Grace in Wonderland - Chapter 105

105. For Courtship

Sebastian couldn’t bring himself to meet his master’s eyes. He couldn’t decide whether to congratulate the Young Earl for becoming a man or to pretend he didn’t know anything.

But has he really become a man? His trousers were intact, so maybe… only just before the final step…

Tsk, tsk. Young people these days. Doing things before marriage!

With the mindset of a grumpy old Sumerian elder, Sebastian clicked his tongue silently. Then, he stole a glance at Richard Spencer, who was sitting across from him in the carriage.

Richard was slowly unwinding the strip of fabric from his head—the one that had been part of Grace Gurton’s dress. Sebastian’s gaze fell momentarily on the left side of his master’s temple before quickly darting away.

“So, Young Master, what exactly happened? With, uh, Miss Gurton… why, how, and where…”

As a seasoned attendant, he should have been more concerned about the wound, but his mind kept drifting back to the scene he had witnessed in the cave. Seeing a young man and woman in disheveled states, clinging to each other, had been shocking enough. What was more surprising was that one of them was Richard Spencer.

Who was Richard Spencer, after all? Wasn’t he the fastidious nobleman who valued cleanliness and hygiene above all? And wasn’t he the same man who recoiled at even a fingertip’s touch from others?

Honestly, he couldn’t say it out loud, but the musty smell wafting from the cave entrance was overpowering. It reminded him of his first visit to Dockland, leaving him dizzy and lightheaded.

Given that they had been in a damp cave, wearing soaked clothes for an entire day, the smell made sense. However, the Richard Spencer Sebastian knew would have chosen freezing to death over holding a scruffy woman in his arms.

Love truly works miracles. Feeling an inexplicable wave of emotion, Sebastian’s eyes grew damp. Like a devout missionary spreading love across the world, he waited with genuine reverence for his master’s reply.

Preferably, he wanted to hear a fiery tale. Perhaps something like Richard Spencer and Grace Gurton running into each other in the rain, misunderstanding each other’s intentions, and having a heated argument.

In his imagination, Grace Gurton would slap Richard’s cheek, wrap her arms around her shoulders in defiance, and attempt to storm off. Then Richard would stride after her in just a few steps, hug her from behind, tilt her head back, and kiss her unexpectedly.

Grace, startled and struggling for breath, would try to push him away, but to no avail. She might even lift her hand to slap him again, only for Richard to catch her wrist with his firm grip.

Sebastian had read countless romance novels like this. It was a typical plotline favored by Gallian authors, where arguments escalated into passionate embraces. Those Gallians must be perverts—educated perverts.

“I nearly died and now owe my life to Grace Gurton.”

And yet, why are the people of Ingrint like this? The best response he could give was “death,” “life,” and “debt.” The story shifted from a romance to a crime thriller in an instant.

The gloomy weather and somber national character must be to blame. Who knows, in the not-so-distant future, Ingrint might become a powerhouse in producing plays about spies and crime investigators.

“Then… that wound on your head… Did you trip while with Miss Gurton?”

Sebastian still clung to the hope of romance. His question carried unspoken expectations.

Perhaps Grace Gurton and Richard Spencer had met by chance in Cherry Hinton just as the rain began to pour. Maybe Grace slipped on the slick road, and Richard, trying to catch her, ended up falling with her. His head might have hit a rock, but he was too focused on her safety to notice the pain.

In this scenario, Grace would blush at the awkward position they ended up in, sitting on his lower body. She might attempt to move away in embarrassment, only for Richard to pull her closer. What would follow would be a kiss, then a slap, then another kiss…

“I was hit by a shattered liquor bottle.”

Well…

Sebastian quietly accepted the reality. After all, this was Ingrint, and Richard Spencer was an Ingrintian noble. Enough said.

“Wait, a liquor bottle? Did you just say a liquor bottle?”

