The Ugly Wife of the Shady Duke - Chapter 49.1
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Grace took a deep breath and lifted herself up from the bed in the now-empty room.
Physically, she felt much lighter than before, but with every movement, it felt like her body had turned to jelly.
Grace looked at her reflection in the mirror.
A woman with a smaller figure than before looked back at her.
<Why do you keep doing meaningless actions?>
<It’s pointless.?
<Look at the mirror, have you changed significantly?>
<You’re still ugly!>
All the criticism eventually turned into vulgar insults for being ugly. Grace could understand what mattered to her the most.
Being ugly and burdening others.
That’s why she dreaded situations where criticism was inevitable.
Perhaps because the world didn’t try to understand her and was too busy insulting her, Grace tried to understand her true self.
‘But I have to do it anyway.’
No matter how scared and how much she wanted to run away, she decided to try to change.
Instead of avoiding the constant criticism echoing in her mind, she faced it head-on and decided to wear slightly brighter clothes than usual today.
⋆★⋆
The tea room was a cozy space.
Although Grace’s inner self was still uneasy even here, it was a warm and welcoming place for Cleta Dunn, the visitor.
Grace personally poured tea for Cleta.
“I-Is it okay if I do it myself?”
“You’re my guest. Please let me serve you.”
Now that Cleta knew Grace’s true identity, she felt uncomfortable being treated with such respect and hospitality.
Because of her situation, she was looked down upon with disrespect by all but her sympathizers and comrades.
However, Grace treated Cleta with respect and equality, even though she was in a higher position than anyone else.
Grace pushed the refreshments in the center of the table toward Cleta.
“There’s something I want to ask of you, Cleta. First of all, thank you for coming despite the inconvenience.”
“Oh, no! You’ve helped me so much, how could I feel inconvenienced?”
Cleta Dunn was taken aback by Grace’s words and denied them.
“But there was yesterday’s incident.”
“I don’t believe it!”
“…”
“To be honest… we should be the ones apologizing to you.”
Cleta hesitated and spoke.
“They kept making speculations about you in front of you. What was in the newspapers wasn’t all true…”
“Ah… it’s okay. It can happen.”
“But no one should be allowed to do that.”
Cleta spoke firmly, her eyebrows furrowing.
“People I work with have also lived under such prejudice. And yet, they talked about you so casually. In fact, I talked to everyone last night to apologize for that.”
“…”
“No matter what happens, speaking ill of someone is never justified.”
Grace’s throat tightened at Cleta’s words. It was because scenes of someone raising their voice and siding with her were unfamiliar to her.
“Th-Thank you.”
“You are our benefactor. I don’t believe anything about that ‘revenge’.”
As Grace listened to Cleta’s words, something welled up in her heart. At the same time, her eyes became warm, and her chest felt heavy.
The sharp thoughts that had been swirling in her mind just moments ago faded away.
“Please ask for anything. If it’s something I can do, I will do it.”
“Well, um…”
Grace calmed herself and continued speaking little by little. She mixed in some lies as she requested Cleta’s help in establishing a connection with the Pescian descendants in the largest textile workshop, allowing them to trade fabrics.
“But how do you differentiate the Pescians? I’ve never seen one before.”
“Their skin is bluish. The same goes for mix-bloods. They have a unique skin color that makes it even harder for them to find employment.”
Even if they had talent, it was difficult for them to find work and they didn’t receive fair treatment compared to their abilities.
There were no people who wanted to engage in conversation or have a deep exchange with them, so there weren’t many who knew about the abilities of the Pescians.
“The textiles made by the Pescians are of high quality. There are also some types of fabric that only they can make. About those fabrics, it’s a fact that the Empire does not know because it requires materials that can only be found in their land.”
“How do you know all this, My Lady? You’re amazing!”
Well, since I read it in a novel… Grace couldn’t bring herself to reveal that fact.
“…If we succeed in trading with the Pescians and treat them with respect, it will reach the Kingdom of Arshia. Since Arshia is a union of various ethnicities, they are sensitive to issues between each other.”
“Especially because the Pescians have faced discrimination in other countries, showing them respect and conducting a successful trade would help Arshia import different fabrics.”
“Yes, the actual financial gain depends on how the trade is conducted.”
Cleta Dunn understood Grace’s explanation and nodded.
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