The Ugly Wife of the Shady Duke - Chapter 99

<Such a waste of a good outfit.>

 

 

 

<Why not just run away? Continuing like this, you’ll only become a laughing stock.>

 

 

 

<Yeah, you should take that diet pill too. Lose more weight or you’ll end up a laughing stock.>

 

 

 

A woman with a round body can never be the protagonist of a romance fantasy novel.

 

 

 

As soon as she heard the voices, Grace faltered. There was no immediate way to shut them out, which made it all the more painful.

 

 

 

‘I must go on.’

 

 

 

Yet, she moved because she didn’t want to live forever amid those voices.

 

 

 

⋆★⋆

 

 

 

‘I want to escape.’

 

 

 

And that grand resolution crumbled in front of the Imperial Palace.

 

 

 

It wasn’t because she heard anything specific. The grand and splendid presence of the palace was enough to intimidate anyone.

 

 

 

‘Is it the same for everyone? Or is it just me?’

 

 

 

The carriage was still crossing the Imperial garden. The nobles in the distance seemed quite familiar with entering the palace.

 

 

 

‘Looks like everyone’s used to it.’

 

 

 

It was a much larger event compared to the baby shower hosted by Marchioness Charles that Grace had been invited to. She regretted not attending a few more social parties before this one but accepted her situation upon realizing there were no immediate occasions available.

 

 

 

‘Let’s calm down, it’s just me. After all, Grace Felton’s reputation is already at rock bottom. It can’t get any lower.’

 

 

 

Despite her involvement in the Western contamination issue, the scandals surrounding Grace hadn’t died down.

 

 

 

‘At this point, it’s ridiculous.’

 

 

 

While every detail of what the heroine Aria did on the Western expedition was known and praised, nothing good was said about what Grace did.

 

 

 

At this stage, Grace wondered if the world was out to ostracize and kill her.

 

 

 

‘I think there was a detailed article about Benjamin in the newspaper.’

 

 

 

Occasionally, the tabloids and newspapers she saw outside were abuzz with stories about the Western region. Among them, there were praises for the expedition team but mentions related to Grace were rare.

 

 

 

‘Guess I should be thankful there’s no defamation.’

 

 

 

The good thing here was that in the original story, Benjamin, who was part of the Western expedition, was viewed negatively, but that’s not the case now.

 

 

 

It seems to be because Grace managed to smooth over the gate explosion incident.

 

 

 

‘That should be enough. How could anyone be perfectly satisfied at the first attempt?’

 

 

 

“We’ve arrived.”

 

 

 

Eventually, the carriage stopped and dazzling light filtered through the window and curtains. Usually, Benjamin would get out first and escort her, but today, Grace was alone.

 

 

 

She could feel the many eyes directed towards the carriage, which bore the Felton family crest.

 

 

 

Grace swallowed nervously and stepped out of the carriage with the help of a footman.

 

 

 

‘I can do this.’

 

 

 

As the Duchess, notorious for rumors and without Benjamin, made her appearance, the stares became even more blatant.

 

 

 

She could hear whispering from somewhere.

 

 

 

‘C-Can I really do this?’

 

 

 

It was a relief—or perhaps unfortunate—that she couldn’t hear exactly what was being said from a distance. She felt nauseous.

 

 

 

But having already arrived, she couldn’t run away.

 

 

 

‘Benjamin said he’d finish his work and come straight here. It’ll be fine.’

 

 

 

Recalling his apologetic face from early in the morning, telling her repeatedly that he would be there soon, gave her some comfort.

 

 

 

‘Still, it seems everyone indeed has an escort.’

 

 

 

Young ladies who came without fiancés or husbands were accompanied by friends or fathers. Grace regretted not bringing even a knight if she knew this might happen.

 

 

 

While it wasn’t uncommon to arrive alone, it was typical for couples to enter together at such large parties.

 

 

 

‘Otherwise, it’s like asking for rumors of discord.’

 

 

 

Grace was aware of that fact. But what could she do if Benjamin was busy? It seemed better for her to enter alone than for both of them to be late.

 

 

 

‘Besides, the embroidery is shown at the beginning, and I wanted to see it for myself.’

 

 

 

It’s okay, it’s okay, she whispered to herself, but still, she couldn’t help but wish… someone was by her side.

 

 

 

An Imperial attendant verified Grace’s identity, taking a deep breath before announcing her entrance.

 

 

 

Just then, she sensed someone approaching.

 

 

 

“Your shoulders are hunched.”

 

 

 

“…?”

 

 

 

It was a voice she recognized, though not well acquainted with. As Grace turned her head, she saw the owner of the voice.

 

 

 

“Y-Your Highness Sylvester?”

 

 

 

Sylvester, the protagonist of the novel.

