Acidity of Regret Ch 100
- Feb 20
- 6 min read
Ice coated her fingertips.
Was I... trembling?
Three years had passed, and she believed she had finally shaken off the weight of the past. Yet, dust-like remnants of those years still clung to the corners of her heart, forcing her to acknowledge his presence. That uncomfortable sensation always surged through her whenever they stood face-to-face.
However, one thing had changed. Today, the pain that usually accompanied her nerves was nowhere to be found.
[Declan] "The short hair suits you."
[Declan] "...Did I offend you?"
[Declan] "I’m sorry."
He surrendered the moment she spoke, adopting a low, submissive posture. The razor-sharp edge he once carried had vanished, replaced by the behavior of a puppy desperate for praise. He no longer felt like a threat.
So, he was capable of speaking such words.
As she reflected on this new side of him, an unexpected rage bubbled up. He knew how to be gentle, yet he had chosen to be callous, cruel, and cold to her in the past. He had intentionally withheld the kindness he now offered so freely.
Her steady pace faltered. She glanced back.
Declan stood frozen in place, though his eyes frantically searched the ground near her feet. He looked like a man praying for her to return to his side.
[Vanessa] "Return to the Duchy as soon as possible."
[Declan] "......"
[Vanessa] "Seeing you like this makes me incredibly uncomfortable."
She spoke with the clear intent to shatter any lingering shards of hope.
With a composure that betrayed no hint of the wreckage she left in his heart, she turned away.
[Dina] "My Lady, you’ve returned."
Vanessa turned toward the greeting as she crossed the garden. At the edge of her vision, Tommy’s rose-red hair fluttered in the breeze. He radiated a gentle, unassuming aura.
[Vanessa] "Hello, Tommy."
[Tommy] "Are you coming from the flower festival? Hello, Dina."
[Dina] "H-hello, Tommy."
Vanessa nodded at his question, then suppressed a chuckle at the sight of Dina’s crimson cheeks.
Tommy naturally moved toward the maid, taking the heavy bouquet from her arms.
Their blossoming relationship, which had developed rapidly since he arrived at the estate, was a picture of innocent affection.
[Vanessa] "Oh, Tommy."
He handled all the floral arrangements for Vanessa’s bedchamber. Trusting his skill, she decided to ask him to prepare the blooms she had received at the festival.
[Vanessa] "Could you look after these flowers as well?"
[Tommy] "Of course, My Lady."
After accepting the request, he turned his attention back to Dina.
[Tommy] "Dina, here."
He rummaged through his pockets and thrust a small, neatly folded note toward her. Dina’s face turned the color of a ruby as she looked back and forth between the gardener and the paper. Tommy looked equally bashful.
[Vanessa] "What are you waiting for, Dina? Take it."
Vanessa watched the scene like a spectator at a play.
Dina hesitantly accepted the note, looking like a shy young girl. The heat in her face didn't fade as they climbed the stairs to the bedchamber.
[Vanessa] "You should have stayed with him a little longer. Why come up so soon?"
[Dina] "Oh, My Lady, please!"
Dina squirmed with embarrassment at the teasing.
[Vanessa] "So, when are you going to read what he gave you?"
Vanessa changed into a simple dress, a smile playing on her lips.
Dina’s fingers trembled with excitement as she unfolded the parchment she had tucked into her inner pocket. Her eyes darted across the lines before she gasped, covering her mouth.
[Dina] "To-Tommy asked me on a date, My Lady!"
[Vanessa] "Really?"
[Dina] "Yes, yes!"
Dina rushed over, holding the paper out as if to prove it wasn't a dream. Neat, steady handwriting—much like the man himself—decorated the page.
[Vanessa] "Why don't you go give him your answer?"
[Dina] "Is that—I mean, may I?"
Dina clutched the paper to her chest, her expression radiant.
[Vanessa] "Yes. I planned to rest anyway, so go."
