The Ugly Wife of the Shady Duke - Chapter 109
“……So, is this report true?”
Inside the office, a voice as cold as ice was directed at Abel.
“Yes, Your Excellency.”
Abel nodded, keeping his gaze lowered.
“Haa….”
Benjamin let out a deep sigh, making no effort to hide how bothersome he found the situation.
‘It wasn’t going too badly until now.’
The reason he’d mentioned replacing the portrait to Grace was to gauge her reaction.
They were currently in the midst of a divorce mediation period. Only a few months remained, which wasn’t enough time to paint a new portrait.
Besides, if the divorce was definite, there would be no need for a new portrait at all.
‘But My Lady didn’t reject the idea.’
In other words, Grace was not opposed to their current marital relationship. Since he had made his request to the Emperor in private—where she could have easily contradicted him—she had a chance to correct or withdraw it if she disliked the idea.
Yet Grace had shown no sign of that, so Benjamin had no intention of retracting his request. He believed that if he pushed forward, they might not have to divorce after all.
“We need to see a judge immediately.”
On the paperwork in Benjamin’s hand, the name “Remante” was written.
‘So the one responsible for the assassination attempt was Baron Remante.’
And then, he suddenly took his own life, leaving behind a suicide note confessing to the crime. Upon looking into who Baron Remnate really was, it turned out he was actually a second identity secretly bought by Count Palmer under the newly emerging noble faction—meaning he was living a double life.
He had left behind a note filled with criticisms of the Crown Prince. If this were to be revealed, the entire family would be accused of treason.
‘Yes, the whole family would be labeled traitors.’
Veins stood out on Benjamin’s face. Remnate’s wife was Gloria—Grace’s older sister. If Grace learned of this, she’d be affected for sure, no matter how resolved she was to cut ties with her family.
“Before this becomes known across the empire, ensure Gloria Palmer’s status is reverted to Gloria Linden.”
“Understood.”
They’d almost uncovered all the details surrounding Baron Remante, but the moment they grabbed hold of his trail, this happened. A wave of anger began to rise in Benjamin’s mind.
‘They’re trying to cover their tracks, huh.’
He hated nothing more in the world than someone touching his people.
⋆★⋆
It was the most refreshing morning she’d had in a long time.
‘My head doesn’t hurt as much.’
As Grace sat up, she noticed her body felt lighter than usual. It was a subtle difference, but it was enough for her to realize just how poor her condition typically was.
Even with only a slight improvement, Grace found herself marveling, wondering if this was how other people normally felt.
And she came to a realization—it really was the annex causing the problem.
‘But if that’s the case, why wasn’t I any better during the Western expedition?’
Grace tilted her head, pondering the difference between then and now, and pressed her hand against the soft sheets.
‘Is it the bed?’
It was true that the duke’s main house bed was exceptionally soft. It was incomparable to the one she used during her brief stay at the viscount’s estate, and unlike in the annex, there was no ominous mist putting her on edge here, so that must be why she was able to rest well.
‘I suppose that must be it.’
Accepting that logic, Grace stood and decided to check the papers she’d brought with her before pulling the servant’s bell.
‘Since there’s no pencil, I’ll have to use a substitute.’
Finding charcoal immediately was impossible. Looking around, Grace noticed the fireplace, whose fire was almost out.
While it was standard practice to maintain fireplaces with magic tools, the one in Grace’s room hadn’t been working properly, as the room had been unoccupied for some time.
Fortunately, the fireplace itself was clean, as it had been consistently maintained.
‘I’m really glad there’s a fireplace here.’
Grace used the poker beside the hearth to sift through the ashes. Among the dying embers, she found a piece of wood that had burned completely black.
She picked up a small piece with tongs and blew on it gently.
“This should do, right?”
When she cautiously touched it with her fingers, it was warm but not too hot to handle. Placing the slip of paper on the table, she used a letter knife to scrape off some soot, then gently rubbed it over the page.
“…….”
She moved slowly, hoping to uncover a clue.
‘There were marks showing the paper had been torn. So, instead of replacing it with a fresh sheet, someone must have ripped off the part where a name was written.’
Though why they tore it off remained a mystery.
But as she continued rubbing, Grace came upon a faint imprint of a name—and froze. Only a single entry was visible on the paper.
“…Huh?”
It wasn’t a perfect outline, but it was enough to read the letters, and Grace recognized them.
‘Remnate.’
“…why’s that name, here?”
Thoughts of Gloria raced through her mind, and her heart sank.
⋆★⋆
Grace had already resolved to cut ties with the Linden Family. But after seeing the name Remnate, she couldn’t stop thinking of Gloria.
‘Am I just being meddlesome?’
Even at breakfast with Benjamin, she just stared blankly at the bowl in front of her.
‘I really shouldn’t be worrying about this anymore.’
Benjamin had evidently paid off Linden Viscounty’s debts once they came to the capital, and Gloria must have handled the rest on her own.
Grace fiddled with the handle of her spoon, stirring her soup without actually taking a bite.
Sensing something was off, Benjamin spoke.
“My lady, is something troubling you?”
By habit, she almost said it was nothing, but then paused. “Ah,” she murmured, giving a slow nod.
“I’m sorry for bringing up something that’s already settled, but I feel like I have to ask.”
“You never need to apologize to me, My Lady. Please, ask me anything you wish.”
“It’s about my sister.”
Grace glanced at Benjamin cautiously as she broached the subject of Gloria. Though Benjamin’s grip on his utensil tightened, Grace didn’t notice.
“…The debts in Linden Viscounty came from Baron Remnate, and it seems like he has some connection to my sister. Should we be concerned?”
