The Ugly Wife of the Shady Duke - Chapter 112
⋆★⋆
Her heart began to pound unpleasantly. Why hadn’t she taken action even though she knew? What exactly was written in the other diary that remained?
She quickly skimmed through the memories of its contents in her mind. Even though the diary had been written for private reflection, it occasionally reflected mistrust directed at herself.
‘…The medicine.’
It must be because of those medicines.
Someone who was already depressed couldn’t possibly think straight after taking those drugs. Grace felt her head spin, and a surge of heat almost rushed to her scalp.
The worst part was that no one could have known about it.
The medicine’s appearance had been carefully disguised, and anyone who took it would seem perfectly calm on the surface.
‘Even the person taking it would have simply thought there was something wrong with themselves.’
This is the worst, Grace thought bitterly. She was grateful she hadn’t resorted to taking the medicine, despite how difficult things had been for her.
Benjamin had encouraged Grace to take it because he genuinely believed it was beneficial for her.
All this time, Benjamin had asked Grace if she was feeling better, and Grace had given brief, reassuring responses, saying she was improving.
He had no reason to suspect the medication.
‘That would have been even more true if I’d been in a truly desperate situation—after all, the temple was my only option for treatment.’
Recently, Grace’s condition has visibly improved. Benjamin likely attributed this progress to the medication and might have mentioned it to the temple.
‘Prescribing medication is entirely under the control of the Pharmacists’ Union and the temple. Benjamin’s influence wouldn’t reach them.’
What if Benjamin had switched the medicine? Such a thought surfaced suddenly. However, the recipe for the medicine was tightly controlled by the Pharmacists’ Union. In other words, only the Union and its affiliated temple knew the recipe.
Even if Benjamin tried to manipulate it with power or money, Duke Jarte was firmly backing the Pharmacists’ Union.
‘It would be nearly impossible for the Felton duchy to interfere with the Pharmacists’ Union for this purpose.’
If such a thing had happened, there would have been significant backlash.
Duke Zarte supported the Pharmacists’ Union and had a strong alliance with the temple. No matter how powerful the Felton duchy was, Duke Zarte was an imperial family member—more precisely, the Emperor’s brother.
Negotiating a trade might be feasible, but secretly tampering with medicine prescribed under the temple and the Union’s authority would be far too risky for Benjamin.
‘Did Benjamin make a deal to get rid of me? No, if that were the case, he wouldn’t have bothered visiting the temple himself on the day of the banquet.’
If there had been a deal, he could have just sent someone else instead of going in person. After all, they would have already been in collusion.
This meant Benjamin had no trust whatsoever in the temple.
‘I don’t believe Benjamin would try to kill me, but I hate myself for even entertaining the possibility.’
Still, it wasn’t a bad idea to keep ‘what if’ scenarios in mind. Grace lightly tapped her fingers on the table.
“I’ve heard that you’ve been quite active outside recently.”
“I decided not to confine myself to the mansion anymore.”
“Even so, it would be wise to remain cautious.”
Boris replied, cutting into the cake in front of him.
“I heard rumors that, during the fire incident, you were spoken to strangely by some ruffian.”
“…”
Honestly, hearing those words Grace was taken aback, thinking, ‘How many lives does this man think he has?’
This was Felton territory, and Boris had clearly come to apologize. Why bring up something bound to sour her mood?
“Recalling the orphanage fire incident worries me,” Boris continued. ” After all, My Lady, you’re as noble as our lady Saintess. If we were to lose you, the entire empire would be deeply shaken.”
The mention of the orphanage fire caused Grace’s lips to quiver slightly.
‘I had just managed to forget, and now he’s bringing it up.’
It wasn’t the fire itself that she had forgotten—only the words she had heard that day.
The director who collapsed after suddenly uttering strange words aimed at Grace.
That memory made her stomach churn, and she set her coffee cup aside, unable to take another sip. Instead, she gestured toward Boris’s nearly empty cup.
“Come to think of it, you mentioned you don’t typically enjoy coffee?”
“Yes, due to temple doctrine.”
“In that case, let me introduce you to a different way we enjoy it here in the Felton duchy.”
At Grace’s gesture, a maid brought out a silver container that had been prepared in the corner. Frost was visible on its surface.
“…I’m being treated to something truly exquisite.”
“Since I’ve made such an esteemed person like you come all this way, isn’t it only natural?”
A scoop of pure white ice cream was placed into Boris’s cup. Then, freshly brewed coffee was poured over it, and the ice cream began to melt away like snow yielding to the warmth of spring.
“Enjoying it this way is quite delightful,” Grace said. “Lift the cup, and use the spoon beside you to savor it slowly.”
“…This is a method I’ve never seen before.”
In this world, combining two such luxuries was a rare indulgence, so his surprise was natural.
Boris seemed genuinely pleased by the thoughtful hospitality.
‘Of course, he would be.’
Grace didn’t care for Boris out of affection. Although he was a favored character when she read about him in the novel, facing him in reality left her unable to feel the same.
