Chapter 5

On the carriage ride back from the funeral, Lea sat across from Terran. She quietly watched the city of Rebon pass by outside the window.

The atmosphere was foreign, but honestly, it wasn’t that different from the capital of Galdensia. Still, she couldn’t ignore the burning gaze directed at her.

“Why is he looking at me like he’s trying to set me on fire?”

She felt unbearably awkward and tense.

Meanwhile, Terran’s suspicion toward Grace only deepened.

“Grace knows how to comfort someone now?”

It was shocking. Grace had always been incredibly self-centered, someone who only did what she liked within the small world she had built for herself.

“She’s been acting strange ever since she said she wanted to attend Lea Hamilton’s funeral.”

Grace used to find it tiresome to visit her own brother in the countryside once a month. She definitely shouldn’t have had any connection to Lea Hamilton.

Terran had an urge to press further. But before he could speak, Grace asked first.

“Duke Courtois, do you have Miss Hamilton’s necklace?”

Lea swallowed hard, waiting for his answer. Since Allen had also asked about the necklace during the funeral, it wasn’t a strange question.

“It was the necklace that told me the body was Lea Hamilton’s.”

At his response, Lea let out a breath of relief.

That meant Terran still had the necklace. The only question was where he had kept it. At least he hadn’t given it to Allen. That was something.

“Then why didn’t you return it to the family?”

“Because that necklace belongs to the head of the Hamilton Trading Company. It should be returned to its rightful owner.”

“I see…”

“It just didn’t sit right with me.”

“Didn’t sit right?”

Lea wanted to ask what he meant, but Terran turned his head and looked out the window without saying more.

Once again, silence filled the space between them.

After a few moments, Terran unexpectedly broke it.

“You’d be better off staying away from Allen McDowell.”

“What? Why do you say that?”

Lea was startled. No one had ever questioned Allen or considered her father innocent. But here was Terran, casting doubt on Allen instead.

“He’s been gathering information on Richard Hamilton for a long time. Empress Theresa tried to seize the company’s assets, but somehow Allen ended up in control. Doesn’t that seem strange?”

“Because he’s the one who framed him,” Lea thought bitterly, though she couldn’t say it aloud.

Allen had probably told the empress that he knew the inner workings of the company better than anyone, and had likely painted himself and the McDowell family as victims too.

Looking back, Lea realized how blindly she had trusted him. She had obsessed over the tree without ever noticing the dangers hidden in the forest.

“Lea, your head really was filled with flowers.”

She was so angry at herself that she could barely keep it in.

Before she could blame Allen for betraying her, she had to face the truth that she had willingly fallen into his trap. Forgiving herself was much harder.

Still, one thing became clear: Terran had been investigating the Hamilton Trading Company. That meant he probably knew what had happened to her father.

“Was the head of the Hamilton Company executed?”

Lea finally forced the question out. Her heart pounded even as she spoke.

“No. He avoided execution. Close friends and fellow merchants stepped in and petitioned the empress to spare his life. He’s been imprisoned on Reef Island.”

“Reef Island?”

Reef Island was a prison in the middle of the sea, used to lock away traitors and political dissidents.

Once sent there, people almost never returned. If they died, their bodies were thrown into the ocean.

Still, if her father was alive, there was hope. Somehow, she could find a way to see him again.

After all, there was the famous case of Count Montes, who managed to survive and escape from that very island.

“Humans are truly the scariest creatures of all.”

Lea’s chest burned with anger. She wanted to scream, to let it all out, but she held herself back.

“As long as Father is alive, that’s enough.”

Even if she had to risk everything, she would find a way to get him out of Reef Island.

She clenched her trembling hands in her lap, hiding them in the folds of her skirt.

Terran, however, never took his eyes off her. He silently observed how her expression changed with every word they exchanged.

Even after returning to the mansion, Lea couldn’t stop thinking about the necklace.

“How should I bring it up naturally?”
She needed to find it. Only then could she access the Hamilton Company’s private records.

“Should I just tell him the truth that I’m actually Lea Hamilton?”

Maybe if she explained that she somehow ended up in Grace’s body and asked for his help, he might believe her.

But she couldn’t imagine how Terran would react.

