Revenge Comes with Interest - Chapter 87

Sarah headed to the mansion’s wine cellar.

Leah’s father, Richard Hamilton, had been a wine enthusiast. He loved storing wine in oak barrels underground to age. Now, those perfectly aged wines belonged to Allen.

“I have searched the entire house. This is the only place left.”

She had looked through every possible spot where a journal might be hidden. She inspected the underground space lined with oak barrels one by one. She tapped the barrels with her hand to check if they were full of wine, investigating every single one until she found a secluded oak barrel in a corner.

“Only this one has a different keyhole.”

Sarah immediately tapped the barrel. If it were full of wine, it would make a dull thud, but it rang with a hollow, light sound.

“Is it in here?”

Sarah pulled the key necklace from her bodice and inserted it into the hole. The key fit perfectly. The problem was whether the key would turn to the right.

“Please!”

She closed her eyes as if offering a final prayer and turned the key to the right. With a mechanical click, a small door in the oak barrel opened. Sarah was so shocked that she stood frozen for a long moment without moving an inch.

“Get a grip, Sarah.”

After opening the door, she reached her right hand inside the barrel and felt around. Her hand caught on something, answering her desperate hope that she would find something—anything.

“It is a book.”

Without hesitation, she pulled out the object.

“It is not the journal.”

She had imagined the journal would be a secret ledger containing the Hamilton family’s management philosophy. However, this book had a leather cover, and its pages were perfectly intact rather than faded yellow.

“What is this?”

Sarah opened the book and gasped in shock.

“This is…!”

A bright light filled her face. It was a far greater harvest than she had anticipated. If she had this, she could use it effectively to blackmail Allen.

“No, I will not blackmail Allen. I do not want to use it for that.”

Sarah quickly tucked the book into her clothes.

“This book will open a shortcut for Allen and me to go to hell together.”

She still loved Allen desperately, but he had discarded her. If she stayed by his side any longer, she would surely be killed soon. She was not an innocent princess who knew nothing of the world like Leah. Leah had died because she was deceived by Allen’s love. But Sarah loved him even though she knew exactly what kind of man he was. At the time, she was confident that his love would eventually turn toward her.

“I will show Allen that he cannot just throw me away.”

She had started this prepared for death. If she had not been prepared for that, she would never have betrayed Leah, who was like a sister, or Richard, whom she regarded as a father. Sarah quickly blew out the candle she was holding and slipped out of the cellar.

Leah and Terran arrived in Galdenzia to attend the Crown Princess selection banquet. Several carriages lined up in a high-end residential area of Brassel, the capital of Galdenzia. Thanks to Terran buying a mansion in advance, they did not need to stay at a hotel. Leah marveled at the house Terran had purchased.

“It is not comparable to the ducal mansion, but it is a wonderful residence.”

The building, built in a Mediterranean temple style, was entirely white. The small garden featured a fountain and an antique pergola. There were many rooms, enough for all the employees they brought along to stay comfortably.

Leah was briefly lost in old memories. The house currently used as Allen’s mansion had once belonged to her and her father. It was a luxurious residence that ranked among the top ten in Brassel. She wondered if the day would ever come when she could reclaim that mansion.

Leah hurriedly snapped out of her thoughts.

“Focus on reality, Leah.”

Looking around, everyone except her was moving busily. Some were unloading luggage from the carriages, and others were already upstairs organizing their rooms.

“Grace, shall we go to the bedroom as well?”

Terran gently took her hand and headed upstairs. The room where the two would stay was the largest bedroom on the upper floor, and its atmosphere was quite different from the ducal mansion. It featured a large balcony, elaborately carved marble pillars, soft sheep’s wool carpets, and luxurious bedding made of a wool and silk blend. It was filled with the unique atmosphere of Galdenzia.

“When can we meet the Earl and Lady Wellington?”

“They agreed to visit tomorrow.”

“Since we are here, I should stop by the general store too.”

“Is Grace thinking only of work?”

“Pardon? Oh!”

Before she could reply, Terran picked Leah up and sat her on the marble railing leading to the balcony. Just then, a warm spring breeze blew in.

“This is so nice, Terran,” Leah murmured unconsciously. Terran did not answer but exhaled a hot breath against her neck.

“The problem is that I am so happy I wonder if it is alright to feel this way.”

“You deserve to be, Terran.”

I am not there yet, though…

Leah needed a bit of a facade for a moment. Terran and she were in different positions. He only needed to enjoy a comfortable life now. However, she still had many tasks to handle. She had to take her revenge without breaking Terran’s happiness.