[Dina] "Thank you! I’ll be right back!"
Excitement lit up her eyes. She hurried out of the room as if afraid Tommy might retract the offer if she delayed.
Vanessa watched her retreat.
I missed you.
She couldn't explain why Declan’s words suddenly echoed in her mind. Perhaps the emotion Dina just displayed mirrored the intensity of what he had shown her. It was a feeling Vanessa once possessed.
But while her own emotions had thinned to the point of vanishing, Declan’s remained vivid—a color so intense it threatened to paralyze the senses.
Five minutes before, and five minutes today. A mere ten minutes in total, yet it was enough to realize that for him, nothing had become a memory. Everything was still the present.
For three years, she had lived with a faint anxiety. Because he had never appeared before her, she assumed he had finally given up. She thought he had realized his "love" was merely an inferiority complex toward Hayden.
But his behavior proved otherwise. He acted as if his entire existence depended on her.
Was he still deluding himself? Or was it...
[Vanessa] "Ha......"
There it was again. The moment he appeared, her thoughts inevitably spiraled back to him.
She shook her head and stood up abruptly. To scrub the uncomfortable thoughts from her mind, she approached the table where the day’s mail waited.
As she looked at the top letter, the turmoil in her heart began to subside. It was from the capital—from Count Rohawk. She unfolded it slowly.
The familiar handwriting carried its usual warmth. He asked if she was well, if she lacked anything, and if she knew how much her father missed her. He asked when she would return to the capital, back to the arms of House Rohawk.
Heartfelt longing saturated every line of his steady script. She read the letter three times. Each pass only increased her own thirst for home.
As she began to put her father's letter away, her movements came to a halt. Something fluttered to the floor. Her fingertips trembled as she picked it up.
It was a light green slip of paper with no envelope. It had been wedged between the other letters.
—"The obstacle blocking our love will soon disappear."
Her gaze shook. An investigation had taken place today, yet this had still appeared. They hadn't caught the culprit.
But what did "obstacle" mean?
As she puzzled over the word, Declan flashed through her mind. She didn't know why, but her life in the mansion had remained unchanged until his recent appearance. The timing was too perfect.
If "obstacle" referred to Declan, it changed everything. Only Dina had been present during their two meetings. No knights, no servants. No one in the mansion should have known they met.
What is happening......?
The bizarre phrasing and the identity of the hidden author sent a chill through her. Danger was stepping closer, one deliberate pace at a time. She looked back and forth between her father's letter and the green note.
The capital...... Should I go back?
The time felt right. Her father missed her, and the peaceful county was beginning to rot with suspicious signs. And then there was Declan.
He seemed unable to control himself since their accidental reunion.
Would he really stay away just because she asked? It seemed unlikely. He was the type of man who would act humble while still doing exactly what he wanted.
It might be better to pack her things and head for the capital before things become more entangled.
[Vanessa] "I should see the Former Count first."
Perhaps the investigation into the servants had yielded some small clue. Vanessa headed toward his office, hoping the fog of this mystery would finally lift.
Knock, knock.
[Former Count] "Come in."
[Former Count] "Ah, Vanessa. Did you enjoy the festival?"
Former Count Evarn welcomed her with a warm smile. They exchanged pleasantries for a moment.
[Vanessa] "I received a letter from my father today."
[Former Count] "Did you? He wrote last week as well, didn't he? He must miss you terribly."
She offered a small smile in agreement. She gripped her warm teacup and cleared her throat.
[Vanessa] "Sir, I actually came to ask about the investigation."
[Former Count] "Ah, yes. I was just about to send for you."
The smile vanished from his face, replaced by an expression of weary frustration. He rubbed his temples slowly.
[Former Count] "We examined the handwritten applications of every servant in the mansion. None of them matches the handwriting in the letters you received. I even brought in an expert to verify. We searched the quarters and personal belongings, but we found nothing out of the ordinary."
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