Revenge Comes with Interest - Chapter 77
Leah was fluttery with excitement since morning at the news that Terran was coming to the Imperial Palace today. His memory must have returned by now, right?
She dressed herself with great care, her heart pounding as if she were meeting him for the first time.
“Chenera, Terran is coming to the palace today.”
“The Mister is?”
“Yes.”
Leah winced as she saw Chenera’s disappointed face.
“It seems Luke is still finding it hard to move because his leg is broken.”
“Yes, I know.”
Since they were all supposed to have lunch together at the Imperial Greenhouse, Leah figured they could enjoy themselves and then return to the ducal mansion with Terran.
She waited anxiously for lunchtime, repeatedly checking the mirror to ensure her hair and makeup, which she had labored over, remained perfect.
Why am I so nervous?
Now that she had acknowledged her love and even confessed it, her feelings for him had grown so immense they were almost difficult to handle.
Finally, it was time. An attendant arrived to escort Leah and Chenera. As they walked toward the greenhouse, Leah trembled as if she were headed to a formal matchmaking interview.
When they entered, they were greeted by a white table adorned with brilliant floral arrangements. Crystal glasses and silver cutlery sparkled in the light. But more than anything, Terran and James, who had arrived first, caught her eye.
“Mister!”
As Chenera ran toward Terran, he smiled and stroked her hair.
“Chenera.”
“Do you remember now?”
“Have I ever forgotten?”
His gaze soon shifted toward Leah. She walked over in a single breath to face him.
“Terran, I am so glad you are healthy again.”
Seeing him looking well made the tip of Leah’s nose sting with emotion. She felt a profound sense of relief at the reality of being able to face him normally again. However, it did not take long for the warm wave of emotion in her heart to turn into a cold chill.
“Who are you?”
“Pardon?”
Has Terran’s memory not fully returned?
Unable to watch any longer, James gave Terran a prompt with a bewildered face.
“This is Lady Grace, the younger sister of Baron Aiden Vizak. She is engaged to you, Duke.”
“I am? Since when?”
He asked James back with a look that suggested he had never heard such an absurd thing in his life. Leah was so shocked her legs buckled, and Chenera had to support her.
“Mister, you are still a stupid idiot.”
“What?”
“You forgot the Sister? That makes you an idiot. Idiots really do need to suffer.”
At Chenera’s words, Terran glared fiercely at James.
“How on earth have you been educating this child?”
James didn’t even hear Terran’s scolding. His mind was spinning.
Wait, he remembers Chenera, but he doesn’t recognize the Young Lady?
It was simply bizarre. He wondered what kind of memory circuit Terran had that would allow him to forget the most important person.
Right on time, Vivian and her maids appeared in the greenhouse.
“Duke, how is your health?”
“I am perfectly fine, thanks to the Empress’s concern.”
He looked well on the outside, but seeing Grace’s pale face, it was clear his memory had not returned.
Terran Courtois, you need to be taught a lesson this time. You should know how to look after yourself instead of being so reckless with your own body.
As Vivian looked at Terran with a benevolent smile, Chenera raised her hand and shouted.
“The Empress said it, right? That stupid idiots need to roll around and suffer!”
“Oh my! Chenera, such language is not ladylike.”
“Ah! My apologies.”
Chenera, quickly catching onto the situation, bowed her head. Just then, Mary, one of Vivian’s maids, sat down next to Terran.
“Duke, thank you so much for your help during riding practice.”
Terran didn’t remember Mary, but since she was the Empress’s maid, he treated her kindly. To an onlooker, they appeared friendly enough to be mistaken for lovers. As she chattered away, he nodded, smiled, and even responded warmly.
“Empress, the Mister forgot he was engaged to my sister. What do we do?”
It seemed that even in Chenera’s eyes, seeing Terran being affectionate with another woman while ignoring Leah was an eyesore. Chenera was particularly unrestrained today. What was stranger was how well Vivian and Chenera seemed to be in sync.
“Duke, do you truly not remember?”
“Pardon?”
Terran’s gaze shifted to Leah, who wore a dejected expression.
It’s strange. I have no memory of her, yet why does my chest feel so tight?
They said she was his fiancée, but he had no recollection of her. Yet, whenever he looked at her, his heart beat rapidly, contradicting his lack of memory.
Is my heart broken?
“What kind of marriage can there be with a man who doesn’t even remember his fiancée? Perhaps this is fate,” Vivian said, settling the situation as if she had been waiting for the chance.
James stepped in. “Empress, the Duke’s memory is slowly recovering. Even if he doesn’t recognize the Young Lady now, in a few days, he surely will!”
“James, can you be certain?” Vivian asked back in an extremely firm tone.
“I cannot be certain, but according to Doctor Wilson…”
“Things that cannot be explained medically often happen in this world. He probably doesn’t remember Lady Grace because she wasn’t that precious to him. He should take this chance to realize deeply that one shouldn’t lose what is precious so easily.”
