It was the first experience I had in my twenty-five years of life.

The moment when a person becomes imprinted on one’s soul.

Is this how parents feel when they first meet their child, or when a baby opens its eyes and recognizes its parents?

Grace was the only thing visible in this vast garden.

Terran repeatedly looked around and closed and opened his eyes.

‘Now I can’t even deny it anymore.’

While he had been unsure before, now that he realized it, there was truly no going back.

The impact that shook his soul drained all the color from his face.

“Terran, are you feeling unwell?”

Lea asked in surprise, seeing Terran suddenly turn pale.

They had been engaged in casual conversation while facing each other. But then he looked at her as if seeing through her, and his complexion changed.

“Sit down here.”

Lea quickly supported Terran and helped him sit in a chair. His gaze soon fixed on her hand gripping his arm.

He grasped her hand that was firmly holding his arm.

Unlike the startled Lea, Terran looked at her with a desperate expression.

‘Why do I feel like you might fly away?’

The newly realized emotion overwhelmed him with an impatient desire.

“Grace, can you always support me like this?”

Lea blinked her eyes at his sudden words. Then she answered with a bright smile.

“Of course.”

He had worried needlessly. It was just a simple request for help.

“How… kind of you.”

Only then did Terran show a satisfied expression. Just then, raindrops began to fall lightly.

“Let’s go inside.”

“Alright.”

Lea picked up the newspaper from the table and tucked it under her arm. Though brief, her time with Terran had been pleasant. However, she also felt a sense of self-reproach.

‘I’m not sure if I should be living so comfortably like this.’

Lea’s self-reproach eventually became reality.

* * *

After parting with Terran, Lea returned to her room and opened the newspaper as usual.

‘Oh my God! How could this happen!’

Lea’s hands trembled as she read the newspaper article.

Not only had the Hamilton Trading Company changed its name and ownership to MacDowell Trading Company, but they were also selling off all the general stores, which were the foundation of the company.

‘That bastard, Allen MacDowell!’

Lea’s limbs shook uncontrollably.

The general stores distributed throughout Galdencia were the most precious to her father.

The Hamilton family had started with wool trading, earning money from street stalls and developing into general stores.

That was the foundation on which Hamilton Grand Trading Company was built.

‘I can’t forgive this!’

This was like cutting off the roots of a tree with lush leaves.

Lea clutched her head with both hands. Her father always said the same thing when visiting the general stores:

[Lea, even if the economy goes bad or we fail in management and the trading company goes bankrupt, we must protect the Hamilton general stores at all costs.] [Why not protect something more profitable?] [No, the general stores are the roots of Hamilton Trading Company. No matter how much it falls in storms, if the roots are strong, it can survive.]

Knowing how attached her father was to the general stores made it even more painful. This must be what it feels like to have your heart torn to shreds.

‘What am I doing here? I should go to Galdencia right now and bite Allen’s leg off.’

The more she thought about it, the more pathetic and absurd she felt. While the enemy was tearing down the tower her father had built one by one, the daughter was living leisurely in a foreign country.

‘I have to stop this somehow.’

Lea felt dizzy.

She should have returned to Galdencia when she first came to her senses and looked for a way.

Using the excuse of waiting for the right time for revenge, saying she needed to find her father’s necklace, she had kept putting it off, and this was the result.

‘I should be shooting Allen in the heart! This is no time for you to be pretending to be the Viscount Bizac’s daughter!’

Lea cried, beating her chest with her fist.

She covered her mouth with her hand to prevent her sobs from escaping outside.

Then she suddenly got up and ran towards the window. When she opened it, a strong wind and rain blew in.

‘Let’s die together, Allen MacDowell.’

No matter how much she thought about it, that was the only solution. She had heard from Pauline that there was a rifle in the drawer of Terran’s office.

What’s so difficult about revenge?

‘Allen, it’ll all be over once I kill you.’

After all, death is the most devastating revenge. No matter how great Allen’s ambition, it would be useless in the face of death.

Just then, Pauline came running into the room, shouting.

“Young lady! What’s wrong?”

Pauline hurriedly closed the window. Then she ran out again to get a dry towel.

Yet Lea remained motionless, half out of her mind.

‘I should have killed that bastard that day.’

One bullet towards Allen, who had shown the height of hypocrisy at her funeral, would have ended the revenge. Why didn’t she think of it then?

“Why are you getting soaked in the rain?”

Pauline, who had returned at some point, was drying the wet Grace with a towel.

“You’re drenched. What if you catch a cold and get sick like last time!”

Pauline’s nagging sounded like background noise floating in the air to Lea’s ears.

* * *

Lea opened the newspaper and checked the train times to Galdencia. Going by carriage would be neither convenient nor quick enough, so she had to take the train.

