Honey, I Believe That’s Your Misunderstanding

“Huu.”

Now back in the room, Grace looked at the missing letters. There was a troubled look on her face.

She let out a sigh, then moved her gaze to her right arm, where the letters now were.

“Just what in the world is this.”

They looked bright red only earlier, but before she knew it, they were gone.

Well, not completely gone. Traces of the letters did not completely disappear.

A subtle outline remained, glittering like crushed pearls on her skin where the letters had permeated.

Grace swept a hand over the twinkling letters on her skin, anxious.

The glittering letters had stretched long and thin over her arm—from the back of her hand, down her wrist, and all the way up her forearm.

It was the same pattern that had been engraved on the riding crop.

The pain was completely gone, and she felt no discomfort whenever she moved.

But in one corner of her mind, she felt that something was wrong.

It’s making her restless.

“It’s been such a long day.”

Huu.

As she took a long, deep breath to calm herself down, without realizing it, she let out a peal of laughter.

She couldn’t help but laugh because so many ridiculous things just popped out one after another today.

Just to make sure, she muttered the words ‘ladorr lessio’[1] again, but the letters only shone with a red glow briefly over her skin.

As if they had been summoned, the letters appeared to have been revived as they shone, but soon subsided again.

The meaning beneath each character of the archaic phrase was this: ‘embrace your destiny’.

It’s a phrase that could be interpreted in various ways.

To conform to your destiny, to follow your destiny, to love your destiny.

Or, to embrace your destiny.

Why was such a phrase written on a riding crop? What in the world did it mean?

‘Is it some kind of incantation?’

Perhaps, was this a magic tool that had been handed down since ancient times?

‘No, that doesn’t make sense. How come it was just rolling around in the hallway of the mansion?’

Looking down at the riding crop with a complicated gaze, she checked the time again.

“Should I wake His Excellency up and ask him?’

All she did was go downstairs for a glass of water, but somehow, she picked up the riding crop and something strange happened.

It would be unfair to blame herself for touching someone else’s belongings when the riding crop had so blatantly rolled towards her and hit her foot. She couldn’t help but pick it up.

“Gosh.”

Right. Who could blame her for this.

She just hoped that this wasn’t a big deal.

Grace looked out the window—it looked to be past four in the morning.

There was still time before daybreak.

However, it was also too early in the morning to walk someone.

She decided to hold out until the sun would rise to find either the duke’s aide or the mansion’s butler as soon as they’d wake up.

So, Grace gave up for now and went back to her assigned guest room. She lay back down in bed.

Just before she lay down, what came to mind was the image of Jaime’s back as he was chasing after that black horse, but Grace was reluctant to go out again before dawn to find him.

As it is, it might be difficult to wake him up after that.

Alright. She would wait a little bit, then try again at daybreak.

…But as soon as she settled her thoughts, she heard something outside.

‘What’s that?’

Urgent footsteps and an urgent voice could be heard.

Someone seemed to be awake now.

Grace got up quickly and opened the door, thinking that this was fortunate.

“…try there! …where did… damn it!”

“It’s not here… sure that it was on top of…”

“Normally… but if it’s not here…! Sir Butler, the attic… I’ll go again…”

Grace soon realized that it was Jaime’s voice.

She picked up the riding crop and went down to the first floor again.

* * *

Jaime was half out of his mind right now.

An incident such as this was incredibly rare.

When Lucas was still serving in the royal guard, an intruder had come in to cut Princess Freesia’s finger.[2]

At that time, Lucas had gone off the deep—just like this.

Towards the man who had the audacity to harm the princess who was under Lucas Blacke’s protection.

Lucas hunted down and had the intruder executed right then and there.

Of course, all the traitor’s fingers were cut off.

‘That was about three years ago, I think? He went off and brashly caught the intruder who had the wise idea of hiding at a banquet.’

However, even at that time, his fury didn’t blind him to a point that he lost control to this degree.

Even before ‘that’ was revealed to him, Lucas had been taught to control his anger from a young age.

Of course, it wasn’t a smooth process because he had been born with quite a temper. Even so, he’d been managing to keep it together relatively well.

But for him to explode like that without any warnings at all!

‘Besides that, for it to happen this early in the morning— It’s just too sudden!’

It’s scary when a normally calm person would get angry.

And it’s ten thousand times even scarier when it’s Lucas Blacke.

Indeed, even the crown prince, who had a hidden but very close relationship with Jaime’s master, wouldn’t be this scary. No, not even the current king would compare to Lucas when he’s so out of his mind with fury like this.

The only one who could rein in Lucas’ temper was the ducal household’s elder madam. However, she had been staying at the countryside estate for the most part and rarely ever came here at the capital townhouse.

‘Please, please, please. I hope nothing big happened.’

Jaime was endlessly worried about how Lucas had run out earlier.

No, it’s not that he’s worried that Lucas would get hurt or anything.

Rather, he’s worried that Lucas would run too wild.

‘Please oh please, anything but a newspaper article saying that you killed someone!’

