Chapter 328 Chapter 328 Repayment
The whirlwind of changes in his life had descended with such abruptness that it left him utterly disoriented. Everything had shifted at an astonishing pace, leaving him struggling to keep up with the sudden transformations.
During this time of captivity, he had harbored the notion that a substantial chunk of his remaining years would be cloaked in a somber veil of introspection and repentance. His vision for the future had been one of humility, with his head held low in acknowledgment of the grievous transgressions he had perpetrated against those who had extended their benevolence to him.
And over time, he had come to relinquish any semblance of hope for his redemption. The weight of his past actions had extinguished the flicker of optimism, leaving him resigned to a life burdened by the unrelenting shadow of guilt and self-doubt.
Had it not been for the arrival of a golden opportunity, an occurrence that appeared as if conjured out of nothing, his emergence from prison could have been profoundly different, not to mention very late.
He might have emerged as a person fundamentally changed by the suffocating weight of his past actions. A profound shift in his core identity wasn't a stretch either.
Alternatively, he might have emerged as a mere husk of his former self, stripped of the vitality and spirit that had defined him before his incarceration. The opportunity that now beckoned him offered a chance for redemption, a path to reclaim the essence of who he truly was, and it was a lifeline he clung to with a renewed sense of hope and vigor.
Marico's involvement had rescued him from the abyss into which he had been steadily descending, a dark and desolate place where loneliness and guilt had been his relentless companions.
Grace couldn't stop his thoughts from gurgling out in between the occasional sobs and wails. He still hadn't gotten over the betrayal he had rewarded the Windsor family with after all the years he had worked for them.
Even though the Windsor family didn't act like they blamed his choices, Grace did. He blamed himself for his weakness and he blamed himself for his lack of trust in them. He had chosen to be spineless so he could save Taylor even though he could have trusted the Windsor family and asked for their help. He had ended up receiving their help either way and it hadn't taken them longer than a few hours to get Taylor out of the clutches of the enemy.
"My lord, I don't deserve it. I don't deserve your mercy after what I did. How can you still find it in you to go out of your way to save me like this? I should have just followed my fate and died in that prison. At least that way I wouldn't have to feel like I had gulped down a load of shit."
Marico didn't plan on letting Grace continue to demean himself in front of the person he loved. Even though he had betrayed the Windsor family, Marico believed that he would have done the same given the circumstances.
After all, Marico himself hadn't exactly been the beacon of hope for the people of the Windsor family during the time he was sick and then when he was being suppressed by the Hunter family through their incessant schemes.
Marico believed that the result would probably have been the same even if Grace had chosen not to betray him. Someone else would have taken his place. There were plenty of people with loved ones and not enough trust in their family leader in the Windsor family at that time.
"Get up already. Don't bother with the formalities. You have served my family for a long time, and this is just a repayment."
Marico pulled up the sobbing Grace and brought him to his feet even though there was some resistance from the latter. Grace was feeling too ashamed to get off his knees but Marico asserted his will and didn't let him continue to wallow in his regret.
"Now I believe that you two young people have a lot to catch up on. I don't think anyone should have to live a life in captivity, not even the worst of criminals. Personally, I found it quite weary for the spirit."
Marico didn't think he needed to say anything else to convey his intentions regarding Grace and Taylor. He just put his hands into his pocket and pulled out some gold coins carefully bundled together in a pouch. Just from the sound of the coins and the weight of the bag, it was easy to infer that the pouch contained a substantial amount, enough for Grace and Taylor to live a comfortable life until Grace could find employment elsewhere.
Marico pushed the pouch into his hands even though Grace tried to resist his kindness out of shame. Eventually, he couldn't bring himself to embarrass the leader of Windsor family and accepted it with his tears falling heavily like summer rainfall.
A smile appeared on Marico's face when Grace accepted the gold. He patted Grace's shoulder encouragingly as if jolting his soul back to reality and stared into his eyes coldly as if ordering the latter to come back to his senses by snapping out of the sentimental state he had fallen in.
Following that, Marico just turned around and left with unhurried steps like those protagonists from the books who pretended to be cool all the time using similar means. However, the Windsor family was a tad too old to be one of those cool main characters.
Grace could no longer see Marico's face, but the view of Marico's back evoked his still raw emotions again.
Marico was slowly and gradually growing distant from him, but Grace was unable to move his eyes away from his back. The man was someone he had vowed to protect but had ended up harming. Therefore, he was both the reason for Grace's rise and his downfall.
Grace had received Marico's blessing despite the fact that his betrayal had almost ruined the Windsor family he was supposed to serve. His heart couldn't take it anymore and he fell down to his knees. The tear stains on his face had yet to vanish but there was no sadness in his eyes, only gratitude.
Grace proceeded to perform three kowtows towards Marico's back. This was the highest respect one could give to someone else. Usually, this kind of respect and obeisance was reserved for blood relations like parents and grandparents. It only went to show the kind of respect Grace was harboring for Marico in his heart after the favors he had received.
Taylor as his wife couldn't just stand there. She too joined her husband in paying respect to their benefactor. She knew what Grace had done to that family but despite all that the family had not forgotten him and had repaid him in every manner.
Grace and Taylor only got back to their feet after the Windsor family leader had gone out of their sights. Grace held her trembling hands in his and comforted her with his gaze that reached her soul directly and delivered the message he wanted to convey.
Taylor of course understood the meaning in his gaze. The two had been in love for such a long time and this much understanding was only basic for them. They could judge each other's intention based on intuition alone. It had been hard wired into their systems after they had spent so much time together.
Nodding her head at him gently, she wiped her own tears away with the sleeve of her arm that was still free. She then proceeded to rub the same sleeve on Grace's eyes to wipe away the tear stains.
Grace let her do what she wanted and only enjoyed her touch on his face with his eyes closed. Once they were done, he squeezed her hand tighter and uttered, "Let's go then".
Oddly, Grace had no feelings whatsoever as he led Taylor away from the city, he had called his home for a long time. Similarly, Taylor had spent most of her life as a slave in the Hunter family, so she had no lingering attachments to Byzantium city either.
The Windsor family had given them a new lease on life. Marico's efforts in breaking Grace out of the prison with the ruse of exile wasn't for nothing. He had intended to give the couple a brand-new chance to start afresh and build their lives up from scratch without anyone controlling their fates this time because they didn't need to stay bound to any force and could live their lives like ordinary people.
Having guessed Marico's intentions, Grace didn't hesitate and took Taylor away from Byzantium city in search of a place they could call home from now on. The woman didn't offer any resistance either and just followed behind him while holding on to his hand like it was her most precious treasure.
…
Meanwhile, in the temporary residence granted to the Smith family by the Windsor family, Zach was having a discussion with Jack who had proved to be very useful in their strategy against the Hunter family. Jack had not only fulfilled his end of the deal, but he also hadn't even asked for anything in return other than the auxiliary limb that Zach had provided him with as a gesture of goodwill.
The conversation wasn't a serious one by any means. It looked like both Zach and Jack were enjoying their well learned leisure time, sitting by the lake and munching on the snacks brought by the servants after regular intervals.
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