Interest Compounds on Revenge (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 5
In the carriage returning from the funeral, Lea sat opposite Terren. She spent the entire time gazing out the window at the passing streets of Lebon.
Though exotic, it wasn’t vastly different from Galdensia’s capital. Yet Lea felt the burning stares directed at her.
‘Why are they looking at me as if they want to burn me alive?’
She felt so awkward and uncomfortable she thought she might die.
Meanwhile, Terren’s suspicion toward Grace deepened.
‘Grace actually knows how to comfort others.’
It was astonishing. Grace had always been an extremely self-centered woman, strongly preferring to do only what pleased her within the world she’d built for herself.
‘It was strange from the moment she said she’d attend Lea Hamilton’s funeral.’
Grace had even found it bothersome to visit her own brother in his provincial estate once a month.
‘She shouldn’t even know Lea Hamilton.’
An urge to verify this suddenly arose. But before she could ask, Grace spoke first.
“Duke Courtois, do you have Miss Hamilton’s necklace?”
Lea swallowed hard, waiting for his reply. Since Allen had also looked for the necklace at the funeral, the question wasn’t entirely out of place.
“I recognized it from the necklace. That the body was Lea Hamilton’s…”
Lea felt relieved at his words.
That meant Terren had kept the necklace. The problem now was where it was. Still, it was fortunate that Terren hadn’t given it to Allen.
“But why didn’t you hand that necklace over to the bereaved family?”
“It belongs to the head of the Hamilton Trading Company. Isn’t it only right to return it to its rightful owner?”
“I… see.”
“There’s also something unsettling about it.”
‘Something unsettling?’
Lea wanted to ask Terren for details, but he firmly shut his mouth and turned his gaze out the window.
Silence once again settled between them.
After a while, Terren unexpectedly broke Lea’s reverie.
“You’d best stay away from Allen MacDowell.”
“Huh? W-why?”
Lea was startled. No one had acknowledged her father’s innocence.
Yet Terren seemed to be casting suspicion on Allen instead.
“He appears to have been gathering information about Richard Hamilton for a long time. When Emperor Teresa tried to confiscate the company’s assets, he ended up gaining control of its management. Doesn’t that seem odd?”
‘Because that bastard is the culprit.’
Lea’s lips trembled, but she couldn’t bring herself to speak the truth aloud.
Allen must have convinced the Emperor that, as someone closely involved with the company’s staff, he understood the situation better than anyone.
He probably also claimed that his own family, the MacDowells, were victims too, seeking sympathy.
In hindsight, she realized she’d been like a woman desperately trying to climb a single tree, completely oblivious to the dangers lurking in the entire forest.
‘Lea, your mind was nothing but a flower garden.’
She felt so ashamed of herself that she struggled to suppress her rising anger.
Before blaming Allen’s betrayal, forgiving her own foolishness for having been deceived was even harder.
Lea sensed that Terren was investigating matters concerning the Hamilton Trading Company. If so, he likely knew what had happened to her father as well.
“Was the head of the Hamilton Trading Company sentenced to hanging?”
Lea forced the words out with difficulty. Even as she spoke, her heart pounded violently.
“I heard he avoided execution. Friends who were close to other trading company heads pleaded with the Emperor on his behalf and saved his life, but he was imprisoned on Reef Island.”
“Reef Island?”
Reef Island, situated in the middle of the sea, was a prison for traitors and those with subversive ideologies.
Once imprisoned there, one could never return home. Upon death, the body was simply thrown into the sea.
Still, as long as her father was alive, there was hope—she could find a way to see him someday.
After all, there was the famous tale of Count Montes escaping from that very island long ago.
‘Indeed, people are the most terrifying thing of all.’
Lea’s chest burned with rage. She desperately wanted to vent her fury but barely managed to hold it in.
‘As long as Father is alive, that’s all that matters.’
She vowed to devote her entire life to rescuing him from Reef Island Prison.
Lea hid her trembling hands beneath her skirt.
But Terren couldn’t take his eyes off her, watching as her expression shifted with every word he spoke.
[This is the timeline separator]Even after returning to the mansion, Lea couldn’t stop thinking about the necklace.
How could she ask Terren about it naturally? She needed the necklace to obtain the Hamilton Trading Company’s memoirs.
‘Should I just tell the Duke the truth—that I’m Lea Hamilton?’
Maybe she could explain that she’d somehow possessed Grace’s body and now needed his help. But she couldn’t imagine how Terren would react.
‘He won’t believe me. I still find it hard to accept myself.’
He might even think she was insane and lock her up in an asylum.
Just then, Pauline returned to the room after attending to her duties.
“Pauline, where is Duke Courtois?”
“Are you finally returning to your old self?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Ever since you recovered from that terrible illness, you haven’t paid any attention to the Duke.”
Apparently, Terren had meant everything to Grace. Lea felt an unexpected pang of pity for her.
Placing a hand over her heart, Lea whispered inwardly.
‘Grace, you’ve done enough. It’s time to let go. Loving someone alone will destroy your soul.’
