The butler read her thoughts and replied, “How dare they tell Duchess Felton to come and go.”
“Hmm.”
But she didn’t have much to do. Her main job was losing weight. Grace couldn’t bring herself to tell the butler about it.
She nodded silently and took the letter and letter opener from the butler.
‘Eight months.’
It was supposed to be a minimum of one month and a maximum of one year. But it turned out to be eight months.
‘This long…?’
Two-thirds of a year. Grace tilted her head and read the letter. It had the stamp of the Ministry of the Imperial Court Office!
‘If Benjamin has already asked to shorten it, did they originally plan to fill the full year?’
After all, since it was a marriage arranged by the royal family, they would hope to avoid divorce as much as possible. Grace nodded as if she understood.
Although she didn’t know how Benjamin really felt about her, he still tried to respect her as much as possible.
‘He probably doesn’t love me though.’
After all, once the reins of a married man are loosened, it’s easy to lose sight of reason and judgment.
Grace decided to stop her train of thought. Thinking about the future of the man who would become her ex-husband only made her feel bitter.
“What am I supposed to do during the divorce probationary period…?”
Even if they were told to do activities as a couple, Grace couldn’t imagine what kind of activities they would be. Even in her memories, Benjamin and Grace never went beyond holding hands, let alone kissing or sleeping together.
‘We only pretended to kiss at the wedding.’
The most physical contact they had was holding hands.
The only moments they could be recognized as a married couple were when Grace was called Duchess Felton or when she was referred to as the Madam of Felton’s estate by knights or servants.
“Madam.”
The butler called Grace, who was pondering over what couples do, with a call. Grace looked back at the butler with a calm expression.
“Why did you call me? Is there another letter?”
“No, it’s not that. If it’s alright with you, would you like to have dinner with His Excellency?”
“Dinner?”
Grace nodded hesitantly. Come to think of it, she rarely ate anything with Benjamin.
This was because Grace usually stayed in the annex or garden at the Duke’s estate.
“Okay. But would having dinner be considered a couple’s activity during the probationary period?”
“Yes, the Imperial Court’s Law Department will come to question the servants later.”
“They even do that kind of thing….”
Grace thought that royal officials in the empire did all sorts of things. It was the knowledge that she couldn’t understand because it was something she wouldn’t experience unless she was a high noble.
“So, don’t I have to stay in the main house or anything like that?”
“It doesn’t matter. Because it’s always been like that.”
“That’s a relief.”
Grace accidentally blurted out without realizing it. She quickly covered her mouth with her hand, realizing her mistake.
“Well, the thing is, I’ve grown fond of this place. If I go to the main house, I feel like I’ll have trouble sleeping.”
It wasn’t because she disliked Benjamin. They had already decided to divorce, and Grace felt like she was making excuses for no reason.
The butler didn’t comment on her behavior.
‘I guess I can appeal that I tried to restore our relationship to its original state, but failed.’
Grace and Benjamin were separated from the beginning.
So there was no need for Grace to move into the main house during this grace period.
‘Since we were separated almost from the beginning, it means that our relationship is not a target for restoration.’
Grace, who had been deep in thought, looked up at the butler.
“…Can I go out? I’ll be back by dinner.”
“If Madam wishes, it is possible. However, the knight will always be near Madam.”
“It’s okay. You haven’t reported to His Highness, have you?”
“Madam’s going out has been reported, but we only record where and what she does, and do not report it.”
Grace nodded her head at the butler’s honest report.
She understood that if something went wrong with her, the information would be necessary.
‘Should I also stop by the orphanage?’
Grace had entrusted everything to Cleta in a hurry because she felt depressed due to Benjamin.
She would have delegated things gradually, but Grace felt sorry for them.
‘But I still think everyone will do well.’
She needed some excuse to go out. Grace was unconsciously coming up with a plan to go out.
“My cloak.”
She would just stop by for a moment to check how the work was going, whether the sewing machine she ordered last time was working well, and how much the children had grown.
Grace mumbled as she walked down the hallway looking for her cloak.
“…Oh, right.”
While putting on her cloak, Grace remembered the flowers she had newly pressed last time. She went into her study to remove them before going out, as leaving them pressed for too long would cause them to stick to the paper.
“The window is open.”
It seemed like someone was ventilating the room for cleaning as Grace was leaving. She nodded, thinking that she should finish quickly so that the cleaning maid wouldn’t worry.
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