Lea decided to wait for Terran in front of the bookstore. It would be pointless to move around and risk missing each other.

However, even though it was in front of a bookstore, the stares from passersby directed at a woman standing alone in the evening were quite uncomfortable.

Moreover, she wasn’t holding anything in her hands, which would make her look even stranger.

Just then, a gentleman who had been lingering by the neighboring building approached Lea.

“Miss, perhaps I could be of assistance?”

“Pardon…? I’m fine, thank you.”

‘He’s mistaking me for a prostitute.’

Lea slowly moved to the side, avoiding the strange man. But he followed, pursuing her.

“Being alone at this hour, it’s obvious, isn’t it?”

“It’s not like that.”

She was on the verge of tears. If only Pauline were by her side, he wouldn’t dare treat her this way.

Lea tried to move away from him, but he grabbed her shoulder.

“Let go of me!”

Lea screamed as she struggled. At that moment, a fist came flying out of nowhere and struck the man.

“Lord Courtois!”

Disheveled hair, loosened tie, and clenched fist. Above all, his face was filled with rage.

Terran, still not having vented all his anger, approached the fallen man. But Lea quickly ran and wrapped her arms around his waist.

“Please stop!”

Lea hugged him and burst into tears. Lea Hamilton, who had always been strong and dignified, never shedding tears before, found herself crying often since becoming Grace.

Of course, it wasn’t Grace’s fault. It was her own fault for being swept here by the storm of misfortune.

“Let’s go.”

Terran must have called for a carriage, as one was waiting on the road.

As Lea hurriedly tried to climb into the carriage, Terran lifted her as if carrying a bouquet of flowers and seated her inside.

Lea quickly wiped her tears with the back of her hand. She didn’t want to be seen as a woman who cried at the drop of a hat.

“I’m sorry I was late,” he apologized to Grace as soon as he got into the carriage.

“It’s alright.”

“This era is like that, still not kind to women.”

Terran handed Grace a handbag and a book. At that moment, Lea noticed his hand was red and swollen.

“Your hand…?”

Lea unconsciously grabbed his hand, and he quickly pulled it away.

“It’s nothing.”

“Are you angry because I didn’t wait at the café?”

There seemed to be no other reason. That must be why she sensed anger from him.

“It’s not that.”

Terran answered while averting his gaze from Grace and looking out the window.

‘Where did it all go wrong?’

How could he change so easily as a person? Things that wouldn’t work no matter how hard he tried completely changed because of one woman.

Even on days with good weather, everything looked gray, and delicious food tasted like sand.

Grace’s beautiful courtship felt like annoying whining, and the peaceful era seemed like a cowardly escape from war.

But now, even the unhealed wounds from the war were no longer just painful.

‘Is it because of you?’

Terran turned his gaze back to Grace.

The journey back to the café after exchanging dictionaries couldn’t have been more exciting.

Thinking of the white dove waiting for him, his steps unconsciously quickened. But when he returned, the dove was gone.

Instead, there were only wolf packs trying to hunt his dove. In the end, he only stopped after becoming a ferocious beast and half-killing them.

With an anxious heart, he set out to find Grace again. His guess that she might have headed to the bookstore fortunately proved correct.

The moment he spotted Grace in the distance, his heart raced so fast. But the vermin appeared again, irritating his nerves.

‘Am I changing because of you?’

His life, which seemed like it would be miserable forever, took a sudden turn. So while it felt good, he was also very anxious. There’s no telling when this peace and relief he’s feeling now might be taken away again.

But why did he dislike Grace so much before? She was the same woman… Because she begged like a child, constantly seeking confirmation and demanding attention only for herself?

‘What about now?’

She was the same woman, but a completely different one. The current Grace showed a tenacious vitality.

Sometimes she would look at the world with an unhappy face, but she seemed to have a clear goal in life.

Of course, he couldn’t define exactly what that was. Then, did he…

‘Like such a Grace?’

He wasn’t sure about that yet. Whether it was simple curiosity about a changed person or a deepening affection.

‘I can’t even gauge my own feelings.’

Terran shook his head roughly. Since he couldn’t conclude anything yet, he had no choice but to go with the flow.

But one thing was certain.

‘I don’t like other men looking at you and touching you.’

Sometimes there are emotions that can’t be denied, like instinct.

* * *

Lea finally completed a letter to her satisfaction after ruining several sheets.

“I’ve finished writing the letter.”

She handed the letter to Terran, while Luke and James, who were nearby, craned their necks to take a look.

“The handwriting is excellent.”

James did not spare his praise.

“Indeed, although I can’t understand the foreign language, it looks good at first glance.”

