Grace in Wonderland - Chapter 88

88. How to Apologize

“It’s been a long time since I’ve been here.”

Richard Spencer stood beneath a cherry tree shedding its crimson leaves, resembling a scene from a masterpiece. Near the Earl Spencer’s residence, yet secluded, the lake view at St. James’s Park always embraced the lonely soul of the Young Earl.

Not the royal garden, nor the gardens of Spencer Mansion, but a secret spot by the neglected lakeside. With a gray sky on the verge of tears, mist like the lake’s breath, chilly weather, and skeletal vines clinging to the scenery.

It was a calm, desolate season. Only small pebbles rolled pitifully at the Young Earl’s feet, making a faint rustling sound…

“Young Master, are you hungry?”

Ha, what terrible timing.

Richard Spencer’s melancholic reverie was abruptly interrupted. Turning irritably, he glared at Sebastian.

“I brought some scones. Let’s eat together.”

Sebastian spread out a white cloth and set a greasy brown bag on it, humming a tune.

The Earl’s head chef was an excellent cook. If the Young Earl desired scones, the chef would mix the finest flour imported from the New World with fresh milk from Jersey cows, butter made by pounding the milk for ten hours in a leather pouch, and sugar extracted from sugarcane imported from the Virgin Islands. All of this was carefully seasoned with a pinch of sea salt from Essex and baked to perfection in an impeccably calibrated oven.

But sadly, such a refined feast did not suit Richard’s taste. He preferred the cheap, dry scones that Sebastian occasionally brought from somewhere in Lydon.

“I’m not eating.”

“What?”

Sebastian’s humming stopped. Had he misheard?

It was a sacred ritual every time they visited this spot. No matter what thoughts occupied the Young Earl’s mind as he stared at his reflection on the lake’s surface, when Sebastian shook the brown bag, Richard would pull a face and reluctantly bite into a scone.

“Why not? Why won’t you eat?”

“……”

He’s acting like a spoiled child at the dinner table.

Richard Spencer had visited the Montague mansion a few days earlier. Upon stepping out of the carriage, he handed something to Sebastian before rushing off to the stables, mounting Sono, and galloping out of the estate like a thunderbolt.

After several repetitions of this behavior, even Sono, the spirited mare, stopped shedding tears or foaming at the mouth. The poor horse had endured so much torment that her venomous gaze now sent chills down Sebastian’s spine.

The item Richard had handed over was a portrait of Grace Gurton. Sebastian’s jaw dropped when he saw it.

“Why do you have this? Lady Montague commissioned it for the Chelsea estate.”

“……”

“Does Lord Montague know about this?”

“……”

Wasn’t this theft? Taking someone else’s property and keeping it—how was that acceptable? Theresius Wilford’s embezzlement was a crime, but his own actions were love? Was that it?

Even without Richard’s confession, the fact that Grace Gurton had left Lydon had spread throughout society within days. The social season had begun, and the news came officially from those who had sent invitations to the Montague mansion with both goodwill and malice.

Since Sebastian had a hobby of collecting gossip, he had heard the news the very next day after Richard visited the Montague mansion. If Grace Gurton had left Lydon, her destination was obvious. Grentabridge, of course.

If there had been a wager on whether Richard Spencer would head straight for Grentabridge, Sebastian would have bet his entire fortune on “Yes.” But aside from his bizarre horseback escapades, Richard had spent his days in seclusion.

Thank goodness there was no such bet…

“Sebastian,”

As Sebastian silently sighed in relief, Richard finally spoke, his tone reluctant.

“How do you appease someone when they’re angry?”

“What?”

Ah, so he’s trying to make amends for the ‘minor mistake’ he mentioned with Grace Gurton. After days of agonizing, this was the question he had come up with.

Instead of teaching him math as a child, they should have taught him other things. Like “how not to anger a woman” or “how to soothe an angry woman.”

