Interest Compounds on Revenge - Chapter 46

Lea returned to the hotel immediately after the banquet ended.

Allen seemed to want to spend more time together, but she didn’t give him a chance to even strike up a conversation.

But why did she miss Terran so much?

After spending a few days in Bracel, she felt bone-chillingly lonely. She was still resentful of him, but separately from that, she missed him a lot.

“My lady, why did you accept the dress order?”

“Pauline, when doing business, you must exclude personal emotions. You saw it too, Miss Rivet is very beautiful. Her family is also wealthy. There’s a very high possibility she’ll be chosen as the Crown Prince’s consort.”

“Well, if she’s chosen, it would benefit us.”

“That’s right. But I don’t intend to only take orders for Miss Rivet’s dress.”

“What?”

This was an area she knew better than anyone else.

All the noble ladies of Bracel would participate in the selection. Among them, who would become the Crown Prince’s consort depended on their own efforts.

It might be unwarranted confidence, but the selection was nothing more than a battle of wits anyway.

The result would depend on who knew the Crown Prince’s tastes better, and which lady was more outstanding.

“Let’s go back tomorrow, Pauline.”

“Yes! You miss Chainer, don’t you?”

“I do too.”

‘And… Terran as well.’

The one thing she was grateful for was that he didn’t follow her all the way to Galdencia. She had worried he might barge into the hotel and drag her away.

Terran would already know where she had gone.

‘If Terran’s feelings are still tied to the Empress, he won’t come after me. Because that’s what’s best for him.’

As she carefully retraced the reasons for her distress until now, she realized.

Why she had been angry at Terran, why she had fled to Galdencia, it all became clear.

‘Without realizing it, I was being greedy for Terran. I liked him so much that I tried to monopolize him.’

Lea admitted that her feelings towards Terran and the Empress were jealousy. So if he were to leave, she would let him go.

It would be very difficult and painful, but she had things she needed to do.

Today she had seen clearly with her own eyes. Those bastards who ruined other people’s lives yet lived well without any guilt.

Lea shook her head roughly.

‘I’m prioritizing things. Lea Hamilton, your feelings come second. The absolute first priority is to grow the business enough to subdue those bastards.’

“But, isn’t it a bit strange, my lady?”

“What is?”

“I know the Duke’s personality a bit, and he’s not showing any reaction even though you’ve disappeared. He must have known right away where we went.”

“He’s probably being considerate. Terran is a gentleman after all.”

Or maybe he was feeling guilty and treading carefully. After all, he had fully revealed his feelings for another woman in front of his fiancée.

However, Pauline thought differently.

‘To hell with gentlemen. The Duke is not the type to let the young lady go so easily.’

A severe sense of unease crept over her.

“Could his illness have worsened?”

“What? You think Terran is not coming because he’s sick?”

“It just seems strange. We left without seeing that the Duke had fully recovered.”

Hearing it put that way, Pauline was right. They had given Terran medicine and rushed off to the Empress, so they didn’t know what happened to him afterwards.

She had been too caught up in her own emotions to worry about him.

‘What if he’s too sick to come after me?’

She would rather he was being a gentleman. As much as she resented him, she didn’t want him to be ill.

“He’ll… be fine. There are so many people at the Duke’s residence, including Dr. Wilson, Luke, and James.”

“That’s true. Anyway, we’re leaving here tomorrow.”

“Yes, let’s leave early.”

“Alright.”

Lea’s concern for Terran started from that moment. She paced around the bedroom, constantly biting her nails.

‘He’s the man who blocked the trains and sealed off the city to prevent me from leaving. Has his illness gotten worse? Or did talking with the Empress erase even the last bit of feeling he had for me?’

Hopefully, he wasn’t sick and his feelings had disappeared. Even if it would hurt her heart, that would be better.

* * *

Late at night, Allen headed to the hotel by carriage.

No matter how he thought about it, it seemed a waste to let Grace go like this. When would he get another chance to be in this city with her without anyone’s interference?

He thought he should go after her tonight and do something, whether it be persuasion, courtship, or seduction. Things would get complicated if she returned to Terran.

‘I should get another room. It would be nice to have a light conversation while drinking champagne.’

The atmosphere is what you make of it.

He recalled the contents of the telegram his secretary had brought earlier. It was the good news that the relationship between the Duke and Grace had soured.

So, it would be foolish to miss such a golden opportunity.

‘If she had no feelings for me at all, she would have rejected Rivet’s request too. It seems she’s giving me subtle hints.’

He wasn’t such an insensitive man, and he could quickly find answers by tracing women’s gazes or the nuances in their words.

Allen hummed a tune in excitement. But his carriage stopped, unable to go any further.

“What’s the matter?”

He urged the coachman in an irritated tone. Just then, the door flew open and men wearing black masks grabbed Allen by the collar and dragged him out.

