Interest Compounds on Revenge (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 11
Lea had decided to wait for Terren in front of the bookstore. If she moved around needlessly, they might just miss each other.
Yet even though it was “in front of the bookstore,” the stares from passersby toward a woman standing alone at dusk were painfully sharp.
Moreover, since she wasn’t holding anything in her hands, she must have looked even more suspicious.
Just then, a gentleman who had been lingering near the adjacent building approached Lea.
“Young lady, perhaps I could assist you?”
“No…? I’m fine, thank you.”
‘He must think I’m a prostitute.’
Lea slowly stepped aside to avoid the stranger, but he followed and pressed closer.
“At this hour, alone? It’s pretty obvious, isn’t it?”
“That’s not it at all.”
She was nearly on the verge of tears. If only Pauline were here, he wouldn’t dare treat her so disrespectfully.
Lea tried to move away from him, but he grabbed her shoulder.
“Let go of me!”
Lea thrashed and screamed loudly. At that moment, a fist flew out of nowhere and struck the man hard.
“Duke Courtois!”
His hair was disheveled, his tie loosened, and his fist tightly clenched. Above all, his face was utterly furious.
Terren, still not having calmed down, moved toward the fallen man—but Lea immediately rushed forward and wrapped her arms around his waist.
“Please stop!”
As she clung to him, Lea burst into tears. Lea Hamilton, who had always been proud and strong, never shedding a tear before, had cried far too often since becoming Grace.
Of course, it wasn’t Grace’s fault. It was her own for being swept here by the storm of misfortune.
“Let’s go.”
Terren must have summoned a carriage, as it was already waiting on the road.
As Lea hurriedly tried to climb aboard, Terren lifted her gently as if placing a bouquet and settled her into her seat.
Lea quickly wiped her tears with the back of her hand—she didn’t want to appear as a woman who constantly wept.
“Sorry I’m late.”
As soon as he got into the carriage, he apologized first to Grace.
“It’s all right.”
“This era is like that—still not kind to women.”
Terren handed Grace her handbag and book. At that moment, Lea noticed his hand was swollen and red.
“Your hand…?”
Without thinking, Lea grabbed his hand, but he quickly pulled it away.
“It’s nothing.”
“Were you angry because I didn’t wait for you at the café?”
That seemed the only possible reason—so that must be why she sensed his irritation.
“It’s not that.”
Terren answered, turning his gaze away from Grace toward the window.
‘Where did things start going wrong?’
How could someone like him change so easily? Things he’d struggled with endlessly had completely transformed because of one woman.
Even on fine days, everything looked gray; delicious food tasted like sand.
Grace’s beautiful courtship felt like tiresome whining, and this peaceful era seemed like a cowardly escape from war.
Yet now, even the unhealed wounds of war no longer felt purely painful.
‘Is it because of you?’
Terren turned his gaze back to Grace.
Exchanging dictionaries and returning to the café had never felt so exhilarating.
Thinking of the white dove waiting for him, his steps unconsciously quickened—but when he returned, the dove was gone.
Instead, only a pack of wolves hunting his dove remained. In the end, he had to become a ferocious beast himself, half-killing them before he could finally stop.
Anxiously, he set out again to find Grace. Fortunately, his guess that she might have gone to the bookstore proved correct.
The moment he spotted Grace in the distance, his heart raced wildly—but then another insect appeared, irritating him once more.
‘Am I changing because of you?’
His life, which had seemed eternally unbearable, had taken a sudden turn. Though this brought joy, it also stirred deep unease—he couldn’t know when this peace and relief might be snatched away again.
But why had he disliked Grace so intensely before? She was the same woman… Was it because she’d pestered him like a child, endlessly seeking reassurance and demanding his attention?
‘But what about now?’
She was the same woman, yet entirely different. The current Grace showed a tenacious will to live.
Though she sometimes gazed at the world with a sorrowful expression, she clearly had a purpose in life.
He couldn’t precisely define what that purpose was—but then, did he himself…?
‘Do I like her?’
He wasn’t sure yet. Was it mere curiosity toward someone changed, or a steadily deepening fondness?
‘I can’t even gauge my own feelings.’
Terren shook his head roughly. Since nothing could be concluded yet, he’d simply let things unfold as they may.
Still, one thing was certain.
‘It displeases me when other men look at you and lay hands on you.’
After all, some emotions are undeniable instincts.
[This is the timeline separator]After ruining several letters, Lea finally completed one she was truly satisfied with.
“I’ve finished the letter.”
She handed it to Terren, while Luke and James nearby stretched their necks to peek.
“Your handwriting is excellent.”
James didn’t hold back his praise.
“Indeed. I don’t understand the foreign language well, but it certainly looks beautiful.”
Luke gazed at Grace with wonder. But Lea watched only Terren’s reaction—worried it might not please him. Yet a gentle smile bloomed on his face.
“James, stamp it with my seal and send it to Turki.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
He seemed very pleased, and Lea’s heart swelled with joy.
“Grace, well done.”
“I’m glad I could be of help.”
When Grace beamed at Terren’s praise, even Luke and James found themselves unable to look away from her.
It wasn’t merely because her smile was lovely—it was because she shone with passionate dedication, flawlessly completing every task given to her.
“I’ll take my leave now.”
Lea bowed to everyone and exited the office.