“Receiving such treatment without discussing anything important makes it hard for me to say anything.”
“No, relaxing first is essential before we can discuss anything.”
Grace didn’t expect to be so bold. She wondered if she had picked up some of Benjamin’s audacity.
‘The temple might have been behind the provocation at the orphanage.’
A few months ago, Grace would not have suspected and simply suffered, but now, mentioning this at such a time seemed highly suspicious.
‘Even if it’s not directly their doing, they know the cause or must fully exploit the situation.’
The temple seemed intent on keeping Grace in a state of unease.
Pretending to sip her coffee, she waited for ‘that moment.’ Shortly after, a small crack followed by the sound of breaking glass was heard.
“Ah! Are you okay?!” the maid exclaimed, rushing toward Boris.
Grace also put down her cup and stood up quickly.
“Priest Benedict, are you alright?”
The sudden crack in the cup had left his pristine white robes stained with coffee and cream, his hands and wrists sticky, the dripping liquid surely soaking into his ankles as well.
The apprentice priest and the temple knight standing nearby also wore faces of surprise, but Boris alone smiled softly.
“It’s okay. It’s not as hot as it looks.”
“I’m hosting you, and such an incident occurs… It’s my fault. What should we do… You should wash up.”
“No, I can cleanse the clothes with divine power.”
“How could we use your divine power for such a trivial matter? I do not wish to become more famous in society for such reasons.”
The scope of purification was broad, and indeed, such messes could be cleaned up if desired. The reason people were unaware of this was because such incidents were considered ‘trivial.’
The temple monopolized divine power, and there was a tendency to interpret it in their own way, often sanctifying it excessively.
‘That’s why it’s called divine power, after all.’
Grace recalled Benjamin’s skeptical remarks about the temple. They had claimed that divine power was not to be used for personal matters.
Thus, if Grace countered here, Boris could no longer insist arbitrarily.
‘Yeah, they might use divine power like a secret washing machine among themselves, but once I challenge it, he can’t use it in front of me.’
It would be inconsistent with their image.
Boris seemed to realize this as he sighed softly and smiled faintly.
“It seems I keep making blunders.”
“Not at all, it’s my own lack that caused this. The bathroom… the main building is closer.”
Grace quickly instructed the maid to prepare and led Boris towards the bathroom.
‘It really is my fault.’
In fact, the breaking of the cup was no accident. It was a cup that Grace had already prepared, knowing it was damaged.
In fact, the cup breaking was not an accident. It was a cup Grace had prepared, already weakened. She had chosen a cup with elaborate internal patterns, making any cracks less visible. She then introduced the hot coffee and ice cream to ensure it would break more easily.
The rapid change from hot to cold had fractured the already delicate cup.
‘I was actually nervous for a moment when he looked down at the cup. If he had noticed its condition, I would have had to change my entire plan.’
Now that everything had gone as planned, Grace felt relieved.
“Priest Benedict, we will prepare some attire for you at the Felton estate, please make yourself comfortable.”
“Is that really necessary? It seems overly generous just for borrowing your bathroom.”
“I insist. It’s my peace of mind.”
“Then, please feel free to ask for help from the two who accompanied me if needed.”
‘Yes, that’s the response I was waiting for.’
Grace casually replied, “If necessary.”
Once Boris was in the bathroom, the maids collected his stained clothes. Grace asked the novice priest for assistance, noting his similar build to Boris.
“Apprentice priest, it seems you are about the same size as Priest Benedict. Could you help me?”
“Yes, please tell me what you need.”
“I forgot to check Priest Benedict’s measurements. I was going to use these clothes to compare but…”
Grace showed the priest’s flowing robe held by a maid. Its loose fit made it difficult to gauge the size.
“It’s difficult to compare with such a garment.”
“I understand your point.”
“I’m sorry to ask you to run this errand. I’ve prepared a carriage outside. We can’t offer his own clothes back immediately, so I promised to provide good quality attire from the Felton estate.”
The apprentice priest looked slightly bewildered at the mention of a carriage.
“The tailor is just nearby, so it won’t take long. A Felton estate knight will accompany you, but perhaps the temple knight should go along with you, too?”
Before the temple knight could respond, Grace pressed forward. The temple always aimed to maintain a ‘benevolent’ image.
“Felton estate is short on hands today due to personal matters. It’s difficult to spare more personnel from inside the estate. But don’t worry about Priest Benedict’s safety. Who would dare threaten him here?”
“…”
Grace’s reasoning was sound. She wasn’t about to attack Boris; she was merely verifying something.
“I’ll be back as quickly as possible. Please take care of His Holiness.”
“Of course.”
Moreover, Boris had already told Grace that they could ask for help from his companions. They couldn’t refuse an order once their superior had given his permission.
‘I sent them both.’
While examining the clothes earlier, Grace had confirmed that what she was looking for was not there.
‘It must be there; it couldn’t be missing.’
She frowned, recalling a vague memory she had seen in the garden.
‘Then….’
Reluctantly, Grace glanced towards the bathroom.
‘I have no choice but to go and look for it myself.’