“Get out!”

“Who… are you?”

In an instant, Allen was rolling on the ground.

Soon, men completely wrapped in black cloth from head to toe dragged Allen towards a secluded alley.

A little while later, screams and dull impact sounds sharply pierced the night air.

* * *

Meanwhile, when Terran regained consciousness, he sighed, realizing he was still lying in bed.

‘This damn body!’

As he woke up, the servants bustled about. They brought medicine and water, and prepared underwear for him to change into.

When everything was done, Terran faced Luke alone.

“You were lying down for a full day, Your Grace.”

“I’m fine now.”

Terran tried to get up from the bed again, and Luke verbally restrained his actions.

“I conveyed your words to the Chief of Police. And the thing you were worried about will absolutely not happen.”

“What do you mean the thing I was worried about won’t happen? Speak so I can understand.”

“Don’t you remember? You had a debt to repay to Allen MacDowell. He bribed employees at the Duke’s residence to steal information about Chainer.”

“So?”

“I sent a telegram to Rapha’s operatives in Bracel. I told them to rough him up, but not enough to kill him.”

Luke explained the circumstances.

Grace had returned to the hotel as soon as the banquet ended, but they learned that Allen was following her alone at night. So he said he had repaid the debt in his own way.

“Luke.”

Terran’s expression changed completely as he called him.

“Yes, speak.”

Luke was terrified. Terran might get very angry since he had acted on his own without any specific orders.

“That’s very admirable. Why didn’t you just kill him?”

Only then did Luke’s frozen face slowly thaw.

“Bad deeds receive divine punishment.”

“So, what happened to that bastard?”

“What do you mean what happened? He’ll be in the hospital for a while. Rapha’s operatives do their work very neatly. I told them not to touch the organs and just break a few bones, and they did exactly that.”

“Marvelous.”

They had no choice but to do a good job. Rapha’s organization was grateful to the Hamilton Trading Company because they could now earn money without doing illegal work.

They were able to stabilize their lives by supplying and selling goods to general stores throughout Galdencia, and they were no longer pointed at as gypsies.

But Luke seemed to have more to say as his lips quivered.

“Speak.”

“The young lady is planning to return soon. I’ve confirmed it with the hotel.”

“Is that so?”

It was welcome news among what he had heard. It felt like his body was already feeling better, more effective than any medicine.

From now on, he should study ways to give Grace trust, as Chainer had advised.

Just then, Luke hurriedly got up and brought a hand mirror to show Terran’s face.

“What…”

Terran saw a happy smile blooming on his haggard face in the mirror. It was like a wildflower blooming on cracked ground during a drought.

“When I was young, my father would bring gifts when he came home on leave from the army. Then my brothers and I would be happy just like you are now, Your Grace.”

Luke wanted to show this to Terran. How much of a great change he was going through. Of course, in a positive direction.

Terran smiled self-deprecatingly.

‘To think Grace was a gift.’

“I’m glad I got to experience something like that before I die.”

* * *

Lea and Pauline came down to the hotel lobby early. They planned to quickly settle the bill at the desk and return to Lubeck.

However, there seemed to be an argument at the desk as it was very noisy.

A well-dressed gentleman and a lady wearing a dress made of fine fabric were arguing with a hotel employee. Both seemed to be well past middle age.

“Do you know who we are? We were the dedicated tailors for His Majesty the Emperor of Centeburg and Her Majesty the Empress.”

“Then please pay the hotel bill, guests.”

“I’m telling you, we’ll pay with this!”

The woman thrust a brooch towards the hotel employee. But the hotel employee showed reluctance.

He said it was hotel policy not to accept goods in kind and asked them to pay in cash.

“Do you see that trunk? It’s full of precious clothes and jewels from the Centeburg imperial family. You must not know the value of that brooch…”

This time the man chimed in. He pointed at the trunks piled up in the lobby and ranted.

Lea carefully examined the couple. The intricate embroidery done with black silk thread on red velvet fabric was exquisite.

The man’s suit fit him perfectly, with precise patterns. Above all, the brooch the woman offered instead of the hotel bill was indeed a valuable item.

The Hamilton Trading Company also dealt with such amber-colored gems from the Eastern Continent, so she could estimate its value just by looking at how it reflected light.

‘The Centeburg Empire fell, didn’t it? The Emperor and Empress were killed by revolutionaries.’

Lea’s eyes sparkled.

They had clearly stated with their own mouths that they were the dedicated tailors for the Emperor and Empress. Lea walked towards the desk while assessing the situation.

“How much is the hotel bill?”

At her voice, not only the hotel employee but also the man and woman who had been arguing looked surprised.

“It’s 50 gold.”

“I’ll pay it for them.”

Lea was willing to pay the hotel bill on their behalf.