Revenge Comes with Interest - Chapter 46

Lea returned to the hotel immediately after the banquet ended.

Allen clearly wanted to spend more time with her, but she had not given him the slightest chance to start a conversation.

And yet, she missed Terran so much.

After spending just a few days in Brassel, she felt a deep, bone-chilling loneliness. She still resented him, but despite that, she missed him terribly.

“Miss, why did you take that dress order?”

“Pauline, in business, you have to set personal feelings aside. You saw her yourself. Rivette is very beautiful. Her family is wealthy, and there is a strong chance she will be chosen as the Crown Princess.”

“That’s true. If she is chosen, it would benefit us.”

“Exactly. But I am not planning to take orders only from Rivette.”

“What do you mean?”

This was a place Lea knew better than anyone.

The noble young ladies of Brassel would all participate in the selection. Who became the Crown Princess would depend entirely on their own efforts.

It might sound like overconfidence, but in the end, the selection was nothing more than a contest of social wit.

The result would depend on who understood the Crown Prince’s preferences better and which lady stood out the most.

“Let’s return tomorrow, Pauline.”

“Yes. You miss Chenera, don’t you?”

“I do.”

And Terran, too.

She was at least grateful that he had not come chasing her all the way to Galdensia. She had worried he might show up at the hotel to drag her back.

Terran surely already knew where she had gone.

If his feelings were still tied to the Empress, he would not come after her. That was what would be best for him.

She slowly began to understand the reason behind all the pain she had gone through.

She realized why she had been so angry at Terran and why she had fled to Galdensia.

I wanted to keep Terran for myself. I loved him so much that I tried to possess him.

Lea admitted to herself that her feelings toward Terran and the Empress had been jealousy. If he chose to go, she would let him.

It would hurt, and it would be hard, but she had something more important to do.

She had seen it clearly with her own eyes. The enemies who had destroyed lives and lived without a hint of guilt.

Lea shook her head harshly.

I need to set my priorities. Lea Hamilton, your emotions come second. First, you build your business big enough to crush those people.

“But doesn’t something feel strange, Miss?”

“What do you mean?”

“I know the Duke’s personality. But even though you disappeared, he hasn’t reacted at all. He should have figured out where we went by now.”

“He is being considerate. Terran is a gentleman.”

Or maybe he feels guilty and is avoiding her. After all, he had shown his feelings for another woman right in front of his fiancée.

But Pauline didn’t agree.

A gentleman wouldn’t give up like that. The Duke is not the type to let Miss Lea go so easily.

A strong sense of unease crept in.

“What if his condition got worse?”

“What? You think Terran didn’t come after me because he’s sick?”

“It’s just odd. We left before we saw him fully recover.”

Now that she thought about it, Pauline had a point. Lea had given him medicine and rushed to the Empress, but she had no idea what happened to him after that.

She had been too wrapped up in her own emotions to worry about him.

What if he was too sick to come after her?

She hoped he was just being a gentleman. No matter how angry she was with him, she didn’t want him to be sick.

“He will be fine. There are plenty of people at the Duke’s estate. Doctor Wilson, Luke, and James are all there.”

“That’s true. And we’re leaving tomorrow anyway.”

“Yes. Let’s leave early.”

“Alright.”

That was when Lea’s worry for Terran truly began. She paced the room, biting her nails as she walked.

He is the man who once blocked trains and locked down a city to keep me from leaving. Is he really too sick to follow me now? Or did his talk with the Empress make him lose whatever feelings he still had?

She hoped he wasn’t sick. She hoped his feelings had simply faded. That would hurt, but at least it wouldn’t scare her.

Late that night, Allen was riding in a carriage toward the hotel.

The more he thought about it, the more he hated the idea of letting Grace slip away. Who knew when he would have another chance to be with her in this city without interference?

He was determined to go see her tonight, whether to persuade her, woo her, or seduce her. If she went back to Terran, things would get messy.

I should book an extra room. A little champagne and conversation might be enough.

The mood could be created with the right timing.

He recalled a telegram his secretary had shown him. It said that the Duke and Grace had fallen out. That was excellent news.

He would be a fool to waste this golden opportunity.

If she had no interest in me, she would have rejected Rivette’s request. Maybe that was her way of giving me a subtle sign.

Allen was not the type to miss signals. He was good at reading women’s glances and words. He usually found his answer quickly.

Humming with excitement, Allen leaned back in his seat.

But the carriage suddenly stopped.

“What’s going on?”

He snapped at the driver irritably. Just then, the door swung open, and several masked men in black grabbed Allen by the collar.

“Get out.”

“Who are you?”

Allen was thrown to the ground in an instant.