“Miss Grace… isn’t she just too beautiful? Of course, she always was, but…”
Luke fumbled, unable to find the right words. James quickly added,
“It’s probably because we’ve glimpsed the beauty within her.”
‘The beauty within.’
Terren agreed with James’s words.
Sometimes, when passing by the study, he couldn’t help but watch Grace as she focused intently on writing letters.
The way she poured her heart into each letter, as if her life depended on it, was truly admirable.
Just then, James handed Terren a letter.
“This arrived for Miss Grace. Shall I deliver it to her?”
“A letter for Grace?”
Terren’s expression turned icy as he looked at the envelope.
‘Allen MacDowell—why is he writing?’
It was obvious—he must have taken a liking to Grace. Or perhaps he was after the Hamilton Trading Company’s necklace.
“I’ll deliver it myself.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
“Tomorrow, Grace and I will go to Bern. Prepare everything in advance.”
“This time, the guard detail…”
Anticipating James’s long-winded advice, Terren quickly nodded.
After everyone left, Terren tossed Allen’s letter into his drawer.
‘I’ll give it to her when I remember.’
[This is the timeline separator]
Lea had come to Bern with Terren to meet Aiden. This time, thanks to good weather, they arrived punctually without incident along the usual route.
‘Ugh, I’m so nervous. Aiden Bizac is Grace’s older brother, and he lost his leg in the war.’
Before meeting Aiden, Lea repeated his details to herself, trembling with worry over making a mistake.
She’d heard Aiden was a baron, so she was surprised to find him living in such a small house.
She couldn’t very well ask if the Bizac baronial family was poor, so she hesitated—until Terren provided the answer.
“Aiden dislikes large mansions, so he’s staying at the villa.”
Relieved that Terren explained it in time, Lea finally met Aiden. Grace’s brother appeared, leaning on crutches, and proved to be exceptionally handsome.
Scars dotted his face and body, and his leg was crippled—but otherwise, he was a strikingly fine-looking man.
“Grace.”
Aiden warmly embraced Lea.
“Oh… Brother.”
It felt awkward and unnatural, leaving her unsure what to say first.
“Somehow, Grace seems more mature now?”
Aiden, too, seemed to sense Grace’s transformation.
The childish, reckless girl who used to act without a care had vanished—replaced by a woman who spoke and behaved appropriately for her age.
The three of them spent a long while exchanging news and pleasantries.
“But when are you planning to get married?”
Aiden finally voiced the question he’d held back. Terren would surely delay again, saying he needed more time.
“M-married? I haven’t even thought about it yet.”
To everyone’s surprise, it wasn’t Terren but Grace who answered, startled.
Aiden was bewildered by this sudden shift.
Hadn’t this been the very woman who, before he even mentioned marriage, had rushed to him begging him to urge Terren into it?
“You’ll say the same, won’t you, Duke Courtois?”
Lea looked at Terren, hoping for a matching reply—she’d sensed he was reluctant about marriage.
“We’ll do it when the time comes—this year, next year, or the year after.”
Terren’s answer left not only Lea but also Aiden visibly surprised.
“Grace, Leina will be preparing dinner at the villa. Would you help her?”
Aiden seemed to want some private words with Terren.
“Yes, of course.”
Aiden looked surprised at Grace’s ready agreement.
Grace used to cling to Terren’s side constantly and never showed much interest in small chores—so her easy consent felt unfamiliar.
Meanwhile, Lea saw this as a chance to escape the awkwardness and hurried toward the villa without looking back.
“She’s changed a lot, hasn’t she?”
When Terren asked first, Aiden nodded.
Terren had a few things he wanted to confirm by meeting Aiden.
Though it seemed impossible, he couldn’t shake the suspicion that something unscientific might have happened to Grace.
Her sudden transformation held aspects too difficult to accept at face value.
“Aiden, did Grace enjoy reading when she was younger? For example, anything related to foreign languages…?”
At his question, Aiden gave him a strange look and remained silent for a long while—before finally speaking.
Male lead first thought she played hard to get, only to realize she
really disliked him
Short intro:
What she can’t stand the most is the streets full of effeminate men, especially that so-called top beauty whom she avoids at all costs.
Shen Yaoxing looks at Jiang Mingyue, who keeps approaching her with coy shyness.
Shen Yaoxing: Bro, don’t be like this, I’m really about to throw up!
She fears nothing in heaven or earth, except for him getting close to her.
*
At first he thought she was just using the trick of feigning indifference to attract his attention. Later, he learned that she truly despised him.
This dealt a heavy blow to Jiang Mingyue, and he vowed to make her, like everyone else, fall at his feet in worship!
***
Synopsis:
Before transmigrating, Shen Yaoxing only wanted to find a reliable man to spend her life with. Who knew that after transmigrating, she would become a reliable woman herself…
A forced misandrist, highly skilled, and reliable female lead
vs.
An initially aloof and arrogant, later morbid, obsessed male lead
_____
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I don’t understand, if she is trying to save the twins, why is she putting a gun to her head? She needs to be alive for the twins to survive.
This is sounding less like a punishment and more like a privilege.
Sometimes this novel’s inability to reflect anything close to realism frustrates me. Let’s reward arson and attempted murder! (Can’t help but point out the lack of creativity with Mr. Baker’s name.)