Chapter 18
Lea and Pauline returned to the mansion just as the evening set in. The entire way back, the two of them had plenty to talk about, especially concerning Chaner.
“Are you really going to meet that woman again next week?”
Pauline didn’t try to hide her displeasure.
“Yes. She’s just emotionally immature, that’s all. She’s not a bad person.”
“I understand that, but still…”
Pauline couldn’t bring herself to say that Chaner and her grandfather were of Romani origin.
Even though the world had changed a lot, people still had a poor perception of the Romani.
Grace had never seen one in person, so it made sense she wouldn’t be able to recognize them.
“You saw the lacework, didn’t you, Pauline?”
“Yes. Her handwork is unbelievable.”
Even after seeing countless noblewomen while living in Galdensia, Lea had never seen someone wear lace so detailed and skillfully made. She decided she should buy a lace manual next week.
When the carriage stopped in front of the duke’s mansion, Terran and Luke came out to greet them.
“Did you have a good time?”
Terran took Grace’s hand as he spoke.
“Yes. I had such a good time, I barely noticed how tired I was.”
Lea gently slipped her hand out of his grasp as she replied.
No matter how she looked at it, she was still afraid of a man who had once tried to stop an entire duchy just to keep a woman from leaving.
“But what should I do? Grace has somewhere else to go tonight.”
Terran didn’t seem bothered by her rejection at all.
“Right now?”
“Yes.”
Terran led Grace toward the garden for a moment. Then he cupped her cheeks in both hands and looked at her closely.
There was a beast out there trying to steal what was his.
She was a beautiful bird that had almost flown far away from its cage but had barely returned. More than relief, a greedy need to confirm her place filled him again.
Terran was tempted to kiss Grace right then and there, but he held back and instead reached his hand out to her.
“What’s wrong? Why do you look so serious?”
Lea was concerned by the complicated expression on Terran’s face.
“Actually, Allen McDowell came to see me this afternoon.”
“What?”
Lea’s face immediately turned cold.
“He said he had something to say to Grace.”
“To me?”
He was probably going to ask about her father’s necklace. There was no point asking the duke, so now he was aiming for her.
Allen had surely asked the bishop about the necklace on the day of the funeral. And the bishop must have responded the same way he did to her. Now Allen was trying to figure out a way to take the necklace from Terran.
That was just like Allen McDowell.
“If you don’t want to see him, you don’t have to.”
“No, I’ll go. I don’t like that it’s at night, but I still want to hear what he has to say.”
“Really? Alright. Luke will go with you, so you don’t have to worry.”
“Okay. I’ll go to my room, get ready, and come back down.”
“Alright.”
As Terran watched Grace move quickly, the smile vanished from his face. A part of him had hoped she would say she wasn’t going.
When he mentioned Allen’s name, he saw a spark in her eyes. She had only met the man once, at the funeral, yet she seemed to remember him clearly.
Enough to call off the engagement and buy a ticket to Galdensia?
He hadn’t intended to follow her that day, but he still sent someone to the station just in case.
And then it became clear. She really had bought a ticket to Galdensia.
Did she actually like that man? Still, this was how he handled things.
Terran gave a bitter smile. No matter who he fought, he had to strike them hard enough so they could never fight back. That was how he found peace.
The same applied to Grace. He had made sure the situation was so bad that she could never leave Rebon.
Lea headed to the Rebon Hotel with Luke. She held her handbag tightly.
It was a good thing she had brought her gun.
She didn’t know if she could actually shoot Allen. But it showed just how angry she truly was. Even she couldn’t predict what she would do once she saw him.
“Miss, please don’t worry. I’ll be right by your side the entire time you speak with Mr. Allen McDowell.”
“Thank you, Luke.”
Of course. Allen would probably try to seduce her with that charming face of his. Try to make her steal the necklace from Terran.
That had always been his tactic, and she had been a fool for realizing it too late.
She was beyond relieved that Terran had the necklace now.
No matter how powerful Allen had become, he wouldn’t be able to challenge Terran so easily.
Finally, the carriage arrived at the Rebon Hotel.
“Room 204.”
Luke already knew which room Allen was staying in, without needing to stop at the front desk.
Lea followed Luke toward the room. Her heart pounded the entire time they climbed the stairs to the second floor.
She had once thought about chasing him to Galdensia to kill him. But now, she had come all the way here on her own two feet.
It felt like the flames inside her chest, which had calmed down for a while, were burning again.
At last, they reached Room 204.
Lea forced herself to control the anger rising inside. She had to look calm and composed.
But then, strange and intimate noises drifted from inside the room, loud enough to hear from the hallway.
Lea looked at Luke, and he quickly turned his head away, clearly embarrassed.
