to his mind—someone he thought was even more tragic.

“Your Grace, what should we do with Lea Hamilton’s body? Should we send it to her fiancé in Galdensia?”

Terran had gone hunting recently and happened to witness Lea Hamilton’s fatal accident. He personally climbed down the cliff to retrieve her body.

Since the accident had taken place in his territory, he couldn’t just turn a blind eye.

“Where is the body now?”

“At the church. We’ve already completed the embalming process thoroughly.”

“Then she deserves a proper funeral. That’s our duty as human beings.”

Even if they sent the body back to her homeland, the Hamilton family had been declared traitors. The remains would likely be cremated and the ashes scattered somewhere unceremoniously.

“Richard Hamilton, involved in poppy smuggling? Something feels wrong about that.”

Terran didn’t believe the newspaper article. The Hamilton trading company was one of the oldest and most respected on the continent.

They were known for conducting fair trade and giving generously to society. More importantly, Terran had met Richard Hamilton in person when he was young.

It was on the night of an opera attended by nobles and the elite.

Children selling flowers, matches, and cigarettes had crowded around the opera house.

Everyone ignored them, perhaps out of arrogance.

But only one man, Richard Hamilton, had bought something from each and every child.

“He never seemed like someone who would do such a thing. This all feels forced and unnatural.”

Lea lay back down in bed after taking a bath with Pauline’s help. Her mind was filled with thoughts.

“Accept reality.”

It was the hardest thing to do, but perhaps having her soul transferred into someone else’s body was a part of some divine plan.

She had the blood of a shrewd merchant running through her veins.

Maybe that’s why, even after becoming Grace, she felt no urge to cry or beg Allen to explain how love could change. That idea didn’t even cross her mind.

Instead, her head became clearer. She started to see the truth of her situation.

“From now on, I have to live as Grace Vizak.”

Logically speaking, there was no way she could survive in Galdensia under the Hamilton name.

It would be better to live as someone else and uncover Allen’s dirty schemes from behind the scenes.

“Even the Police Commissioner must be part of this.”

A skilled hunter waits patiently for the right moment to catch a wild beast.

Allen had probably done the same. He must have used her to gather information about the Hamiltons, little by little. And he likely recruited allies to help him along the way.

“I had no idea that calm, gentle face was hiding such ruthless ambition.”

Becoming the Hamilton family’s son-in-law wasn’t enough for him. So, what was his real goal?

“Now that he has wealth, he must be after power and honor. He wants to rise even higher.”

To stand against Allen, she needed the identity of Baroness Grace Vizak. That title gave her protection and influence.

Lea got out of bed and walked to the dressing table. She stared at the beautiful woman reflected in the mirror.

“I don’t know how I ended up in your body. But once I’ve finished what I need to do, I promise I’ll give it back to you.”

She didn’t know if it was even possible, but she truly wanted to keep that promise. She made another vow.

“I’ll never do anything to shame Grace’s name.”

Even though she hadn’t chosen this new life, she was determined to live it fully for as long as it lasted.

Just then, Pauline returned, holding a freshly dried towel.

“My Lady, I have news about His Grace’s upcoming schedule.”

From her excited tone, it seemed Pauline had always reported Terran’s daily activities to Grace.

“I really don’t care, though.”

Lea showed little interest, but Pauline only looked more serious.

“Do you remember the woman who fell from the cliff and died recently?”

Lea turned sharply away from the mirror, startled.

“The body?”

“I heard the woman who died was the only daughter of a major merchant family in Galdensia.”

“Where is the body now?”

“At the church. I heard the Duke is arranging a funeral and plans to bury her in the church cemetery.”

“When is it happening?”

“In three days. And they’re going to contact her fiancé in Galdensia too.”

Lea’s heart began to race.

If that was true, then the man she saw right before her death had been Terran. That must be why he was the one who recovered her body.

Then a sudden realization struck her.

“My necklace.”

She remembered the precious necklace her father had placed around her neck on her wedding day.

[Take this, Lea.]

[Father! This is…?]

It was a necklace with an old brass key, something deeply meaningful to him.

The key was engraved with the Hamilton Trading Company’s crest and a golden carriage. Terran must have recognized the design and identified her body from it.

