Chapter 15
There was a clear sense of tension between Terran and Lea. Still, she was relieved that he did not ask why.
“Thank you.”
Lea felt strangely empty at how easily Terran had accepted her decision.
Maybe he had been waiting for this moment. She had become too comfortable here, acting like the duke’s estate was her own home.
“I’ll be going now.”
As she stood and walked toward the door, Terran called out to her.
“Grace, if you see Luke in the hallway, can you let him know I need to speak with him? There is something I forgot to take care of.”
For a moment, she thought he might try to stop her. But his voice was even more formal than usual.
Even after they had spoken about ending their engagement, he seemed completely unaffected.
“What? Oh, alright. I will.”
Lea left the room quickly, almost running away. A part of her felt disappointed by how calmly he accepted her decision. But wishing for a different reaction would have been selfish and unfair.
Maybe this is better.
It was easier to leave with things this way. Not long after, she saw Luke talking to James.
“Luke, the Duke is asking for you.”
“Understood. I’ll head over right away.”
Luke hurried toward the study.
Lea wanted to say goodbye to James, but he looked cheerful talking with Luke, and she didn’t want to ruin the mood.
“James, thank you for everything.”
“Miss Grace, why are you saying that all of a sudden?”
“I just felt it was something I had to say at least once.”
“Is that so?”
James laughed heartily, gave her a respectful bow, and then walked away.
Only then did Lea feel like she was beginning to let go.
I can come back for the necklace one day, together with Father.
The Duke’s estate was the only place Allen could not reach. But if she stayed here too long, she would drift like a ship with no anchor.
Back in her room, Lea stood by the window and stared outside all day. Her heart was heavy with emotions, and her thoughts filled her soul with confusion.
Even as the sunset turned the sky red and evening darkness settled in, her thoughts did not stop.
“Miss, is something bothering you? You haven’t even eaten.”
Pauline came into the room with a tray of food, worried.
Lea knew she could not delay it any longer. She took Pauline’s hand and gently led her to the sofa.
“Pauline, I’m leaving tomorrow.”
“What? What do you mean? Where are you going?”
Pauline reacted exactly as Lea had expected.
“You already know, Pauline. The Duke doesn’t love me.”
“That was in the past. He seems different now.”
Lately, Terran had looked at Grace with more warmth each day.
“How could you leave me here alone?”
“You have to stay here, Pauline.”
“No. Take me with you. I have been with you since we were children. I followed you from the baron’s estate because I trusted you more than anyone.”
Pauline refused to accept it. Her eyes filled with tears.
Lea wished she could take her along, but she could not drag Pauline into the hell she was walking into.
“Pauline, listen to me carefully.”
“What is it?”
“I won’t be able to come back. Ever.”
Because I have to go to hell with Allen.
She could not bring herself to say those words out loud.
She spent a long-time comforting Pauline, who cried and begged her to stay. Since she could not explain the real reason, they kept going in circles with the same questions and answers.
In the end, Lea managed to calm her down. Or maybe Pauline had simply grown too tired to fight anymore.
Lea left the Duke’s estate early in the morning. But at the front gate, a carriage was waiting for her.
What is this?
The coachman stepped down and bowed.
“The Duke asked me to take you safely to the train station.”
“He did?”
Her throat tightened. If she had known, she would have said thank you before leaving.
Now she felt guilty, as if she had only delivered her decision and walked out.
She turned around and took one last look at the estate before climbing into the carriage.
I hope everyone here finds happiness.
She had promised herself not to cry, but the tears came rushing out.
As the carriage began to move, Lea wiped her tears away with the back of her hand and forced herself to stay strong.
Do not cry. You have not even started yet.
Meanwhile, Terran stood by the window, watching as Grace left in the carriage. After a moment, he turned and walked toward her room.
From inside, he could hear Pauline crying. When he entered, Pauline jumped up in surprise.
“Duke, can’t we bring her back?”
“What?”
“Something just feels wrong. She kept saying strange things like she was going off to die.”
“What kind of strange things?”
“She said she would never come back. And she didn’t bring any luggage at all. It really felt like she had no plans to return. Like someone ready to die.”
Even as Pauline spoke, Terran’s eyes stayed fixed on the neatly arranged notebooks sitting on Grace’s vanity.
