The Ugly Wife of the Shady Duke - Chapter 114
It dissolves well in butter or milk. Meaning, it mixes easily into fats.
‘But doctors usually warn against taking medicine with milk.’
Grace recalled advice from her past life, the kind that doctors at hospitals always gave when handing over prescriptions.
The reason was simple—some medicines, when taken with milk, had reduced absorption. Reduced absorption naturally meant delayed effects.
‘The purification power of divine power tends to neutralize medication.’
This was the very first discovery made when the Pharmacists’ Union allied with the Temple. Since the difference between medicine and poison lay in dosage, divine power could effectively nullify even medicinal effects.
Therefore, the Pharmacist Union developed their drugs to retain efficacy even in the presence of priests’ divine power.
‘I don’t know what they put in it to make it withstand divine power, though.’
However, because Saintess Aria’s divine power was exceptionally strong, it was presumed that if Aria unleashed her power, even these medicines would lose effectiveness. For that reason, Grace carefully infused just a small amount of her divine power into Boris’s body.
As expected, once the medicine inside him began to take effect, Boris began losing his grip on reality.
“…….”
“…Is it working?”
Grace stared intently at Boris, whose eyes now looked hazy and unfocused.
‘So it wasn’t just the mist that caused it.’
Grace quietly took out the pendulum she’d kept hidden. As its glow illuminated the area, the surrounding mist retreated as if fleeing from its glow.
Yet, seeing the black mist still clinging to Boris’s side, it seemed the medicine somehow amplified the attraction of that black mist through some kind of linked reaction.
Or perhaps, once the drug was activated inside the body, this phenomenon occurred only when there was no object to shield the subject.
She could have waited until the drug fully took effect and then used the pendulum, but Grace wanted to recreate the situation as closely as possible to what she herself had experienced.
If things turned out differently, unforeseen variables might occur—and she wanted to understand exactly what had happened to her.
“Seriously, what’s the principle behind this?”
Surely, Boris had a decent amount of divine power himself, yet she never imagined the magic-power enhancer would have such potent effects.
Grace soon noticed the black mist beneath the bed slowly slithering towards Boris.
‘What’s going to happen now?’
Even though Boris had never exactly been friendly towards her, she couldn’t help feeling uneasy. After all, her life had been gloomy enough when she’d been surrounded by that fog herself.
“Is he alright?”
It was the moment Grace muttered the words to herself—
“…I’m alright.”
Boris replied in a quiet voice. Startled, Grace jerked back in surprise.
“Or… maybe not… I’m not really sure…”
His vague, slurred words felt like an unconscious response.
“I don’t know… Am I alright…?”
“Y-You’re alright.”
“I’m alright, then.”
Grace’s eyes trembled violently.
‘What’s this? Isn’t this Hypnosis?’
She felt bewildered.
‘Is he just answering whatever I ask? No, that can’t be it. Things like this usually don’t work on complicated questions…’
“Thanks to you, our counseling session today ended perfectly. Thank you.”
“……For what?”
‘This is no joke.’
Is this what happens when you take that drug and lose control of your mind? Grace glanced around nervously.
‘But then why did I only get flooded with negative thoughts?’
“Priest Benedict, you may forget all the questions I’ve asked you today.”
She knew he’d forget everything anyway, but Grace continued, recalling all the previous counseling sessions she herself had completely forgotten.
“What are you planning to do after this session ends?”
“……Move the statue to the right.”
“……?”
After that, Boris fell silent. He didn’t seem inclined to say anything more. Even under hypnosis, it seemed he wouldn’t reveal his deepest secrets.
‘A statue?’
There were countless statues in this world. Even narrowing it down to the Empire alone, one’d lose count.
‘But if he’s talking about something here, it must be one of those carved from holy stone.’
Usually, when priests talked about a ‘statue,’ that’s precisely what they meant.
‘But move it to the right? What does he mean by that?’
The temple in which Boris was currently residing was located in the Imperial Capital—the same place where Aria resided.
‘I’ll be visiting that place soon enough anyway.’
Grace hesitated briefly, then asked,
“Why are you conducting these counseling sessions with me?”
She wasn’t expecting a complete or detailed answer. She just wanted even the smallest clue.
If their goal truly was to torment Grace, what exactly was the Temple gaining from this madness?
Boris maintained silence for a long moment before finally answering.
“……For the sake of the world.”
“So you mean, my existence poses a threat to the world?”
“Yes.”
“…….”
“….your existence isn’t helpful.”
Even though the pendulum hidden in Grace’s arms was glowing brightly, preventing even a shred of mist from touching her, she suddenly felt suffocated, as if she was hopelessly stifled.
‘……Why?’
She couldn’t muster the courage to ask about the reason.
⋆★⋆
This ‘counseling’ was utterly baffling.
Boris himself didn’t even remember falling asleep. On the contrary, he believed he’d finished the session flawlessly.
‘But it doesn’t affect ordinary people. Only those with divine power….’
Grace recalled Boris’s state just before they’d parted ways.
He’d looked slightly tired but nowhere near as gloomy as Grace usually felt.
‘Is it because of how often we’re exposed to it…?’
More importantly—why did these objects constantly emit black mist? Where, how, and by what method had they been made?
“For someone who wasn’t even here on an official apology visit, he left behind a pretty generous gift.”
