The Ugly Wife of the Shady Duke

The maid hesitated on whether to answer or not.

“… Are you in the annex not to serve me, but to spy on me?!”

“No, no, that’s not it.”

“Then answer my question quickly.”

The maid reluctantly answered Grace’s question.

“His Highness went to serve at the Rondell Canal.”

“Rondell Canal.”

Grace savored the sound of the name as she repeated it slowly.

“Is Saint Aria there by any chance?!”

“Today, there’s a major purification ceremony and service taking place at the Rondell Canal… so I’ve heard.”

“….”

That meant Saint Aria was there.

Grace shifted her gaze from the maid towards the window.

She saw an empty garden and a faint reflection of herself.

“I see.”

There was no need to go all the way to the mirror to check her appearance again. read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.Her appearance wouldn’t suddenly change just because she looked in the mirror again.read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.

‘It would be difficult to love a wife with such an appearance.’

Grace tapped the freckles on her cheek with her index finger.

She could feel the rough texture of her skin. read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.Her complexion looked dull and grayish because she got little sunlight.read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.

Her neatly arranged hair that the maids had worked so hard on was already frizzy and sticking out, and her clothes, no matter how fancy, couldn’t hide the fact that she had a pig neck with a pearl necklace on.

⟨Now that she’s actually wearing a pearl necklace, it’s literally the perfect embodiment of that saying.⟩[1]

A voice in her head laughed at her.

‘Indeed.’

That’s exactly what she looks like. read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.Grace empathized with the voice in her head.read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.

“….Huh?!”

“Madam?!”

Suddenly, when Grace regained her senses, the maid was looking at her with concern.

“Oh, it’s nothing.”

Grace reassured the maid and raised her head, but the strange sound remained in her head

 Leaving her feeling uneasy and uncomfortable.

‘Did I get too caught up in it and have such thoughts?!’

Grace knew what Aria looked like even though she had never seen her in person. 

Even if she hadn’t seen her, the author praised her beauty throughout the narrative of the novel every time.

With clean, white hair like pure snow, dazzling golden eyes like the sun, and clear skin without any flaws, she also had a slender figure.

Anyway, she was the complete opposite of Grace.

It was as if Benjamin couldn’t help being attracted to Aria.

The maid watched Grace, who had been silently staring out the window for a while, not knowing what to do.

Grace, who had been watching her behavior through the window, spoke up.

“…I’ve decided.”

“W-What about?”

“I need to exercise.”

“Exercise?”

“Yeah, exercise.”

Exercising to lose weight and become more beautiful was not the goal. read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.But she was worried about her health with her current body.read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.

She had finally obtained a body that could move freely, and it was not worth getting sick and dying without living properly.

‘Besides, my current body has very little stamina.’

If it were this clumsy body, she wouldn’t be able to run even a few meters and would soon collapse to the ground, panting and on the verge of fainting from shortness of breath.

Wasn’t she no different from herself in her previous life? Of course, her previous self couldn’t even walk, which was different.

Grace wanted to live healthily with the body she had been given the opportunity to move.

A healthy body and a healthy mind.

Grace made a commitment to improve her physical fitness and lose weight. read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.It was for her own goal.read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.

‘And to get a divorce.’

Grace wanted to live a long life.

Since Benjamin was already seeing Aria, Grace didn’t know when Benjamin would kill her.

Moreover, since Grace didn’t leave the mansion, she couldn’t tell how far the novel had progressed.

‘I’m anxious because I don’t know when I’ll die. read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.Well, people don’t know when they’ll die anyway.’read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.

Therefore, for Grace to live, she had to get a divorce from Benjamin as soon as possible.

That way, Benjamin wouldn’t see Grace as an obstacle, and he wouldn’t try to kill her in a haste.

…It’s not clear if Benjamin was really the cause of Grace’s death.

The reason Grace wanted to diet before the divorce was simple.

First, if she got divorced looking the way she did now, rumors like “that ugly woman was rejected” would spread even more.

‘If I’m slimmer, I’ll look less pitiful.’

Second, it’s easier to diet when you’re rich.

If you have a lot of money and many servants, you don’t need to worry about unnecessary things. read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.You can afford expensive ingredients, exercise anytime, and you don’t need to put in any extra effort.read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.

