Grace in Wonderland - Chapter 109

109. Chemical Reactions

As soon as Richard Spencer successfully proposed, he brought Grace Gurton to Lydon the very next day. Neither Charles Dodgson, Grace Gurton, nor even Sebastian had any prior knowledge of this plan.

In Scotlin, there was a tradition of abducting brides, and it was lamentable that the actions of an Ingrintian grand noble differed little from those of uncouth Scotlish men. Of course, there was one key difference: the woman who was to be the bride shyly blushed at the barbarian who came to “abduct” her.

Charles Dodgson frowned disapprovingly, but he couldn’t protest further when Grace nodded in agreement. In this way, another similarity was added to the list of shared traits between Charles Dodgson and Sebastian: they were both people who suffered while watching someone else’s love story unfold.

At least Charles Dodgson remained in Grentabridge, but Sebastian endured an entire journey to Lydon, subjected to an unrelenting assault on his eyes and ears. He regretted not having opted to travel in a cargo wagon instead during those excruciatingly long hours.

The Young Earl, who had been sitting beside him, discreetly moved to Grace Gurton’s side and subtly offered her his shoulder. Sebastian even caught him pretending to accidentally bump elbows with her.

When the carriage shook on the unpaved countryside roads, Richard seized the opportunity to take Grace’s hand under the guise of steadying her. However, he didn’t let go of her hand afterward.

Upon arriving in Lydon, Sebastian had to dissuade Richard from having Grace stay at the Spencer mansion. If he had been alone, there was no way he could have overpowered the Young Earl’s resolve. Fortunately, Lord Montague vehemently opposed the idea, thwarting Richard’s plan.

Thus, Grace had been staying at the Montague mansion ever since leaving Grentabridge a few days earlier, preparing for the wedding scheduled for June of the following year.

And this morning, under the supervision of lawyers at the Spencer mansion, she was officially registered as the adopted daughter of Lord Anthony Montague.

Richard Spencer didn’t care whether she was a Montague or a Gurton, and Grace felt the same. However, Queen Anne’s thoughts were different. While playing croquet, the queen learned of the heir to a family “older than the royal family and protectors by the king’s side” marrying a woman of little consequence.

When Queen Anne, who had been holding a wooden mallet, threw it down and openly displayed her displeasure, those playing the game with her thought silently, “It’s only a matter of time before she orders someone to be executed.”

Sometimes Queen Anne’s capriciousness took peculiar turns. Knowing this better than anyone, Richard Spencer considered the slim possibility that the old queen might make an unreasonable demand.

For example, she might order him to marry the young daughter of Earl Walter Stuart in Scotlin.

Thus, he persuaded Grace and consulted Lord Montague to quickly change her surname. He immediately sent Lord Anthony Montague to the queen to explain the situation.

Lord Montague was a loyal subject cherished by the queen. When the masterful linguist who coordinated global colonies stepped forward, the queen’s unreasonable demands held no ground. This was all achieved by Richard Spencer within a single day.

The future of Ingrint didn’t seem bright. The queen would die within a few years. Her only heir, Elaine Spencer, had long ago signed an agreement renouncing her claim to the throne upon her marriage.

This would leave only two individuals bearing royal bloodlines on the Brighton Isles: Walter Stuart, Earl of Scotlin, and his kin, Psyche Stuart.

Richard Spencer was not someone who desired Scotlin’s rise to power. Thus, it was imperative to prevent Walter Stuart, raised in Scotlin, and Psyche Stuart from inheriting Ingrint’s throne. If they did, Scotlish rebels might seize the opportunity to rise up.

For this reason, Richard established a joint political alliance with the recently appointed Prime Minister Christian Gordon-Lennox, positioning him as his proxy. Though the prime minister lacked a strong backing, he was ambitious and capable enough to secure the premiership.

Richard Spencer promised political support to the prime minister. At the same time, he tasked him with persuading the queen to name a successor to the throne. Prime Minister Gordon-Lennox welcomed the alliance with Spencer, and the queen, swayed by the prime minister, joined their ranks.

Though nothing was finalized yet, the collaboration between Spencer and Gordon-Lennox would likely mark the end of the Stuart dynasty. Afterward, Richard Spencer planned to bring George Hanover, the king of Prussen he had handpicked, to begin a new royal dynasty for Ingrint.

Thus, the Spencer family would once again become founding contributors of the monarchy. Just as they had during the establishment of the Stuart dynasty centuries ago, they would remain a family older than the royal family and inseparable from the king’s side even after the queen’s passing.