“Generous my a*s! If he wanted to leave something, why not something blessed with holy power?”
Grace overheard people discussing amongst themselves the gift Boris had left behind when he departed.
The necklace glittered ostentatiously, heavy with dazzling gems. It was surely valuable, but Grace knew it was the Temple’s answer to ‘that necklace’ Benjamin had given her.
‘Talk about holding grudges.’
“Perhaps they’ll give you a holy relic when you visit the temple with the Master, Madam? After all, that would attract much more attention.”
‘I highly doubt it.’
If she possessed a holy relic, the black mist’s influence in the annex would diminish. So, even when she visited the temple, Grace knew very well they’d never grant her such an item.
Boris’s words echoed through her mind once more.
‘Not only am I no help to the world, but I’m also considered a threat? Was Grace Felton really that important?’
Grace recalled Benjamin’s actions from the original story.
‘Benjamin fell into darkness and destroyed the temple in the capital. Then he kidnapped Aria.’
But what if it wasn’t his love for Aria that drove him to do all that? Only now did Grace reach this chilling conclusion.
Benjamin’s final words to Aria had always felt unsettling to her. But if the temple had murdered Grace, and Benjamin had later discovered the truth, it would perfectly explain his rage and descent into darkness.
‘Then why did the temple deem Grace—my existence—a threat to the world…?’
Was it because the temple had quietly eliminated Grace beforehand that no adversity involving her had ever appeared in the original novel?
The thought made Grace’s stomach churn painfully. Although Benjamin may have gone on a rampage, he never posed a threat to the world.
“There was no mention of anyone being able to see the future in this novel… but maybe there is a prophet outside the main characters…?”
Of course, for Grace, that was a truth she wanted to avoid at all costs. If none of this was a misunderstanding—if she truly was the disaster itself—wouldn’t disappearing be the right thing to do for the sake of the world?
‘But I don’t want to do that.’
If that were the case, wouldn’t it have been better not to be born at all? But Grace Felton had already been born as Linden, and had lived a life under the Felton name—and now another soul had taken over, continuing Grace’s existence entirely.
She wanted to live. Not sacrifice herself for some greater cause—she wanted everyone to live together. Even if someone called that greedy or selfish, the desire to live couldn’t be so easily dismissed.
“It seems the Master has returned.”
The servants who had been checking the items informed Grace as they heard the carriage outside. They’d noticed that lately, Grace and Benjamin had become much closer than before.
“I should greet him.”
“Should we fetch a shawl for you to wear?”
“No, it’s fine. I’ll head out now.”
Grace immediately decided to meet Benjamin without hesitation at hearing he’d arrived.
This decision was something her old self could never have made—it was a subtle change Grace herself hadn’t noticed.
When she stepped outside, she saw Benjamin had returned with several large cargo wagons, unlike when he had left.
“You’ve returned?”
Even while glancing briefly at the wagons, Grace greeted Benjamin first before asking about them.
Benjamin, who had been inspecting the wagons, smiled warmly as if delighted she’d come out to greet him.
“Were you out for a stroll?”
“No, I heard Your Excellency had returned, so I came to welcome you.”
“……!”
His smiling face stiffened for a moment, making Grace wonder if she’d said something wrong—but then his expression lit up so brightly, it was as if flowers had bloomed in the background. Grace could only let out a silent ‘Ah…’ in her mind.
“I hear a lot happened while I was away. I hope Priest Benedict didn’t offend you too greatly, My Lady?”
“It was mostly my own missteps. I’m more worried about rumors spreading.”
“If it does, the source will be easy enough to trace—so don’t worry.”
‘Don’t worry? About what exactly—handling the aftermath?’
Benjamin simply flashed a carefree smile. While Grace subtly shifted her gaze behind him.
“By the way, what’s in those wagons? I don’t remember seeing them when you left.”
“Ah, those are gifts from the Magic Tools Association today. All of them are for you, my lady.”
Gifts? New magic tools? Grace finally turned her attention fully toward the wagons.
“……?”
From between the gaps of the wagons, she could feel an unsettling, and ominous energy seeping out.
‘This…….’
“May I take a look?”
“Of course.”
Though a part of her still hoped she was mistaken, Grace opened the wagon door, already certain of what she might find.
“……!”
Opening the door, she saw several pieces of furniture packed inside.
‘Wh-What’s this……?’
Though it was now confirmed the temple had malicious intentions toward her, what lay before Grace now threw her mind into further chaos.
‘Why would the Magic Tools Union gift furniture—and why is this unsettling mist emanating from it?’
“There was that unfortunate incident with the garden decorations last time, remember? I heard that’s why the Magic Tool Association put extra care into these pieces.”
“……Garden decorations.”
All the furniture that filled Grace’s annex until now had been provided by the Magic Tools Association.
‘It wasn’t from the Temple?’
The alliance between the Temple and the Magic Tool Association was not particularly amicable. It wouldn’t be accurate to call it hostile, but if one had to put a label on it, it was rather indifferent—cordial at best, thanks largely to Benjamin.
‘Still, if the Temple is aware of this mist, doesn’t that mean the Magic tool Association has a hand in it as well?.’
Grace felt her mind spiraling into confusion.
Sweetsango24
This story continue to amaze me with its plot 😍 thank you so much for the translation 😘