Chapter 16
Late in the evening, Lea arrived at the church. It was the same place where her own funeral had been held. Wandering alone at night as a woman was dangerous, so she came to the safest place she could think of.
Since people often came to pray even in the early morning, the church doors were left open. Lea was able to step inside.
She clasped her hands and closed her eyes.
What was I trying to do when I left the duke’s estate?
Now that her plans had failed, the burning desire for revenge inside her had faded like smoke. She should have gone straight to Galdensia while she still had that momentum.
Would dying with Allen really be the end?
Lea began to question the very idea of her revenge.
Was this really the kind of revenge she wanted?
Shouldn’t she have tried to expose Allen’s crimes and the conspiracy he led, to clear the Hamilton Guild’s name and reveal the truth?
Killing Allen might be a part of it, but what did Grace ever do to deserve being dragged into this?
She had made a promise not to tarnish Grace’s name.
Maybe I rushed too much.
She felt no better than a moth blindly throwing itself into a flame. She had lost control the moment she heard that the Hamilton stores were being sold.
Allen spent years planning to steal the Hamilton Guild.
So why did she believe that killing Allen would be enough?
Even if he disappeared, the world would not change. The Hamilton Guild would still be branded as traitors.
Why are you not trying harder, Lea?
Letting emotions control you is no solution.
She felt ashamed of herself. At the very least, Allen deserved to know why he was being punished before he died.
If she walked up and shot him while hiding inside Grace’s body, yes, he would die. But he would never understand what he did wrong or feel even a moment of regret.
Is this really the revenge you wanted, Lea Hamilton?
Lea trembled and began to cry with her hands still clasped.
Father, I miss you.
Tonight, she missed him so much it hurt to her bones. And she felt deeply ashamed.
She called it revenge, but all she had planned was to borrow a stranger’s body and fire a gun.
She didn’t even know how to load a bullet. All she had done was throw herself forward, consumed by anger.
What am I supposed to do now?
Her rage was overflowing like molten lava, but she had no path forward.
She couldn’t reveal her true identity to anyone, and that made everything worse.
Tears flowed down her face without end.
Father, I can’t live without getting revenge on Allen.
But she didn’t know how to do it.
Allen was no longer just a struggling noble. He was now the wealthy owner of the McDowell Trading Company, a powerful and well-connected man.
She was nothing in comparison. A woman with no influence, no resources, and no power. How could someone like her possibly fight him?
Terran tapped the desk with his fingers and glanced at the clock.
At that moment, the bells rang to announce midnight.
He stood up at once, and Luke brought his cloak and helped him put it on.
If the royal family finds out we damaged the railway, there will be an uproar.
Luke muttered in frustration.
He still could not believe the ridiculous order Terran had given him the day before.
To stop Grace from leaving, they had damaged the train tracks and placed the entire city of Rebon under tight surveillance.
If the royal family finds out, it will only mean you failed to keep it secret.
That’s not fair.
But the consequences were already clear.
With just a few broken rails, there would be no trains leaving Rebon for several days. Carriages were also restricted.
Terran walked through the lobby on his way to the carriage.
Do you even know where she is?
It’s obvious.
He answered bluntly and climbed into the carriage.
Luke watched silently as Terran left the estate alone, shaking his head.
He could have just held on to her.
But now Luke understood clearly.
Terran’s feelings for Grace were real.
And when it came to the woman he wanted, Terran had an obsessive need for control that went far beyond what anyone could imagine.
At that moment, James approached Luke.
The Duke is simply someone who struggles to start. But once he becomes aware of his emotions, he loves with the intensity of a war.
That is true. When he talked about destroying the Rapa building, I should have known something was coming.
Luke began to feel sorry for Grace.
Did she even realize it? That she might never be able to escape from Terran?
When the carriage stopped in front of the church, Terran stepped out without hesitation.
He knew Grace was not the kind of woman who would spend the night in a hotel or the station.
Of course, the old Grace would never have done anything so reckless in the first place.
When he opened the church doors, he immediately saw the back of a familiar figure.
For some reason, she looked more fragile and smaller than ever before.
Terran slowly walked toward her, but stopped after a few steps.
She’s crying?
Grace was sobbing, her shoulders shaking with sorrow. Her tears made it impossible for him to move.
He had no idea why she had tried to leave him or why she was now crying with such regret.
That was the mystery. There was something she was hiding from him.
And the doubt he had buried deep in his heart suddenly surfaced again.
Was she really the Grace he knew?
It was a ridiculous thought, but it was there all the same. That someone else’s soul had entered her body, turning her into a completely different person.
Is something like that even possible?
Terran had already pushed those thoughts aside when he visited Aiden. He had decided to like Grace just as she was.
If they ever met again, he had planned to make her realize that leaving him would not be so easy.
But when he saw how sad she looked, something inside him ached. He could not approach her recklessly.
