Chapter 9
Lea regained her strength two days after taking the herbal medicine. At first, she couldn’t handle the bitter taste and often threw it back up.
“Miss, do you know how rare this medicine is?”
Pauline had cried, pacing nervously.
It was the only medicine that could save Lea, and it had taken Terran great effort to get it.
“I’ll feed it to you one spoon at a time, so please try to swallow it.”
The medicine helped, but it was also Pauline’s dedication that pulled Lea through the worst of it.
Now, she was well enough to sit up in bed.
“Pauline, is this medicine really from the Eastern Continent?”
“Yes, it is.”
Lea had heard about medicine from the East. Even though the Hamilton Trading Company didn’t deal in it, she had seen rare items from all over the world every time the trade ships came in.
“Do you know how the Duke got it?”
Pauline shared what she had heard from Luke about Terran’s fight with the Rapa gang.
Before going in, Terran had ordered explosives to be planted around their base, intending to blow up the entire building if necessary.
“Is that true?”
Lea’s eyes widened. She never imagined Terran doing something so aggressive.
She had always thought of him as cold and distant, someone who only knew how to glare sharply at the world.
He had seemed like a man who didn’t care about anything, always bored and silent. It shocked her to know he could feel desperate or driven to act.
“Well, it would be a big problem for him if Grace died.”
Terran felt guilty about Aiden. That guilt likely made him determined to keep Grace alive at all costs.
She remembered how he had shown signs of trauma from the war back in the cabin. Beneath that, there seemed to be a deep sense of responsibility, like he had to protect Grace in Aiden’s place.
In a way, Lea felt sorry for him. He hadn’t healed from his own pain, and it looked like he didn’t even have time to care for himself. Still, he was trying to take care of others.
She believed he would continue to do his best to protect the people around him.
Lea also knew that she couldn’t afford to die in Grace’s body. Even if it was selfish, she decided to hold on for now, letting Terran’s concern and protection keep her going.
“Thank you, Pauline. You really took care of me with so much love.”
Lea reached out and held Pauline’s hand. Pauline’s face turned bright red and she quickly looked away.
“Does she always become a different person when she gets sick?”
Grace had never thanked her before. Whenever things didn’t go well with Terran, she usually took it out on Pauline instead.
“Maybe people only grow up after they go through real hardship.”
This new kindness still felt strange, but it wasn’t unpleasant. Pauline just worried that Grace might suddenly go back to the way she used to be.
Just then, there was a knock on the door. Pauline already knew who it was and quickly opened it.
“Grace, you’re awake.”
Terran looked relieved as soon as he saw her sitting up. Pauline quietly stepped out of the room to give them space.
“Lord Courtois, I’m sorry for making you worry.”
Now that she was facing him, Lea wasn’t sure where to begin. She already knew what he had gone through to get the medicine. She couldn’t pretend she didn’t know.
“Pauline told me. That medicine was really hard to get, wasn’t it?”
“It wasn’t difficult.”
“What?”
“In a fight, do you know what matters most?”
His question came out of nowhere.
Lea hesitated. She had never been in a real fight. Though, she still had her own battle with Allen to face someday.
“Skill?”
“No. The first strike.”
“The first strike?”
“You hit hard and fast so the other side doesn’t even have a chance to fight back.”
So that’s what the explosives were for.
Only someone like Terran would think of something like that.
Lea wanted to keep the conversation going with the right words, but nothing came out. The words just spun around in her mouth.
It was hard to speak when Terran was looking at her with such intensity. His eyes burned with such sharp focus that it felt like her face might catch fire.
“Don’t get sick again.”
Lea looked up, startled.
It was a simple thing to say, but it didn’t feel simple.
That one sentence held more than the duty of a protector. It carried genuine concern and emotion.
“Lord Courtois, may I ask you something?”
Lea suddenly felt guilty. He was showing her real care, but the soul inside Grace’s body didn’t belong to Grace. If Terran ever found out the truth, it would feel like a terrible betrayal.
“Go ahead.”
“Do you believe in God?”
“What?”
Lea had said she wanted to ask a question, but what came out sounded like something only heretics might believe.
It was understandable that Terran looked so confused, but for Lea, this was a very important question. Soon, she would have to show more of her true self—Lea, not Grace. That would only make things more confusing for him and complicate the situation even further.
“You know those things you hear in stories? Like waking up inside a book as someone else, or going back in time before you die, or even when people’s souls get switched. Do you believe those things can happen?”
Lea blinked slowly, waiting for his answer.
Terran, meanwhile, was momentarily speechless. Each time she blinked, her violet-blue eyes sparkled like precious stones. He suddenly realized how beautiful her eyes were.
