Chapter 6

Lea wasn’t feeling well. She used to believe her life was the only one falling apart, but it turned out that everyone had their own share of pain, big or small.

Just then, the door opened and Pauline came bustling in.

Thud!

She dropped the latest newspaper on the table with a sigh.

“Miss, you’re clearly not fully recovered. And now you’re suddenly into newspapers?”

“Did you bring the glue?”

“I did. Are you going to start cutting and pasting articles again?”

Lately, Pauline found watching Grace quite amusing. The flu had completely changed her.

The old Grace would wake up and her first words would be, “Mirror,” or “Where’s Terran?” But now, she didn’t even mention the Duke.

The other day, she had asked for a week’s worth of newspapers. Since then, every time Terran read one, Grace asked for it and carefully cut out articles to paste into a notebook.

“It’s a new hobby.”

Lea was clipping out only the articles related to Allen and the Hamilton Trading Company, and pasting them into a blank notebook. She was already on her second one.

“That’s a boring hobby.”

Pauline muttered beside her, but still helped by neatly applying glue to the clippings.

“But the man in this article—Allen, I saw him in real life, and he’s really handsome.”

“You saw him?”

“Yes, I saw him going into the church on the day of the funeral.”

Pauline grinned as she looked at Allen’s photo in the newspaper.

“I see.”

‘He is handsome. And the foolish girl who fell for that face… was me.’

Lea had fallen for him so easily, not knowing the ugly greed hiding behind that perfect face.

As she continued collecting articles, she started to notice more people connected to Allen showing up.

‘I won’t rush things.’

Revenge required careful planning and solid information. Just like Allen had falsely accused the Hamilton’s, she would wait and act just as cautiously.

‘Still, I need to get closer to the Duke.’

What mattered most right now was getting the necklace back from Terran. And for that, it was best to stay on good terms with him.

‘Even though he got engaged to Grace, why hasn’t he moved forward with the wedding? Could it really be because of what I heard?’

Terran had once snapped at Grace, telling her to stop whining.

Lea had a feeling that he either wasn’t interested in marriage or simply wasn’t ready for it.

If that was true, then pressuring him like Grace had would be the wrong move. Besides, she had no intention of marrying him anyway.

‘Faith, hope, love… and marriage. They can all go to hell.’

Just then, there was a knock on the door. Luke peeked his head in.

“The Duke is here.”

Why was he suddenly here without notice? It wasn’t like he had any business with her. Lea’s mind started to race.

“This is unexpected! The Duke is coming all the way to your room?”

Startled, Pauline quickly began tidying up the mess of newspaper clippings scattered around the room.

Lea shut her notebook and pushed it to the side of the vanity.

There wasn’t enough time to clean everything perfectly, so she kicked the clutter aside with her foot before greeting Terran.

“Grace, how are you feeling?”

Despite her effort to clean up, Terran immediately noticed everything as soon as he stepped in.

The cut-up newspapers, the scent of glue, and the thick notebooks on the vanity—he saw it all.

“I’m completely recovered.”

Then, Terran bent down and picked up a piece of newspaper that had fallen to the floor. The article seemed to be about someone in particular.

‘Allen McDowell? Is she collecting articles about him?’

It was just a guess. Until he looked inside that notebook himself, he wouldn’t jump to conclusions.

“A new hobby?”

“Yes…? I thought I should learn more about what’s happening in the world.”

“Is that so? That’s quite a productive hobby.”

He gave his usual polite smile and didn’t press further.

His deep black eyes looked at Grace.

Her face was bare, her clothes were simple, and there were ink stains on her hands—probably from cutting and pasting.

Most of all, even with him standing right there, she kept a respectful distance, chose her words carefully, and no longer acted impulsively like she used to.

Terran, let’s go on a date. I want to ride boats and see pretty flowers at the amusement park. Please?

“Do you know what day it is tomorrow?”

Terran asked, looking at Grace.

What day? Is it Grace’s birthday? What could it be?

Lea’s eyes darted back and forth, and Terran’s brows slightly furrowed. His eyes narrowed.

His expression said, how could you forget something that important?

“Tomorrow’s the day we go to Bern to see your brother, Miss!”

Pauline, quick as ever, answered in her place.

“Oh, right! Thank you, Pauline. I totally forgot.”

At Lea’s response, Terran tilted his head slightly, a puzzled look on his face.

No matter what, Grace had never once forgotten about visiting Aiden.

“As always, only the two of us will go. Make sure you’re ready.”

Terran gave Pauline a few instructions and immediately turned to leave.

‘Why isn’t she stopping me?’

Normally, as soon as he turned to go, Grace would come running after him and wrap her arms around his waist.

He had nearly reached the door when he paused and turned his head to look back at her.

“Do you have anything else to say?”

To his surprise, it was she who asked him that. Terran looked at the overly polite Grace, then let his eyes rest on the notebook she was trying to hide.

‘Why is this making me so curious?’

Terran shook his head slightly, as if it was nothing, and walked out of the room.

