Interest Compounds on Revenge - Chapter 80

Allen read the daily newspaper published in Rubek every day. The news of Terran’s death should have come out soon, but unfortunately, there was no such article.

‘Duke Courtois wipes out a gang of thieves in Basel? He’s become a hero again.’

Beyond disappointment, his teeth were grinding. Terran should have disappeared this time, but he’s so tenacious.

“Allen, the tea is getting cold.”

Emily had come with tea at some point. Only then did Allen fold the newspaper and bring the teacup to his lips.

“The tea smells good.”

“It’s so nice to have tea together like this, just the two of us.”

“Is that so?”

Allen answered with a smirk. In fact, Emily was a satisfactory partner.

She didn’t openly obsess and tire people out like Sara. Her words and actions were gentle in everything, making him feel well-treated.

‘This is why lineage is inescapable.’

Even among mistresses, the difference between noble birth and a maid was like heaven and earth.

“I heard from my friend in Rebon that there’s a rumor going around that Duke Courtois and Lady Bizac have broken up?”

Allen was so surprised that he put down the teacup he was holding.

“Is that true?”

“I don’t know, I haven’t confirmed it myself. But they say it’s certain that the two are living separately.”

“Don’t you know where Lady Bizac went?”

When he asked with sparkling eyes, Emily had an ‘uh-oh’ moment. She suspected that this man might also have feelings for Grace.

“Allen, do you have feelings for Miss Bizac?”

Emily asked in a calm tone. In fact, since Grace was beautiful, it wasn’t strange for men to show interest.

“I’m asking because I commissioned a dress for my younger sister. I’m worried there might be a problem.”

“Ah! I see.”

Emily finally smiled with satisfaction.

Even if Allen had feelings for Grace, he would never be able to take her from Terran. The breakup rumor was probably just gossip.

‘He was a man who only looked at his woman at the party.’

At the Bellis party, Terran’s gaze never left Grace for a moment. Even now, there must be a reason why they’re temporarily apart.

The press just loves to write sensational articles. At that moment, the door of the study burst open, and their gazes turned towards it.

“Sara?”

They thought she had completely disappeared since there had been no news, but to think she would appear so suddenly.

“Who is that woman?”

Sara pointed at Emily and asked sharply. Meanwhile, Emily asked Allen the same question.

“She was a maid, who went on an errand and just now returned.”

“Ah! A maid. But your employee education is quite a mess, isn’t it? Entering the study without knocking…”

Sara was exasperated by their conversation.

Well, it was her own fault for expecting faithfulness from Allen. But this was still a clear violation of their agreement.

“Emily, could you please step out for a moment? I need to educate the maid.”

“Yes.”

Emily brushed Sara’s shoulder and went out, as if to show off. Finally, with just the two of them left, Allen got to the point.

“Did you find it?”

“No. It’s impossible without the key. I even went to the old villa, but it wasn’t there.”

“Is that so? Then, there’s nothing more between Sara and me.”

She had still hoped. She thought that even if she came back empty-handed, he would say, ‘You’re the only one on my side, we should go to the end together.’

But was it too much to expect? Or did she mistakenly think that Allen still had some human emotion left?

Whatever it was, it was just her delusion.

But now that she had confirmed this, there was no need to linger anymore.

‘It’s okay. If you had said just this one thing, I would have given you what I have.’

She vaguely knew, but his true colors were truly ugly.

She knew Allen was a scumbag and a bastard, but she couldn’t let go of her lingering feelings because her emotions of loving him were more important.

Sara tightly gripped the key necklace in her hand.

‘You don’t know, do you? That I found another key necklace.’

* * *

Terran had fully recovered and no longer needed antidote injections. However, it was too early to handle state affairs right away, so he focused on regaining his strength. But for some reason, one corner of his heart felt inexplicably empty.

“James, will I remember the things with Grace?”

Terran, whose physical condition had improved considerably, seemed to want to recover his lost memories as he mentioned Grace. In any case, it was a promising sign for James.

“Yes, if you make an effort, you’ll soon remember the young lady.”

James encouraged Terran. But Terran shook his head with a complicated expression.

“It’ll get better gradually. My head hurts.”

It was frustrating, but the more he tried to remember, the more sensitive his nerves became and headaches swept over him.

“I haven’t seen Luke lately, what’s the reason?”

“He went down to the territory. He couldn’t get your permission because you were ill, Your Grace.”

“Was it urgent?”

“Yes, he left after receiving a telegram that his parents were looking for him.”

“Is that so?”

What is this feeling of being left alone?

Still, at first his mind was completely jumbled, but it seemed he was slowly recovering his old memories as things started to fall into place one by one.

‘Why does it feel like I’m about to remember, but can’t quite grasp it?’

It felt like a very important memory was about to surface, but when he concentrated, it scattered like smoke.

“Your Grace, why don’t you go to the hot spring bath and soak your body after so long?”

