Chapter 9 (Part 3)

Inside her office, Grace wrote down everything she could think of to inform Leonardo and slipped the note into the pile of papers.  

After sorting through the documents, deciding which to approve and which to reject, Grace suddenly clutched her stomach in pain and barely managed to take some medicine.  

Cold sweat dripped down her face as the intermittent, sharp cramps continued.  

“Ah, seriously… It feels like the switch is about to happen soon.”  

As expected, when she checked the clock, it was almost time for their bodies to switch. To ensure Leonardo wouldn’t have to deal with the situation of changing menstrual cloths, Grace tried to get up and head to the restroom.  

“Ugh! This time… it’s worse… than last time.”  

Bent over from the worsening pain, she groaned in agony.  

Though the restroom was inside her office and only a few steps away, she couldn’t take another step.  

Breathing shallowly, she finally collapsed to the floor, leaning her back against the wall and pulling her legs close to her chest.  

“Ah, forget it. I’ll deal with it somehow.”  

As the pain near her heart signaled the body switch, Grace closed her eyes in resignation. She couldn’t move anyway because of the intense pain.  

Clutching her chest in agony, Grace let out a faint scream.  

“Hah, damn it!”  

Just then, the door opened, and Liam entered. Seeing her crouched on the floor, he hurriedly ran to her.  

Grace, startled by his sudden entrance, closed her eyes.  

Why was everything so poorly timed these days? 

Everything felt like a mess.  

“Commander!”  

Liam quickly approached and caught Grace before she could completely collapse.  

Seeing her pale face, drenched in cold sweat, Liam felt his heart drop. To make matters worse, her body felt hot, as if she had a fever.  

“Commander, please, stay with me!”  

No matter how much Liam shook her and called out, Grace didn’t respond, as if she had fainted.  

Checking her pulse out of habit, Liam’s face turned pale. The vein that should have been pulsing was silent.  

Panicking, Liam lowered his head to listen to her chest.  

But the heart that should have been beating wasn’t.  

“Commander!”  

Without thinking further, Liam picked her up in his arms. As he was about to rush out of the office,  

“…Put me down.”  

Liam looked down at Grace upon hearing her low, hoarse voice.  

Her forehead was covered in beads of cold sweat, and her brows were furrowed deeply. Grace wiped her face with her hand and repeated once more,  

“Put me down.”  

At her demand, Liam tightened his grip and said,  

“Just a moment ago, your vital signs stopped. We need to see a doctor immediately!”  

At Liam’s words, Grace scrunched her face and said again,  

“You’re mistaken. Put me down.”  

Her firm tone caused Liam to hesitate.  

Noticing his hesitation, Grace twisted her body and jumped down to the floor. She dusted off her clothes and spoke nonchalantly,  

“Did you finish the task I assigned you?”  

She looked so perfectly fine that it was hard to believe she had just been someone whose breathing had stopped. Liam frowned.  

Unable to discern what was right, he bowed his head and said,  

“Not yet. The training is still ongoing.”  

“Didn’t I tell you not to interfere?”  

Her tone was subtly different from usual, but the confused Liam failed to notice and merely bowed his head apologetically.  

“…I was passing by and heard your scream.”  

“More than that, I’d prefer if you prioritized the orders I gave you.”  

“Yes, Commander.”  

Grace gestured as if to dismiss him, and Liam bowed deeply before turning around.  

Just as he grabbed the doorknob and was about to leave, Grace spoke again, as if she had just remembered something.  

“Oh, the 1st Knight Order’s Commander is supposed to come. Escort him straight to my office when he arrives.”  

Her words made Liam pause.  

The 1st Knight Order’s Commander. Again.  

What on earth had happened between the two of them to make their names come up so frequently, and for them to interact regularly enough to form such a connection?  

Liam clenched his fist tightly, unable to bring himself to ask.  

“Yes, understood.”  

His voice was lower than before as he replied, and Grace glanced at him before trudging back to her chair and sitting down.  

The sound of her pen scratching against paper as she worked filled the room, and Liam closed the door behind him.  

Once the door was shut and Liam’s footsteps had faded into the distance, Leonardo, who had been pretending to be Grace, leaned back in the chair and let out a deep sigh.  

Seeing Liam while in Grace’s body had made it even clearer.  

‘That bastard definitely likes Sir Grace.’  

The worried look in his eyes wasn’t just the concern of a colleague.  

Leonardo ruffled his hair in frustration. Only then did he notice the dull ache in his abdomen.  