[It’s a gift from your father. I wanted to give you something important.]

[I can’t accept this. I know what it means, more than anyone. How could I possibly…]

[Please take it. I have no one else to give it to. I’m getting old, Lea. If something ever happens to the company, you’ll need this necklace to take charge.]

“Did Father somehow see this coming?”

No matter what, she had to get that necklace back.

“If I had known, I wouldn’t have been so rude to Duke Courtois.”

Lea fell into serious thought.

She needed a proper reason to attend her own funeral, something that would make sense to Terran. Gaining his trust was more important than ever.

Lea got out of bed, cleaned up, did her makeup, and dressed neatly.

At first, Pauline had applied thick makeup, and Lea had to fix it herself.

“Grace, or rather, I look better with lighter makeup, Pauline.”

Pauline seemed confused at first, but once they changed her look as Lea suggested, she clapped her hands and nodded in agreement.

“Oh my, the heavy makeup was ruining your beautiful face!”

She brushed her hair neatly and tied it back in a simple style. She chose a modest dress and kept her accessories small and elegant.

“You’d better hurry, or you’ll be late for breakfast.”

“Alright.”

Thankfully, Grace usually had breakfast with Terran, which meant Lea could bring up the funeral. Still, she wished she knew more about Grace before facing him.

“Didn’t Grace ever keep a diary?”

While lost in thought, she found herself already at the dining room door.

Lea took a deep breath and walked in with a bright smile.

“Good morning, Duke Courtois.”

She gave a small, polite curtsy toward Terran, who was seated at the head of the table.

“You seem to be in a good mood today.”

“Thanks to your kindness.”

Only now could she truly see Terran clearly.

Until now, his dark expression had hidden his sharp, chiseled features. His tall, solid build and distant gaze gave him a cold, refined appearance.

Allen, on the other hand, had been charming, always smiling sweetly like whipped cream.

“How could I have fallen for that man?”

Feeling disgusted at herself for even thinking of Allen, Lea quickly shook her head. The first thing she needed to do was apologize to Terran.

“I was terribly rude last time. I won’t act so recklessly again.”

She spoke sincerely, with a respectful tone.

Terran narrowed his eyes, silently watching her, as if trying to figure her out.

“Grace.”

He finally spoke after a long pause.

“Yes, Your Grace?”

“Back then, when you said ‘son of a bitch’ in Langdesian, were you referring to me?”

“Of course not. That insult was meant for someone else. Not Duke Courtois.”

At her reply, Terran placed a hand over his forehead and burst into laughter.

Even the servants paused for a moment. It seemed they had never seen the Duke laugh before and were clearly surprised.

“When did you learn Langdesian?” he asked, speaking in flawless Langdesian.

“When? I learned it when I was young.”

Lea hesitated. She had studied many foreign languages from a young age and read every book she could find.

That was how she became fluent in several languages. But she had no idea when Grace had learned Langdesian.

“I loved Langdesian fashion, so I taught myself the language to order clothes directly by letter.”

“You taught yourself just to order clothes? I see.”

Terran finally nodded, seeming convinced.

Lea decided it was time to bring up what really mattered.

“Duke Courtois, I heard you recovered Miss Lea Hamilton’s body from Galdensia and are arranging her funeral.”

“Yes, I am.”

“Would it be alright if I attended as well?”

“Now he’s going to ask why,” she thought, prepared with a reason.

But no matter how long she waited, he didn’t ask.

“Sure. There won’t be many mourners, so having one more is a good thing.”

“Th-thank you.”

Terran agreed so casually that when Lea thanked him, he looked at her with slight curiosity.

Come to think of it, was Grace really the type of person who would attend a stranger’s funeral? What kind of connection could she possibly have to Lea Hamilton?

When Grace entered the dining room, Terran had felt it again. She was not the same person he used to know.

It wasn’t just her appearance that had changed. It was something deeper. Something about her felt entirely different, like that day in the rain.

“She doesn’t feel like the Grace Vizak I remember.”

There was a clear reason he felt that way.

The old Grace used to spend every moment trying to get his attention. Even during meals, her eyes were always focused on him.

But now, she seemed distant and unconcerned.

“She’s becoming more and more of a mystery.”

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