I Grant You Revenge - Chapter 5

The conditions of the basement have improved a lot.

Although it wasn’t as good as the guest room or when she was young, it was much better than before.

They provided her with water to wash and gave her enough food to satisfy her hunger.

After Clive left, she spent several days in the basement, trying to figure out why she became Aishe.

Eirene thought the Countess’s explanation was only a temporary justification.

      Aishe is shy?

She burst out laughing.

     Let’s just say she’s very shy. Does that mean she wore a veil every time she met Clive and did the same at their engagement ceremony?

It could be possible if her engagement dress also had a veil.

The voice may be difficult to distinguish because it’s similar to Aishe’s, but the difference is in the height.

Aishe must have been involved in social activities.

Obviously, the Count, the Countess, and Aishe were hiding something.

     I couldn’t guess what it was, but I’ll have to find out as soon as possible.

Suddenly the lock opened and Betty came in with food.

Even if it was still not enough, it got a lot better.

There was a lot of bread.

     Did the Countess tell her to do it? Why? Everything was suspicious. Anyway, the more food, the better.

“There’s a lot of bread today.”

“It was just one, but I secretly brought more.”

Betty smiled from ear to ear. She has changed.

She put the tray down carefully.

Betty became more friendly, and she brought more food today.

So Eirene had a satisfying meal but also wondered if Betty wanted something.

“Thanks. I will never forget the bread you gave me.”

She meant it. Food was important to Eirene.

For now, physical recovery was her top priority.

As Eirene started eating, Betty cut the bread and spread it with butter and raspberry jam so that she could eat it comfortably. Very politely too.

She wanted to ask what her intentions were, but she preferred to receive this kind of treatment that she had never received before.

“Lady, I think you will be moving to another room.”

“Really?”

“Yes. To the guest room used by the Grand Duke.”

Eirene knew why Betty was doing this.

Instead of a girl hidden in a basement, they’re going to expose it to the world, which is why she is taking care of her.

Count Phineos and his wife no longer have a choice.

In any case, they need to inform that Aishe and Eirene have changed positions.

It would be troublesome to fix if the existence of another daughter who had been hidden is revealed.

“I’m also going to get you a dress too. Maybe we can go out tomorrow.”

Eirene was excited to hear that she was going out.

* * * * * * * * * *

Next day.

The first time Eirene stepped on the ground felt strange.

It was similar to the floorboards in the basement. It was soft.

The soil that was stuck to the soles of her shoes seemed to be speaking to Eirene.

The unmelted snow on the trees fell and fluttered in the wind.

  It’s cold.

It’s different from the coldness she had known. It was a clean and pleasant cold.

“What are you doing? Get in.”

The Countess called Eirene from the carriage.

Aishe was sitting net to the Countess.

Eirene was uncomfortable with the veil that she had to wear to protect her weak eyes from the sun.

Aishe glanced at her and didn’t hide her contempt.

She looked like she had a lot to say, but she bit her lip and looked away.

     I should be the one despising you, not you. 

Eirene swallowed what she couldn’t say out loud, and looked out the window.

The carriage departed.

The rattling sound was too loud.

Eirene quickly grabbed the window frame with one hand, fearing that the carriage would fall over, but as the speed increased, she became more frightened.

Without realizing it, she grabbed the frame with both hands.

“How unsophisticated.”

A smirk mixed with Aishe’s words.

But Eirene didn’t care about it.

Soon after, she began to feel nauseous.

* * * * * * * * * *

The first time Eirene rode in a carriage, she experienced severe motion sickness.

‘I wish I could vomit, but my insides were all messed up.’

As soon as they reached their destination, the first to get off was the countess and Aishe, saying they felt sick because of her.

It was Betty who helped Eirene, who didn’t have the strength to even lift a finger.

“You said you were sick, your complexion is pale.”

She didn’t have the energy to answer.

Eirene leaned on Betty and went into the store.

Then, the Countess and Aishe, who entered first, pushed Betty away and helped Eirene.

It was because the store staff was watching.

As soon as she sat down on the sofa, an employee placed a cup of tea.

“Lady, this is ginger tea. It will help calm your stomach.”

Hoping that it would work as the staff said, the moment Eirene was about to grab the teacup, the Countess first grabbed the cup and helped her drink.

It was almost like feeding her.

Eirene was offended.

The Countess mentioned that she used to feed her this way when Eirene lost all of her strength after healing her child Aishe.

