Grace in Wonderland - Chapter 131

131. Epilogue II

Sebastian’s concerns were unfounded.

“I’m really happy! To think you planned such a wonderful trip… I’m so touched! This will be a journey I’ll never forget until the day I die.”

As soon as Richard Spencer boarded the carriage, he revealed the long-kept secret of their destination to Grace. Overjoyed, Grace’s excitement made the carriage shake.

The honeymoon destination for the Young Earl and Countess was Galway, in Aire. Though the journey would take a grueling week by carriage and another two and a half days by boat, neither Richard nor Grace, blinded by love and poor judgment, found this to be an issue.

Richard had deliberately placed Sebastian in a separate carriage following behind. After all, in the cozy, private carriage he shared with Grace, there would be plenty to do, day and night. A mere week wasn’t nearly enough time…

“I sent someone to renovate the house where you lived with your mother during your childhood.”

Richard played with Grace’s curly hair as he spoke. Months ago, a sketch of a small, rundown cottage in a remote village of Galway, nicknamed “The End of the World,” had appeared on Richard’s desk along with a report.

The house had been vacant for over ten years. After Annabel’s death, Grace had been sent to a poorhouse, leaving the cottage abandoned. Without residents, the place had quickly fallen into disrepair. The sketch detailed broken windows, crumbling walls, and a collapsed roof.

However, the interior was a different story. The investigator had uncovered and dusted off items like colorful bedding Annabel Gurton had chosen for her young daughter, floral curtains, children’s dishes, oversized dolls, and more. Among all these relics, Richard’s attention was drawn to the notches on a door frame marking the child’s growth over time.

Richard dispatched workers to Aire to repair the cottage. Though demolishing and rebuilding the structure would have been more cost-effective, he insisted on preserving the house as much as possible. The notches on the door frame were to be safeguarded at all costs.

Most of the interior items were too old and worn to be of use, but a few were salvageable. Among them were several amateurish drawings by a young girl with no talent for art.

Richard had those framed and hung on the walls. Grace would see them as soon as they arrived at the cottage. He couldn’t wait to see her embarrassed face and planned to ask her what exactly she had been trying to express through such abstract works.

“Grace, if there’s anything you want as a wedding gift, just tell me.”

Richard kissed Grace’s cheek as he spoke.

Would she really want anything? Grace wasn’t a materialistic person and would likely decline, shaking her head.

Grace preferred books over dresses, jewelry, or flowers. Richard had often struggled to stop her from running off to the library with sparkling eyes whenever he gifted her a math or philosophy book.

He even considered building a library under the name of Grace Spencer, the Young Countess. But she would probably find that burdensome and smile shyly, saying a few books would suffice.

Perhaps he could fund an expedition to Egupt, excavate ancient relics, and present her with a papyrus scroll inscribed with hieroglyphs…

“Th-the Grentabridge estate, please.”

Huh?

Richard’s eyes widened. His lips, which had been wandering around Grace’s neck and collarbone, froze for a different reason.

Rugby balls truly are unpredictable.

“Is it for Professor Charles Dodgson?” Richard asked, picturing the modest brick house with only six windows that had been begrudgingly added for tax reasons. He was grateful Grace no longer lived there. After all, Richard Spencer was the hero who had rescued her from tuberculosis.

“N-no. The professor is comfortable in his current home.”

“Then why…?”

Richard’s question made Grace hesitate briefly. Then, with the solemnity and seriousness of a general preparing for battle, she answered.

“I-I want to start a small school.”

“A school?”

Richard suddenly lifted his face from her chest. Grace was looking down at him with a more serious expression than ever before.

This wasn’t the time to continue heedlessly. Normally, Richard Spencer wasn’t one to hold back, but…

Richard, the epitome of empathy, quietly averted his gaze from her chest. To cool the rising flames, he mentally recited the lyrics to “God Save the Queen.”

Having successfully quelled the fire with the help of gracious Queen Anne, Richard turned his attention out the window. Now, what did the Grentabridge estate look like again?

The residence on the outskirts of Grentabridge where Richard Spencer had once lived with Sebastian and a silent maid was a four-story building rivaling a mansion. Complete with wings extending on either side, it could accommodate a considerable number of people.

When Richard initially proposed building such a large house, Sebastian was horrified and tried to dissuade him. “It’s not like you’ll live there forever. Why would only three people need such a grand estate for just three years?”

But look. It turned out it was necessary after all.

It seemed past Richard Spencer possessed an extraordinary ability to foresee the future. Either that or destiny had guided him toward a life with Grace from the very beginning.

“May I ask why you decided on this?”

“…B-because I want to.”

Grace had not yet erased from her heart the humiliation she had endured at the charity school in the Grentabridge parish. In such places, impoverished or disabled children rarely received kind treatment.

Schools run on donations can never truly remain neutral. The influence of donors often sways decisions, forcing staff to be overly mindful of external pressures.

Grace planned to avoid meddling in the curriculum of the school she intended to establish in Grentabridge. However, she vowed to rigorously oversee broader principles like budget transparency and the moral integrity of the staff.

“Live your life doing what you want, and don’t do what you don’t want to.”

Lady Mary Montague’s final words had given Grace immense courage. Until then, Grace had resigned herself to reality, often refraining from pursuing her desires and enduring what she disliked.

However, after arriving in Wonderland and meeting Lady Montague and Richard Spencer, Grace discovered what she truly wanted and what she couldn’t tolerate. Under their protection and support, she gained the strength to chase her dreams and refuse what she didn’t want.

For Grace, a school was akin to the shadows on the walls of a cave. The idea she glimpsed when she entered the college lecture hall disguised as a man left a lasting impression on her. Her desire to bring it to life began during her time teaching at the charity school in Dockland.

What solidified this aspiration was the inheritance Lady Montague had left for Grace. The late Lady’s wisdom proved true: money grants women opportunities.

“I-is it not possible?”

Grace placed her hand over Richard’s and squeezed it tightly. As he gazed into her eyes, filled with trust and determination, Richard let out a thin sigh.

This isn’t fair.

But a player optimized for unconventional moves knows how to skillfully counter an opponent’s unfair tactics.

“Let’s do it.”

Relieved, Grace nestled into Richard’s arms. To suppress the roaring instincts of the lion within him, he thought of countless things.

Let’s name the school ‘Gurton.’ Once the school gains renown, Annabel Gurton’s name will no longer be a mere passing whisper.

He also decided it should be an all-girls school. That way, Grace wouldn’t have to encounter immature boys whenever she visited Grentabridge.

Once the school was well-established, perhaps Grace could found a college, just as she had suggested at a Blue Stocking meeting. If Grace Spencer desired it, then Richard Spencer was all for it. That was a universal truth.

Grace lifted her head. Richard lowered his gaze to meet hers.

The reddish morning sun and the lavender-hued clouds of late evening. The spectrum’s beginning and end. A man who had reached the edges of the rainbow finally opened the treasure chest’s lid.

Inside, Grace, once trapped in darkness, leaped out and smiled sweetly and lovingly at the man who had ended his lonely, arduous journey. And together, hand in hand, they embarked on a new journey to a wonderland where they would never be lonely again.

—Thank you—