The Ugly Wife of the Shady Duke - Chapter 67.1
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‘What?’
Beyond the crowd, it was obvious that the female protagonist, Aria, stood there.
She was unmistakable. It’s said that truly beautiful people have an aura, and around Aria, there appeared to be an optical illusion as if the surroundings were being drawn towards her.
Aria glanced at Grace, and upon making eye contact, her eyes widened and she hastily left her spot.
“What… what was that?”
It felt really awkward.
“My Lady, I’m glad the issue was resolved well. You asked for my trust, so I stood still, but you really handled it brilliantly.”
Benjamin said with a broad smile, standing next to Grace. It seemed the jewelry box had been returned to the temple knight.
Holding the jewelry box with both hands, the temple knight looked at Grace with a puzzled expression.
“I deeply apologize for the disrespect shown to you, Duchess.”
“…”
Being apologized to in this manner felt strange.
“I know words of apology can’t fully make up for the rudeness. But this…”
“It’s alright.”
Grace’s lips curved up ever so slightly.
“Aren’t you a knight protecting the temple’s honor? You just wielded your sword to protect it.”
“…”
“I just hope that next time, not only do you have the courage to draw your sword but also the wisdom to know where to direct it.”
At first, she felt scared and wronged. But after receiving the apology, all those emotions seemed to vanish, which felt too odd.
She wondered if she was being too soft, but she didn’t really want to get overly angry about something like this.
‘Especially with so many people around.’
Surveying the crowd, Grace looked up at Benjamin with a perplexed face.
“We should ask the crowd to disperse.”
“Yes…”
It was unusual for so many to crowd into the lady’s chamber. Of course, it aided in catching the culprit, but under normal circumstances, it would be considered impolite.
‘It must mean the temple has a high stature…’
With the great existence of the Saintess, the temple grew day by day. A priest from such a temple being caught for theft was bound to cause a huge commotion. Just when she thought this was a bit inconvenient, Boris appeared.
“I heard there was some disturbance, Duchess.”
“Priest Benedict.”
Boris looked down at the pale and trembling priest who was kneeling, held down by Roselia.
“…”
Boris, who usually had a gentle demeanor, similar to Benjamin, and took up a good part of the novel, looked at the priest with a brief but incredibly cold gaze.
“I can’t even begin to imagine the distress you must have felt, My Lady. This oversight is my fault, as I failed to properly guide the priest.”
Boris bowed his head slightly in apology to Grace, mentioning that there would be an internal temple meeting to determine the punishment for the priest in question.
“…”
‘This is quite the tricky situation.’
For a high-ranking priest to so readily admit fault and promise that he would punish the culprit internally left Grace at a loss for words.
‘Even Benjamin seems at a loss for words.’
Looking at Benjamin standing beside her, she noticed he was silent, with only the corners of his lips raised slightly as usual.
Having already mentioned compensation and internal punishment from their side, there wasn’t much to be said in return.
‘It must be because of the power balance within the empire.’
The temple’s influence was stronger than she’d realized. Even if it’s the Felton Duchy, which was referred to as the “tree that devours the sun”, they couldn’t dare challenge the might of the gods.
The current emperor was relatively inactive in public affairs. In the original work, his significance was almost as minimal as Duchess Felton’s. Actually, it was fair to say he hardly made any appearances at all.
‘No, his presence was probably a tad bit more significant than Duchess Felton’s.’
Regardless, arguing about it now would not be in a good light. If the Felton Duchy were to protest against the revered temple, they’d earn themselves the title of a power-abusing noble.
Even if the priest tried to frame Grace for theft, it would merely spark the public curiosity of ‘Why would he do that?’.
Using the current bad reputation of Duchess Felton, rumors would twist into ‘Maybe she deserved it?’
‘This is a losing game.’
Grace nodded and gestured for Boris to raise his head.
“Thank you for your consideration. Would it be alright if I send someone later to check on the matter?”
“…”
Her words implied that the temple shouldn’t just close ranks and end the matter with a slap on the wrist, but should properly carry out punishment according to their regulations.
“Of course, that would be appropriate.”
Boris, with a serene smile, retreated with the temple knight who had apprehended the culprit.
No, he’s trying to back off.
“Could you please wait a moment?”
Benjamin beckoned Boris with a smile.
“I have a few words for you.”
Even though all eyes turned to Benjamin, he remained as composed as ever.
“Yes, please speak.”
“I’m always grateful for the help we receive from the temple. I express my gratitude often, but it feels insufficient, and I feel sorry for not being able to reciprocate adequately.”
“…”
Benjamin positioned himself in front of Grace as if to shield her from everyone’s gaze.
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