She didn’t bother packing much. She only put travel money for Galdencia and the rifle in her handbag.

‘I’m sorry, Terran.’

Around four in the morning, when everyone was asleep, she went into his office and took out the rifle.

Normally, the drawer would have been locked, but for some reason, it was open that day. To be honest, she had never even touched a gun before, let alone fired one.

‘Allen, you’re coming to hell with me.’

After finishing her preparations, Lea put the bag with the gun back in the closet.

Even if she was leaving, she wanted to say goodbye to the people at the duke’s residence. She didn’t want to run away like a coward.

Although she was hiding in Grace’s body, she was alive until now because of the people here.

But she was at a loss for how to bring it up to Terran.

“Pauline, where is the duke?”

She asked Pauline, who had just brought some clothes.

“He’s talking with Secretary Luke, but they should be almost finished.”

“Is that so?”

Just then, Pauline came over with quick steps and felt Grace’s forehead with her hand.

“Thankfully, you don’t have a fever.”

Lea’s heart ached at Pauline’s relieved expression. Soon, she would have to say goodbye to her too…

“I’ll go see the duke for a moment.”

Lea quickly left the room, feeling like she might cry if she stayed any longer.

As she walked down the corridor towards the office, the faces of the people who had helped her flashed by one by one. Even Aiden and Reina in Bern.

To be more honest, she had briefly entertained a different thought in Bern. ‘What if I forget about revenge and just live as Grace in Bizac?’ she had wondered.

‘I’m sorry, Father.’

Her father was imprisoned on Reef Island.

‘Lea Hamilton, how could you forget your father?’

Lea felt disgusted with herself. Finally, she arrived at Terran’s office. She hesitated for a long time in front of the door.

She repeatedly raised and lowered her hand, finding it difficult to knock even once. Just as she decided not to hesitate any longer, the door suddenly opened from the inside.

“Young lady! Are you here to see the duke?”

“Yes, Luke.”

“I’ve finished my report, please go in.”

Luke politely opened the door, and soon Terran came into view. At the same time, Lea’s heart began to pound fiercely.

“Terran.”

“You’re here?”

Terran greeted her with a gentle smile on his lips.

“I have something to tell you.”

At Lea’s words, Terran got up from his chair and walked towards the sofa. Lea sat down opposite him.

But her legs and fingers were trembling. Even her tongue seemed unable to move properly.

On the other hand, Terran was secretly pleased that Grace had come to see him first.

‘Does the duke know the rifle is missing?’

Lea’s mind was filled with all sorts of worries. But judging by his expression, it seemed he hadn’t noticed the missing rifle yet.

“Um, well…”

Now that she was trying to speak, the words wouldn’t come out easily. What should she say?

“Don’t be afraid, just say it.”

Terran spoke in a gentle tone. It was an unusually kind voice, rarely heard from him.

“Terran, please… break off our engagement.”

“What?”

For a while, neither of them said anything. Lea needed time to digest the words she had just spoken, and Terran needed time to process what he had just heard.

“Are you serious?”

Surprisingly, there was no change in his facial expression. If anything, he seemed calmer than usual.

“Terran, you don’t love me. I remember too. When I begged you to marry me, you got tired of it and told me to stop whining.”

She spoke as if the vision she had seen before her possession was her own memory.

“I don’t want to constrain you with our engagement.”

“Why did you suddenly think of this?”

Terran’s eyes narrowed as if trying to gauge her intentions.

“I want to marry someone I love and who loves me back. That’s not too much of a dream for a woman, is it?”

Marriage and love were no longer her dreams. They were luxuries for her, and the two things she regretted most in her life.

Still, she felt she should give Terran a reasonable explanation. It was the courteous thing to do.

“What will you do if we break off the engagement? Are you going to look for true love?”

He remained unperturbed. Perhaps this was what he had truly wanted. Undoubtedly, he did not love Grace.

“I’m going to leave.”

“Leave? The duke’s residence?”

“Yes, I’m leaving tomorrow.”

Lea kept watching for Terran’s reaction.

The only good thing was that he didn’t outright refuse. He owed Aiden a great debt of gratitude, after all.

“I’ll explain everything to my brother, so don’t worry.”

Lea almost burst into tears as she spoke, upset at the thought of leaving. She had just started to grow fond of everyone.

Meanwhile, Terran held back his words. It seemed he was having trouble making a decision, probably because of Aiden. Then Terran spoke up.

“You say you’re leaving tomorrow?”

“Yes… I plan to leave by train tomorrow.”

“Do that then.”

“!?”

“If you want to leave, you may go.”

Terran answered with a relaxed expression.