Interest Compounds on Revenge (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 9

Lea recovered her strength within two days of taking the medicinal decoction. At first, she often vomited it up because the taste didn’t agree with her.

[“Miss, do you have any idea how precious this medicine is!”]

Pauline stamped her feet and choked back tears.

Not only was this the only medicine capable of curing Lea’s illness, but Terren had gone through so much trouble to obtain it.

[“I’ll feed you one spoonful at a time—just swallow it down.”]

Though the decoction itself was effective, it seemed Lea had pulled through thanks largely to Pauline’s devoted care.

Lea was now well enough to sit up in bed.

“Is this decoction perhaps a medicine from the Eastern Continent?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Lea had heard about Eastern Continent remedies before.

Although the Hamilton Trading Company didn’t directly handle such medicines, she’d seen rare goods from all over the world whenever their trade ships docked.

“Do you know how His Grace obtained this medicine?”

Pauline recounted to her the fight between Terren and Rafa, as she’d heard it from Luke.

Before storming Rafa’s organization, Terren had instructed Luke to plant bombs around the building’s perimeter, intending to blow the entire structure to smithereens.

“Is that really true?”

Lea’s eyes widened in astonishment. She never imagined Terren capable of such extreme measures.

‘I always thought he was just that cold, stern man who glared at everyone with icy indifference.’

Terren had always seemed utterly detached from the world, burdened by profound boredom. Yet now, she was surprised to discover he harbored such desperate, passionate determination to save someone.

‘Well, I suppose if Grace dies, it would put the Duke in a difficult position.’

After all, Terren felt guilty toward Aiden, Grace’s brother. He must have been desperate to prevent Grace’s death at all costs.

Back at the cabin, he’d laid bare the lingering trauma of war—and within that, a sense of duty to protect Grace in Aiden’s stead.

Part of her pitied Terren. His own wounds remained unhealed, his heart festering with pain, leaving him seemingly no room to care for others.

Yet he would still do his utmost to protect those under his care.

For her part, she couldn’t afford to fall ill and die easily in Grace’s body—that would cause serious trouble. Selfish as it was, she resolved to endure for now, relying on Terren’s concern and protection.

“Pauline, thank you. Thank you for nursing me with such devotion.”

Lea took Pauline’s hand to express her gratitude. Pauline’s face instantly flushed crimson, and she fumbled for a response.

‘Does she turn into a completely different person every time she’s sick?’

She’d never once received a word of thanks from Grace before. In fact, whenever things went poorly between Grace and Terren, Grace would blame and vent her frustrations on her instead.

‘I guess people only grow wiser after experiencing pain themselves.’

Though Grace’s kindness still felt somewhat awkward, it wasn’t unpleasant. Still, she worried—what if Grace suddenly reverted back to her old self?

Just then, a knock sounded at the door. Knowing exactly who it was, Pauline quickly opened it.

“Grace, you’re awake.”

Terren sighed in relief upon seeing Grace sitting up in bed. Pauline swiftly excused herself.

“Duke Courtois, I’m sorry for causing you worry.”

Seeing Terren in person, Lea’s mind grew tangled—she didn’t know what to say first.

Having already heard from Pauline how hard Terren had worked to obtain the decoction, she couldn’t just pretend ignorance.

“I heard from Pauline that you went through great difficulty to acquire this precious medicine.”

“It wasn’t difficult.”

“Huh?”

“What do you think is the most important thing in a fight?”

Terren asked an unexpected question.

Lea found it hard to answer—she’d never actually fought anyone in her life. Of course, she still had the looming conflict with Allen.

“Skill?”

“No. Striking first.”

“Striking first?”

“Hitting your opponent so hard they can’t even resist.”

‘Ah, so that’s why he used bombs.’

Only Terren would think of something like that.

Lea wanted to continue the conversation with an appropriate remark, but the words just swirled uselessly in her mouth, refusing to come out.

Because Terren was staring at her as if he wanted to devour her whole. His burning gaze felt so intense she feared her face might catch fire.

“Don’t get sick again.”

“!?”

Lea looked up at him in startled surprise.

It was a perfectly ordinary thing to say—but somehow it felt different.

That simple phrase carried not just a guardian’s sense of duty, but genuine, heartfelt concern for her well-being.

“Duke Courtois, may I ask you a question?”

Lea felt oddly guilty under the weight of his sincere worry.

After all, her soul—an intruder—had unlawfully taken possession of Grace’s body. If Terren ever learned the truth, he’d feel profoundly betrayed.

“Go ahead.”

“Um… do you believe in gods?”

“What?”

Of all the things she could ask, she suddenly brings up something only heretics would say…?

Though Terren’s bewilderment was understandable, this question mattered deeply to Lea. From now on, she’d inevitably reveal more of her true self—Lea—not Grace.

That would only deepen his confusion and complicate matters greatly.

“You know… things like magic—like possessing a character from a book, or regressing back to before one’s death… um… do you believe in such mystical phenomena where souls can swap between people?”

