The Ugly Wife of the Shady Duke - Chapter 63.1
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Should I feel relieved that I don’t have a good premonition?
In this situation, no news wasn’t necessarily good news, which made her feelings even more tangled.
‘Worrying now won’t solve anything.’
For now, let’s do what I can. Grace started to move again to resupply the materials.
Meanwhile, she felt the occasional stealthy glances from people around her.
They frequently exchanged looks and whispered amongst themselves.
‘I wonder what they’re saying about me.’
Even though she hadn’t done anything wrong, it felt like they might be slandering her.
‘This is all because of that voice.’
She didn’t want to entertain such thoughts, but the whispers were hard to ignore, and gradually, she began to accept them.
Perhaps she should be grateful that, in this hierarchical society, nobody dared to speak ill of her openly.
Grace’s eyes drifted to Benjamin, who stood a distance away. It appeared that the people of the territory were engaging him, seemingly expressing their gratitude.
Benjamin received their acknowledgments one by one until he turned his head.
“……!”
Caught off guard, their eyes met, and Grace quickly averted her gaze.
‘Did he realize I was watching him?!’
Sure, a wife might occasionally watch her husband, but something about this felt wrong.
It felt like she was coveting something that wasn’t hers.
Her heart thudded again, but this time, it wasn’t excitement but anxiety.
Grace, accompanied by Sally, left her spot to assist others.
A few days later, the team led by Aria arrived at the territory of Count Ardel.
“This is the relief supplies sent by Duke Jarte.”
“From Duke Jarte?!”
Such support was never mentioned in the original story.
The reason Grace knew that Duke Jarte’s supply was a deviation from the original story was clear.
‘It’s… it’s too much…’
In the original work, there was a description of a severe shortage of relief supplies due to an unexpected crisis.
To address this, there was an episode where Aria had to seek help from nearby territories to gather supplies.
‘One of those territories was Baron Jekyll’s territory.’
The closest place was Jekyll’s Barony, and they had generously sent a considerable amount of supplies.
This was the part that Grace found puzzling.
‘But this time, we haven’t requested supplies yet.’
Given that Aria had just arrived, there wouldn’t have been time to request supplies, especially not in these quantities.
It was possible that they knew Aria, a figure revered like a deity, was part of the expedition and would be joining the main group, having received the news via the advance team.
However, it felt odd that these people, who had previously ignored all requests, suddenly sent such vast quantities of supplies, deviating from the original story.
‘I thought Saintess Aria would personally have to request supplies with her reputation.’
It was odd and unsettling. However, Grace judged there was no reason to refuse the offer at the moment.
“With this much, we can also help other affected areas we encountered on our way here.”
“Then, let’s check the items and distribute them accordingly.”
The supplies were piled high, an overwhelming amount. Grace’s eyes narrowed as she looked at the stacks.
‘Some of these must have come from Baron Jekyll’s territory.’
The seal on the box, although partially erased, bore the remnants of the lord’s mark.
It lingered in the memory of the Duchess of Felton.
‘The original owner of this body surprisingly seemed to know many things.’
Details like the lineage of each noble family, their relationships, and the like. Even though she hadn’t been active in social circles, the fact that such knowledge and information naturally came to mind proved her sharp intellect.
‘Anyway, judging by the marks on the box, it indeed appears to have come from Baron Jekyll.’
There was no reason for Duke Jarte to make a detour to Baron Jekyll’s territory just to borrow a box.
“Your Highness, did the supplies from Baron Jekyll’s territory arrive with the rest?!”
“According to the report, they did.”
“…….”
“Is there something peculiar?!”
Benjamin couldn’t tear his gaze away from Grace’s suspicious expression.
“Oh, it’s nothing. I was just wondering where the knight I sent to Baron Jekyll’s territory had gone. They could have met during the supply handover…….”
At Grace’s inquiry, Benjamin nodded with a complicated look.
“That knight seems to have been tasked with escorting Duke Jarte.”
“A knight from the Duchy of Felton?!”
“Yes, Duke Jarte, who was in the Barony of Jekyll, heard of the request for aid and purchased a significant amount of supplies from there to support the cause. In exchange for the donation of supplies, it’s documented that an agreement was made to assist in escorting Duke Jarte.”
In Benjamin’s hand was another report, which appeared to concern the knight dispatched by Grace from the Duchy of Felton.
‘Come to think of it, I’ve seen a few knights in different uniforms.’
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