Every time he encountered this new version of her, it felt like a small sandstorm sweeping through the dry, barren desert of his life.

Early in the morning, Lea set off for Bern with Terran. It was a three-hour journey by carriage.

Pauline had packed several bottles of whiskey, saying it was Baron Aiden’s favorite.

The ride was quiet. They made the occasional small talk about the scenery passing outside the window. About an hour in, Lea spoke.

“It’s starting to rain.”

She wiped the raindrops from her hand after holding it out the window.

“If it gets heavier, it could be a problem.”

Terran also seemed bothered by the weather and kept glancing outside.

Just then, the carriage came to a halt and the coachman hurried up to them.

“Your Grace, there’s heavy rain in Basel. I don’t think we can take that route. If you approve, I’ll take a different path.”

He said another passing coach had stopped to warn them. The roads through Basel were flooded and muddy, and if they got stuck, the wheels might sink, making it impossible to go forward or turn back.

“Go ahead.”

“Understood, sir.”

The coachman turned the horses around and guided the carriage onto a more secluded forest road.

It was still raining there too, but not as hard, so the carriage could continue without much trouble.

“The meadow’s beautiful. I can even see a shepherd’s cottage over there.”

Lea spoke without thinking, her voice soft with wonder. But Terran didn’t respond.

Instead, he simply stared at her.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

Every time Lea met Terran’s sharp gaze, it made her nervous.

When she looked into his eyes, she felt like there was no use pretending—no lie or mask could hold up.

“Grace, you seem very different lately.”

“People are social beings, aren’t they? We change depending on the situations and experiences we face.”

Terran almost laughed at the thought. Grace saying something like that? Had the flu switched her soul with someone else’s?

But what she said was true. He hadn’t always been this cold or bitter. He had changed while enduring the trials that fell upon his family and surviving the horrors of war.

Just then, the carriage jolted violently, and loud noises erupted from outside.

“Your Grace! Bandits!”

The coachman shouted in panic. It seemed they had taken the quiet forest road only to fall right into the path of bandits.

Gunshots rang out. Bullets struck the carriage.

“The coachman!”

Lea saw one of the drivers get hit and fall from his seat.

Terran quickly stood up and pulled on the armrest of his seat. The seat lifted open to reveal a hidden compartment underneath.

‘It wasn’t a chair, it was a chest?’

With a serious expression, Terran turned to Lea.

“Get in, Grace.”

“What? Just me?”

She looked at him in confusion, but Terran didn’t wait. He pushed her into the long compartment.

“Don’t come out until I open the lid. No matter what.”

Before she could respond, Terran firmly shut the lid of the seat.

Without hesitation, he opened the seat opposite him and pulled out a long rifle.

Gunfire continued as the bandits, riding on horseback, fired at them. The horses broke away from the carriage under the pressure of the attack.

Terran quickly loaded his weapon and began shooting back. He fired with steady hands, defending both the front and back with practiced precision.

Fortunately, they weren’t heading downhill. The carriage was slowing down instead of speeding up.

If they had been near a cliff, the carriage could have gone over the edge and shattered before the bandits even reached them. Terran knew he had to take them out quickly before the carriage came to a complete stop, which would give the bandits a chance to surround them.

He could feel the bullets slicing through the air and moved instinctively, using the sound and motion to locate the enemies outside the window.

With sharp reflexes, he lifted his rifle and fired clean shots, each one hitting its target.

The gunfire echoing through the forest and the danger around him pushed his body into action. Everything felt natural, like muscle memory from battle.

“Aaagh!”

One by one, the bandits fell as Terran shot them down. But there were still too many left.

Luckily, he had plenty of bullets. His training as a soldier meant he always kept rifles and ammunition inside the carriage.

More shots came from the forest. Bullets struck the carriage again, and this time one of the wheels collapsed. The last coachman had already run away into the woods.

The constant gunfire tore holes into the carriage, and the roof looked like it might fall apart at any moment.

“It’s been a while since I’ve really stretched.”

With cold determination, Terran climbed out through the roof, spun around, and fired in every direction.

His movements were sharp and instinctive. He didn’t need to see clearly—he could sense where the enemy was. His skill was the result of surviving countless battles. Because of that, the bandits were taken down within minutes.

Suddenly, Terran felt something behind him. He turned and fired without hesitation.

Two gunshots rang out, followed by a scream. Terran’s bullet struck the bandit’s head, but the bandit’s shot also hit—piercing Terran’s shoulder.

“Ah…!”

Terran dropped to the floor of the carriage, groaning in pain.

“Duke Courtois!”

Lea, who had been holding her breath inside the seat, rushed out the moment she heard his voice. When she saw him, her eyes widened. His shoulder was bleeding heavily.

“I’ll help you.”

Lea grabbed only what they needed and supported Terran as she helped him out of the carriage.

“More of them might come. We have to leave before they do.”

This forest was likely where the bandits were based. Lea turned toward the meadow they had passed earlier and began moving in that direction.

“Ugh…”

Terran stumbled, his legs shaky from the blood loss.