He had seen her for years, yet never noticed this before.
He lowered his head slightly, trying to calm the sudden flutter in his chest. It wasn’t her strange question that had thrown him off. It was the way his heart reacted to her eyes.
“I know it’s a strange question, but I was just curious.”
“I believe in what can be proven. Not in gods or miracles. I believe in science.”
Terran lifted his head and answered firmly. Lea, who had been tense, finally let out a breath and smiled slightly.
“Me too. I believe in the kind of knowledge that scientists discover through years of study.”
I used to believe in it. Not anymore.
“Grace, I don’t think you’re fully recovered yet.”
Terran gently helped her lie back down, pulled the blanket up to her chin, and quietly left the room.
Magic. Soul-swapping. Time travel. Was it the side effects of the medicine?
He shook his head and walked down the hall. But suddenly, he stopped, turned back, and stared at the door to Grace’s room.
Switched souls?
Hadn’t he thought something similar just recently? He had dismissed it immediately, thinking it was nonsense. But the way Grace had changed so completely… It had crossed his mind.
Still, he was part of a generation raised on modern science. Electricity, telegrams, steam trains, mass production in factories. This was not an era that welcomed beliefs in mysterious phenomena.
No, it couldn’t be true.
Terran shook his head, clearing the thought from his mind.
In the Lubeck Empire, June had the perfect weather for being outdoors. Lea had fully recovered from pneumonia, and Terran’s gunshot wound had also healed. They were both back to normal life.
That weekend, everyone gathered in the garden to enjoy tea together.
Each time Terran looked at Grace, seated across from him sipping tea, memories from that night returned without warning.
He remembered how she had wiped the tears from his eyes and gently soothed the painful, rotting wounds deep in his heart. All she did was touch him, yet it felt like her hand had reached places no one else ever could.
And her words had sounded like the truth he had longed to hear.
“You gave your all in battle and brought peace to Lubeck. So please, don’t blame yourself.”
She had pressed her small body against his cold one, doing her best to warm them both.
“I know this is improper, but it’s the only way we’ll survive the night. Even if it’s uncomfortable, please bear with it.”
He could still feel the touch of her head on his chest. It was like a white dove brushing gently against the scorched remains of his heart.
What was happening to him?
His heart began to pound wildly. He blinked, startled.
How ridiculous.
Was he really sitting here, getting flustered over such thoughts?
He quickly looked away, only to lock eyes with James, who was approaching quickly with a serious expression.
“Your Grace, a letter has arrived from overseas.”
“A letter?”
“It appears to be from the royal family of Turki.”
Terran examined the envelope. Only the recipient’s address was written in the common language, with no information about the sender.
But the stamp bore the face of the Sultan of Turki, making the origin fairly obvious.
He opened the envelope and read the contents. His face quickly turned grim.
“I have no idea what it says.”
“If even you don’t know, what are we supposed to do?” James asked, looking concerned. He knew Terran was supposed to be on friendly terms with the Sultan.
“I can speak a little Turki, but I can’t read or write it. Their language isn’t exactly easy.”
“Then we’ll need to find a translator or an interpreter.”
“Looks like it.”
Lea, who had been quietly observing, hesitated.
I can read and write Turki.
The Hamilton Trading Company had done considerable business with Muslim regions, so they had a good number of books in that language.
She had also interacted with many Turki merchants since she was young, and picked up the language naturally over time.
But if I speak up, will it seem too out of character for Grace?
Surely, others would find it strange. But if she wanted to earn Terran’s trust and ultimately get that necklace, she had to take a risk.
Besides, didn’t the Duke say himself that he only believes in science?
So, the idea that she might not be Grace would never even cross his mind.
“I’m curious too. I’d like to see what Turki script looks like.”
Lea feigned innocent curiosity. The key was to test Terran’s reaction first.
Surprisingly, Terran casually handed her the letter.
Finally, Lea read it.
They’re sending five camels as a gift?
She recognized most of the words, though a few were unfamiliar.
“You won’t be able to make sense of it,” Terran said offhandedly as he sipped his tea.
“James, do we have a Turki dictionary in the study?”
“Unfortunately, we don’t,” James replied.
Terran finally set down his teacup and observed Grace’s reaction closely.
Surely, she didn’t know Turki too, not on top of Landes.
Still, he was curious. What would she surprise him with this time?
“What does it say?”
“It’s not a perfect translation, but I think the Sultan of Turki is sending five camels as a gift to Duke Courtois.”
Terran, James, and even Pauline, who had been pouring tea froze all at once.