“He probably wouldn’t believe me. I can barely believe it myself.”

He might think she’d gone insane and send her to an asylum.

Just then, Pauline returned to the room.

“Pauline, where is Duke Courtois?”

“You’re starting to sound like your old self again.”

“What are you talking about?”

“You haven’t paid any attention to him since you were seriously ill. Before that, he was all you cared about.”

It seemed Grace had been completely devoted to Terran. Lea suddenly felt sympathy for her.

She placed a hand on her chest and whispered in her heart.

“Grace, you did more than enough. It’s okay to let go now. Loving someone alone will only destroy you.”

She knew that kind of love all too well. The kind that left nothing behind.

Lea had lost everything. She could no longer trust or fall in love. Whatever feelings of love had existed within her had been buried with her old self, with Lea Hamilton.

“He’s in his office. Dr. Wilson is with him,” Pauline said.

Lea quickly collected herself.

“I’ll go alone.”

She didn’t want Pauline to see her emotions. Hiding her feelings, she left the room quickly.

Revealing her true identity to Terran wasn’t something she could do right now. She didn’t feel ready—not when her own mind was still filled with confusion.

Before she knew it, she was standing in front of his office door. It was slightly open, and she could hear voices inside.

Lea stepped back and stood quietly, waiting for their conversation to end.

“Wilson, did the test results come in?”

Terran’s voice was tense. Dr. Wilson hesitated for a moment before answering.

“I’m truly sorry to have to say this.”

“It’s fine. Just tell me the truth.”

“The results are clear. You’ve lost your ability to function as a man.”

“Damn it… Damn it all!”

Terran cursed loudly, his voice filled with frustration and rage.

“Are you sure? No mistakes?”

“You’ve been tested several times. It’s the injury from the war. I wish I could say something to ease the pain.”

“Don’t bother trying to comfort someone like me, Wilson!”

He shouted again, furious.

Outside, Lea instinctively covered her mouth. She’d just heard something unbelievable and nearly gasped aloud.

“The Duke can’t… be a man anymore?”

Suddenly, something inside the office crashed. Terran was yelling and throwing things in anger.

Lea panicked and quickly ran down the hall, hurrying up the stairs to the second floor. Her head was spinning the whole way back to her room.

“So that’s why he was so cold to Grace?”

She realized now how much he must have been suffering.

Finally, she understood the heavy, dark shadow that always clouded his expression.

Pauline had once told her that Terran had been injured several times during the war with Wales.

Seven long years of brutal combat. He must have endured unimaginable pain. And now, to lose this as well… The weight of his despair was something she could barely imagine.

“And I just assumed he was heartless.”

Lea regretted judging him so quickly.

Inside the office, Terran sank into the couch, struggling to breathe. He ran a hand through his disheveled hair.

“Wilson, keep Aiden’s results a secret.”

“Of course. But I don’t think you’ll be able to hide it from Baron Aiden for long.”

“Hide it forever, if possible.”

Dr. Wilson quietly shook his head. Sooner or later, Aiden would find out.

Trying to cover the truth was like trying to block out the sky with your hand. It was meaningless.

“It’s not your fault, Your Grace.”

“No, it is. Aiden got hurt because he went into battle in my place. All of this happened because of me.”

Terran held his head in his hands, overwhelmed with guilt.

Because of him, the Vizak family line might come to an end. How could he not feel responsible?

Dr. Wilson brought him a sedative and a glass of water. After taking the medicine, Terran slowly began to calm down.

Twenty minutes passed in silence.

Then, he finally spoke.

“Wilson, can I ask you something?”

“Of course.”

“Is it possible for someone to become a completely different person after recovering from a serious illness?”

He couldn’t stop thinking about Grace’s sudden and dramatic change.

This wasn’t just a personality shift. The Grace he once knew felt like she had completely disappeared.

“Yes, that’s possible. Physical pain can change a person’s mental state in big ways.”

Terran nodded slowly, though he still looked troubled.

He didn’t know how to accept this explanation. Pain could change a person, yes—but it couldn’t suddenly make someone fluent in a foreign language.

And what confused him the most… was his own reaction.

“I think I actually like this new Grace.”