“Miss, should we just go back?”
“No. It was Mr. McDowell who asked to meet. He asked me to come tonight, so I need to hear what he has to say.”
Even after Lea finished speaking, the moaning and sounds from inside continued. Luke finally knocked on the door, and only then did the noise stop.
Lea waited for someone to open the door.
What was his real reason for calling her up to his room like this?
Maybe he felt uncomfortable bringing up the necklace in a place with so many people. No matter how she thought about it, that seemed like the only possible reason.
At last, there was a click, and the door opened. But the moment the door separated them, the expressions on Allen and Lea’s faces were completely different.
Allen stood shirtless, with only a towel wrapped around his lower body.
“Miss Grace? Why are you here today?”
Allen looked completely caught off guard. His face was pale with shock.
“I thought you told me to come today.”
“No, I didn’t mean today…”
Allen fumbled his words and ran a hand through his hair in frustration. Then a woman’s voice came from inside the room.
“Allen, who is it?”
It was probably the woman he had just been in bed with. She walked toward the door with nothing but a blanket wrapped around her.
When Lea saw her, her face went pale.
Sarah. Why is she here?
It was Sarah, the maid who had once served her.
“Allen, who is that woman?”
Sarah looked at Lea with clear suspicion, her eyes scanning her from head to toe.
“Sarah, please be quiet for a moment.”
Allen looked desperate to manage the situation somehow.
Were they really involved like that?
Sarah had always been a loyal maid. Lea had treated her like family, like a sister. She had trusted her with everything. To think that trust had been a complete lie.
So, Sarah betrayed her and gave everything to Allen?
Lea’s knees nearly gave out, and she almost collapsed on the spot. But she couldn’t let them see her like that.
“Miss Grace, I believe there has been a misunderstanding.”
“A misunderstanding?”
“I wasn’t supposed to meet you today…”
Before Allen could finish, Sarah cut him off.
“Allen, is that why you told me to go back to Galdensia tomorrow? Because of her?”
“Sarah, please. We are in the middle of a conversation.”
Their voices began to rise as they started arguing.
“Luke, it seems Mr. McDowell got the date wrong. Let’s go.”
“Yes, Miss.”
As Lea turned around, Allen shouted after her.
“It wasn’t supposed to be today. I will contact you again.”
Wretched people. I hope they both rot.
She left the hotel, cursing them silently in her heart.
Lea was filled with rage at Sarah’s betrayal. They had probably been exchanging secret looks behind her back, planning their schemes together.
There were times when Lea had genuinely worried about what happened to Sarah.
But Sarah had not only shared all of Lea’s actions with Allen, she had also mocked her by enjoying secret meetings with him.
Sarah must have been the one who told him about the necklace. She knew all about it. She knew it was something her father always kept with him. That was how much Lea had trusted her.
You will be thrown away too, like something useless.
Allen was not the kind of man who would truly recognize a maid as his woman. She was just a tool, someone he would use as long as she was useful and toss aside when she was not.
How could you do that?
Her father had taken Sarah in when she was just a poor girl abandoned at a shelter. He had given her food, clothes, and work.
If she had any conscience, she never should have done this to him.
Lea Hamilton, you have really lived your life foolishly.
She didn’t even realize the people closest to her had stabbed her in the back. She had even considered trying to help Sarah if she had ended up in prison.
Is there anyone in this world more foolish than you?
Lea clenched the fabric of her dress tightly with both hands, trying to hold herself together.
“Miss, are you alright?”
Luke asked with concern.
“I just feel disgusted. I still don’t understand why he called me to his room.”
“It looks like Mr. McDowell confused the date.”
“Luke, I don’t want to waste another second thinking about it.”
“Understood.”
The carriage returned to the duke’s mansion. Terran was still waiting in the lobby for Grace to come back.
When the carriage stopped, Luke stepped out first and gave Terran a small nod. Only then did a faint smile appear on Terran’s face.
The day Allen had visited the mansion, Terran had asked Luke to investigate him. As he expected, Allen had checked into the hotel with a woman.
He had probably planned to send the woman away before meeting Grace, pretending nothing happened.
“Did everything go well?”
Terran asked with a calm voice. From Grace’s expression, he could tell something had gone wrong.
“I only witnessed something disgusting.”
Lea briefly explained what had happened at the hotel.
“Why was it disgusting? Did you perhaps have feelings for Allen McDowell?”
Terran did not try to hide his question. The collection of newspaper clippings she had saved about Allen was enough to make him suspicious.
“That’s…”
Lea couldn’t bring herself to answer. But when she saw the doubt in Terran’s eyes, she finally realized it.
He thinks there was something between me and Allen.