Sebastian was awestruck by Richard Spencer’s decisiveness and meticulousness in handling matters. He hadn’t even inherited the title yet, and at such a young age, he had already solidified his position in the political arena. Of course, it was all thanks to Sebastian’s excellent guidance—or so Sebastian thought.

However, he could only raise his hands in surrender when it came to the Young Earl’s fiery romance. No, surrender wasn’t enough. He felt like clenching those raised hands into fists and staging a full rebellion.

Since becoming the escort for Richard Spencer and Grace Gurton—or rather, Montague—Sebastian had frequently found himself stifling nausea. Watching an amorous couple on the brink of marriage could be unbearably grotesque. They were so utterly attached to one another that it felt like witnessing conjoined twins performing in a circus.

Sebastian believed that chemical reactions were natural when a man and a woman met. But these two…

The type of chemical reaction Sebastian deemed appropriate was something like the sparks that flew from wood tossed into a fireplace or the faint smoke rising from flint. What Richard Spencer and Grace Montague produced, however, was more akin to an explosive chemical reaction caused by a detonated bomb.

Sure, if they wanted to explode with joy, that was their business. But what crime had the bystanders committed to deserve this? Every time Sebastian saw them, his heart felt like a barren wasteland left in ruins after a massive explosion.

“Grace, you’ve got cream on your mouth.”

“Oh, really? W-where?”

Sebastian recalled a previous time when Richard Spencer and Eleanor d’Estrée had sipped tea at a distance from one another. The occasion had been so dull that Sebastian had to stifle one yawn after another. At the time, he had thought:

When a man and a woman have tea time, shouldn’t there be moments like this? Eating cake, noticing cream on the corner of their mouth, saying, “You’ve got something there,” pretending not to know exactly where it is, dabbing the wrong spot with a napkin, and then casually reaching out, wiping it off, and licking the cream off their fingers… something like that.

“Young Master!”

The moment Grace dabbed at a spot near her ear—where no cream could possibly be—Sebastian shouted at the top of his lungs. He couldn’t bear to witness Richard Spencer reaching out to wipe it off and then licking the cream off his finger. That would surely make him want to quit on the spot.

Richard’s hand froze mid-air. Ha, what terrible timing. The Young Earl turned his head sharply toward Sebastian.

“A letter has arrived from Cornwall.”

Sebastian cleared his throat and rapidly continued.

“Cornwall? From Baron Jonathan Wilford?”

“Yes.”

Richard glanced briefly at Grace. When their eyes met, Grace nodded and stood up with a smile.

“I-I’ll be in the library.”

“I’m sorry, Grace. I’ll join you there as soon as I’m done. Please wait for me.”

That tender tone of voice… If one were to change his eye color, one might mistake him for Lancelot Spencer. Sebastian wanted to cover his ears but settled for pretending not to hear, rolling his eyes instead.

“Now, let’s hear it.”

The moment Grace closed the door, Richard’s expression changed completely. Sebastian almost wanted to rescind the advice he had once given on the day he had “unearthed” Richard from the metaphorical cave of prehistory.

Show vulnerability to court her, yes. But I never said to be cunning!

In front of Grace Montague, Richard acted like a docile kitten, baring his belly with charming antics. Yet here he was, growling with his fangs bared and glinting toward Sebastian.

Sebastian clasped his hands behind his back, hiding his tightly clenched fists.

“Baron Wilford has delegated the authority to handle Theresius Wilford’s punishment to you, Young Master.”

“Is that so?”

“However, he’s requested leniency regarding the Wilford family’s overall treatment.”

Every family has skeletons hidden beneath their polished facade. Seeing Baron Jonathan Wilford quickly withdraw his support the moment his once-proud son fell from grace was proof enough. Shouldn’t a parent at least plead for their child once or twice? After all, it was his son.

Every time Sebastian witnessed such behavior from nobles, Sebastian felt his respect for them dwindle. He didn’t even need to look far. The Earl and Countess Spencer had been incredibly harsh on their own children.

Perhaps that was why Richard Spencer was so unruly now. Never having known proper affection, he acted like a countryside bumpkin meeting a woman for the first time after living as a hermit in the mountains.

Seeing such things, Sebastian often thought that it might be better to live as a well-fed commoner than as a titled noble. He thought of the goose-down blanket he had left behind at his childhood home and half-closed his eyes.

Then Richard asked, “What’s the latest on Theresius Wilford?”