The Ugly Wife of the Shady Duke - Chapter 60.2
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In the novel, he was always portrayed as siding with the weaker forces.
‘But that phrase implies that Benjamin is looking out for his own interests.’
Despite potentially being able to sell at high prices without considering others’ circumstances, he faced criticism for selling cheaply, all because he operated differently than the temple or the pharmacist union.
‘The power of the Felton Duchy is immense, but perhaps it happened because they don’t have an intimidating image proportional to their strength.’
Duke Jarte, who appeared as a supporting character in the novel, wasn’t particularly fearsome either.
He was endlessly kind, like a gentle father to Sylvester.
So much so that when Sylvester decided to renounce his claim to the throne to marry Aria, Duke Jarte had no choice but to give up all his responsibilities and receive the succession rights himself.
‘Honestly, I’m not sure if becoming the emperor is a sacrifice.’
Duke Jarte was described as a character who had no interest in the throne or power struggles from the beginning.
He was a twin to the current emperor, and it was a well-known anecdote that he had pleaded with the previous emperor to appoint the current one as the crown prince, even before the decision was made.
‘Why do the dukes of this country have such a neighborly image?’
If not, they become obstacles to the protagonist’s love? Well, it’s true that Benjamin does become a significant hurdle later on.
“Ah, this seems to be the end.”
Upon reaching the location of the last ribbon, Benjamin scanned the surroundings.
Grace compared the map she held in her hand and was certain they had arrived at the final destination.
“Even in the darkness, it’s evident that the land is dead.”
“Your Highness, have you ever seen a dead land?”
“I occasionally encounter such lands while subduing magical beasts.”
“Is the dead land something even the Saintess cannot purify?”
“Yes, it seems like that. I requested reinforcements for that reason, but the temple said it was impossible. I also checked the records in the Felton Duchy and it confirmed that such incidents have occurred.”
“You’ve also examined the records?”
“Yes. After being rejected by the temple for various matters, I sometimes find myself verifying.”
‘This is unexpected.’
Benjamin was a devout believer, so I thought he would believe their words without a doubt.
‘But I guess if they always decline, one might become curious.’
More importantly, there was something strange in his statement.
‘Being denied for various matters? Does it mean he asked for something before?’
Did he frequently request things that would get rejected? Benjamin Felton? Did he ask to meet privately with the Saintess?
Grace was curious, but it pertained to his private matters, so she didn’t dare ask.
Instead, before entering the contaminated land, she broke the silence.
“There seem to be traces of people coming and going here.”
“…? Indeed.”
Looking in the direction Grace pointed, he illuminated his surroundings and found a rusty, decaying small piece of iron.
“There are remnants of materials used to lay rails.”
“If there are rails in this place, were they installed for a mine?”
“I’ve never heard of a mine in Count Ardel’s territory.”
‘Of course not, it’s a mine that has been abandoned for quite some time.’
If people don’t traverse an area, it gets overgrown with weeds and other plants. Still, since the ground was previously used, trees didn’t grow where the rails were laid.
As Benjamin inspected the area, he murmured,
“And there are traces of someone passing by recently.”
“……Pardon?”
Grace was taken aback by the unexpected words.
“Traces of someone passing by?”
“Yes, there’s a cigarette butt. The end they cut after smoking.”
Benjamin lightly tapped the cigarette butt below.
“It’s unlikely that the geologist My Lady brought here left it here. Cigarettes aren’t something they would bring on an expedition, and geologists generally don’t smoke near their research areas for fear of contamination.”
“……”
“Even wooden planks decay over time, but seeing this cigarette butt still intact suggests that someone visited this place not long ago.”
Benjamin squinted his eyes, peering deeper into the darkness.
“Still, it’s unlikely that someone is here right now, right?”
“Yes, it would be reasonable to assume that someone passed by not too long ago. Even if they were here, by now, they would have moved their camp if they heard the geologists coming all the way here during the day.”
He pointed the lantern towards a dark corner.
“Nevertheless, it’s better to check it out. Please stay close to me, My Lady.”
“Yes.”
Fear crept in. Grace deeply regretted suggesting they come at night.
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