At that time, Eirene thought it was because she loved her, but it was all because of Aishe.

If Eirene doesn’t recover quickly, she won’t be able to treat Aishe next month.

If the countess is acting this way, it means that she wants something.

“Hello, Lady Eirene. My name is Scarlett, I will be the designer responsible for the lady’s dresses. It’s an honor to meet you.”

Scarlett greeted her politely.

She looked very elegant, unlike other designers.

She wore a dark blue dress adorned with some pearls and no jewelry like earrings or necklaces.

And her neatness gave a rough guess of her personality.

     Wait.

Eirene doubted her own ears. Scarlet called her Eirene, not Aishe.

She glanced at the Countess, and she beckoned her to stay still.

She was worried about what she was up to.

As soon as her nausea went away, Scarlett herself took Eirene’s measurements.

“Scarlett. My daughter lost a lot of weight because she was sick. Don’t misunderstand, please take good care of her.”

“Yes. We will do our best. Don’t worry. Such a skinny body makes any outfit look pretty. You will look good with anything if you choose a color that suits you.”

After Scarlett was done talking, there was silence.

Eirene saw the Countess and Aishe talking through the reflection of the mirror.

Aishe’s expression changed every moment.

Eirene raised and lowered her arms like a doll, pondering.

If Scarlett knows Eirene’s real name, then do the others know it too?

The Countess couldn’t have spoken only to Scarlett.

There were other employees here beside her.

It would have spread in an instant if it was a job that dealt with many nobles.

Eirene doesn’t know what the Countess was thinking.

Suddenly, she felt dizzy and stumbled.

The aftermath of her first motion sickness was huge.

“Are you alright?”

With a slight nod, Scarlett took Eirene to the fitting room and helped her choose from a selection of ready-to-wear dresses.

She put on a new dress.

Eirene wanted to look in the mirror but was bothered by everything.

“Can I have some cold water?”

She asked if it could calm the lingering palpitations.

As soon as she took a sip of the water brought by the staff, she felt like she was going to live.

Eirene desperately wanted to go back to bed.

But the mere thought of returning by carriage made it more difficult.

Having a headache, Eirene sat for a while, and as soon as she came out of the fitting room, she saw a person and her head hurt even more.

     Why is Clive here?

“Nice to see you, Grand Duke.”

Eirene quickly bowed.

Clive got up and walked over to her.

“I wanted to see you so I was about to contact you, but I heard that you were coming here today. Is this a new dress? It looks good on you. To be honest, the dress you wore before didn’t match your beauty. It didn’t suit you.”

Clive’s eyesight was good.

It was the Countess’s dress.

“You don’t look well.”

“I got motion sickness after riding the carriage for the first time in two months. I’m fine now.”

“Come on, come here.”

Clive stretched his hand to Eirene.

She hesitated whether to grab it or not.

Eirene took his hand.

Clive led her to a sofa, and they sat down.

But even after he sat down, he didn’t let go of her hand.

She couldn’t forcefully pull it out or hold it for a long time.

“You don’t have it?”

“What… … ?”

“Our ring.”

He was checking to see if she was wearing her ring.

Eirene, the Countess, and Aishe’s eyes moved quickly.

They exchanged signals with each other, but no one came forward to speak.

Eirene couldn’t use the same excuse.

The three of them hesitated.

Clive tilted his head and frowned.

“Why is Miss Vikes wearing your engagement ring?”

Clive called Miss Vikes pointing at Aishe.

     Not Phineos, but Vikes?

Clive thought that something wasn’t right when she covered her face.

Aishe and Clive are socialites. There’s no way he wouldn’t know Aishe from the House of Phineos.

Eirene wondered why Aishe was the young lady from the Vikes family and not Phineos.

She has no idea why they’re doing this.

Aishe who was called by another name, stood up as if it was natural.

“Ah! Ah! Oh! Why am I still wearing this? I’m sorry, Grand Duke. I’m so sorry. The ring was so pretty that I begged Lady Phineos if I could try it on. I was going to give it back to her as soon she came out of the changing room, but I forgot. I’m sorry.”

Aishe removed the ring from her finger, placed it on both hands, and held it up to Clive.

“You insist on wanting to wear someone else’s engagement ring. You’re so thoughtless.”

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry!”

But Clive, who didn’t even pay attention to Aishe’s repeated apologies, put the ring directly on Eirene’s finger.

It was slow.

