Revenge Costs Interest [EN]: Chapter 122

Revenge Has Its Interest 122

122. The World Is Not a Flower Garden

November 30, 2023

Leah anxiously waited for Terrence to return safely.

Contrary to her worries, he came back unharmed. His hair was a bit disheveled, but otherwise, nothing seemed different.

“Terrence.”

She ran to Terrence as he dismounted and embraced him.

“You weren’t worried I’d get hurt, were you?”

He was puzzled by Leah’s emotional reaction.

She should already know his skills, so he wondered what she had been worrying about.

“Of course not. It’s just…”

“Just what?”

“Every time Terrence goes out and comes back, I feel a strange mix of relief and emotion.”

“‘A strange mix’ is vague.”

He teased Leah, a playful glint in his eyes, and she turned her head slightly, muttering.

“I think I love you too much…”

Her heart was so full it felt like a surging wave she couldn’t control.

Then, Terrence’s hand gently turned Leah’s face towards him.

“I felt the same way running back to you.”

His lips silenced Leah.

What more needed to be said?

The two shared a passionate kiss, expressing their feelings for each other without reservation.

They were so consumed by their longing for each other that they didn’t care who was around.

Terrence and Leah stopped kissing only after they had quenched their emotional thirst.

“Grace, I want to be loved today.”

He whispered softly in Leah’s ear.

“Terrence, you deserve all the love in the world.”

“Let’s go then.”

Terrence, eager at Leah’s acceptance, hurried her along.

But Leah stopped him, taking his hand.

“Terrence, let’s have dinner first. And you need a bath. Let’s take it one step at a time. I’m always here for you.”

His heart fluttered. He was surprised that she had seen through his impatience.

Even though he knew she was always by his side, he had developed a habit of constantly seeking reassurance.

Looking at Leah, he was reminded of a dove.

As if she might fly away to some distant place at any moment.

Perhaps it was because they had been through so much while loving each other, but a sense of unease always lingered in his heart.

“I was too hasty. Oh! How’s Sarah?”

“She’s asleep after taking a sedative. She must have been very shocked.”

“It would be strange if she wasn’t.”

No one who hasn’t felt the cold barrel of a gun against their head can understand.

“Tell Sarah when she wakes up that now that she’s part of the Courtois family, her safety will be guaranteed from now on.”

“I will.”

“What about McDowell?”

“Ah! We let him go peacefully.”

“Good job. There’s no need to make things bigger than they need to be.”

‘Why let him go peacefully? We should have crushed his shameless face so he couldn’t even show it around.’

Leah said she did well on the outside, but inside she felt frustrated and stifled.

“Ha! Our Grace is too tenderhearted for her own good. The world is full of schemes and tricks, not a flower garden.”

‘I know it all too well. If you don’t keep your wits about you, you can lose everything in an instant.’

“Wouldn’t it be nice if the world were a flower garden? It would be so pretty.”

Leah said innocently on purpose.

At least to Terrence, she wanted to remain someone who still retained some purity, rather than appearing like a woman worn down by the world.

Finally, it was just the two of them.

Leah was happy to grant Terrence’s request to be loved.

As if he had been waiting for it, he kissed Leah.

Wishing to feel each other closer, they embraced tightly, their bodies intertwined as one.

Terrence, feeling Leah’s racing heartbeat, stopped kissing her and looked at her.

“Grace, did you take your vitamins today?”

“I did.”

“Don’t skip them, not even for a day.”

“I know. Sarah always makes sure I take them.”

After Leah’s miscarriage, Terrence had been making sure she took her vitamins. And that wasn’t all.

She had to eat health tonics every day, which was no easy task.

The problem was that the health tonics, made with ingredients she had never even heard of, were a matter of personal preference.

One day, she was horrified to see chicken feet floating in her stew.

If it was good for her, Terrence was the kind of person who would feed her silkworm pupae.

“Hurry, love me. I want to have a child like the Empress.”

“T-That would be nice.”

