Chapter 11 (Part 5)

The next day, just before their departure, Grace encountered an unexpected obstacle.  

“…Mother, why are you saying I can’t go?”  

Amelia, having belatedly learned of Grace’s schedule, strongly opposed it.  

The scheduled time was approaching, but Amelia’s firm stance showed no signs of wavering. Grace glanced at the clock with a troubled expression.  

“Mother, I really have to go.”  

At her words, Amelia asked with a stern face,  

“Are you going with Sir Leonardo Fernandez?”  

Amelia’s question, as if she had heard it from someone, carried certainty.  

Grace hesitated briefly before nodding.  

Amelia’s voice grew colder and sharper.  

“In that case, tell Young Lord Fernandez to come see me.”  

Her gaze made it clear that she would not permit any further mention of the matter otherwise.  

Grace sighed deeply, resigning herself to the situation, and answered in a low voice that she would bring him. She trudged outside.  

Once her daughter was out of sight, Amelia unconsciously rubbed her cold, tense hands.  

‘If I see him, I’ll know for sure.’  

She had received a letter from Charlotte saying that Delia, who had been dispatched, would return soon. However, just this morning, Amelia had read an article stating that an issue at the dispatch site had delayed Delia’s return.  

Hearing that Delia, who likely understood the situation to some extent, was coming had reassured her slightly.  

‘If it’s delayed further, I’ll have to meet the person involved myself.’  

Such thoughts had crossed her mind when Grace mentioned returning to that place.  

If Grace went back to the likely trouble spot, the related party would surely accompany her.  

Amelia had only issued a warning based on her assumptions, but it seemed she had been correct.  

‘I hope it’s not what I think it is.’  

Meanwhile, Grace, unaware of Amelia’s tension, was pouting and walking sluggishly.  

“Why does she suddenly want to see Sir Leonardo?”  

Grace muttered to herself, shaking her head with a puzzled expression.  

Thoughts like whether it was okay for others to see him coming and going from the mansion crossed her mind and then disappeared.  

‘Could it be that Mother has figured something out?’  

She briefly suspected it but dismissed the idea. If Amelia had truly realized something, she wouldn’t have remained silent or inactive until now.  

Grace put her suspicions aside and approached Leonardo, who was waiting for her.  

“Why did you come empty-handed without your luggage?”  

At Leonardo’s question, Grace replied with an apologetic expression,  

“Mother threatened that I couldn’t leave.”  

“…Is that so?”  

Leonardo almost blurted out, “How is that even possible?” but bit his tongue and changed the subject.  

He found it surprising that a parent would interfere with an adult child’s schedule and equally surprising that Grace accepted it as a matter of course.  

Unconsciously, he stared at Grace.  

In the Duke’s household, everyone handled matters on their own, so such interference was unheard of and quite fascinating to him.  

“Why does she want to see me?”  

“I’m not sure either.”  

Grace’s answer, implying that Amelia had been acting unusually lately, made Leonardo certain that Amelia had some understanding of the dire situation her daughter was in.  

The reason she wanted to meet him must be to confirm her suspicions.  

“There’s no helping it. Alright.”  

“I’m sorry, Sir. She’s not usually one to meddle like this, so I don’t know why she’s acting this way.”  

“No need to apologize.”  

Seeing the apologetic look on Grace’s face, Leonardo smiled warmly, signaling that it was fine.  

As they entered the mansion together, Leonardo noticed the servants glancing at them.  

‘Well, this will certainly spark rumors.’  

Regardless of the nature of their relationship, rumors about the two of them would undoubtedly spread.  

Or perhaps worse rumors might emerge.  

“You’re aware that my mother is a Master, right?”  

“Yes, I know.”  

“Just to warn you, my mother has spent her entire life with the sword… so she’s not very articulate.”  

Leonardo almost made a strange face at Grace’s words but had to strain his facial muscles to maintain composure.  

Unaware of this, Grace continued to look apologetic.  

‘…Like mother, like daughter, I suppose.’  

In Leonardo’s eyes, Grace wasn’t particularly articulate either.  

Thinking this, Leonardo recalled the incident with Liam and tilted his head slightly.  

‘Well, maybe not entirely.’  

Perhaps Grace had been slightly more socialized due to being the daughter of a Marquis.  

Leonardo clenched and unclenched his fists repeatedly, feeling his tension grow as they approached Amelia’s location.  

“This is it. Wait here for a moment.”  

Standing before a grand door adorned with the Marquis’ emblem, Leonardo swallowed nervously.  