The wisdom necessary for living is understanding that things often don’t add up the way they should. How often does ‘1 + 1 = 2’ fail in life? In the current state of Richard Spencer and Grace Gurton, it’s more like ‘1 + 1 = 0.’ Or perhaps even a negative number.

Sebastian considered whether he should lend the Young Earl a Gallian guide to romance he had read last summer. Maybe reading it would offer some hope for improvement to this ‘rustic who’s spent his life as a hermit in the mountains and is encountering women for the first time.’

“Such a thing would never happen, of course, but let’s suppose, just hypothetically, that you were angry with me, Sebastian.”

Never happen? Sebastian wanted to object, but Richard cut him off.

“In that case, how would I calm your anger?”

“……”

“This is purely hypothetical, Sebastian. What reason could you possibly have to be upset with me? Just try imagining it.”

“……”

This is exactly what makes me angry!

Sebastian suppressed the urge to shout and replied seriously instead.

“You should apologize.”

“Apologize?”

Richard Spencer was someone with no ties to the concept of apology. He’d never been in a situation where he needed to apologize, and even if he were, the most he would offer was an expression of regret, the bare minimum of courtesy.

“But apologizing with just words is worse than not apologizing at all.”

At this point, Sebastian felt it necessary to impart some very important knowledge. He hoped Richard Spencer would remember his advice for the future, should the day come when he might need to apologize to him personally.

“So how do normal people apologize?” Richard asked, intrigued.

Sebastian smirked. It seemed the Lion King, Richard Spencer, had finally decided to live among humans. And the thought of him considering an apology—a gesture of love—was astounding.

As his former tutor, Sebastian resolved to give the best advice to help Richard adapt to the human world.

“Saying sorry a hundred times won’t matter. What’s important is making one grand gesture. Convert your regret into a tangible value and compensate accordingly. Since every word you say only makes things worse, just apologize with money.”

“……”

“Feel free to ignore that last part,” Sebastian added, feeling a little guilty after seeing Richard’s flickering gaze. It was truthful advice but perhaps too blunt.

Richard pretended not to hear and asked again, “In any case, is it possible to quantify an apology?”

“In such cases, it’s convenient to put yourself in their shoes.”

“Put myself in their shoes…”

Richard, whose empathy levels were as shallow as the salt content of a freshwater lake, began massaging his left temple. This was too difficult.

“Young Master, do you know how much the Wilford family compensated Lord Montague for the embezzlement scandal?”

“How would I know that?”

“It was twenty times the donation amount. That was the value of Theresius Wilford’s apology and the amount Lord Montague considered enough to let go of his anger.”

“Is that so?”

“You haven’t decided on the compensation amount yet, have you? How much would make you feel better?”

Richard Spencer realized he had inadvertently delayed dealing with the matter. He hadn’t had time to think about compensation, nor did he feel inclined to demand several times the initial amount from what he considered a paltry sum.

After all, uncovering the embezzlement wasn’t his goal. His true objective was to break off the engagement between Grace Gurton and Theresius Wilford.

And yet…

“Perhaps a tin mine?”

“What?”

Cornwall was rich in tin deposits. Decades ago, a new technology for coating iron with tin had been developed, causing tin demand and prices to skyrocket. The Wilford family, owning numerous tin mines and mining rights, had ruled the region like royalty.

Was this generosity, or a calculated move? It was hard to tell. Was Richard planning to annihilate the Wilfords and take their mines by any means necessary?

Sebastian’s legs shook nervously. Meanwhile, Richard, following Sebastian’s advice, began contemplating how to express regret—not an apology, but a gesture of regret—to Grace Gurton.

Sebastian’s observation that everything went awry whenever Richard spoke to Grace was, unfortunately, accurate. So, perhaps it was wise to forgo hollow words of regret or apology and instead make a bold financial gesture.

Sometimes, even Sebastian proved useful, like a blue moon gracing the night sky. Richard decided to accept Sebastian’s advice without alteration, showing remarkable restraint.

Finally, Richard opened the brown bag. The rich, savory aroma wafted up to his nose, and he smiled innocently, like a country lad.