Men dressed head to toe in black grabbed him and dragged him into a narrow, hidden alley.

Moments later, screams and the sound of dull, heavy blows ripped through the night air.

Meanwhile, Terran regained consciousness and realized he was still lying in bed. He sighed deeply.

This useless body

As soon as he opened his eyes, the attendants moved quickly. They brought him medicine, water, and fresh clothes.

Once everything had settled down, only Luke remained by his side.

“You’ve been unconscious for an entire day, Your Grace.”

“I’m fine now.”

Terran tried to sit up again, but Luke stopped him firmly with words.

“I passed on your message to the Metropolitan Commissioner. And what you feared will not happen.”

“What do you mean it won’t happen? Explain.”

“Do you not remember? You said Allen McDowell owed you a debt. He bribed staff inside the duke’s residence and stole information about Chenera.”

“And?”

“I sent a telegram to members of the Rapa group in Brassel. I told them to rough him up, but not to kill him. Just enough so he learns a lesson.”

Luke explained the situation clearly.

He had found out that Grace returned to the hotel immediately after the banquet, and that Allen had gone after her alone later that night. Luke had taken the matter into his own hands and settled the score.

“Luke.”

Terran’s expression changed sharply as he called him.

“Yes, sir.”

Luke braced himself. He had acted without orders, and Terran could be furious.

“Good work. You should have killed him.”

Only then did Luke’s tense expression begin to relax.

“Evil always gets what it deserves.”

“So, what happened to that bastard?”

“He’s going to be in the hospital for a while. The Rapa members handled it very cleanly. I told them to leave his organs untouched and break just a few bones. They followed instructions exactly.”

“Efficient as always.”

It made sense. The Rapa group no longer needed to rely on illegal work. Thanks to the Hamilton trading company, they now had a steady income. Supplying goods to general stores throughout Galdensia had given them financial stability and ended the discrimination they once faced as outcasts.

Luke looked like he had something more to say. His lips parted slightly.

“Go on.”

“Lady Grace is expected to return soon. I confirmed it with the hotel staff.”

“Is that so?”

That was the best thing Terran had heard in days. It felt more healing than any medicine. Just hearing her name brought energy back into his body.

From now on, he needed to follow Chenera’s advice and focus on how to show Grace that he could be trusted.

Suddenly, Luke stood up and brought over a small hand mirror, holding it in front of Terran’s face.

“What is this?”

Terran looked at his reflection and saw a tired face, but there was a faint smile forming on it. It reminded him of a wildflower blooming on cracked earth.

“When I was little, whenever our father came home from military leave, he brought us presents. When he did, my brothers would smile exactly like that.”

Luke had wanted Terran to see it for himself. To know how much he had changed. And for once, in the right direction.

Terran let out a quiet, dry laugh.

So, Grace was the gift

“I’m glad I got to feel something like this before I die.”

Lea and Pauline came down to the hotel lobby early that morning. Their plan was to check out quickly and return to Lubeck.

But there was a loud commotion at the front desk. Something was clearly going on.

A well-dressed gentleman in a tailored suit and a lady wearing a gown made of luxurious fabric were arguing with a hotel staff member. Both of them appeared to be well past middle age.

“Do you know who we are? We were the personal tailors to His Majesty the Emperor and Her Majesty the Empress of Saintebourg.”

“Then please settle your hotel bill, sir and madam.”

“We told you, we’re paying with this.”

The woman held out a brooch toward the hotel clerk, but he looked uncomfortable.

He explained that the hotel policy did not allow payment in goods and that they would need to pay in cash.

“Do you see that trunk? It’s full of fine clothing and jewels from the Saintebourg royal family. You clearly have no idea how valuable this brooch is.”

The man joined in now, pointing passionately at the mountain of trunks piled in the lobby.

Lea examined the two of them carefully. The deep red velour fabric with detailed black silk embroidery was remarkable.

The man’s suit was perfectly tailored, cut to fit his frame exactly. And the brooch the woman tried to use as payment was definitely valuable.

The Hamilton Trading Company dealt with similar amber-colored gemstones from the Eastern Continent, and just by the way the light reflected off it, Lea could tell its worth.

The Saintebourg Empire had fallen. The emperor and empress had been executed by the revolutionaries.

Lea’s eyes lit up with interest.

They had just claimed, in their own words, to be the royal tailors of the emperor and empress. Sensing the situation clearly, Lea walked over to the front desk.

“How much is the hotel bill?”

Her voice caught the attention of everyone. The hotel staff, the gentleman, and the lady all turned with surprised expressions.

“Fifty gold.”

“I’ll pay it.”

Lea was more than willing to cover the bill for them.

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