“I recall you mentioning that once before.”
Benjamin replied, nodding slowly.
“I purchased the viscounty’s IOUs under a different name and traced how it all happened, investigating it thoroughly.”
‘Although there were some gaps in the details’, he added.
“Recently, it seems that they were planning to add another gate to the viscounty. Construction would have been required for that, plus the cooperation of nearby residents.”
“But they didn’t have enough money for the construction costs, right?”
“Yes, precisely. They lacked the assets to cover the cost. Moreover, in the process, they were swindled—so in the end, they couldn’t even begin building, let alone complete a new gate.”
“…….”
One of the biggest reasons the Linden Viscounty had not progressed was its inconvenient access.
Until now, the viscount had resisted changing it under the pretext of preserving tradition, but as time passed, it seemed he had a change of heart.
‘If only the project had succeeded, the viscounty could have developed further.’
But instead, he incurred massive debt which led him to make a terrible choice. Grace bit her lip.
The reason Viscount Linden ended up borrowing money from Baron Remnate instead of Duke Felton was partly because Grace had withdrawn from public life, but also because Duke Felton’s status was excessively high.
Baron Remnate, a rising noble well-acquainted with Count Palmer. He approached the distinguished Linden Viscounty projecting the image of seeking an alliance, giving the impression that the Viscount Linden was in a more advantageous position.
Although Linden Viscounty was fading from many people’s memories, it was still a lineage of considerable history.
‘That must be how my sister Gloria found out the truth.’
Namely, that Count Palmer was actually Baron Remnate.
Magic tools capable of disguising one’s appearance were not officially available to the public. In the story, the only known one appeared when Benjamin gave it to Aria—which was now in Grace’s possession.
‘Though of course, plenty of events not mentioned in the novel have already popped up, so I can’t be entirely certain.’
In any case, while names could be forged on documents, disguising one’s physical appearance had its limits. With enough investigation, it would be clear that Baron Remnate and Count Palmer were the same person.
‘I wonder if my sister ended up getting divorced?’
Grace wasn’t sure exactly how influential Count Palmer’s position was, but he wasn’t a high-ranking noble. Unlike Grace, Gloria wouldn’t need to undergo the same lengthy divorce procedures.
‘Oh—right.’
As her thoughts progressed, Grace suddenly realized: since she and Benjamin were currently in the divorce reflection period and might still get divorced, wasn’t it inappropriate to accept a new portrait commission?
‘How could I have forgotten something so important? I must be losing my mind.’
“Speaking of which, Your Excellency, about our portrait…I just remembered that we’re in the middle of—”
“You don’t need to worry about your sister.”
Benjamin almost never cut Grace off midsentence. On the rare occasion he did, he’d usually apologize and urge her to continue. This time, though, he went on in a perfectly collected manner.
“I happened to find out that Miss Gloria has already gone through the divorce process. It seems it’s been finalized.”
“R-Really?”
“Yes. So whatever comes of Baron Remnate, it won’t directly affect Miss Gloria or Linden Viscountcy.”
Normally, Grace would’ve noticed Benjamin’s behavior was slightly off, but she was too relieved by the news to pick up on it.
“Why would I have any reason to lie about this?”
He flashed her a calm smile.
“They’re complete strangers now, so you needn’t worry in the slightest.”
“Thank you.”
“There’s no need to thank me. Rather, a letter arrived for you. Would you like to check it?”
At Benjamin’s gesture, the butler brought over a tray bearing a single envelope.
“…!”
‘It’s a letter from Birkin.’
Though his name wasn’t on it, the return address was that of the workshop where Grace had placed Birkin.
‘After the contract with the Siren’s Song, that workshop expanded and relocated. No one besides Birkin would send me something from there.’
Inspecting the unopened letter suspiciously, Grace used a letter knife to slit it open with care.
If Birkin was writing at a time like this, there could only be one topic.
‘Looks like his information network expanded significantly after meeting Sireni.’
It must be about what was really in that medicine.
‘Priest Boris will be here soon.’
Grace recalled the events in the imperial garden. It hadn’t been pleasant, but it was something she couldn’t ignore.
‘As I thought, it’s about the medicine. He must’ve learned about the medicine and wants me to come so he can explain in person.’
“Your Excellency, it seems like the textile workshop we contracted for the teabag business ran into problems after expanding. Would it be all right if I went there myself? As you know, I’m the only one overseeing it here in the capital.”
“Of course. Just make sure you take proper escorts and maids with you this time.”
“Don’t worry.”
Grace nodded, the corners of her lips lifting into a faint smile.
⋆★⋆
“It seems crowded inside, so please wait out here.”
Leaving her knight and maid outside, Grace stepped into the workshop.
Tom Birkin looked thinner than when she’d last seen him in the underground prison, but he seemed much more composed.
“It’s been a while, Madam.”
“Birkin, have you been well?”
Grace deliberately spoke to him in a dignified tone.
“Thanks to you, I’ve been fine. I was afraid the temple might try to get rid of me, but apparently, they’ve been too busy to bother.”
“And then?”
“Then ‘Siren’s Song’ took over this workshop and kept my identity hidden, so I’ve been safe.”
“That’s good to hear.”
Grace acted as though she were hearing it for the first time and nodded. Once she took her seat, Tom Birkin nodded back and brought out a pouch of medicine and a cup.
“But this part might not be such good news. Madam, since when have you been taking this medicine?”
“…I suppose it’s been about a year or so.”
Grace referred to the period before her memory began to fade.
“In that case, you’re lucky you stopped.”
“…What exactly is it?”
“That’s what I’m about to explain.”
Birkin poured water into the cup and opened the pouch.