 

 

 

Even under the light, his ebony-black hair seemed like a black hole. Yet, his violet eyes had a mystical sparkle; if Aria’s eyes were stars, his were gems.

 

 

 

“May I have the honor of escorting you for a moment?”

 

 

 

“Y-Your Highness, you wish to escort me? Why?”

 

 

 

Grace blurted out the question in surprise, too startled to observe proper decorum. She covered her mouth, embarrassed by her own outburst.

 

 

 

“I-I’m sorry, I… wasn’t expecting this.”

 

 

 

In the original story, Sylvester had volunteered to escort Aria. There was no reason or need for Sylvester to escort Grace, so she had never imagined him standing by her side.

 

 

 

He was more mannered than when she had seen him previously at the ducal estate.

 

 

 

“Firstly, because the Duke asked me to,”

 

 

 

“…”

 

 

 

Grace accepted this explanation for now. Although it wasn’t covered in the original story, it seemed that their relationship had been built on trust and closeness for a long time.

 

 

 

‘But firstly?’

 

 

 

It implied there were other reasons. As Grace looked intently at him, Sylvester began to elaborate.

 

 

 

“Secondly, a person I personally care about has received a lot of help from you.”

 

 

 

‘It’s about Aria.’

 

 

 

Grace wasn’t sure where she had been of such help, but since Sylvester said so, she simply nodded.

 

 

 

“Lastly, there’s something I wish to discuss with you.”

 

 

 

They were still at the entrance, with the servant waiting in front of them. Sylvester extended his hand to Grace.

 

 

 

After hesitating, she took his hand.

 

 

 

Soon, their entrance was announced inside the banquet hall.

 

 

 

“Straighten your shoulders and don’t look at the floor when you walk.”

 

 

 

“…?”

 

 

 

“If you keep hunching over like that, you won’t look like your best no matter what you wear.”

 

 

 

Grace then realized that she had been unconsciously looking at the floor while walking.

 

 

 

‘Come to think of it… back then too.’

 

 

 

The first time she met Sylvester in the main house of the duke’s mansion, she was hunching at that time as well. Back then, it had been even worse than now.

 

 

 

“Is that why you didn’t recognize me and passed by back then?”

 

 

 

“…I was a bit off-putting back then.”

 

 

 

‘Honestly, you were very off-putting.’

 

 

 

Grace grumbled to herself internally.

 

 

 

Sylvester, with a familiar ease, led Grace inside. Perhaps due to his earlier comments, Grace no longer slouched but entered with her head held high.

 

 

 

The banquet hall was dazzlingly opulent and brightly lit.

 

 

 

Entering with Sylvester made the stares feel twice as intense, though they did not seem positive.

 

 

 

‘Should I be thankful that it’s more curiosity than hostility?’

 

 

 

Grace knew the reason. Although Sylvester was indeed the crown prince of the empire, his standing wasn’t particularly strong.

 

 

 

If he weren’t the current emperor’s only child, there were even rumors that he would have long lost his succession rights, which showed how precarious his position was in the original story.

 

 

 

Therefore, Sylvester was the typical growth-driven male protagonist, who found solace in meeting Aria, who judged him not by his status but as a person.

 

 

 

‘Thinking about it that way, I can understand why Sylvester spoke to me in a rather annoying manner.’

 

 

 

Reflecting on it, Sylvester seemed a bit off-putting when he first met Aria too.

 

 

 

‘It’s probably because he’s not used to dealing with people.’

 

 

 

Considering Sylvester’s character background, it wasn’t surprising. Though the nature of his curse was unclear, in the story, Sylvester was the only character in the story afflicted by it and even had a wanderlust.

 

 

 

‘Maybe his wandering is somehow related to the curse.’

 

 

 

After concluding her brief speculation, Grace moved away from Sylvester.

 

 

 

“Aren’t you going to dance?”

 

 

 

“I think dancing in front of everyone is a bit too daunting.”

 

 

 

“I see.”

 

 

 

Sylvester responded curtly and stood beside Grace, hands clasped behind his back.

 

 

 

Grace wondered why he chose to stand by her side, but soon realized the reason.

 

 

 

Despite the rumors attached to her, Grace was still the Duchess of Felton, providing the easiest route to approach Duke Felton.

 

 

 

Sylvester, standing next to Grace, skillfully used his position to fend off the approaching nobles, a stark contrast to Grace’s usual preoccupation with her own reputation.

 

 

 

‘No wonder he gets bad reviews…’

 

 

 

“Isn’t it problematic not to enter with the saintess?”

 

 

 

“She said she’d be a bit late anyway. In the case of the saintess, there’s no unnecessary speculation even if she enters alone, so it’s better I escort you.”

 

 

 

Grace was surprised by Sylvester’s rationale. In the novel, he was depicted as a man who only had eyes for Aria, so this practical judgment seemed out of character.