The very moment they heard that Grace O’Ellin had a large bruise in her midsection, even Jaime got furious.

However, how much could his anger compare to that of His Excellency’s, who’s harboring special feelings for the lady?

It was evident enough that the moment he snapped, His Excellency would break every single bone in that guy Norman O’Ellin’s body the moment he’s caught.

The tamest possibility was that Lucas would orchestrate a scheme to make Norman a pariah in high society.

‘Please just don’t bury him alive. Please, please.’

Momentarily worrying about Norman O’Ellin’s safety in Lucas’ hands, Jaime soon shook his head.

“Now’s not the time to worry about that.”

Compared to worrying about what Lucas would do while he’s outside, there was one thing that’s more important right here and now.

But, evidently enough, it’s not here.

Right here— The riding crop that’s supposed to be right here!

“Why the heck isn’t it here? Why!”

Huuuaaahhhh.

Jaime practically turned the entire cabinet upside down, barely pushing down the urge to cry.

“Excuse me.”

“Gah!”

While tearing his hair out, Jaime was literally about to cry now, but someone suddenly approached him silently and spoke with a timid voice.

Jaime’s eyes went wide as he looked behind him in surprise.

“L-Lady Grace?”

No, why was she here…?

“Ah, you m-must have woken up because I was too noisy? I’m so sorry!”

“N-No. Never mind that… But, um, what are you looking for?”

Lady Grace herself, the very reason for Lucas’ crazy outburst.

She carefully held out something to Jaime.

“By any chance, is it this, Jaime?”

The very item that he had been desperately searching for until now.

House Blacke’s riding crop.

* * *

“H-H-Huuuh?”

Not even realizing it himself, Jaime let out a silly noise.

With his eyes completely wide open, his brown pupils quivered tremendously.

“H-H-How, this?”

So shocked as he was, Jaime forgot to maintain proper decorum and rushed to Grace’s side.

He looked alternately between Grace’s pale hands and the black riding crop that she was holding. His expression was severely grim.

“No, that, but why— no, no, but Lady Grace, why, I mean, Lady Grace, why d-do you have this?”

As Jaime could barely manage to say what he wanted to ask, Grace looked at him with a slightly troubled expression and laughed a little.

Seeing Jaime be so flustered, it was clear that this riding crop was a special item.

Then, soon enough, he’d surely notice that there’s something a little different about the riding crop.

As expected, when he received the riding crop reverently with heavily trembling hands, Jaime’s expression shifted.

“Hm? What? Something’s kind of… weird?”

‘Huu.’

Taking a short but deep breath, Grace calmly explained.

“I woke up before dawn and I was a bit thirsty, so I came downstairs for a moment—that’s when I found it. It was on the floor. But, Jaime, this… doesn’t seem to be just a normal item?”

“Huh? It was on the f-floor?”

Jaime asked back with a look of disbelief.

That’s absolutely, one hundred percent impossible. But then again, how could the person in front of him be doubted, when she was looking up at him with such innocent and honest eyes?

‘How did it fall to the floor?’

He stared at the riding crop grimly, confused by what had happened. But, as expected, there really was something strange.

“Has… Has this always looked like this?”

This was definitely the same riding crop, but there’s something odd.

“There should be a pattern here though?”

“You’re right. There was.”

“Right? But it’s weird. Perhaps I just can’t see because it’s too dark in here.”

There was a conflicted smile on Grace’s lips as she watched Jaime, who raised the riding crop up in the air and down again on the floor—wherever it was brighter.

“It’s not because you can’t see it.”

“I believe it’s only because it’s too dark here, Milady.”

“No, Jaime. That’s not it.”

Biting her lower lip, Grace soon let out a sigh.

Even daybreak felt so long.

No. Ever since she met Lucas Blacke again, time seemed to go by differently than how it used to.

Her time, which felt as if it was submerged deep under the surface, slowly began to change in the warm wind brought to her by Lucas Blacke.

“Actually…”

With her fist clenched tightly, Grace raised her right hand.

Then, at that moment.

Hiiiiing!

The raging cry of a horse could be heard once again from outside.

Jaime’s gaze shot back towards the door to the entrance hall.

“…He’s back! Lady Grace, I apologize immensely. The situation’s urgent, so I will not be able to escort you back to your room.”

So, as Jaime scurried away in a hurry, Grace could only stretch out her arm towards him.

Her sleeve was now half rolled up over her forearm, and the back of her arm glistened softly.

“No, wait—”

Goodness. Why was he in such a hurry?

Grace stood there silently, her hand still clenched into a fist, but she soon followed after Jaime, towards the direction he disappeared to.

¹ ladorr lessio – aight so that phrase was probably not italian (I’m not even sure about the grammar either lol) since the meaning given by grace here was soooo different. i’ve decided to change the phrase’s translation to something that’s closer to the korean spelling. 

² Princess Freesia’s finger – this part was vague, so i’m not really sure whether it was ‘cut off’ or just ‘left with a cut’, so if/when the princess makes an appearance down the line, this might change.