‘Having an environment where I can focus only on body management is a blessing.’

Regardless of what everyone else in the mansion thought of her, Grace was still the Duchess.

Not just any Duchess, but one who didn’t manage the household affairs. read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.Grace didn’t mind though, as she didn’t need to refuse the comfort given to her.read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.

“Of course, not managing the estate as the hostess does means she’s incompetent to that extent.”

Although we don’t know what Grace was like in the past, the current Grace was indeed incompetent.

Even if asked to manage the estate’s finances, all she could do was look at numbers and charts, which was obvious.

“So, from now on, I need to manage my diet and exercise.”

“Ma-Madam.”

“I’m serious.”

Grace made up her mind.

She would lose weight, divorce Benjamin, and live alone for a long, long time, away from this miserable story.

The basics of a diet were a balanced meal, regular life, and moderate exercise.

In Grace’s case, she couldn’t start with difficult exercises as she had too little movement so far. read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.Her biggest movement was just walking in the garden behind the annex.read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.

Grace had stamina worse than that of a baby deer. read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.She didn’t need things like workout clothes in the first place.read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.

Even though, the concept of workout clothes didn’t even exist in this world.

“Hmm.”

Grace looked at herself in the mirror and spoke to the maid,

“Is there anything that fits perfectly, not clothes that are too big? If there is, please get it for me.”

“….”

The maid swallowed her saliva as she watched Grace’s sudden change in behavior as if turning her palm over. read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.Grace had always despised exposing her body and had been in a hurry to cover it up.read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.

Without any warning, the maid gazed at her mistress with a look that violated etiquette due to Grace’s changed behavior.

Grace spoke without realizing the maid’s gaze.

“If there isn’t anything, let’s just reduce the size of some of the clothes we have now. read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.Should we call a tailor?”read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.

“Are you going to have a new dress made?”

“Umm…”

After pondering for a moment, Grace nodded her head.

“If my allocated budget allows it, I should do that. read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.Is there someone who is quick and can make a variety of things?”read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.

The maid asked while watching Grace’s expression.

“…Should I call the person you usually call?”

Although a somewhat nervous emotion seeped through the maid’s voice, Grace nodded her head without noticing it.

“Yes, that would be good.”

‘Calling a new tailor and increasing the number of people who know about this appearance won’t do any good anyway.’

There were many meanings inherent in Grace’s expression of “this appearance.”

‘…. read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.Fat, with freckles, and my hair…’read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.

Grace absentmindedly twisted her carrot-colored hair, which was often tangled, and let it fall.

‘Because I look like this….’

This wasn’t Grace’s current thought. read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.It was the emotion that remained in her body.read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.

‘I just need to be able to move. read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.I just need to be healthy.’read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.

Grace stared blankly at her reflection in the mirror, wondering how much she hated herself.

She sensed the maid looking at her and gestured for the girl to leave.

Grace confirmed that she was the only one left in the room and closed all the curtains.

Grace couldn’t adapt to being “Grace” immediately after possession. read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.At first, she was in agony from all sorts of negative thoughts and inexplicable powerlessness, wanting to die and being unable to do anything. read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.Only after barely escaping from that pain did she realize that her body was free to move.read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.

It was only after that, she realized that this space was not the hospital where she used to stay.

‘And then I looked in the mirror. read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.And it took me some time to realize that this is a novel.’read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.

After Grace regained her senses in this body, she was always searching for something.

‘Where the hell is Grace’s diary?’

Grace’s study had already been thoroughly searched, but it was nowhere to be found.

Grace’s current memories were too blurry. read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.For now, she was minimizing contact with people to avoid being caught, but as time goes on, her limitations will become apparent.read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.

‘I can’t stay in this mansion even after the divorce.’

However, she couldn’t ask the maids who she was.

The only thing Grace could rely on right now was her diary that the original Grace always kept. read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.However, the problem was that she didn’t remember where she had put it, thanks to her vague memory.read only at salmonlatte . com. This annoying watermark is not there.

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TL NOTE:

[1] However, it can be inferred that the saying is one that compares something or someone of low status or value wearing something luxurious or extravagant, such as a pig wearing a pearl necklace.