Just then, the Head Maid brought another guest into the greenhouse.
“Empress, Count Vitello Isaac has arrived.”
“Is that so?”
As the Empress stood up, everyone followed suit. Soon, a young nobleman with red hair and a genial impression appeared. He was tall, well-built, and above all, very young.
“Oh! It’s a brother who looks like the Empress.”
At Chenera’s remark, the greenhouse erupted into a burst of laughter.
“Sister, have you been well?”
Vitello greeted Vivian politely and then gave a nodding greeting to everyone gathered. Upon seeing Terran, he quickly approached and hugged him.
“Brother Terran, it has been a long time.”
“Vitello.”
Terran didn’t recognize Vitello immediately either. The last time he had seen him, Vitello was a boy with a few spots of acne. To think he had become such a sturdy young man.
“Vitello, the food will be served soon. Sit wherever you like.”
At Vivian’s word, Vitello scanned the seats. When his eyes landed on Leah, they sparkled. He approached Leah without hesitation and introduced himself.
“I am Vitello Isaac. If it isn’t a rudeness, may I know the lady’s name?”
“I am Grace Vizak.”
“Ah! You are Brother Aiden’s younger sister?”
“Yes.”
Vitello kissed the back of Leah’s hand and naturally took the seat next to her. For a moment, Leah and Terran’s gazes collided—a cold, awkward, and unfamiliar look. If it had been the old Terran, he would never have tolerated this.
On the contrary, Terran felt inexplicably annoyed and asked James in a low voice.
“Is that woman really my fiancée?”
“She is. Duke, you are making a huge mistake right now.”
“I am?”
James sighed deeply as he looked at Terran.
Leah and the maids played a game of croquet on the lawn. It was a game of hitting balls through gates with a mallet, played in teams of two. Leah was on a team with Chenera, while Mary and another maid were the opposing team. Vitello was busy staying close to Leah’s side, coaching her.
“I am glad the weather isn’t too cold today, Duke,” Vivian said, handing Terran tea as they sat under a sunshade. “Duke, do you really not remember Grace?”
“I am sure I will remember soon.”
“Hmm, if you never remember, wouldn’t your engagement become void? Don’t Lady Grace and our Vitello look quite good together over there?”
Terran wasn’t ignorant of Vivian’s intentions. That only made him more displeased.
“Empress, do you wish for me to break the engagement?”
“There is no need to maintain a relationship with a fiancée you don’t even remember, is there? To me, it doesn’t look like the Duke’s memory will return easily.”
“It doesn’t matter even if it doesn’t return.”
“You forget precious people easily, and you give up on them easily as well.”
Forget easily? Give up easily?
Terran was confused. Aiden’s sister was someone precious to him? If she were such an important existence, as Vivian said, he wondered why he couldn’t remember her instantly. It shouldn’t be possible.
If I remember everything else but not my fiancée, it must mean she wasn’t that important.
Terran stood up and walked toward Mary. Seeing the game, Mary’s team was losing, so he felt he should coach her. He stood behind Mary, correcting her hand placement and adjusting her posture.
Watching that scene, Leah felt as if her breath had stopped.
He must have completely forgotten me.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t be able to be so affectionate with another woman right in front of her. At that moment, Leah felt a sharp pain in her side.
“Ah!”
As she bent over in pain, all eyes turned to her.
“Young Lady, are you alright?”
Vitello was the first to reach the struggling Leah.
“It seems best for you to rest a little.”
Vitello supported Leah and led her toward the sunshade.
“No, I want to walk for a bit.”
Leah wanted to go somewhere without Terran, even if only for a moment. She didn’t have the confidence to watch him being happy with another woman while ignoring her. Her head understood his situation perfectly, but her emotions surged like a stormy sea.
“Vitello, go for a walk with Lady Vizak.”
“Yes, Sister.”
Vivian wore a satisfied smile as she watched her younger brother and Grace walk toward the path. Terran, meanwhile, was swept by a strange emotion. He felt as if he were wandering alone in a bizarre place.
“Duke, what do I do next?”
As Mary urged Terran in a high-pitched, nasal voice, he corrected her hand position again so she could hold the mallet properly. At that, Chenera approached Terran with her hands on her hips, huffing with anger.
“Mister, you are an idiot! It hurts because you stabbed the Sister with a sword!”
“What are you talking about? Who stabbed whom?”
“You were acting all loopy, so the Sister tried to give you the antidote, but you stabbed her with a sword!”
Seeing Terran frozen in shock at her words, Chenera turned her fury toward Mary this time.
“You aren’t even a match for our Sister Grace! Stop acting so cutesy!”
“Lady Vizak, aren’t you being too rude?”
“Bleah!”
Chenera stuck her tongue out at Mary and threw her mallet far away.
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