Chapter 8
After finishing their private hug, Grace spent some time sipping tea with Leon, who now had a brighter expression, and Sally, who had brought the tea.
When noon came, Leon was led back to his quarters by a knight who had come to fetch him.
Leon kept glancing back with a regretful expression and waving goodbye to Grace, and Grace waved in return until he disappeared from view.
Returning to her own quarters, Grace remained quietly in her room until sunset.
Sally, noticing Grace’s expressionless face lost in thought, brought her books or small snacks, but Grace didn’t touch any of them.
Time passed quietly, and soon the moon shone brightly in the darkening sky.
“Good night, milady.”
“And to you, Sally.”
After helping Grace brush her wet hair post-bath and see her into her pajamas, Sally finished her work and bid her goodnight.
Grace sat on her bed, accepting the greeting, and watched Sally leave, closing her eyes afterward.
She tried to force herself to sleep, but couldn’t. The complicated, uneasy feelings from her time with Leon during the day refused to subside.
‘How did the women who had ties with Duke Arthur Felix go mad? …How can I act naturally insane to escape? And selfishly… how can I avoid hurting Leon and Sally?’
Unable to sort her thoughts, Grace suddenly sat up, leaning her back against the headboard.
In the pitch-black night, where not a ray of moonlight came through the thick curtains, Grace stared into the emptiness and murmured to herself,
“…Can’t sleep… maybe I’ll take a walk.”
Yes. While walking, she could think about her future escape plan, maybe even find secret passages that could help. At that thought, her body moved almost on its own.
Grace carefully climbed down from the bed, taking a thick coat and boots from her wardrobe. Without Sally’s help, she couldn’t fully change out of her dress, so she decided to cover herself with the thick coat and comfortable boots.
Clad in the coat, she quietly opened her bedroom door and stepped into the hallway, pulling her collar tight and keeping her footsteps soft.
The only sound in the silent corridor was the crunch of her boots against the floor.
After walking for a while, Grace descended the stairs and glanced around. Luckily, there was no sign of anyone nearby.
She pushed open a closed door, only to hear a voice:
“Where do you think you’re going, madam?”
“…Ah!”
Grace shrieked and turned toward the voice. Leaning against a pillar just a few steps away stood Arthur.
Black mask, cape, uniform—he looked anything but like he had just woken up. Grace furrowed her brows.
“…Were you watching me?”
“Of course not. I only heard footsteps while attending to my duties and came out to investigate.”
Grace eyed him suspiciously; he denied it outright.
‘Ugh, I was trying to be quiet.’
Embarrassed, she said like a mischievous child caught in the act,
“…Sorry if I was noisy.”
“Not at all.”
“I’ll be quiet from now on. You should rest then.”
Arthur responded curtly, and Grace, awkward, smiled faintly, turned, and opened the door. The situation felt suffocating, and she wanted to escape the tension of being alone with him.
But Arthur, watching her, spoke again:
“You didn’t answer my earlier question.”
“Excuse me?”
“I asked where you were going just now.”
“…Oh. I couldn’t sleep, so I thought I’d take a walk.”
Grace clutched the door handle as she answered. Arthur detached from the pillar and approached her.
Startled, Grace exclaimed,
“Why—why?”
“I’ll accompany you.”
“Eh? No, I can go alone.”
Arthur’s insistence made her wave her hands. He chuckled and said,
“Unlike the city, at Felix Castle, all manner of wild beasts and monsters roam at night.”
“…What?”
“Especially in the snowy winter, when prey is scarce, they wait until night to raid human settlements. Of course, my estate isn’t exempt. You saw the broken tombstones and damaged shrubs in my garden, didn’t you?”
“…Those… were all done by monsters?”
Arthur shrugged lightly. An unspoken yes. Grace shivered at the thought.
‘Monsters roaming inside the castle? The knights and guards aren’t enough to stop them?’
No wonder the knights and soldiers seemed absent at night. Grace frowned in dismay.
“…Then I won’t go out.”
“You just said you wanted a walk, didn’t you?”
“…I did, but I’ve changed my mind…”
“Do I seem so weak that I can’t protect even you? Or are you afraid to walk alone with the cursed Monster Duke?”
Grace laughed bitterly at his sarcasm. She sighed and replied,
“…Why do you suddenly speak like that? Duke, you seem to enjoy twisting words.”
“Madam, perhaps you could simply say you don’t want to go? Then I can summon another knight immediately.”
Grace grabbed the edge of his cloak, realizing he might indeed call not only knights but attendants and servants as well. If she refused now, she’d wake sleeping subordinates and earn the reputation of a rude, troublesome duchess.
“…No, it’s fine. I don’t want to wake everyone. …Please come with me.”
“Understood.”
Arthur nodded silently as if expecting that answer. He walked beside Grace, who released her hold on his cloak.
Walking side by side, he glanced at her briefly with his strange red-and-blue eyes, then moved to open the door ahead, gesturing her to follow. Grace sighed and stepped forward.
It seemed her plan for a secret night walk had failed.
In the garden, now cloaked in night, Arthur and Grace walked side by side, a step apart, in an awkward silence.
Grace walked along the cleared paths, glancing sideways at Arthur, who silently followed.
Since earlier, his gaze had wandered around or to the ground, almost as if ignoring her presence.
‘Then why did you insist on coming along?’
If he had talked constantly, it might have been just as uncomfortable.
Grace quickened her pace, wanting to finish the awkward walk around the garden.
“Today, you gave Leon a birthday gift, didn’t you?”
Arthur suddenly spoke, breaking the silence. Grace stopped and looked at him.
“…How do you know?”
“Do you think my estate has only one set of eyes and ears?”
Grace froze. So he had been watching her. Whoever reported her every move to him must have been…
Arthur, noticing her stiff expression, looked away awkwardly.
“I’m joking.”
“…Huh?”
“My office is on the third floor of this tower. When the window is open, you can hear all the sounds from the garden.”
Pointing to a tower in the garden, Arthur’s explanation made Grace exhale softly.
‘Ah… so that’s why he came running when Leon cried yesterday.’
Relieved, she silently thanked the gods. If he had been actively watching, he might have noticed her starting her “mad act” too early.
But that worry was unnecessary. Still, she couldn’t be careless—no escape plans in the garden.
Lost in thought again, Arthur suddenly said:
“Thank you for giving Leon a gift and treating him kindly.”
“…Huh?”
“He came running to my office to show off that he received a necklace from you… I’ve never seen him so happy. Thank you for making him smile like that.”
Grace was momentarily speechless at his awkward gratitude. Behind his black mask, his red-and-blue eyes studied her intensely. The magic in those eyes reminded her of the wedding day, drawing her in.
It felt strange.
Had she become accustomed to Leon’s similarly colored eyes over these past few days? Those eyes, once terrifying like a monster’s, no longer frightened her.