A dangerous love like her own, which had cost her everything.
From now on, she could trust no one, and falling in love again was impossible. The very cells of love within her had been buried underground with Lea Hamilton.
“He’s in his study. Doctor Wilson has arrived.”
Snapped back to reality by Pauline’s words, Lea replied,
“I’ll go see him myself.”
Not wanting Pauline to notice her turbulent emotions, Lea practically fled the room.
Clearly, revealing her true identity to Terren was impossible right now—she herself was still too unsettled and confused.
Before she knew it, she’d reached his study. But through the half-open door, she heard the voices of two men conversing.
Lea waited behind the door for Terren and Doctor Wilson’s conversation to end.
“Wilson, have the test results come back?”
Terren asked in an agitated tone. Wilson remained silent for a while before slowly replying.
“I’m truly sorry to have to tell you this.”
“It’s fine. Just tell me the truth.”
“The results are in… you’re no longer capable of functioning as a man.”
“Damn it! Bloody hell!”
Terren cursed furiously in outrage.
“Are you certain? No mistakes?”
“You’ve taken the test several times already. The injuries you sustained during the war are the cause. I don’t even know how to offer comfort.”
“No comfort is needed for a eunuch! Wilson!”
Terren shouted at Wilson in a burst of anger.
Meanwhile, Lea, who had unintentionally overheard their conversation, covered her mouth with her own hands. The revelation was so shocking she nearly cried out without realizing it.
‘The Duke can’t function as a man?’
Just then, the sound of shattering objects came from inside. An enraged Terren seemed to be hurling things while shouting.
Terrified, Lea immediately ran down the opposite corridor toward the second-floor staircase. Her mind remained blank all the way back to her room.
‘So that’s why the Duke was so cold toward Grace?’
Indeed, it was an unbearable ordeal for any man.
Only now did Lea understand the source of the deep shadows etched onto Terren’s face.
She’d previously heard from Pauline that Terren had suffered numerous injuries, big and small, during the war with Wales.
After enduring seven long years of brutal, savage warfare, how exhausting it must have been—and now, to suffer such a devastating disability on top of it all. She couldn’t even begin to fathom the depth of Terren’s despair.
‘And I went and called him heartless…’
Lea regretted judging him so hastily.
[This is the timeline separator]Terren sank onto the sofa, gasping for breath. He roughly swept his disheveled bangs aside.
“Wilson, keep the test results regarding Aiden confidential.”
“Of course. But it’ll be difficult to hide it from Baron Aiden indefinitely.”
“No—I want to keep it hidden from him for as long as possible. Ideally, for his whole life.”
At Terren’s words, Wilson shook his head. The patient would inevitably discover the truth himself eventually.
The Duke’s command was as futile as trying to cover the sky with one’s palm.
“This isn’t your fault, Your Grace.”
“No, it is. It’s a tragedy caused by the injuries Aiden sustained fighting in my place.”
Terren buried his face in his hands, overwhelmed with anguish.
Because of him, the Bizac baronial line would come to an end. How could he possibly remain unaffected?
Doctor Wilson brought Terren a sedative and some water. After taking the medicine, Terren gradually calmed down about twenty minutes later.
“Wilson, there’s something I’d like to ask you.”
“Go ahead.”
“Can a person become an entirely different person after suffering a severe illness?”
Terren was puzzled by Grace’s extreme transformation. It wasn’t just a minor change—his Grace had completely vanished.
“It’s possible. Physical suffering can alter a person’s psyche as well.”
Terren was unsure how to interpret Wilson’s words.
He’d never heard of someone who couldn’t speak a foreign language suddenly becoming fluent after falling seriously ill.
Moreover, he was now confused by his own conflicting emotions.
‘I actually find this changed Grace… appealing.’
When scheming men desperately battle for her favor in the male harem
This one’s also on my reread list! The rivalry, scheming between the men in the imperial harem are just as intense and thrilling as in classic palace drama novels, where concubines fight to the death. Give it a read, girls! I promise you won’t be disappointed.
Synopsis:
“I am not worthy of her… but I still want to be by her side, even if only as a loyal dog…”
Those were the painful whispers of Yue Guanyi – the proud Crown Prince of the Great Qi, who was torn between deep love and a guilty conscience. Despite holding the supreme power of the Imperial Guard, he still could not forget the dark past when he was sold into a brothel.
Fate played a cruel twist when Qiu Shuzhi – a young female official who had just passed the imperial examinations with top honors – stepped into his life. She did not know that she was the one who had saved him from a tragic fate many years ago. And now, her heart was the target of pursuit for both Yue Guanyi and the powerful Empress Dowager Qin Qing.
While Yue Guanyi only dared to silently care for and protect the one he loved from afar, the Empress Dowager Qin Qing openly expressed his feelings and did not hesitate to take advantage of his power to approach Qiu Shuzhi. The covert struggle between the two most powerful forces in the imperial court began…
Trigger warning: All men in this novel are yandere style.
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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.)