Revenge Costs Interest [EN]: Chapter 117

Revenge Comes with Interest Episode 117 As If Awaking from a Terrible Dream (117/200)

Episode 117 As If Awaking from a Terrible Dream

November 25, 2023

After mourning the loss of her child, Leah didn’t even allow herself time to grieve.

She decided that overcoming the trial that had befallen her was more important than wallowing in it.

‘I won’t cry anymore.’

So, she deliberately spent time with Pauline and Chenelle, and even listened to Oliver talk about how to make cosmetics.

“Oliver, you said you wanted to go to school, right?”

“Yes.”

“You can start next week.”

Leah had asked James about it in advance as soon as she brought Oliver. It was a bit late to start school, so she considered hiring a private tutor, but Oliver wanted to attend the school he had only heard about and feel a sense of belonging.

“Re… Really? Milady?”

“Of course.”

Oliver cried, covering his eyes with the back of his hand.

It was heartbreaking to see him biting his lip tightly, trying not to make a sound while crying. He had a habit of holding back because Alicia used to scold him for crying.

“I will definitely repay Milady’s kindness. After school, I will work hard at making cosmetics.”

“Okay, thank you.”

Just then, Sara came into the room with medicine, and Oliver wiped away his tears with his sleeve and disappeared with a smile.

“Looking at Oliver reminds me of when I was young,” Sara said in a low voice.

“Oliver shouldn’t betray us.”

“I agree.”

Leah made a joke, and Sara joined in.

After taking the medicine Sara gave her, Leah asked, “Have you read my father’s notes?”

“Yes.”

“Can you roughly tell me what’s in them?”

She thought it was probably about the trade secrets passed down through the merchant guild, but Sara surprised Leah with unexpected words.

“It was a bribery ledger.”

“What? What did you just say?”

Leah’s eyes widened. She had always thought her father was an honest businessman.

This was like a bolt out of the blue [a sudden and shocking surprise].

“It seems that high-ranking officials demanded money from Master disguised as condolence money. In the end, it’s the same as bribery. If they hadn’t been given money, would they have left the Hamilton Merchant Guild alone?”

Leah was angered by Sara’s words.

It was the moment she realized that business couldn’t be done with honesty alone. It was just a matter of who was less corrupt.

“They took all that money and pretended not to know when my father was in crisis?”

“What’s even funnier is that Tuazo also regularly demanded money from Master under the guise of donations.”

Leah fell into contemplation.

This time, if she could fix Empress Theresa’s face, she said she would grant her any request.

Of course, it would be ideal if Arthur’s reinvestigation results came out before that, and Allen’s business suffered a blow.

When that time comes, the bribery ledger that Sara brought would play a very decisive role.

“Sara, I need to write a letter. Bring me paper and a pen.”

“Yes, Milady.”

Leah felt that Arthur’s help was essential right now.

Soon, Sara brought the paper, and she got out of bed and went to the desk.

She wrote down the doubts she currently had and the additional investigation details that needed to be supplemented.

The Eastern Continent, Bertan, strictly prohibits poppy flowers.

Before the Hamilton Merchant Guild’s ship departed from there, it must have been inspected.

If so, she had to send someone to Bertan to get a confirmation document that there were no poppy flowers on the Hamilton Merchant Guild’s ship.

After all, it had already been determined that the poppy flowers came from Mount Galden.

“Please have this letter sent by express mail.”

Leah quickly wrote the letter and handed it to Sara.

“I’ll go to the post office.”

“No, have a servant do it. It’s better for Sara not to leave the Duke’s residence if possible.”

“I will.”

Watching Sara walk away with quick steps, Leah felt energized.

As expected, there was nothing like work to overcome suffering. Then Terrence came to mind.

‘He hasn’t even sent a letter. Is he very busy?’

He didn’t seem like the old Terrence when he left, and it was strange that he hadn’t sent a single letter since he left.

But if he’s busy with work, that could be the case.

‘Let’s not have unnecessary doubts.’

Leah slowly got up from the chair and headed to the bed. At that moment, she heard a commotion of footsteps outside the door.

Soon, her bedroom door burst open.

