Revenge Comes with Interest - Chapter 53

Terran sat with Grace, sipping tea while cautiously watching her expression. Then he finally spoke.

“Didn’t I work really hard yesterday?”

“You did.”

“Hard enough to impress you.”

You managed to irritate me instead.

“I’m grateful for your effort, Terran.”

Lea didn’t want to sound childish or jealous, so she answered with a smile. Her pride wouldn’t let her show any weakness.

“Then shouldn’t you sign one of the grapes?”

Terran pouted, and Lea almost said yes. His sulking expression was oddly adorable, especially considering his tall frame and broad shoulders. She nearly gave in.

No. That was close. I’m still upset. Get it together.

“I wasn’t moved that much.”

Terran looked completely stunned by her response. He just stared at her with his mouth slightly open.

He had given it his all yesterday. He even taught her obstacle-jumping techniques with full enthusiasm and dedication.

“Which part didn’t move you?”

“Why don’t you think about it, Terran?”

Her firm reply left him confused. Reflecting on what he had done wrong suddenly felt like the hardest task in the world.

I knew it. I overdid it yesterday.

He hadn’t needed to show off his flashy horseback skills. In doing so, he had drawn all the attention to himself instead of Grace. That had been his mistake.

No matter how skilled the women were, he was still a trained soldier. He had ended up stealing her moment to shine and possibly embarrassing her in the process.

“I’m going to go now, Terran.”

Lea stood up abruptly. Talking about yesterday had only rekindled her jealousy.

He had whispered to Mary, touched her calves, and even rode the horse with her. That wasn’t all. The way they smiled at each other had been far too familiar.

Unbelievable. I’m getting angry all over again.

She had thought a night’s sleep would make it go away, but seeing how clueless Terran was made her even more upset. She felt like listing every single thing he had done wrong.

I’m not signing that grape, not a chance.

Lea walked briskly out of the greenhouse. Coming from the opposite direction, Luke saw her and bowed politely.

But she passed by him without a word, as if she hadn’t even seen him.

Why is she so upset?

Luke had never seen Grace look that angry before. She was so distracted, she couldn’t even recognize someone standing right in front of her.

Ah, there he is.

Luke looked ahead and saw Terran still calmly drinking his tea. He sighed and quickly approached.

“Did you two have a fight?”

“No.”

Terran answered with a puzzled look.

“She seemed really upset.”

“She did?”

He looked genuinely confused. Grace had been perfectly polite in front of him, maybe a little cold when she told him to reflect on his behavior, but they hadn’t argued.

“Luke, about yesterday…”

Terran began to explain everything that had happened. Somehow, he had a feeling Luke might know what was going on.

Lea looked over the stack of new orders at the shop and grew concerned. Since she had started mail orders, the demand had exploded.

Her cherry-colored cape had become a massive hit. Orders were flooding in from across the country and even from abroad. Her bank account was filling up quickly.

This is too much for Chenera to handle alone.

Chenera was already working on Rivette’s dress, and she had no time for anything else. Still, they couldn’t afford to delay or cancel customer orders.

Lea needed to come up with a solution, so she called Chenera and Pauline to discuss it.

“Chenera can’t handle all the lacework on her own anymore.”

As soon as Lea began speaking, Pauline clapped her hands in agreement.

“This is way past the level of a hobby.”

“Exactly. So I was thinking, what if we open a workshop in town and hire some people? They would need to have basic lace-making skills. After a three-month trial period, we only keep those who can match Chenera’s standard.”

“That sounds like a great idea. What do you think?” Pauline turned to Chenera.

“I think it’s good, but I’m not very smart. People might talk badly about me.”

Her words made both Lea and Pauline fall silent.

Chenera was always cheerful. They had assumed she didn’t worry about those things, but clearly she had her own insecurities.

If only they had realized earlier how she truly felt.

“Who would dare say anything bad about you, Lady Chenera Vizak? You’re not a gypsy anymore.”

Pauline raised her voice, upset.

She could still picture old Grandpa Rafa crying tears of joy when Chenera became a noble lady.

Meanwhile, Lea focused on something more practical.

“I have an idea.”

At her words, Chenera and Pauline stopped talking and turned to her.

“Pauline, I don’t want you to be my maid anymore.”

“What? Are you… dismissing me?”

“No, it’s not that.”

Lea believed it was time for Pauline to take a step forward. She didn’t want to keep her in a maid’s role forever. She wanted to give her a chance to grow and shape her own life.