‘…Ah, menstrual cramps.’  

Since Grace had promised to write down the necessary instructions, Leonardo rummaged through the papers on the desk.  

A single note, written in nearly illegible handwriting, fell out of the pile.  

“…This must be it.”  

As he slowly read through the instructions Grace had written, Leonardo felt increasingly lost.  

The messy handwriting didn’t help, but more than that, he couldn’t quite grasp what he was supposed to do.  

Eventually, Leonardo grabbed the small handbag Grace had prepared and walked toward the restroom.  

‘This… is more uncomfortable than I thought.’  

Earlier, he had been too preoccupied dealing with that cheeky brat to notice, but now he felt a strange sensation of discomfort between his legs—something he couldn’t quite describe.  

Not only could he feel the thickness with every step, but it also felt damp for some reason.  

Leonardo couldn’t help but think, for some inexplicable reason, that it was fortunate the 2nd Knight Order’s uniform was black, unlike the 1st Knight Order’s.  

And then, as he sat down on the toilet,  

“―Damn it.”  

He found himself wishing he could buy new eyes that hadn’t seen this.  

Eyes for sale.  

What was once undoubtedly white fabric was now so red that he wondered how it was even possible for a person to survive.  

Leonardo instinctively picked it up with trembling hands.  

“…The smell of blood.”  

The scent hit him like a wave, and he gagged involuntarily.  

With a flushed face, he hastily shoved it into a storage pouch, feeling a deep sense of helplessness.  

He couldn’t imagine handling this properly on a regular basis.  

‘This is insane. How do women even…’  

How could they go through this every month and act like it was nothing?  

Leonardo closed his eyes, harboring the faint hope that maybe, just maybe, this would all disappear if he did.  

But the sensation of something continuously leaking, combined with the dull ache in his lower abdomen, reminded him this was all too real.  

He desperately wished someone would come to his rescue.  

‘Not that anyone would.’  

This was the Commander’s office in the Knight Order. It wasn’t a place just anyone could enter. Besides, there was no way Grace would suddenly burst in to help him at this moment.  

Leonardo steeled himself, opened his eyes, and sighed as he pulled out a clean piece of cloth from the handbag. Just as he was about to proceed,  

“Sir Leo! Are you in there?”  

Grace’s voice came from outside the door.  

Out of breath, as if she had run, Grace knocked again and said,  

“Sir Leo! Are you okay? Does it hurt a lot?”  

For a moment, Leonardo felt tears welling up in his eyes.  

He wiped them away with the back of his hand and replied as nonchalantly as he could,  

“How did you get here?”  

“Well, I was going to handle it myself, but… my stomach suddenly hurt so much that I couldn’t move for a moment. I’m sorry, Sir.”  

Her voice was hesitant as she apologized.  

Just knowing Grace was outside made Leonardo feel a sense of relief.  

He cleared his throat and responded,  

“I was just about to figure it out somehow…”  

Before he could finish, Grace opened the door.  

Caught off guard, Leonardo looked up at her with a blank expression.  

When he finally came to his senses, he quickly turned his head away, trying to act like nothing was wrong.  

But Grace immediately understood the situation as soon as she saw him.  

Noticing the tears he hadn’t fully wiped away, Grace chuckled and said,  

“It’s more shocking than you thought, isn’t it? That’s why I said I’d handle it myself.”  

At her words, Leonardo turned to meet her gaze, his face red all the way to his ears.  

Embarrassment, shame, and awkwardness were written all over his face.  

Seeing this, Grace unconsciously clenched her fist.  

Even though she was looking directly at him, she could feel her heart pounding furiously.  

And on top of that, she felt a rush of heat pooling below.  

“…Let me help you.”  

Unable to let him notice her state, Grace discreetly crossed her legs and crouched in front of him.  

Looking at Leonardo, whose eyes were trembling with unease, Grace smiled reassuringly.  

“Don’t worry about it.”  

In that moment, Leonardo felt more comforted by her words than by anything he’d ever heard before.  

He smiled brightly, his eyes crinkling with genuine warmth.  

Grace stared at him blankly.  

‘―You’re doomed, Grace Lowell.’  

Her heart pounded so hard it felt like it might burst.  

Desperately denying her own feelings, she convinced herself it must be arrhythmia as she carefully explained how to replace the menstrual cloth and clean up afterward.  

Leonardo, ever the diligent student, memorized every word without missing a single detail.