Leah couldn’t take her eyes off the person who suddenly appeared.

* * *

The man standing in the doorway was Terrence. He looked at Leah with a flushed face.

The strong smell of dirt and wind emanated from Terrence, who was breathing heavily.

Not only that, but his hair was disheveled because he hadn’t styled it, and his beard was growing darkly on his chin as if he hadn’t shaved for days.

Anyone who saw him would mistake him for having flown all the way here.

“Terrence.”

She thought she would burst into tears of sorrow when she saw him, but that wasn’t the case at all.

Because Terrence was looking at her with an even more desperate face.

“Grace!”

He strode over and hugged her.

Without having to say it, she could feel Terrence’s current feelings.

The trembling body, the wildly beating heart, the rough breathing, even the deeply sunken voice.

Seeing Terrence like that, Leah realized that she had been harboring unnecessary doubts.

“Don’t forgive me.”

“It’s not your fault.”

Leah didn’t want him to blame himself. She didn’t even know she was pregnant, so there was no need for Terrence to be in pain.

“I shouldn’t have left you and gone so far away.”

“It was work.”

‘No, I knew your identity and was confused, so I ran away for a while.’

Words she couldn’t bring herself to say.

If she had felt the same way back then as she did now, this tragedy might not have happened to Grace.

“Was it very hard?”

“The Empress took care of me, so I recovered quickly.”

Of course, she wouldn’t have been able to stand here like this without the concern and consideration of the people at the Duke’s residence.

As soon as Terrence saw Grace, who looked pale, he realized how foolish he had been.

She was just Grace, the one he loved, and no one else.

He loved the being in front of him now, not the real Grace or Leah Hamilton, and he vowed to cherish and treasure her without change in the future.

Separating the essence of the body and soul had no meaning.

Terrence tried not to cry, but he sobbed without realizing it.

“Don’t… cry. We can have another baby.”

Leah was greatly shocked by Terrence’s crying. After all, the miscarriage was still a pain that clawed at her heart.

‘I don’t need a baby. I’m just glad you’re alive.’

Tears welled up in Terrence’s eyes because he was grateful that Grace was standing on her own two feet, breathing, and speaking.

The whole time he was rushing to the Duke’s residence, he was seized with the fear that she might have left him and gone to a faraway place.

It was Vivian who put a stop to such worries.

Just as he was about to take a carriage from Lubeck Station to the Duke’s residence, he met the head butler and was dragged into Vivian’s carriage.

[Empress, I’m a little busy.]

He resented Vivian for blocking his way. He didn’t have time to chat leisurely with her.

[I saved your fiancée. So don’t make a fuss like you’re worried alone.]

Vivian said that there were a few things that Grace shouldn’t know, so she deliberately came to pick him up at the train station.

Then she handed Terrence a bottle of medicine.

[It’s a contraceptive pill.]

Terrence quickly realized why Vivian gave him the contraceptive pill.

It meant that even if Grace got pregnant, her body wouldn’t be able to handle giving birth.

[It breaks my heart that the Courtois Dukedom is being cut off…]

[It doesn’t matter.]

[Make sure the Young Lady doesn’t notice. Pretend it’s a nutritional supplement. I’ll send you the medicine regularly.]

[Thank you.]

When Leah calmed down a bit, she led him to her bed.

She sat facing Terrence and said, staring into his eyes.

“I didn’t know I was pregnant either. It was too early… I’m sorry to our baby who disappeared without a sound, but I’ll atone for it to the next child.”

“Okay.”

“I want to have a boy who looks like Terrence.”

“I think a daughter who looks like Grace would be better than me?”

“Then we can have both.”

Terrence felt sorry for Grace, who was dreaming of impossible things.

“Well, later… First of all, it’s more important for Grace’s body to become healthy.”

“I know. I won’t rush either.”

‘I only need you, Grace.’

Terrence kissed Leah’s lips lightly.

He felt relieved, as if he had awakened from a terrible dream after seeing her.

“Terrence, there’s something I want to ask.”

Leah roughly guessed why Terrence had been in a bad mood before leaving for the inspection with the Emperor.