He put the ring on her slowly, like he was scanning her fingers, and settled in the innermost part.

“I want my engagement ring to always be where it should be. By the way, if you’re done with your business, you’d better get going.”

There was nothing to say when he looked at the Countess.

It was a warning no one could refuse.

Eirene couldn’t afford to ask how Scarlett knew her real name before Clive arrived.

She had no choice but to cross her arms around Clive’s outstretched arm.

* * * * * * * * * *

“You must be very sick. You should be resting, but do I think too much of myself?”

Clive asked kindly when they were outside alone.

“I’m alright.”

Actually, she wasn’t feeling good.

The sunken stomach turned over due to the sudden appearance of Clive.

“I think it would be nice to walk a little.”

For Eirene’s motion sickness, fresh air was better than tea or water.

Clive made her nervous, but the freedom she gained was like a cure.

Being her first time in the city, she was amazed by the shops and the many people passing by on the street.

She thought it was a dream.

Eirene was distracted by the sights, and her motion sickness disappeared completely.

“You seem very happy to be out after two months. You didn’t like places with so many people.”

“Tastes always change.”

“That sounds like you might hate me at any moment.”

“… … That’s not what I meant.”

As they walked down the streets, people bowed their heads towards Clive.

And a lot of curious eyes looked at them.

People wondered who she was.

“Is that her? The Grand Duke’s fiancee?”

“If she’s not, she wouldn’t be able to walk arm in arm with him. She has been hiding her face all this time. What’s going on? Is she going to get married soon?”

Eirene listened to the people. All the questions were the same.

Aishe, who lived as a daughter of the Vikes family, was Clive’s fiancée, and she couldn’t show her face in public.

Eirene came to one conclusion even though the reason was unknown.

Her plans might end more easily than she thought, so her heart felt a little lighter.

As she walked with Clive, her tension slowly eased.

He no longer looked at her with intensity like last time.

Clive spoke considerately and modestly.

That’s why she wasn’t having a bad time.

Eirene liked it better than she was with Countess Phineos or Aishe.

     I wonder how far did we walk.

“Are your legs uncomfortable?”

Eirene shook her head when he stopped walking.

“No.”

“You are limping.”

     Me?

Eirene moved her legs.

“Ouch!”

Then she felt a pain in her heel.

She was fascinated looking at the scenery and couldn’t feel the pain.

“Let’s take a look.”

Clive knelt.

“Your Highness!”

They were in the middle of the street.

A member of the Imperial Family shouldn’t kneel easily.

     Did he love Aishe this much? 

“People are looking.”

“Then let them watch. My fiancée is hurt, what does it have to do with people looking at us?”

The pain got worse when Clive took off her shoes.

Eirene was so embarrassed, Clive grabbed her feet she kept pulling back.

The heel was all scratched and covered with blood.

“I can’t. Get on my back.”

Without saying anything, Eirene climbed onto Clive’s back.

* * * * * * * * * *

Clive took Eirene to a nearby cafe.

As soon as the owner saw Clive, he escorted him to a private room, and, after a while, brought the first-aid box.

“Be patient even if it stings.”

He treated her with great care.

After placing Eirene on a chair, he took off her shoes.

Clive frowned at the wounds.

He wiped the blood with clean water and carefully applied the disinfectant.

His hands seemed very skillful when he bandaged it.

“You must have done it often. Aren’t doctors in the Imperial Palace or your Highness’s manor?”

“I’ve done it a lot on the battlefield. There are not enough doctors on the battlefield, so it’s good if one person knows basic medicine. It’s better if you know how to heal yourself. Although this level cannot be called medicine.”

“I see. Thank you.”

“By the way.”

He looked up at Eirene after finishing the bandaging.

The friendly look disappeared.

“Didn’t I tell you about this before?”

Eirene swallowed dry saliva at the slowly rising shadow of a giant beast.

“You… … … did. I didn’t remember it. I’m sorry.”

“No, that’s not true.”

“………….”

“It’s not that you don’t remember, it’s that you haven’t heard of it. Now tell me who you are.”

Clive was suspicious of Eirene on the first day of his stay at the Phineos mansion and was convinced after that.

He left the very slight possibility that it might have been his own misunderstanding, but today that possibility is completely gone.

The woman in front of him wasn’t the Aishe Clive had met before.

‘That’s weird.’

Clive wasn’t angry.

He was more curious about her than what Count Phineos was up to.