The Ugly Wife of the Shady Duke - Chapter 53.2
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Abel knew that once his master, Benjamin Felton, has made up his mind, it was challenging to sway him.
Aware of this, Abel stopped expressing any further opinion. In the first place, the master he served rarely made wrong choices, so there was that as well.
‘….But are there exceptions?’
Suddenly, Abel thought about it.
Even someone as straightforward as Benjamin had exceptions.
‘Yes, it doesn’t work on the Madam.’
In front of Grace, Benjamin always backs down and becomes incredibly weak.
This was a fact that only Grace didn’t know.
Suspicious of Abel’s momentary expression, Benjamin spoke.
“Now, there are things you should take care of in advance.”
⋆★⋆
In the end, they decided to split the members and depart as Grace had suggested.
Aria would travel by train, visiting territories along the way to assess the contamination levels and bestow blessings.
‘It’s somewhat similar to the original work.’
It wasn’t exactly the same, but it was close enough. And for Grace, that was reassuring.
‘I can look forward to next year’s tea harvest.’
It would be the tea leaves that had received the blessing of the Saintess. This year, they had paid more for tea leaves, but from next year onwards, they could purchase them at a lower price than their actual value.
‘Yes, it turned out well. The results are better than expected.’
When she first collapsed at the gate management office, she had almost given up.
She had acted by putting down the opportunity of Aria bestowing her blessings on the tea plantation.
But in the end, it led to no casualties and brought financial benefits.
Cleta and the orphanage residents had moved to the new residence, and it couldn’t have been better.
‘I’ve sent letters in advance to the tea plantation, so when Cleta arrives by train, she’ll be greeted properly.’
Grace felt a sense of pride, and her lips slightly curled up.
Then, a whispering voice reached her ears.
<Do you really think everything will go your way?>
<Surely, it will all go wrong in the middle.>
<Think again right now.>
The eerie voices were like snakes, tightly gripping Grace’s legs and pulling her down, as if into an unseen abyss.
If anyone heard it, they would probably dismiss it as childish nonsense, but Grace strangely couldn’t easily shake off those words like dust.
“….”
The moment she heard that voice, doubts arose in Grace’s mind. Was her decision truly the right one?
<You’d better not follow.>
<You’ll only become a burden.>
In truth, those words were right.
There was no point in Grace following, and she would only become a burden.
‘It’s too much…’
Her heart began to thump with anxiety. It felt as if cold sweat was running down her skin.
She heard footsteps from behind.
‘Don’t turn around.’
The slow footsteps were the auditory hallucinations Grace used to hear when she was sick at home before she possessed Duchess Felton.
However, there was something different this time.
‘But what is this another sound?’
Apart from the sound of footsteps, another rhythmic sound echoed.
‘Like… the sound of hooves?’
Have I ever experienced such auditory hallucinations before? Grace wondered and quickly turned her head.
“My Lady.”
Benjamin, who had just finished patting the horse standing next to him, smiled widely and met Grace’s eyes.
“Do you have time, by any chance?”
“T-t-time?”
“Yes.”
He replied, still smiling, as he continued to stroke the horse.
“Would you like to practice horse riding with me?”
“H-horse… riding?”
“Yes.”
Grace repeated his words in a slow and hesitant tone, feeling a bit flustered, but Benjamin responded with his usual smile.
“I believe it will take quite some time to get to Count Ardel’s territory, even if we use the gate to go halfway and then take the train. So, we will need to use the carriage as well.”
“….”
“Of course, we can use the carriage, but I thought it would be better for you to ride a horse from the middle if you’re okay with it.”
“….”
“Is it inappropriate for me to make such a request to My Lady?”
“N-no.”
Grace shook her head, feeling somewhat bewildered.
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