“You’ll be in charge of the workshop. From now on, Chenera’s lace business will be your responsibility.”

“Yes!”

Chenera cheered before Pauline could respond.

But Pauline, the one most affected, just looked back and forth between them in shock.

Lea calmly explained everything Pauline would do.

As the manager, she would receive proper compensation. If she developed her skills further, they could even discuss a salary raise later on.

Pauline had experience dealing with noblewomen and knew how to speak with poise and grace.

Lea had spent so much of her life serving others that she deeply understood how difficult that role could be. That was exactly why she believed Pauline was the perfect person to take the lead.

“What about you, then?” Pauline asked.

“There are plenty of staff at the Duke’s estate. I can always hire someone new.”

Pauline looked torn between gratitude and sadness. Her eyes filled with tears as she stood there in silence, unable to respond.

Lea walked over and gently placed her hands on Pauline’s shoulders, locking eyes with her.

“Pauline, it’s time for you to take a step forward. You’ve seen with your own eyes that women can run businesses too.”

“I know. I learned it from watching you. I used to believe a woman had to marry to live a proper life, but not anymore.”

“Exactly.”

“But… what if I can’t do it? What if someone tries to steal Chenera’s work and runs off? I’m not sure I have what it takes.”

“You absolutely do. And when it comes to reading people, you can rely on Chenera.”

Both Lea and Pauline turned to look at Chenera. People often criticized her, calling her simple or slow, but Chenera had a gift. She could see people clearly, not just on the surface but inside. She had a quiet, deep way of understanding others.

“I’ll try. No, I’ll do my best,” Pauline said with determination.

“I’m so happy I get to be with Pauline!” Chenera ran up and wrapped her arms around them both.

Lea felt a wave of emotion swell in her chest. After what she had gone through with her sister Sara, she had lost trust in people. But Pauline and Chenera were helping her recover that trust, little by little.

They probably didn’t even realize just how thankful she was for them.

Terran slapped his knee after listening to Luke’s explanation. He had been completely missing the point, thinking he was doing a great job when he had actually made things worse.

“Why were you touching another woman’s legs? What were you whispering about? If Lady Grace had done that with another man, you would have started a fight right there.”

Terran felt like he had been hit in the head. He had never even considered how it looked.

“And letting another woman sit in front of you on your horse? That is one of the worst things you could have done. That alone could be a reason for breaking off an engagement. She might even be seriously considering it already.”

“Breaking off the engagement?”

He had been trying to help, that was all. He only wanted Mary to learn the right jumping technique so she could perform well in the event.

He had never imagined that his competitiveness would end up hurting Grace’s feelings.

“How do I apologize?”

Luke’s advice had never worked out particularly well before, but right now, Terran had no one else to turn to.

“Just be honest. Tell her you didn’t mean anything by it. Be sincere.”

That night, Terran walked quietly to Grace’s room.

He wanted to speak to her alone and explain everything. As he reached the door, Pauline stepped out.

“Duke?”

“Is Grace inside?”

“Yes, she is.”

From the look on his face, Pauline could tell right away that he had come to apologize.

Oh, I forgot to mention something to him, she thought. She turned to walk away, then stopped herself.

Actually… this could be interesting.

She waited just long enough to see Terran enter the room before finally leaving.

Terran knocked gently, then stepped into the bedroom.

A soft, fresh scent of soap floated through the air and tickled his nose.

Without thinking, he followed the fragrance. That was when he saw her.

She was sitting by the bed, like a fairy who had just stepped out of the lake. Her skin was fresh and bare, and she wore only a light chemise. Water still dripped from her long, damp hair. Her white calves peeked out from under her skirt, and her bare feet rested quietly on the floor.

To Terran, she looked like a wildflower soaked in rain. The exposed skin of her arms and shoulders was so delicate it reminded him of soft flower petals.

“What brings you here at this hour, Terran?”

Grace was sitting on the bed, gently drying her wet hair with a towel.

“I needed to talk to you.”

He had come with a clear reason, but being in her presence made him feel lightheaded. Her scent, her quiet beauty, the warmth of her skin—it overwhelmed him.

She wasn’t trying to seduce him. She hadn’t done anything suggestive.

Yet Terran found himself completely distracted.

Then Grace pulled her hair to one side, exposing her smooth and graceful neck.

He swallowed hard without realizing it.

Right now, his desire to kiss her felt stronger than his reason for coming. He had no idea how to control the feelings rushing through him.

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