Terrence stammered and embraced Leah.

As always, he crashed into her like a tidal wave trying to swallow the land.

Lost in the sensations he gave her, she couldn’t help but respond honestly.

“My Terrence, I love you.”

He didn’t miss even the smallest sound coming from her plump, swollen lips.

His excitement doubled at the fact that Leah was his, just as he was hers.

He loved the tingling sensation, like being electrocuted, every time she ran her fingers down his back.

Leah tilted her head back, savoring the sensations Terrence was giving her.

Terrence buried his face in Leah’s neck, breathing heavily.

The two synchronized their breathing to enjoy the languid feeling together.

Listening to each other’s breathing and heartbeats in the quiet room filled them with satisfaction.

At the same time, a tingling sensation spread throughout their bodies, as if they were intoxicated by the languid spring air.

* * *

Allen couldn’t remember how he got back to Gardencia.

He only remembered that his lawyer and secretary had paid a large sum of bail to get him released from prison.

‘That monstrous bastard! Legal punishment, my ass.’

Allen never imagined he would be treated like that in prison. Terrence had put Allen in a cell with violent criminals.

[Hey! Smells like money!]

As soon as he entered the cell, vicious prisoners surrounded Allen.

[Hand over everything you’ve got. That’s the only way you’ll get out of here alive.]

It seemed he had been deliberately thrown into the cell without a prison uniform to provoke the prisoners.

To give him the worst possible experience by antagonizing the inmates.

He was beaten unconscious by the violent men. The ordeal only ended after he screamed that he would give them money.

“Your nasal bone is fractured, and one of your cheekbones is sunken.”

“What?”

“You should have received emergency treatment in Lubeck.”

The visiting doctor scolded Allen.

Even as he was being beaten and collapsing, he had vaguely seen Terrence.

[I’m not as completely evil as you are. Take this man to the hospital!]

The moment Terrence ordered his men, Allen shouted with his last bit of pride.

[I don’t need your help!]

[They paid a lot of bail money, but you’re going to go all the way to Gardencia in that state without treatment? How many hours do you think you can last?]

‘Beastly bastard.’

Perhaps because he was a man who had fought on battlefields, his cruelty was excessive.

He had overlooked the fact that Terrence was skilled at tormenting people.

“Can’t I have surgery?”

“Well! That might be difficult.”

“Difficult? Does that mean I have to live the rest of my life with this ruined face?”

“First, go see an orthopedic surgeon at a major hospital tomorrow. There may be some parts that can be reconstructed.”

If it couldn’t be reconstructed, it would be a real disaster. The princess’s selection of a consort was coming up soon.

Allen tried to deal with it as rationally as possible.

‘I can find the best doctor and get treatment. There’s nothing to worry about.’

Even as he reassured himself, he couldn’t forget Terrence’s arrogant face.

When his face was covered in blood and he collapsed in the cell, Terrence’s foot pressed down on his chest.

He felt humiliated by the beastly eyes that flashed with murderous intent and the face that looked down on him with a smile.

[There’s only one reason why I’m stopping here.]

[?]

[Never forget it. That way, the next time you see me, you’ll remember what you went through here and piss your pants in terror.]

[You’re…kidding me.]

[Your mouth is still alive. Try it again if you’re curious. If you hang around my people, your third rib on the left will throb.]

‘I’ll pay you back for everything.’

Everyone is being deceived by Duke Courtois.

The head of Lubeck’s most prestigious family is actually no different from a rogue who uses despicable tricks.

Suddenly, Grace’s image overlapped Terrence’s face like a hallucination.

[After whispering that he loved her, he gave Leah Hamilton a final farewell kiss with a sad face.]

‘What the hell is that woman? Is she a psychic?’

How could she talk about the situation that only he and Leah knew as if she had experienced it herself?

Allen felt more suspicion than affection for Grace. Again, the images of Grace and Leah crossed before his eyes, confusing his mind.

“Ugh…”

Allen moaned at the pain that was now washing over him and lost consciousness.