Revenge Costs Interest [EN]: Chapter 14

Revenge Has Interest 14 (14/200)

2023.08.14.

It was a first for me in all my twenty-five years.

The moment someone imprinted themselves on my soul.

Is this how parents feel when they first meet their child, or when a baby opens their eyes and recognizes them?

Grace was the only thing visible in this vast garden.

Terrence looked around several times, closing and opening his eyes repeatedly.

‘I can’t deny it anymore.’

He was hesitant, but once he realized it, there was no turning back.

The impact shook him to his core, draining the color from his face.

“Terrence, are you feeling unwell?”

Leah asked, surprised by Terrence’s sudden paleness.

They had been having a pleasant conversation, but he looked at her as if seeing right through her, and his face changed.

“Sit here.”

Leah quickly supported Terrence and helped him into a chair. His gaze then fixed on her hand, which was holding his arm.

He gripped her hand tightly.

Unlike the surprised Leah, Terrence looked at her with a desperate expression.

‘Why does it feel like you’re about to fly away?’

With this newfound emotion, a fierce desire overwhelmed him.

“Grace, can you always support me like this?”

Leah blinked at his sudden question. Then, she smiled brightly and replied,

“Of course.”

He had been worrying unnecessarily. She was just offering help.

“How… kind.”

Only then did Terrence wear a satisfied expression. Just then, raindrops began to fall.

“Let’s go inside.”

“Yes.”

Leah took the newspaper from the table and tucked it under her arm. The time with Terrence was short but pleasant. However, self-reproach followed.

‘I don’t know if I deserve to live this comfortably.’

Leah’s self-reproach eventually became reality.

* * *

Leah parted ways with Terrence, returned to her room, and unfolded the newspaper as usual.

‘Oh my god! How could this happen!’

Leah trembled as she read the newspaper article.

The Hamilton Merchant Guild was now the McDowell Trading Company, and even if the name and owner had changed, selling off all the general stores, the foundation of the guild…

‘That bastard, Allen McDowell!’

Leah’s limbs shook.

The general stores distributed throughout Gardencia were the most precious places to her father.

The Hamilton family started with wool trading, made money from street vending, and developed into general stores.

That was the foundation of the Hamilton Grand Merchant Guild.

‘I can’t forgive this!’

This was like cutting off the roots of a tree full of leaves.

Leah clutched her head with both hands. Her father always said the same thing when he visited the general stores.

[Leah, even if the guild goes bankrupt due to a bad economy or mismanagement, you must protect Hamilton General Store.]

[Shouldn’t we protect what makes more money?]

[No, the general store is the root of the Hamilton Merchant Guild. No matter how much it falls in the wind and rain, if the roots are strong, it can survive.]

She knew too well how much her father cherished the general stores, which made it even more painful. The pain of her heart being torn to shreds must feel like this.

‘What am I doing here? I should go to Gardencia right now and bite off Allen’s legs.’

The more she thought about it, the more pathetic and absurd she felt. The enemy was destroying the tower her father had built, one by one, while his daughter was leisurely living abroad.

‘I have to stop it somehow.’

Leah felt dizzy.

From the moment she regained her senses, she should have returned to Gardencia and found a way.

The result of postponing it, using the excuse of waiting for the right time to take revenge and needing to find her father’s necklace, was this.

‘I should shoot Allen in the heart! This isn’t the time for you to be pretending to be Lady Vizak!’

Leah beat her chest with her fist and cried.

She covered her mouth with her hand to prevent the sound of her crying from leaking out.

Then, she jumped up from her seat and ran to the window. When she opened it, a strong storm raged.

‘Let’s die together, Allen McDowell.’

No matter how much she thought about it, that was the only way. She heard from Pauline that there was a rifle in Terrence’s office drawer.

What’s so difficult about revenge?

‘Allen, this will end when I kill you.’

After all, death was the most terrible revenge. No matter how great Allen’s ambition was, it would be useless in the face of death.

Just then, Pauline shouted and ran into the room.

“Lady! What’s wrong?”

Pauline hurriedly closed the window. Soon, she ran out again to get a dry towel.

However, Leah remained motionless, half out of her mind.

‘I should have killed that bastard that day.’

Revenge that would have ended with a single bullet towards Allen, who showed the height of pretense at her funeral. Why didn’t she think of it then?

“Why are you standing in the rain?”

Pauline, who had come sometime, wiped the wet Grace with a towel.

“You’re soaking wet. What if you catch a cold and get sick like last time!”

Pauline’s nagging sounded like noise floating in the air to Leah’s ears.

