Grace in Wonderland - Chapter 104

104. A Place to Return To

“Grace.”

“……”

“I know you’re not sleeping.”

“……”

Sniff. How did he know?

Grace reluctantly sat up, covering herself with her crumpled dress. Professor Charles Dodgson had turned his back to her and was sitting on the ground.

“If you’re not planning to go outside in torn clothes, stay here. The Young Earl said he’d send someone to bring a dress for you.”

“Y-yes…”

Grace had already been awake before Sebastian and Charles Dodgson called out to them from the cave entrance. But she had kept her eyes closed, pretending to sleep. After all, standing up and greeting them normally in such an embarrassing situation would have been even more humiliating.

She was at least relieved that they had come to fetch her. Showing such an improper appearance to the two of them was mortifying, but it was far better than being alone with Richard Spencer in that awkwardness.

“Now, explain. How did the two of you end up… here, like this?”

Charles Dodgson trailed off, unable to bring himself to complete the sentence.

“W-well, I thought I’d go for a walk yesterday…”

“You came all the way to Cherry Hinton for a walk?”

“Y-yes. Bibut then it started raining heavily all of a sudden. The s-stream overflowed, so I couldn’t cross it…”

Yesterday’s rain was record-breaking, marking the highest daily rainfall in Ingrint’s meteorological history. Even Charles Dodgson had waited in his college research room for the rain to stop before heading home. The eerie silence of his darkened house late at night was still fresh in his memory.

“Then how did you meet the Young Earl?”

Charles Dodgson abruptly cut to the chase. Grace hesitated and answered hesitantly.

“…H-he was lying in front of the cave.”

“The Young Earl?”

“Y-yes. I-I don’t know what happened before that. I-I came to the cave to escape the rain, and there was a man lying face down. That m-man turned out to be the Young Earl.”

“And then?”

“H-he was bleeding from his head. H-his body was cold, so I thought I had to move him into the cave…”

Charles Dodgson clicked his tongue in disapproval. He didn’t need to hear the rest to piece together what had happened. His body temperature had dropped, so she must have removed his clothes. With the rain, she couldn’t start a fire. The only option left would have been to share her body heat.

“I’m s-sorry.”

“You did well.”

After a long silence, both spoke simultaneously. Grace, who had been dejected, lifted her head and stared at the back of Charles Dodgson’s head.

“…What?”

Truthfully, this was a disaster of such magnitude that it had dragged her honor as a lady to rock bottom. But some values take precedence over honor and etiquette, so he couldn’t bring himself to scold her.

In a noble family, she might have been severely reprimanded for her conduct. Or perhaps praised? After all, the other party was Richard Spencer.

“He didn’t seem seriously injured. The Young Earl looked fine.”

“……”

“Since he’s unharmed thanks to you, if he offers compensation, take as much as you can. Demand a few mansions if you want.”

“…What?”

Grace’s eyes widened. Charles Dodgson had once advised her to live within her means and abilities, using exam questions as an example. Even when she resolved to distance herself from Richard Spencer, his advice had been absolute.

Why would someone like that say something so ridiculous now?

“Or ask for land? The Spencer family owns an incredible amount of land across Ingrint.”

“……”

“What about a mine? Didn’t they have mines too? Personally, I’m not interested in mines. You’d have to hire workers and deal with too many headaches.”

“……”

“For that matter, businesses are the same. Managing them is a hassle.”

“W-why are you saying such things? You, you don’t even mean it.”

Grace tilted her head, puzzled. With Charles Dodgson’s back to her, she couldn’t read his expression, making his intentions even harder to grasp.

“Ah, why not just marry Richard Spencer? Judging by his proposal, he seems ready to give you everything he has.”

“W-what are you…”

Charles Dodgson’s playful remark flustered Grace. Looking closely, she noticed his shoulders shaking slightly. Out of his sight, she rolled her eyes.

“When we first came here together…”

Charles Dodgson erased the humor from his voice and began speaking earnestly.

“Do you remember the book I found for you? What do you think would have happened if the protagonist had stayed in Wonderland?”

“P-pardon?”

“I don’t think Wonderland exists as a separate realm. When you meet new people or step away from your usual life, that place becomes your Wonderland. And once you adapt to it, Wonderland stops being strange and becomes your everyday reality.”

“Is… that so?”

“Think about it. When you came to Grentabridge from Aire, wasn’t this place your Wonderland? Even meeting me, I must have been a resident of Wonderland to you.”

“……”

“But as time passed, Grentabridge became nothing more, nothing less than where you live.”

“……”

“Your life in Lydon will likely be the same. At first, it might be hard to adjust, but it’s not impossible.”

“B-but… y-you told me to solve problems within my capabilities.”

“Hmm?”

“Y-you said during exams, I should assess my abilities first before tackling a question. Don’t you remember?”

Surprised by her words, Charles Dodgson turned to look at her.

“Ah, yes, I suppose I did say that.”

He responded with a hollow laugh, shaking his head vigorously.

“But exams vary, don’t they?”

“E-excuse me?” Grace asked, confused.

Charles Dodgson continued, “Some questions are crafted with fondness for diligent students. For instance, they might include hints only those who paid attention in class would recognize—perhaps a joke briefly mentioned during a lecture.”

“You, Uncle?”

Impossible! Charles Dodgson was a notoriously eccentric professor. Even with Grace Gurton, who was practically family, he would set mercilessly difficult questions.

“Of course, not me,” he admitted awkwardly. “But some professors who care for their students might do that. However, if a student dismisses the question out of fear without even attempting it, they’ll miss the chance entirely.”

“……”

“Think about whether Richard Spencer’s proposal is that kind of question.”

“Th-that…”

“Besides, the hint wasn’t even hidden. It was so obvious that even I, standing far away, could see it clearly.”

Grace hesitated, unsure how to respond. She had a sense of what he meant by the hint.

Grace in Wonderland had received Richard Spencer’s help and protection there. She had been the target of his misunderstandings and anger, and now, his proposal and apology. He had been steadfastly by her side, transforming Wonderland into her everyday reality.

That was the hint. Her one-sided love and her flaws had blinded her to the glaringly obvious clues in the problem.

The Cheshire Cat wasn’t a fleeting figure that appeared and vanished whimsically. It had always lingered nearby, encouraging her to choose any path when she was lost. It didn’t disappear but hovered around her like smoke.

After organizing her muddled thoughts, Grace finally spoke, “Uncle, d-do you remember when you asked me as a child whether Wonderland was a fun or a scary place?”

“Hmm?”

“I-it’s neither.”

“Is that so?”

Charles Dodgson didn’t remember asking that, but he nodded, seeing how bright Grace Gurton’s voice had become compared to earlier. She sounded like a mad mathematician who had solved an unsolvable equation. It reinforced his belief that no one who liked mathematics could be entirely normal.

“I-it’s a place I want to return to.”

Grace’s voice echoed in the cave, resonating several times. The echo lingered until Sebastian arrived, grumbling, with a dress Richard had rushed a town seamstress to prepare. The echoes continued until Grace changed into her new dress and stepped out of the cave.