Even if he had given up on romance, the mention of crime remained. A liquor bottle and an assault—hit with a broken liquor bottle? Wasn’t that attempted murder?

“Send the guards we brought from Lydon to Theresius Wilford’s house. Have them bring that bastard here. If he’s not in Grentabridge, search all of Ingrint, including Cornwall, and find him.”

“So you’re saying that the one who hit you with the broken liquor bottle was Theresius Wilford?”

“Yes.”

Sebastian was momentarily stunned before his expression hardened. It was fortunate the Young Earl was unharmed. If he had died or was in critical condition, Sebastian himself might have ended Theresius Wilford with his own small but determined hands.

He should have taken proper action when Theresius had thrown a punch at the Young Earl on the rugby pitch.

As Sebastian chastised himself, Richard Spencer instructed the coachman on their next destination. When he heard the order to stop by a tailor in town, Sebastian raised his head.

“Are you buying a dress for Miss Gurton?”

“……”

“Then how exactly did you meet Miss Gurton… and why was the dress removed…”

Richard ignored Sebastian’s overly curious questions, as he always did. Closing his eyes, he leaned his head against the carriage wall, cutting off the conversation.

“Young Master, earlier I asked Professor Charles Dodgson something.”

“……”

“I asked why Miss Gurton rejected your proposal, if there was a specific reason… something like that.”

Richard Spencer’s eyelids fluttered open slightly at those words. This topic, at least, piqued his interest.

“According to Professor Dodgson,” Sebastian hesitated, causing Richard’s eyes to open wider, urging him to continue.

“He said she seemed scared.”

“Scared?”

“Yes. Though, putting myself in her shoes, I can understand. If you proposed to me, I’d immediately nod, but Miss Grace Gurton isn’t me.”

“If I were to propose to you? Are you insane?”

Richard Spencer, who had never once considered someone else’s perspective in his life, furrowed his brow as if the idea made no sense.

“Think about it, Young Master. Isn’t Miss Grace Gurton already carrying enough baggage to attract gossip in society? With her mother Annabel Gurton, her uncle Viscount Lovelace… and—”

“Don’t even bring up her stutter.”

Richard cut him off abruptly before asking again.

“So she was scared because of those circumstances?”

“The Spencer family isn’t just any noble house. Don’t you think she might have felt unworthy to stand by your side?”

That could be it. It wasn’t a thought that had never crossed his mind.

That was why he had listed all the things he had when proposing. He thought that by expressing his desire to marry her despite having so much, she would be overjoyed and relieved.

“But listing all those things probably scared her even more.”

…That’s the exact opposite of my intention.

“Why would she interpret it that way?”

“Young Master, imagine a lion wanting to befriend a gazelle. The lion might leap toward the gazelle out of excitement, but from the gazelle’s perspective, it would feel like being chased. The lion might grin and show its teeth in joy and raise its paw to greet the gazelle, but all the gazelle sees are sharp fangs and powerful claws, making it afraid for its life.”

Is that so? Was that why she rejected me?

Richard looked at Sebastian with confused eyes. If so, that meant he had failed before even sitting the exam.

“When you want to get close to someone, showing vulnerability can be a good strategy. Of course, it has to be with someone you can trust. Miss Grace Gurton isn’t the type to take advantage of you, so it should be fine.”

“……”

“Instead of showing your fangs and claws, why not try revealing your belly, like a cat?”

“…A cat?”

“As you know, lions are part of the cat family too.”

“……”

Ignoring Richard’s displeased expression, Sebastian concluded his advice. This golden piece of wisdom was rooted in Gallian romance guides, which, in Sebastian’s experience, boasted a 50% success rate.

The thrill of securing the next meeting after showing vulnerability in front of a woman he admired… That thrill had inspired him to repeat the strategy, though it eventually led to rejection.

Richard glanced out the window and instinctively reached up to smooth his hair, only to stop himself. Sebastian, meanwhile, smiled faintly, as if knowing something Richard didn’t.