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“Diary. There has to be a diary. I know it’s here somewhere.”
‘Would it have been nice if I had realized this world was inside a novel the moment I possessed this body?’
Grace thought that as she searched the most classic hiding spot—under the bed—then shook her head.
“…No, if I had realized right away that this world was the setting of The Saintess’s Wish, I would’ve despaired. I’m Grace Felton, and…”
The space under the bed was empty.
Grace went on to rummage through the closet, drawers, and other places one by one.
‘Grace is that character who never actually appears in person, gets constantly bad-mouthed, then suddenly dies of some mysterious illness.’
And no one ever found out whether that illness was real or not—nor did anyone care. The only person concerned about it now was Grace herself.
If she had realized her situation immediately, she wouldn’t have been able to accept it. It was only after understanding that this was reality and that she was Grace that “acceptance” became her only option.
“Found it.”
Lost in thought, Grace discovered a hidden compartment beneath the jewelry box.
“Here?”
Yes, this was another classic hiding spot. She muttered as she opened the compartment.
But inside, there was only a single ring.
Grace picked it up with a disappointed expression.
‘No diary, huh…’
The ring glimmered faintly even in the dark, but that was all. Its rustic, cheap design was so unfitting for a ducal house that it looked less valuable than the tiny ornaments decorating the jewelry box.
The red “gem” in the center wasn’t even real—it was just colored glass. Grace stared at it for a moment before shoving it back inside.
‘Ugh, bad vibes.’
The longer she looked at the ring, the more nauseous she felt.
It was such an awful, suffocating feeling that she thumped her chest to calm her racing heart.
“Diary…”
On the first day she possessed this body, she had no memories at all.
Now, fragments of Grace’s memories surfaced here and there, but only in bits.
‘I can’t remember anything more.’
The fact that she had even realized this was a novel world was impressive—probably thanks to those scattered memories.
Knock, knock—
Someone’s knock interrupted her anxious thoughts.
“Madam, it’s Sally.”
“…”
Grace paused, trying to remember who Sally was. After searching her memories, she recalled the friendly blonde maid who was particularly affectionate toward her.
“Alright, you may come in.”
When Grace answered, Sally entered, carrying a silver tray with a teapot, a cup, and a small paper packet on top.
Seeing it, Grace asked,
“What’s that?”
“Medicine, Madam.”
“Medicine?”
Grace repeated with a puzzled look, making Sally look equally confused.
“I used to take… Right. Yes, I did. Sorry, I’ve been a bit scatterbrained lately.”
At her excuse, Sally rolled her eyes. Grace felt a bead of nervous sweat run down her temple.
“I must’ve forgotten, since I haven’t been taking it for a while.”
Sally silently set the tray down on the small nightstand.
Grace’s eyes followed her movements closely.
‘One, two, three… four pills.’
She tried to recall any memories related to the medicine, but nothing came up.
‘Maybe the diary mentions this.’
“This medicine is…”
“The Duke was worried when he learned you haven’t been taking it lately. He asked me to make sure you do, Madam.”
“The Duke?”
Grace’s expression shifted slightly at Benjamin’s name.
‘He asked?’
It was strange wording. For a duke to “ask” a maid instead of giving an order—it made Grace frown slightly.
Benjamin knew she hadn’t been taking the medicine. Grace’s gaze lingered on the packet.
“I’ve been a bit forgetful lately, but why did I start taking this medicine in the first place?”
“…”
Sally hesitated for a long time before answering.
“Th-the Duke acquired it for Madam’s health.”
“My health?”
“Yes.”
That was all Sally knew; she didn’t elaborate further.
‘So she doesn’t even know what kind of medicine this is?’
She gave it to Grace without knowing? That made Grace uneasy, but she hid her suspicion and replied calmly,
“Please tell His Grace I’m sorry for making him worry.”
“Yes, Madam.”
“And leave the teapot. I’d like to drink more water.”
Sally left without asking questions.
The moment she left, Grace pressed herself against the door, listening until Sally’s footsteps faded, then carefully repackaged the pills and shoved them into the nightstand drawer.
“Medicine he got for me?”
She corrected herself.
‘Or medicine to kill me—who knows?’
If anyone knew Benjamin’s future behavior, it was Grace. She knew how he would act and that she was fated to die of some “sudden mysterious illness.”
‘I haven’t left this mansion.’
And the original Grace wouldn’t have, either. As long as she remained here, she would be surrounded by Benjamin’s people.
‘Was this all planned from the start? Could it be?’
She recalled what the novel said about their marriage.
Their marriage had been arranged and forced by the imperial family.
Benjamin was a kind and fair duke, powerful and wealthy, yet supported by minor nobles and commoners alike. He couldn’t just divorce Grace for being “ugly.”
He was likely just waiting for her to beg for a divorce first—or die before that.
Grace splashed the water from her cup into the fireplace.
Ssshh— The small amount of water wasn’t enough to extinguish even a single ember.
She watched the flames flare up again, then turned away.
She had more urgent matters to handle.
‘I’ll search for the diary slowly. It’s not like I’m divorcing him today. The annex is huge and full of rooms anyway.’
“First, the kitchen…”
Meals at the annex were always flawless.
In other words—they were far too good for dieting.
Whenever Grace looked even a little gloomy, the staff would bring her delicious food to cheer her up.
‘And, to be fair… it was all really good.’
Just thinking about it made her mouth water.
If she wasn’t careful, she could easily overeat.
‘Starting tonight, I’ll ask them to change the menu to something lighter and reduce my portions drastically.’
Grace muttered this as she headed for the kitchen—completely unaware that all this news would soon reach Benjamin.
And then…
“What is all this?”
“They’re gifts from His Grace, Madam!”
The moment Benjamin heard about her dieting, he sent an extravagant spread of rare delicacies the very next day.
“What should we do, Madam!?”
“Rainbow bird eggs—do you know how expensive these are!?”
“Macarons from Fortson & Co.! Aren’t these the ones supplied to the imperial family!?”
Grace pressed her temples in frustration.
“Send it all back.”
“What?”
“All of it. Or you can share it among yourselves.”
“M-Madam, but His Grace…”
“Tell him I appreciate the thought.”
She didn’t actually appreciate it at all.
‘As if that man would send food for no reason.’
The entire gift was oily, sugary, fattening food—perfect for ruining her diet.
⋆★⋆
Grace tried to act like nothing had changed, but the rumors had already spread throughout the mansion long before her diet began.
People whispered about how her speech sometimes changed, how she occasionally contradicted herself, how her tastes had shifted slightly.
The main emotion behind the gossip was “concern.”
After that, the annex became even more closed off from outsiders.
Not even a mouse or a bug could get in anymore.
And among those “outsiders” was Benjamin himself. He hadn’t set foot in the annex for quite some time, so technically, he was lower than a bug now.
Benjamin stared at the annex with an expressionless face and said to his aide, Abel Burnton,
“She rejected everything I sent and gave it to the servants?”
“Yes, she said she appreciated the thought.”
“‘Appreciated the thought,’ huh…”
He repeated the phrase quietly, then turned to leave.
“My wife is nothing if not gracious.”
⋆★⋆
‘Not enough.’
Grace stabbed at the nearly dressing-free salad with her fork.
It tasted good.
She’d never imagined—across both lives—that a simple salad made of greens could taste this good. In her previous life, salad had just meant “dressing flavor.”
But still, it wasn’t enough. Her stomach was full, but she felt unsatisfied.