“Grace, is there anything you want?”

Terran wanted to do everything for her if there was something she desired. He could buy her a house larger than this mansion, and if she wanted a shop, he was willing to purchase any number of them.

“Why so suddenly?”

“It is just a feeling, but you seem to like Brassel. Someone might mistake this for your home country.”

It is my home country. It is a place so familiar that I know every street even if I went out with nothing.

“What is it you want to do for me?”

“Well, should I buy you a bigger house or perhaps a shop?”

At Terran’s words, Grace shook her head.

“I only need Terran by my side. I mean it.”

Leah wrapped her arms around his neck and gazed straight into his eyes. The only thing she wanted from him was the existence of Terran himself. A wave of joy surged in Terran’s eyes. Just as his lips were about to meet hers, the sound of noisy footsteps ruthlessly broke the quiet moment.

“Sister, can I go see the city with Mr. Louis Ballerina?”

It was Chenera, holding a lollipop. Terran and Grace, who were about to kiss, moved away from each other with awkward expressions.

“Go… ahead. You must be back before dinner.”

“Okay!”

“Chenera!” Terran caught Chenera as she was heading out after finishing her business.

“What is it, Mister?”

“You should say Louis Valliere.”

“Ah, Louis Ballerina.”

“Phew! Just go.”

Terran squeezed his eyes shut and waved his hand. Then, he suddenly became curious. Why did Chenera say she was going to see the city with Louis instead of Luke?

“She seems a bit sulky for some reason.”

It was a perfectly possible thing for the child-like Chenera. However, he learned later from James that Luke had gone down to his estate and gotten engaged. Upon finding out, Chenera had started to avoid Luke from that moment on.

The next day, Leah hosted a meeting before starting her schedule.

“Pauline and Madame Armand, go to the McDowell house and deliver the dress. Check if it fits well and inspect the jewelry.”

“Understood.”

“Sonya and Adolf, when Lady Adele arrives, have her try on the dress and ask how she wants her makeup and jewelry.”

“Carmen, of all things,” Sonya muttered, still displeased with Adele’s request.

“And Paul and Tom, please check the dresses we will wear and the Duke’s formal wear for the selection banquet.”

Leah did not want her and the staff to look like a ragtag group, so she had special uniforms made. The women wore matching teal silk dresses, and the men wore teal silk vests over their shirts as accents. She wanted everyone to look like people from the House of Courtois.

“We will do so.”

Leah took the opportunity to thank Terran.

“Terran, the silk from Bertan is wonderful. Thank you.”

“Only in words?”

“Pardon?”

As Leah’s face turned red, clearings of throats and giggles broke out from all around.

“Thank you with your body instead,” Pauline teased Leah in a playful tone.

“Are you joining in too?”

As Leah scolded Pauline, she noticed the sad gaze Chenera cast toward the unkind Luke.

“Chenera…”

Before she could finish her sentence, Chenera went to her room. James clicked his tongue, displeased by Chenera’s lack of manners, but the others said nothing.

“I will try to comfort the Young Lady,” Louis stepped forward.

“How do you plan to comfort her?” Luke asked in a mocking tone, as if he had been waiting.

“Pardon? Oh, I realized the Young Lady does not know how to read well yet. I thought we might go to the bookstore together and buy a writing book.”

“Thank you. That was something even I had not managed to pay attention to.”

Leah was sincerely grateful to Louis. At first, she thought Louis was being nice to Chenera just for show. But now that time had passed, she knew he was a decent person. Leah reflected on her own prejudice; because she had a strong bias against Marchioness Valliere, she had assumed her son would be the same.

“In two days, our efforts will bear fruit. Everyone, please do your best until the last moment.”

Leah encouraged everyone. Since they had made a huge profit from the success of the riding habit, she hoped for success this time as well. Then, Paul surprised Leah with an unexpected comment.

“My Lady, you seem to have excellent business skills. Just like Richard Hamilton, who was called the God of Trade.”

At the mention of her father’s name, Leah’s heart skipped a beat. Everyone stirred at his words. Terran agreed with that sentiment as well. There was not a single person from a merchant background in the Vizak family. On the contrary, they were overflowing with noble pride and were conservative. While it was common for nobles to enter business to build wealth, Aiden believed that loyalty to the family and the state was everything.

Compared to that, what was Grace?

She seems like a businessman to the bone.

From her ideas to her problem-solving skills, there were often times when she seemed like someone who had done a lot of business. Terran suddenly became curious as to why she was so obsessed with business.

Is there another reason I do not know about?

Her dreams were too vast to be called simple self-realization.

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