It really is hard.
Watching someone cry was difficult enough, but watching the woman he cared about cry made it unbearable.
He quietly sat beside Grace and simply watched her for a while.
Lea did not believe in God. But in that moment, she wished someone, anyone, would guide her.
She lifted her head and looked up at the cross.
That was when she sensed someone sitting next to her. She turned her head quickly.
“Terran?”
How did he know she was here?
Lea stared at him in shock while Terran looked calmly back at her.
He had no intention of leaving her behind. Right now, Grace looked so delicate and fragile, like a wildflower soaked in rain.
Even in tears, she was breathtaking. Her sadness was so deep it felt like it pierced through him.
In that moment, something inside him snapped.
Terran reached out, held her face gently, and kissed her.
Lea’s eyes widened. She tried to pull away.
The more she resisted, the more it felt like she was caught in something she could not escape.
Without realizing it, she gave in and slowly closed her eyes.
His kiss was warm, steady, and full of comfort. To someone drowning in despair, it felt like being offered a hand. She had never known such quiet relief.
Her tears slid between their lips.
When she slightly opened her mouth, heat rushed through her. It was a kiss full of longing and emotion.
Terran ran his hand through her soft golden hair. She placed both hands on his shoulders, steadying herself.
He pulled her close, making sure she could not drift away from him again.
When the kiss ended, they stayed still for a moment, eyes closed, as the feeling lingered.
Lea was the first to speak.
“I don’t want this if it’s something forced.”
“If it upset you, then I’m sorry. I only wanted to comfort you.”
“But still…”
She regretted letting herself lean on him. She had been too tired and broken to think clearly.
“How did you know I was here?”
“A Duke knows everything that happens in his city.”
Terran did not give a real answer.
You tried to leave me, Grace. That is something I will never accept.
“I understand.”
Terran looked at her. She looked like she could break at any moment. He reached out his hand. He would never tell her what had happened today.
“It’s time to go back.”
“But I… I told you I wanted to break off the engagement. I said I was leaving.”
She had meant every word. Was he pretending none of that mattered?
“That was your choice. I never agreed to it.”
“But when I said I was leaving, you told me to go.”
“And yet you didn’t.”
“I had my reasons.”
“Grace, don’t you think we have things we need to talk about seriously?”
“I’m not someone who deserves to be your fiancée.”
That part was true. Terran didn’t know what kind of secret she was carrying.
“Then let me ask you this. Am I not good enough to be your fiancé? Because I believe I am.”
He didn’t give her the chance to respond.
Lea’s eyes widened slightly.
He asked the question, then gave the answer himself.
When she asked him to break off the engagement, he stayed calm. He even sent a carriage to take her to the station.
That had surprised her. Everything had gone so smoothly that she had forced herself not to think too hard about it.
But it was never just a coincidence.
The train never came. The entire city of Rebon had been locked down.
It was almost like someone had deliberately shut every path she could take, like a farmer trapping animals in a pen.
If someone had the power to pull all that off, they would have to be incredibly influential.
Someone like Terran Courtois, the First Duke of Rubeck.
Was it possible that all the trains and carriages stopped today because of him?
She already knew the answer.
Terran took her hand, led her out of the church, and helped her into the carriage.
“Was it really you, Terran? The one who stopped the trains and sealed off Rebon?”
“Yes.”
“Oh my God.”
She never imagined it was possible. He had stopped an entire city just to keep her from leaving.
That was when she finally understood.
She was nothing more than a small bird, trapped in Terran’s golden cage.
“Why would you go that far?”
“Because your heart was wrong.”
“What do you mean?”
“You figured it out, didn’t you? From the beginning, your will and your plan were all wrong.”
Lea stopped breathing for a second.
He spoke as if he had looked directly into her soul.
And with those words, he shattered the last bit of pride she had left.
“If you were truly desperate to leave, you would have come to me and asked for help. If you had time to protect your pride, then it means you weren’t truly desperate.”
Terran wasn’t completely right, but he wasn’t wrong either.
If she had been fully committed to putting a bullet in Allen’s head, she should have asked Terran for help.
She could have asked him to take her to Galdensia.
But instead, she had let doubt take over her heart and lose faith in her own plans.
Terran didn’t understand. People don’t always act in straight lines.
“Whatever you dream of and whatever you try to do has to happen inside my world.”
Terran’s voice was calm but sharp, like a warning. Then he said no more.
Lea stayed quiet for the rest of the ride.
When the carriage finally reached the main house, Terran looked at her with a different kind of intensity.
He gently held her face in his hand.
“If there is something you want, I will give it to you. I will be your strength. But there is one thing you must never forget.”
“What is it?”
“I will not break off our engagement. In fact, we will be married soon. And one more thing.”
She held her breath.
“There can be no other man in your heart but me.”