He tried to think of it as just a business meeting, but other thoughts kept intruding.  

‘Do you have time for unnecessary thoughts, Leonardo Fernandez?’  

Amelia, a close friend of his mother Charlotte, was not someone to take lightly.  

As he steeled himself for the encounter, the door suddenly opened.  

“I brought him, Mother.”  

Amelia sat upright at the desk in the center of the office.  

Seeing her now, Leonardo realized how kind her expression had been when he had seen her in Grace’s body.  

Her face now was cold enough to feel like frost had settled, and her warm-colored eyes held a chilling sharpness.  

Leonardo offered a brief bow with a stiff face.  

“I greet the Marchioness.”  

“No need for formalities. Gracie, you may leave.”  

Grace, receiving the dismissal, instinctively glanced back and forth between Amelia and Leonardo.  

Leonardo gave her a slight nod, signaling that it was fine. Grace pouted, bowed to Amelia, and left.  

The moment the door closed, the temperature in the room seemed to drop further, and Leonardo felt a chill down his spine.  

Meanwhile, as Leonardo stood before her, Amelia felt her suspicions solidify into certainty.  

“…Young Lord Fernandez.”  

At Amelia’s call, Leonardo instinctively straightened his posture.  

Seeing his tense and rigid face, Amelia asked bluntly,  

“Are you the one who is cursed along with my daughter?”  

Her words, directly addressing the curse, made Leonardo clasp his hands tightly.  

As he hesitated to respond, Amelia’s cold voice continued.  

“Don’t bother trying to make excuses. I can see the two of your mana blending together.”  

Her words confirmed that she already knew, leaving Leonardo no choice but to sigh.  

“…I wasn’t trying to deceive you, Madam. I was just considering how to explain.”  

Amelia gestured for him to continue, and Leonardo began to speak slowly.  

“There was a problem during the last subjugation. We’re doing our best to resolve it, but… it’s true that the situation is complex and not easily resolved.”  

Amelia raised an eyebrow slightly at his words, something suddenly clicking in her mind.  

Hearing that tone, something clicked in Amelia’s mind.  

“…Could it have been you, Sir Fernandez?”  

At Amelia’s abrupt question, Leonardo instinctively stared into her eyes.  

As a strange sense of déjà vu faded, certainty took its place.  

The image she had seen in the recording orb she had given to Becky, and the occasional awkwardness she had noticed in her daughter, overlapped with the man standing before her.  

“It seems I’ve met you a few times in my daughter’s body.”  

“…Ah.”  

At her words, Leonardo let out a foolish groan, his mouth falling open. He hadn’t expected Amelia to notice anything unusual in those brief moments.  

In truth, during his time at the Marquisate, Leonardo had rarely encountered Amelia.  

He had hardly ever seen her face, and he only heard from Becky that they had occasionally crossed paths.  

‘No, how many times did I even stay here in Grace’s body?’  

Aside from mornings and evenings, he had spent most of the time in the swapped state, but Grace herself, as a commander, often spent her days outside.  

Thus, the amount of time he had spent in Grace’s body at the Marquisate wasn’t much.  

But now, Amelia was speaking with near-certain confidence.  

“Is it a body swap? Is there a solution?”  

Leonardo, with a sense of resignation, responded to Amelia’s question.  

“We’re working on it.”  

“…I see.”  

With those words, Amelia fell silent.  

Leonardo felt his mouth go dry from her silence.  

He thought it might be better if she scolded or got angry instead, as he fiddled nervously with his hands.  

Finally, Amelia spoke.  

“There are many books in the Marquisate. I’ll inform the butler, so feel free to come and look.”  

“…Me, Madam?”  

“Of course, who else would look? My daughter?”  

As if questioning why he would even suggest such a thing, Amelia frowned.  

Leonardo suddenly realized anew that everyone knew Grace would fall asleep the moment she opened a book.  

He bowed his head in gratitude.  

“Thank you for your consideration.”  

“Think of it as pressure to resolve things quickly.”  

Amelia waved her hand as if dismissing him, and Leonardo bowed his head again.  

Just as he was about to leave, Amelia, as if something had just occurred to her, asked in a calm voice,  

“Do you… like my daughter?”  

At her question, Leonardo instinctively turned back abruptly.  

Seeing the turmoil in his eyes, Amelia remarked,  

“That’s answer enough.”  

Dismissing him with a gesture, Amelia leaned back in her chair.  

As if wanting to rest, she closed her eyes, leaving Leonardo no chance to give a proper response.  

He had no choice but to leave the room, feeling as though he had been driven out.