At James’s suggestion, Terran headed to the hot spring bath. As he immersed his body in the large bathtub, his body became relaxed and his fatigue melted away. Soon, he went deep into the water.

[Terran, I challenge you to a duel.] [What are you challenging?]

He wasn’t sure if it was a sound from underwater or an auditory hallucination, but he heard a woman’s voice and his own voice responding to it.

[A duel? Gun or sword?] [Not that kind of thing.] [I’m good at everything. Plus, I’m outstanding in all aspects compared to others.] [Yes, you’re excellent, Your Grace.]

The bold but bright voice wasn’t bad. Moreover, it was too familiar to his ears.

‘The voice is the same as the woman who brought the horse.’

Was there a woman I knew? The only women I remember are my childhood friend Vivian and Aiden’s snotty little sister.

‘Did I have another woman?’

Terran swam freely in the water. Then he stopped abruptly at another sound that reached his ears.

[Tell me what you want to duel with me in.] [Swimming.]

He remembered standing next to a woman in the bathroom and jumping into the water together. What happened after that was the problem.

He didn’t know why the shattered pieces of memory were so troublesome and didn’t fit well together, and his chest was starting to feel tight.

He got out of the water, sat on the railing, closed his eyes tightly, and felt the warmth of the water lapping at his feet.

A different scene appeared before his closed eyes.

In a room covered in pitch-black darkness, the only light came from candles on the wall. Even the small window that let in a little light had black iron bars fixed to it.

‘It’s a prison.’

As he opened the door and entered, a woman looked at him with fear. Her eyes were full of resentment, brimming with clear tears.

‘Is it that woman again?’

[I didn’t… run away. I came back like this, didn’t I?] [How dare you think of leaving me alone?]

He felt unfamiliar with himself reprimanding a woman who had left his side. Who could she be that he was getting so angry?

Terran’s head became complicated again. He dove back into the water.

His head was about to burst with distracting thoughts. The only way to get rid of these fragments of memory popping up was to move his body frantically.

Soon, he saw a small, white woman’s hand. He handed her a paper with a bunch of grapes drawn on it, and even gave her a pen.

[You need to sign.]

As the woman’s hand lingered as if about to sign right away, he openly showed his impatience. He couldn’t understand what kind of childish game these grown adults were playing.

Terran swam fiercely towards the end of the bath. He wanted to wash away the childish memories that were confusing him with the water current.

He got out of the water and headed to the bedroom. Although it was still early spring and the wind was cold, he didn’t feel the cold at all. He tied the belt of his bathrobe tightly and walked down the long corridor stretching out in front of him.

“Cough, cough.”

As white smoke thickened before his eyes, he coughed severely.

In an instant, the scenery around him changed. It wasn’t his house, but a cabin in a forest shrouded in deep darkness and killing intent.

“Huff, huff.”

Terran breathed heavily. All he could see were the bodies of soldiers and thieves who had collapsed from the smoke. Then, like a beam of light, her voice pierced his ears.

[Terran, snap out of it! Don’t you remember me?]

A woman shouting in a desperate voice. The sight of himself stabbing the woman’s neck with a knife.

He watched without emotion as red droplets of blood trickled down from the woman’s white neck.

[I’m your fiancée, and we were supposed to get married in May.] [Who sent you? Who ordered you to kill me?] [You like me a lot. And so do I.] [Oh ho! You brought them again!]

The two people having different conversations looked miserable.

‘Why did I do that?’

At that moment, her words came back to him clearly.

[Terran, you promised to come back to me after wiping out the thieves. You said you’d be back in a week…]

Her sad face and desperate cry. Terran clutched his head with both hands.

Suddenly, his head hurt as if an earthquake had struck. It shook and broke, and the direction of space changed up and down wildly.

The shattered pieces of memory were blown by the wind and fit together one by one. If only there was one decisive piece left.

‘What was it?’

Just as Terran was muttering repeatedly, the woman jumped into his arms and kissed him. But he pointed his sword at her abdomen.

‘Blood!’

Dark red blood dripped from the woman’s hand clutching her side.

[I… love you. Enough to die.]

The words she had said to him even as she was collapsing came back to him clearly, and Terran’s memories, which had been obscured by smoke, returned all at once.

“Grace.”

Now that the scattered puzzle was perfectly put together, he realized why one corner of his heart had felt empty.

“What have I done to Grace?”

The memories that had slowly disappeared one by one rushed in like a tidal wave and beat him up.

“Argh…!”

Terran screamed, unable to bear the pain. James, who heard his scream, came running breathlessly and supported the staggering Terran.

“Your Grace, are you alright?”

“James, where is Grace?”

“Huh? She’s in the Imperial Palace, isn’t she?”

“That’s right, Grace is in the Imperial Palace, with Chainer.”

James saw Terran’s eyes, which had finally regained their sharpness.