Lea blinked expectantly, waiting for Terren’s reply.

Meanwhile, Terren found himself momentarily speechless each time her eyes fluttered—her amethyst irises sparkled like gemstones.

‘Her eyes are beautiful…’

He’d known her for years, yet this feeling was entirely new.

Terren quickly lowered his head, trying to compose himself. He was startled to realize his heart had raced—not because of Grace’s question, but because of her eyes.

“I know it’s a strange question, but I’m just curious.”

“I only believe in verified facts. Not gods—I believe in science.”

When Terren lifted his head and answered firmly, Lea’s tense expression softened with relief.

“Me too. I believe in the new knowledge scientists discover through years of research.”

‘Well, I used to. Not anymore, though.’

“Grace, you don’t seem fully recovered yet.”

Terren gently laid Grace back down on the bed, pulled the blanket up to her chin, and left the room.

‘Hah! Magic, possessing others, regression… Could this be a side effect of the decoction?’

He shook his head as he walked down the hallway—then suddenly stopped, turned around, and stared fixedly at Grace’s door.

‘Souls swapping places?’

Hadn’t he himself just recently thought the same thing upon seeing how utterly changed Grace had become? He’d quickly dismissed it as absurd nonsense.

But the truth was, Grace had become a completely different person.

Still, he belonged to the younger generation, educated in modern rationalism.

In an age of electricity, telegraphs, steam locomotives, and cruise ships—where factories enabled mass production—such beliefs held no logical ground.

‘That’s impossible.’

Terren shook his head firmly, banishing the thought from his mind.

[This is the timeline separator]

June in the Rubec Empire offered the most pleasant weather for outdoor activity. Lea’s pneumonia had fully healed, and Terren’s gunshot wound had also closed, allowing both to resume normal life.

Today, everyone gathered in the garden to enjoy afternoon tea for the weekend.

Every time Terren looked across at Grace sipping her tea, memories of that moment kept flashing unbidden into his mind.

The moment when Grace’s hand gently wiped away the tear clinging to his eye, soothing the long-festering, rotten wound in his heart that reeked of despair.

She’d merely touched him—but that was all.

Yet the sensation remained vivid. And her ordinary words had sounded like profound truths.

[“Duke Courtois fought with everything you had and restored peace. So please, don’t blame yourself.”]

He remembered how she’d tried so earnestly with her small frame to warm his cold, lifeless body.

[“I know it’s impolite, but I have no choice if I’m to survive tonight. Please bear with the discomfort.”]

The feeling of her small head resting against his chest—it was as if a pure white dove had landed on his charred heart, gently nuzzling his face.

“!?”

Terren jolted in surprise at his own wildly pounding heartbeat.

‘How utterly ridiculous.’

To be flustered like this, lost in foolish fantasies.

He quickly averted his gaze—and just then, his eyes met James, who was hurrying toward him with urgency.

“Your Grace, a letter has arrived from abroad.”

“A letter?”

“It appears to be from the Turki royal family.”

Terren examined the envelope. Only the recipient’s address was written in the common tongue; the sender’s details were absent.

But the stamp bore the Sultan of Turki’s portrait, making the origin clear enough.

After opening the letter and reading its contents, Terren’s expression hardened instantly.

“I can’t make out a word of this.”

“What should we do if even Your Grace can’t understand it?”

James asked, perplexed. He’d assumed Terren and the Sultan of Turki were close friends.

“I know a bit of spoken Turki, but I can’t read or write it. Their language isn’t exactly easy.”

“Then I’ll find a translator or interpreter right away.”

“That would be best.”

Lea, who’d been quietly observing the scene, hesitated.

‘I can read and write Turki.’

The Hamilton Trading Company had done extensive business with Muslim merchants, so their library held many related books.

Moreover, she’d naturally interacted with those merchants since childhood, allowing her to speak their language quite fluently.

‘But if I offer to help, would that seem unlike Grace?’

Everyone would surely find it strange. Yet if she wanted to obtain the necklace, she needed Terren’s trust.

‘No—His Grace himself said he only believes in science.’

He’d never imagine she wasn’t Grace.

“I’m curious too—what does Turki script look like?”

Lea feigned innocent curiosity. For now, gauging Terren’s reaction was crucial.

Terren handed her the letter without a second thought. Finally, Lea could read its contents.

‘He’s sending five camels as a gift?’

Most of the characters were familiar, though a few unknown words appeared here and there.

“You won’t understand it even if you look.”

Terren’s voice held no expectation as he sipped his tea indifferently.

“James, is there a Turki dictionary in the study?”

“Unfortunately, we don’t have a Turki dictionary.”

Only then did Terren set his teacup down on the saucer and watch Grace’s reaction closely.

Surely she didn’t know Turki on top of Landesian—did she?

Yet he was curious. How would she surprise him this time?

“What does it say?”

“It’s not exact, but it seems the Sultan of Turki is sending Duke Courtois five camels as a gift.”

Terren, James, and even Pauline—who’d been serving tea—froze in unison.