He had always been curious why she worked so hard clipping and organizing newspaper articles. Now he needed to know what had shaken her so badly that she decided to leave the estate.
He walked to the vanity and picked up the notebooks. She had even numbered them.
She was incredibly thorough.
He let out a soft laugh and opened the first one.
From the very first page, the articles were about Allen McDowell.
Terran looked at Pauline and spoke calmly.
“Pauline, people don’t die that easily.”
“Excuse me?”
Pauline felt a little embarrassed. She had worked herself into such a panic, but the Duke sounded completely relaxed. Maybe Grace had been right after all. Maybe he truly did not care.
“I think I need some tea.”
“I’ll bring it right away.”
After Pauline left, Terran sat down and began reading through the notebooks more carefully.
Most of the articles were about Allen McDowell and the Hamilton Merchant Guild. One article included a report on the death of Lea Hamilton. There was a small ink smudge, as if someone had cried over it and their tears had made the ink run.
Allen McDowell, Lea Hamilton and Grace.
He could understand the connection between Allen and Lea, but there should have been no link between Grace and either of them.
Pauline returned with the tea and poured a warm cup for him.
“Pauline, when did Grace start collecting these newspapers?”
“Right after she recovered from the flu.”
That was the moment everything had started to change. She had suddenly come running into the study, asking for a week’s worth of newspapers.
“Do you think she was in love with this man?”
Terran showed her an old sketch of Allen from one of the articles.
“I really don’t know.”
Pauline tilted her head, trying to remember. At first, she had just thought it was a new hobby. But now that she looked back, whenever Grace was cutting up those articles, her eyes had looked cold and serious.
“But Duke, you know Grace was never very good at hiding her feelings.”
That was true, but that had been before the change.
Terran took a sip of tea and continued reading. As he turned the pages, something heavy began to press on his chest. It was anger, but deeper than anything he had felt before. He was surprised by it and unsure how to handle it.
Every page was filled with Allen McDowell. Why had Grace become so fixated on him? She had only seen him once.
Did she fall for him?
Allen’s behavior was suspicious, but his looks were charming enough. It was possible she had been drawn in.
Maybe that was why she had underlined the Galdensia train schedule.
Did she read the letter?
Terran stood and headed toward his study.
He wondered if she had read the letter addressed to him before she left.
He quickly opened the drawer. The letter was still sealed.
But something else was gone.
Reckless. She left just to see a man she had only met once.
No, Allen would welcome her without hesitation.
Terran closed his eyes tightly. He did not fully understand the emotions rushing through him, but they made his chest burn. He felt angry and betrayed, and it made his entire body tense.
No matter how hard he tried to control it, those feelings would not go away.
As soon as she arrived at the station, Lea bought a ticket to Galdensia. She kept her eyes on the large clock mounted on the wall.
There were only about twenty minutes left until the train was scheduled to arrive. Her hands were sweaty and her heart would not stop pounding.
Station workers were moving quickly.
“The train will be delayed from its scheduled arrival time.”
They shouted the announcement to the waiting passengers. Most people did not seem too bothered. Trains were often delayed.
Lea waited patiently, trying to stay calm. But when noon passed and the afternoon came, the eleven o’clock train still had not arrived. The people around her began to get restless.
“There will be no train service for the next few days.”
The announcement came suddenly. Passengers started complaining and left the station in frustration.
“We’ll have to take a carriage then.”
“If not that, maybe a mail coach.”
People started collecting their belongings and making other plans.
Lea felt just as lost as everyone else. If she could not take the train to Galdensia, she would have to follow the others and find a carriage. But another problem quickly came up.
“We can’t leave Rebon?”
“The city is under lockdown. The police are trying to catch smugglers.”
“Then we’ll take the mail coach.”
Lea hurried to follow the others. But the mail coaches were already full, and the last one had already left.
At that moment, the bell from the clock tower rang, signaling five o’clock.
What do I do now?
Lea stood by the side of the road and stared at the clock, completely frozen. She could not go forward or backward.
Train service was suspended. The city was sealed off. She had not even brought enough money for a hotel.
Should I go back to the Duke’s estate?
But she could not bring herself to do that.
She had asked Terran to break off the engagement and said she was leaving. How could she go back now?
That would be the worst possible ending. She could not do it.
Lea felt the weight of everything crush down on her, and her vision began to fade to black.