* * *

Leah opened the newspaper and checked the train schedule to Gardencia. It was impossible to go by carriage because the road was bad and it would take a long time, so she had to go by train.

She didn’t bother packing. She only packed enough money for the trip to Gardencia and a rifle in her handbag.

‘I’m sorry, Terrence.’

Around four in the morning, when everyone was asleep, she went into his office and took out the rifle.

Normally, the drawer would be locked, but for some reason, it was open that day. To be honest, she had never even touched a gun, let alone shot one.

‘Allen, you’re going to hell with me.’

After finishing her preparations, Leah put the bag containing the gun back in the closet.

Even if she was leaving, she had to say goodbye to the people at the mansion. She didn’t want to run away cowardly.

Even though she was hiding in Grace’s body, she was alive until now because of these people.

However, she was at a loss as to where to start talking to Terrence.

“Pauline, where is the Duke?”

She asked Pauline, who had come with clothes.

“He’s talking with Secretary Luke, but he’s almost done.”

“Really?”

Then, Pauline came up to her and put her hand on Grace’s forehead.

“Fortunately, you don’t have a fever.”

Leah’s heart ached at Pauline’s relieved expression. She would have to say goodbye to her soon…….

“I’ll go see the Duke for a moment.”

Leah quickly left the room because she felt like she was about to cry if she stayed any longer.

As she walked down the hallway to the office, the faces of the people who had helped her flashed by one by one. Even Aiden and Reina in Bern.

To be more honest, she had a momentary thought in Bern. ‘Should I forget about revenge and live as Grace in Vizak?’

‘I’m sorry, Father.’

Her father was imprisoned on Reef Island.

‘Leah Hamilton, how can you forget your father?’

Leah felt disgusted with herself. Finally, she arrived at Terrence’s office. Leah hesitated in front of the door for a long time.

A single knock was difficult, so she repeatedly raised and lowered her hand. Just as she thought she shouldn’t hesitate any longer, the door burst open from the inside.

“Lady! Have you come to see the Duke?”

“Yes, Luke.”

“My report is finished, please go in.”

Luke politely opened the door, and soon Terrence was visible. In addition, Leah’s heart began to beat violently.

“Terrence.”

“Have you come?”

Terrence greeted her with a gentle smile on his face.

“I have something to tell you.”

At Leah’s words, Terrence got up from his chair and walked towards the sofa. Leah sat in the seat opposite him.

However, her legs and fingers were trembling. She couldn’t even move her tongue properly.

On the other hand, Terrence was secretly pleased that Grace had come to him first.

‘Does the Duke know the rifle is missing?’

Leah’s head was filled with all sorts of worries. But judging from his expression, he didn’t seem to have noticed that the rifle was missing yet.

“Um, well….”

When she tried to speak, the words didn’t come out easily. What should she say?

“Don’t be afraid and speak.”

Terrence said in a soft tone. It was an unusually kind voice that she rarely heard.

“Terrence, please… break off our engagement.”

“What?”

For a while, both of them were silent. Leah needed time to chew over the words she had spoken, and Terrence needed time to digest the sounds he had heard.

“Are you serious?”

Surprisingly, there was no change in his expression. Rather, he seemed calmer than usual.

“You don’t love me, Terrence. I remember too. When I asked you to marry me, you got tired of me, telling me not to be so fussy.”

She spoke of the events she had seen in the vision before her possession as if they were her own memories.

“I don’t want to tie you down with an engagement.”

“Why did you suddenly think that?”

Terrence’s eyes sharpened as if examining her intentions.

“I want to marry a man who loves me and whom I love. Isn’t that too much to ask for a woman?”

Marriage and love were no longer her dreams. They were a luxury for her, and the two things she had done wrong in her life.

Still, she thought she should give Terrence a reasonable reason. Because that was respect for the other person.

“What are you going to do if we break off the engagement? Are you going to find true love?”

He still didn’t waver. Maybe it was what he really wanted. He certainly didn’t love Grace.

“I’m going to leave.”

“Leave, the Duke’s mansion?”

“Yes, I’m leaving tomorrow.”

Leah constantly watched Terrence’s reaction.

Fortunately, he wasn’t just saying no. He had a great debt of gratitude to Aiden.

“I’ll talk to my brother, so don’t worry.”

Leah almost burst into tears as she spoke. She had just become attached to everyone.

Meanwhile, Terrence was sparing his words. He seemed unable to make a decision easily because he was concerned about Aiden. Then Terrence opened his mouth.

“You’re leaving tomorrow?”

“Yes… I’m planning to leave by train tomorrow.”

“Do so.”

“!?”

“You can leave if you want to.”

Terrence answered with a relaxed expression.