Chapter 34: CH 19.1

“Can I use my personal funds as I please?”

“Yes?”

“And I think I’ll be going out for a while… Is that okay?”

“Yes?”

“If it doesn’t work out, is it alright if I explain the reason in detail?”

Grace murmured softly.

“It’s nothing else but the madam’s personal resources. You are free to use them however you please.”

“R-Really?”

“Yes. Even if it was His Highness the Duke, he could not impose any sanctions on that matter.”

Grace nodded her head, understanding.

“Also, going out is your freedom, but as the Duchess, please let us know where you are going at least. We will provide an escort.”

“I see… I can do that.”

Grace nodded her head quietly.

In the novel, everyone cursed Grace as an incompetent Duchess, and the emotions she felt within the annex were generally just depression.

So, when the butler gave her a more friendly response than she expected, Grace just nodded her head.

‘Well, all the servants were kind to me.’

Grace managed to suppress the nagging feeling.

The reason why those people were kind to her was probably out of pity, and the reason why she could be free to go out was because there was no difference between whether she was in the annex or not, since she didn’t manage the household.

‘As long as I don’t cause any trouble, it’s fine.’

“Got it.”

Grace nonchalantly dismissed the thought of the servants in the annex breaking down in tears if they were to hear about it.

⋆★⋆

Normally, nobles would be accompanied by one or two guards or attendants when going out.

However, Grace was hesitant to have someone standing too close to her.

She was afraid that every word she said would be reported to Benjamin, and since her destination was an orphanage, it wouldn’t be good to have a stranger constantly following her.

Therefore, Grace cautiously requested to be allowed to walk alone, with the premise that she wouldn’t go beyond the boundaries of the estate. Benjamin suggested that he could have someone follow her from a distance so that it wouldn’t be noticeable to others.

Grace had no reason to refuse Benjamin’s suggestion and was actually surprised and grateful for his respectful behavior towards her wishes.

A few days later, Grace, with her hood pulled up, ventured out onto the streets

As Grace looked at the people on the street, her heart raced, but it wasn’t as crowded as it was during festivals, so she could handle it. Perhaps she was trying hard to convince herself of that.

‘There won’t be a fuss as there was then, since there are no drunkards around.’

Grace pulled her hood down tightly. For some reason, she always felt like someone was watching her.

‘There’s so much to do, let’s hurry.’

Helping Cleta and getting divorced.

It was a perfect plan.

Grace nodded her head.

Come to think of it, helping Cleta was quite advantageous for her during the divorce process.

Currently, Grace’s reputation was a mess, and it was clear that it would work against her in many ways during the divorce process.

“Public perception won’t be favorable either.”

It’s easy to guess that people will say things like “I wonder what that woman is regretting to file for divorce” or “She doesn’t even know her place.”

Although Grace suspected it might be a persecution complex, she couldn’t help but think that way because of the Duchess’s unfavorable portrayal in the novel she read.

‘So it’s better to prepare for the worst-case scenario like this, just in case.’

The people at the orphanage currently don’t know that Grace is “that” Duchess, but who knows what might happen in the future?

It was a way to secure allies. If Grace had even a little support, it would prove that she wasn’t entirely incompetent during the divorce process, making it easier to negotiate alimony.

Grace was now the incompetent Duchess in the annex. She didn’t engage in any social activities and was famous for being ugly!

She had lost some weight compared to before, but it didn’t matter. It was better to divorce Benjamin before her complicated feelings for him grew any stronger.

The servants in the annex were so kind to Grace that she became attached to them.

‘I originally just wanted to help her, but once it’s revealed that the person who helped the orphanage was the Duchess, people around will surely gossip as they please.’

She wasn’t just a regular lady; she was the infamous and inept Duchess. Grace thought her self-reflection had become unnecessarily long-winded.

In fact, Grace had no intention of leaking information about helping Cleta to the public.

However, Grace was sure that someone would be following her.

Nobles as mysterious as Grace were rare, and those who you could chew and taste without guilt were even rarer.

‘In fact, there have been times when some reporters secretly followed and caught Grace, the Duchess of Felton.’

There was a scene from the original novel. Benjamin told Aria that he was embarrassed because reporters kept following his wife.

Aria showed her wise tactics and caught the reporters.

“…Thank you. It was always awkward when other reporters followed even after catching one.”