Grace in Wonderland - Chapter 114

114. The Breathing Space

Grace forcibly lifted her heavy, iron-like eyelids that kept drooping. A sliver of light pierced through the narrow gap in the curtains, stinging her eyes.

The carriage rattled along an unpaved road. As she focused on the sound of the rumbling carriage, Grace’s consciousness gradually began to return.

“Grace.”

The voice that called out to her from across the carriage was one she had heard only once in her life but could never forget. Grace raised herself and faced the man seated opposite her.

“I apologize.”

The middle-aged man spoke curtly, his eyes bloodshot from exhaustion.

“W-why… why are you doing this? A-are you kidnapping me?”

“……”

The man did not answer Grace’s question. He merely pulled out a pocket watch from his jacket to check the time.

Come to think of it, he looked much more well-groomed than when she had last seen him in front of the Montague mansion. Back then, he had appeared neat enough, but now, his clothes and shoes were so luxurious that one might believe they belonged to Richard Spencer. Even the pocket watch he held was undoubtedly an expensive item.

Hadn’t he come to borrow money?

“P-please tell me. W-why are you doing this to me?”

Viscount Lovelace only stared silently at the frightened Grace. At this point, there was no going back, and he couldn’t explain his circumstances either. He had sworn to keep everything confidential.

It was only later that he learned the item he had auctioned off was Lady Mary Montague’s engagement ring. If he had known that from the start, he would never have dared covet the ring Grace had been holding.

The creditors who had lent him money with angelic smiles turned into devilish thugs overnight when Viscount Lovelace failed to repay his debts on time. They beat him without mercy and seized everything they could. He was left to grovel, enduring the blows and hoping the thugs would eventually lose interest and move on to a new target.

Richard Spencer, however, was a different kind of person. Unlike the thugs, he neither beat nor robbed him. Instead, he collected all the promissory notes Viscount Lovelace had signed and paid off the debts himself, effectively becoming his new creditor.

This meant that until his death—and perhaps even beyond it—Viscount Lovelace would remain eternally bound to Richard Spencer. Richard never let go of his prey once he had seized it.

Viscount Lovelace had no idea that his debts had been transferred to Richard Spencer. Only Richard, Sebastian, and the original creditors were aware. Richard had deliberately kept it a secret.

Richard Spencer meticulously investigated and reclaimed every piece of property Viscount Lovelace owned, even those the viscount himself had forgotten about. These included a remote plot of land in the mountains owned by the Lovelace family, a painting loaned out by his grandfather decades ago, and a crystal chess set the viscount had won in a gamble years earlier but forgotten to collect.

Even a small amount of money entrusted under a mistress’s name was tracked down and seized. Richard Spencer used the original creditors as a front to rattle the viscount without ever revealing himself.

To Viscount Lovelace, the secret funds were his last hope and a symbol of salvation. How the creditors had discovered the funds’ whereabouts remained a mystery. Not even when his estate was dismantled and sold off had he felt such despair.

When the completely destitute Viscount Lovelace was granted another lifeline and a new hope, it seemed nothing short of a miracle. Drunk on cheap gin and collapsed in a filthy alleyway, he was dragged away by unknown individuals and woke up in a barn.

Before him stood a frail-looking but sharp-eyed noblewoman. She held a handkerchief over her nose and mouth as if she were nauseated.

“Viscount Lovelace.”

“C-Countess Spencer…”

Once a princess of Ingrint, now the Countess Spencer and the mother of Young Earl Richard Spencer, she looked down at Viscount Lovelace with impeccable posture and delivered her words.

“I’ve heard you’ve been living like trash because of your debts.”

“……”

“Would you like to live like a human again?”

“…Pardon?”

Viscount Lovelace stirred uneasily, feeling the gaze of the Countess, who looked at him as though he were literal trash.

Gathering his courage, he asked again, “How would that work?”

“I’ll help you leave Ingrint and make a fresh start.”

“Why would the Countess do such a thing for me? Is there something you want from me?”

“……”

The Countess smirked at his naive response. The sharp mockery in her expression made Viscount Lovelace flinch. Then, she wiped away her smile, her lips tightening into a stern line before she spoke again.

“It’s about your niece.”

The Countess paused for effect, causing the viscount’s anxiety to grow. His heart raced at the mention of “a fresh start.”

“If you mean my niece, who exactly are you referring to?”

“The stuttering girl your sister gave birth to.”

“…Has Grace done something wrong?”

Still puzzled, the viscount asked hesitantly. The Countess’s expression shifted to one of faint amusement.

“Well, if it’s a fault, then perhaps it is one.”

“……”

“That girl is going to become the Young Countess. I hear she’s set to marry my son, Richard Spencer.”

“…What?”

The viscount’s body jolted at her words, which he processed with increasing alarm. The Countess continued without giving him a chance to speak.

“But can that truly be acceptable? For the Young Earl to marry a woman of no known lineage? As his mother and a member of the family, isn’t it only right for me to intervene?”

“……”

“Don’t you agree, Viscount?”

“Yes, that’s entirely reasonable,” the viscount replied, quickly calculating the potential outcomes. He pondered what advantages Grace’s future position as Countess might bring him but reached the conclusion that she would be of no help at all. After all, she had shown no compassion toward him when he had begged her for a loan.

“The Young Earl won’t listen to me. It’s likely because this is his first attachment to a woman. But standing by and doing nothing is something I cannot accept.”

“……”

“So, I want you to take that girl and leave. Since you’re her uncle, and she’s your niece, it wouldn’t be an entirely heartless act on my part.”

“Wh-where to?”

“Somewhere no one can find you.”

“……”

“In return, I’ll ensure you’re well compensated. If you live discreetly wherever you settle, I’ll provide funds for your relocation, living expenses, and even capital for a business.”

Submitting to the Countess of Spencer would bring Viscount Lovelace an opportunity to escape his squalid life. Surely anyone in his position would consider this offer seriously.

He did, in fact, know of a place no one could find. It was Galway in Aire, the very edge of the world, where his sister Annabel Gurton had fled with Lewis Gurton.

After their disappearance, the viscount’s mother had tirelessly searched for her estranged daughter. However, Viscount Lovelace had always disapproved, believing the cost outweighed the potential gains.

For nearly a decade, their mother had poured a considerable sum into the search without success. When she passed away without finding Annabel, Viscount Lovelace saw her efforts as a wasteful extravagance that had contributed to the family’s financial decline.

Ironically, shortly after their mother’s death, a letter arrived from Annabel. It was a desperate plea to come and collect her daughter, Grace, as she was nearing the end of her life. Along with the plea, Annabel included an address.

Viscount Lovelace had sneered when he read the letter, marveling at the improbability of Annabel choosing such an isolated place. Tearing up the letter, he cursed the money his mother had wasted on her futile search.

Galway seemed remote enough to imprison Grace. He could marry her off to someone there to prevent any future complications. In the meantime, he could also use the place to hide.

Having concluded his calculations, Viscount Lovelace bowed with the solemnity of a knight receiving his charge and responded to the Countess.

“I will do as you wish.”

Countess Spencer nodded slightly, as though she had expected this answer. She turned to leave but paused after a few steps.

Tossing a parting remark over her shoulder, she said, “I’ll pay you handsomely upfront. We’ll discuss the details later.”

“Thank you! Thank you, Countess!”

Without another word, Countess Spencer exited the barn. Left behind, Viscount Lovelace clutched his chest, overwhelmed with joy, and reveled in his newfound fortune.