# 6
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Joseph was completely immersed in pursuing the chaos within the church.
The best thing he's seen in recent years! All the while he was roaming the walls of death and fighting visible and invisible monsters until his bones were almost shattered, there was no room for laughter at all! This arouses all this interest!
“Oh, the Countess clutched her neck and collapsed! The Duchess too... Yes, she fell as if waiting for the moment! Oh! Suddenly Young Count Sachsen tries to hit the Taylor heir with a fist?? Oh, really his blows are so bad? What are these soft blows?”
None of the invitees left the church, fascinated by this extraordinary spectacle that is not seen anywhere.
Walter glanced at the excited Joseph, then straightened his leaning stance. This simple change changed his entire aura. When the energetic Joseph turned to him to continue the comment, Walter was already beginning to descend the stairs towards the church.
“Uh… going already?”
Joseph turned back sadly. But when he turned his face to Walter again, all the affection had been replaced with a pure face.
Walter passed by Rosette, who was shouting at the servants, and put his foot in the hallway. Taylor's logo engraved with ears of wheat was clearly visible even in his moving field of vision.
The moment he remembered the golden hair gently coiled like bent ears of wheat, the convincing message of the invitation came to his mind.
[To the Honorable Duke Richmond.
If you come to my wedding yourf, you'll get one of the less sharp swords to protect your secret. This sword will be the most useful for hunting you have prepared so far.
From Grace Taylor.]
One of the less sharp swords to protect his secret.
This is the only sentence that led him here. His black eyes sparkled within his sharp eyes, like the looks of a beast facing its prey.
'Secret.'
The less sharp sword. Of course he means Grace Taylor herf. So what do you know about this 'secret'?
＊ ＊ ＊
When Rosette turned around, panting in anger at her shouting at the servants, Duke Taylor and his wife were exiting the church with red faces.
“Daddy, mommy!!”
Rosette ran, holding the hem of her dress, and shouted excitedly:
“Grace, that insolent person, should be arrested immediately!”
The red-faced Duke ordered the servant standing next to him in a low voice:
“Arrest her immediately and release her in her room and do not let her leave a step. No, no. I will go myf now.”
He must force her, by beating himf, to fix this situation she caused. Rosette nodded her head in agreement.
“You know what that girl said? She told me to marry young Count Saxon instead of her?!”
"What?!"
The Duchess trembled and raised her voice, while the Countess of Saxony came out after them, shouting audibly:
“My dear!! The debts that we agreed to forgive for the Duchy of Taylor should have been received last month in the first place, right?!”
"Yes!"
“Let's take it today and come back!!”
These words shook like a thunderbolt, the Duke and his wife, who were seething with anger at Grace, and they turned around in shock at the same time.
today?! How do they save all this money right away?
As if she was reading their hearts, the countess cursed her lips and added:
"If you don't have money, pay with property! Jewelry, dresses, or porcelain!! If you don't pay today, I will ask Her Majesty the Empress to turn the duchy into ruins and take everything!!"
The Countess's threat made Duke Taylor go white. The young heir, William, stood far away, watching the scene, and then hurried away.
“Servant...”
“Yes, Your Excellency.”
“So how much do I have to pay today? Oh, no... Do we have any money in the safe?”
His voice was finally breaking. The servant clung to the Duke's back and whispered:
“Sorry, but it is very little. As the Countess said, property must also be paid so that it is difficult to make ends meet...”
At that very moment, the Duke's eyes fell on Rosette. His eyebrows distorted at the sight of his daughter, burdened with exceptional jewellery.
“Rosette, how much jewelry did you buy?!”
“What adds to it...”
“What more?! Take off everything you have on and bring it back immediately!!”
“Oh, daddy!!”
“Shut up!”
The Duke held his head in anger, so the servant supported him as if he was waiting for the moment.
“Your Excellency, go to your office first. Many are watching.”
“What are you saying? Grace should be arrested and punished first!!”
“The urgent fire must be extinguished first. We will order the servants to arrest the missus.”
“Dad, make Grace kneel before Count Sachsen and consummate the marriage. Then we won’t have to pay the debts!!”
Rosette cried, but the Duke, who had lost his mind, was leaning on the servant and swaying in his steps.
It's not easy being a duke. Lots to think about. In such stressful times, he only longed for a drink. If he woke up after a drink and a sleep to find everything resolved, it would be wonderful.
"my dear!"
“Shut up. Take out your jewelry, too.”
“Really!! By the way, where did Mrs. Cornwall go at this time?!”
Duchess Rosette followed the Duke with a pale face, while the servant turned furtively somewhere.
＊ ＊ ＊
Contrary to Duke Taylor's order, Grace was secretly moving through the secret passage in the palace.
Dark, light-free floors. The dark, wet smell almost paralyzed her nose, but Grace didn't care. Even as she relied on a dim lamp, her steps were steady.
At the end of the straight corridor, she turned right and a staircase appeared. The end of this staircase leads outside the palace.
At the moment when Grace grabbed her uncomfortable dress with one hand and stepped down the stairs, a faint light seeped in from above. She raised her head as she ascended. She saw a shadow of someone.
As it rose higher, its flashlight showed the face of the waiting person. A middle-aged woman with dark gray eyes and gray hair bowed respectfully.
“Mrs. Cornwall.”
Lady Cornwall, the Duchy of Taylor's maids, had waited with Grace for their opportunity for 13 years.
Cornwall raised her head at Grace's call and quickly closed the door of the corridor from which she had come. Then she took off Grace's wedding dress and put on a simple, ready-made blue dress. She covered him with a black robe and whispered quickly:
“He's at the Maxwell Inn in Alley No. 4, top floor. There's still some money there, maybe he's waiting to come back.”
"Understood."
“Miss, if things don't work out...”
“No ‘if’ in the matter.”
Grace interrupted her worried words. In the dim light of the lamp, their gazes met. Grace stared into her gray eyes and then held out her wrinkled hand.
“Mrs. Cornwall.”
“……”
“You know, there's no 'if' in it.”
“Miss...”
Cornwall's eyes reddened. Grace tugged her hand and laughed with her lips raised. With a warm, innocent smile, Cornwall swallowed her rising tears.
“You will be discovered like this. When they know I am leaving, chaos will erupt. Protect the rest well.”
“…Don’t worry. Jessie will follow me soon.”
Grace nodded confidently and turned around. Cornwall quickly opened the outside exit door. A bright, intense stream of light that exceeds the light of a lamp. Even though the curtain was drawn in front of her eyes for a moment, Grace did not blink and went out directly. The familiar driver approached and opened the carriage door.
Cornwall followed Grace's back with her eyes worriedly. Her rising back of the carriage looked very small and thin. Tears fell from her gray eyes and ran down her chin.
'Mrs. Cornwall, I will definitely have Taylor back. Help me.’
When the former Duke and his wife died suddenly, while everyone was drowning in grief, Grace was the only one standing. She took the 10-year-old's hand, and Cornwall stood with her. From that moment on, she became her mistress, Grace.
The Taylors gathered around Miss Grace again. They watched, planned and waited. Even Cornwall joining Emma Taylor's confidants was part of the plan.
Cornwall stared at the distant carriage and bowed reverently. When she raised her head, her face returned to its usual coldness and expressionlessness.
She closed and locked the door to the secret room connected to the secret passage, then shoved the abandoned wedding dress into a black bag and stepped into the dark lower passage.
Praying from her heart that the Lady of Duke Taylor's Palace would indeed return safely.