Grace in Wonderland - Chapter 138

138. Side Story VII

“Richard.”

“Graham.”

It had been a while since Richard last saw Graham Harold. Following his wedding at the Great Cathedral of Lydon, his honeymoon, the subsequent newlywed life, and the recent painful events, Richard Spencer had secluded himself, handling most matters from his home office.

“Why are you here?”

“My, even a beggar outside the Spencer mansion would receive a warmer welcome than I do.”

Graham responded with a sly grin to Richard’s cold question.

Back when they studied at Grentabridge, the two saw each other quite often. Though Richard Spencer found Graham Harold bothersome, Graham had persistently sought him out.

Being the same age and born into families of similar standing, the two had spent much time together since childhood. Until the incident at the Lake District, Richard had often played along with Graham.

The Marchioness of Winchester had actively encouraged gatherings among heirs of grand noble families, often arranging regular meetups between them.

Originally, Deimos Cavendish, the Young Duke of Devonshire, who was younger than the two, was also invited by the Marchioness. However, due to Deimos’ unruly behavior, it eventually came down to just Richard and Graham.

The resourceful Marchioness of Winchester used clever tactics to ensure Deimos Cavendish stopped attending on his own. For instance, she would invite renowned philosophy professors to lecture the three children, none of whom were even ten years old, or organize Latin translation games with prizes like a prized colt of noble lineage.

As someone who loathed studying, Deimos could not sit still in such an environment. The Duchess of Devonshire, sympathetic to her whining son, had no choice but to respect his wishes.

After returning from the Windermere estate, even Richard Spencer left these gatherings. It wasn’t due to any personal grudge against Graham Harold or the Marchioness, but out of sheer embarrassment.

For a child, parents represent their entire world, one that can be proudly shown to others. Richard could not bear to reveal that his world was more akin to a sandcastle, fragile and ready to crumble—or perhaps, it had been an illusion from the start.

Though the Marchioness was talkative to a fault, she was inherently warm and cheerful. The Winchester family was also the only one among the three grand noble families where the couple shared a harmonious relationship.

The limited number of children in the Spencer and Cavendish families stemmed from a sense of obligation. For them, children were merely the result of minimal effort to secure an heir.

In contrast, the Marquess of Winchester had five children. To the Harold family, their children were individuals, not just heirs or tools for political alliances. To Richard, they seemed as radiant as light.

Light and shadow could never mix, even when close. The boundary was clear. Thus, Richard drew a line with Graham, maintaining only superficial interactions.

Graham, however, was never distant toward Richard. Perhaps he fancied himself as a son of God extending his hand to the less fortunate, but he consistently reached out to Richard Spencer. Not that Richard found it welcome in the slightest.

Today, Graham made an unannounced visit to the Spencer mansion despite no invitation. Already on edge due to Grace, Richard was far from pleased to see him.

“Are you so idle that you’ve taken to visiting others without any purpose?”

Richard’s tone was sharp.

This was a time when both men should have been exceptionally busy, with the parliamentary session fast approaching. While Richard was distracted for other reasons, Graham, assisting his father, the Marquess of Winchester, should have been even busier.

In fact, Graham likely had more responsibilities than Richard. As Richard acted on behalf of the Earl of Spencer, he had both responsibility and authority. If he wished, he could shirk his duties—though fortunately for the Spencer family, Richard’s character would never allow such negligence.

However, as someone aiding the Marquess of Winchester, Graham likely had no freedom to act on his own. Anyone familiar with the Marquess’ demeanor, whether in public or private, would assume as much.

The Marquess was an exceptionally kind husband and father in his private life, but publicly, he was meticulous and sharp—traits befitting a man who held sway over the Ingrint press. He wasn’t like the Spencers, who were “older than the royal family and protectors by the king’s side,” nor like the Cavendishes, who were “above the king.”

The Harold family “stood behind the king.” While this was a gentle euphemism, a more blunt way of putting it would be to say they “dug into the king’s secrets and cleaned up after him when necessary.” Through these means, the Winchesters had accumulated both power and wealth.

Thus, among the three grand noble families, one could argue that the Winchesters were closest to the shadowy underbelly. And yet, each individual family member appeared so radiant, creating an unparalleled contrast.

Even Graham’s appearance reflected this contrast. With his silver hair and pale sky-blue eyes, whenever Graham volunteered at the poorhouse, people there cheered, claiming an archangel had descended. When Richard heard this, he could only laugh in disbelief.

“This is rich coming from someone who’s been nowhere near Parliament,” Graham retorted.

The parliamentary session was just two days away. Graham had expected to find Richard in his office at the parliament today, but after hearing no news, he decided to visit Richard himself. The proximity of Spencer Mansion to Westminster made it convenient.

“Enjoying the honeymoon phase, I see.”

Graham Harold had first seen Grace Spencer at Richard’s wedding. In truth, he hadn’t met her; he’d only observed her from afar.

Before their marriage, Richard had guarded his fiancée so zealously that the entire social scene of Lydon was abuzz with curiosity. The fact that she was Annabel Gurton’s daughter only heightened the frenzy.

The Marchioness of Winchester had been close to Lady Mary Montague and maintained a cordial relationship with the former Countess Spencer, who had since been stripped of her title and exiled to Wormleighton. As a result, she had been among the first to hear about Grace Spencer’s impending adoption into the Montague family.

However, after Lady Montague’s death and the former Countess Spencer’s exile, Richard Spencer announced his engagement to Grace, leaving the Marchioness with no opportunity to meet her.

She sent invitations to the Montague mansion and even pressured her son, Richard’s supposed friend, to meet Grace on her behalf. Yet all her efforts failed.

Grace had found the courage to decline what she didn’t want to do, and Richard had been wary of Grace’s name being caught up in inappropriate rumors. After enduring his mother’s repeated demands, Graham became curious about Richard’s elusive fiancée.

Finally, today, Graham used Richard’s absence from Parliament as an excuse to make an impromptu visit to the Spencer mansion. On his way, he handed out gold coins to beggars.

“I hear Edmund Beaufort occasionally meets with Grace Spencer, the Young Countess. I must say, I’m deeply disappointed. We’ve been friends since childhood. Why haven’t you introduced me to your wife?”

“……”

Why? Because Grace, who likes handsome men, might smile too brightly, blush, breathe shallowly, and fidget nervously!

After the day Devonshire bastard visited the mansion, Richard had tasked Sebastian with ranking the appearances of Lydon’s gentlemen by category. It was a measure to weed out anyone he found remotely objectionable.

According to Sebastian’s report, Eurus of Devonshire ranked first in the “Dandy” category, while Graham Harold of Winchester topped the “Non-Human” category.

When Richard asked why Graham was categorized as “Non-Human,” Sebastian explained that Graham’s pale coloring gave him an unearthly, sacred aura that didn’t seem entirely human.

What about me?

When Richard posed this question, Sebastian hesitated before reluctantly answering:

“Young Master, perhaps we could categorize you as number one in the ‘Beast’ category, like the Lion King?”

At that moment, Richard considered banning all romance novels published in Gallia or blocking their import entirely.

“If you won’t introduce her, I’ll have no choice but to ask Sebastian for help,” Graham said, noticing Richard deep in thought and gesturing toward Sebastian, who was standing nearby.

Richard immediately scowled and intervened, “Absolutely not.”