Luke looked at Grace with curious eyes. But Lea only watched for Terran’s reaction. She was worried it might not be to his liking. However, a gentle smile bloomed on his face.

“James, stamp my seal on it and send it to Turkey.”

“Understood, Your Grace.”

He seemed very satisfied, and Lea’s heart swelled.

“Grace, well done.”

“I’m glad I could be of help.”

When Grace smiled brightly at Terran’s praise, not only he but also Luke and James couldn’t take their eyes off her.

It wasn’t simply because her smile was pretty, but rather she seemed to shine as someone who showed passion for the task at hand and completed it perfectly.

“I’ll be taking my leave now.”

Lea bid farewell to everyone and left the office.

“About Miss Grace. Isn’t she too beautiful? Of course, she was before, but…”

Luke fumbled for the right words. James chimed in with a comment.

“That’s probably because we saw the inner beauty that Miss possesses.”

‘Inner beauty.’

Terran agreed with James’ words.

Sometimes when passing by the library, he couldn’t take his eyes off Grace as she concentrated on writing letters.

It was admirable to see her putting so much effort into a single letter, as if her life depended on it.

Just then, James handed Terran a letter.

“This is a letter addressed to Miss Grace. Shall I deliver it to her?”

“A letter for Grace?”

Terran’s face turned cold as he looked at the envelope.

‘Allen MacDowell, why him?’

It’s obvious, Grace must have caught his fancy quite a bit. Or maybe he’s trying to find the Hamilton Trading Company’s necklace.

“I’ll give it to her.”

“Understood, Your Grace.”

“Tomorrow, I’ll be going to Bern with Grace. Prepare in advance.”

“This time, the guards…”

Before James could start his long-winded nagging, Terran quickly nodded.

After everyone left, Terran tossed Allen’s letter into a drawer.

‘I’ll give it to her when I remember.’

* * *

Lea came to Bern with Terran to meet Aiden. This time, the weather was good, so they arrived on time without any incidents, taking the usual route.

‘Oh, I’m nervous. Aiden Bizac is Grace’s brother and lost his leg in the war.’

Lea rehearsed the information about Aiden before meeting him. She was terribly nervous, afraid of making a mistake.

She was surprised to find that Aiden lived in a very small house, despite being a baron from what she had heard.

She couldn’t ask if the Bizac baronial family was poor, so she was pondering when Terran provided an answer.

“Aiden dislikes large mansions, so he’s staying at a villa.”

Lea was relieved that Terran explained in time.

Finally, Lea met Aiden. Grace’s brother, who appeared with a crutch, was a man of exceptional appearance.

If not for the scars scattered on his face and body and his leg disability, he would have been a very handsome man.

“Grace.”

Aiden embraced Lea warmly.

“Bro…ther.”

It felt awkward and unfamiliar, making it difficult to know what to say first.

“Somehow, Grace seems to have matured?”

Aiden seemed to notice the change in Grace as well.

The Grace who always acted thoughtlessly like a silly girl had disappeared without a trace, replaced by a woman who spoke and acted appropriately for her age.

The three of them exchanged greetings for a while.

“So, when are you planning to have the wedding?”

Aiden brought up the question he had been holding back. This time too, Terran would probably postpone it, saying he needed more time.

“Wed…ding? I haven’t thought about it yet.”

It was Grace, not Terran, who answered with a startled response.

Aiden was perplexed by the changed situation.

Wasn’t she the one who used to approach him first, even before he could bring up the marriage topic, begging him to urge Terran?

“Lord Courtois would feel the same, right?”

Lea looked at Terran, trying to elicit the same answer. She felt that Terran was reluctant about marriage.

“We should do it when the time comes. Whether it’s next year, the year after, or as early as this year.”

Terran’s answer surprised not only Lea but also Aiden quite a bit.

“Grace, if you go to the villa, Reina will be preparing dinner. Could you help her a bit?”

Aiden seemed to have something to discuss with Terran alone.

“Yes, I will.”

Aiden was surprised to see Grace agreeing so readily.

Grace used to never want to leave Terran’s side and didn’t particularly like small tasks, so her easy acceptance was unfamiliar.

On the other hand, Lea saw it as an opportunity to escape the awkward situation and headed towards the villa without looking back.

“She’s changed a lot, hasn’t she?”

When Terran asked first, Aiden nodded.

Terran had a few things he wanted to confirm when meeting Aiden.

Although it seemed unlikely, he couldn’t shake off the suspicion that something unscientific might have happened to Grace.

There were aspects of Grace’s sudden change that were difficult to accept easily.

“Aiden, did Grace like reading when she was young? For example, about foreign languages…”

Aiden didn’t answer for a long time, wearing a strange expression at Terran’s question. Then he opened his mouth.