Acidity of Regret Ch 114
- Mar 2
- 7 min read
[Declan] "Did she accept the flowers?"
[Carter] "Yes."
He suppressed a sigh that threatened to rise from his throat as he watched the Grand Duke's unrestrained satisfaction. He quickly added what he hadn't finished saying.
[Carter] "However, there was a condition."
[Declan] "A condition?"
[Carter] "Since she accepted the flowers, she requested that you send nothing more."
[Declan] "......"
[Carter] "She said if you send even one more thing, she will withdraw her decision."
As Vanessa had guessed, Declan immediately understood what that meant. It was an order he had no choice but to follow if he wished to stay by her side. Thus, he had to abandon all the lavish, expensive gifts he had been preparing.
Although everything became useless solely according to her will, Declan was unexpectedly pleased. At least she had accepted one thing.
[Carter] "And Your Grace, here is the information you requested regarding the Kingdom of Garten."
Declan took the documents Carter handed him.
Garten. It was a nation that had been bothering him for a long time. Their involvement in the monster disturbance three years ago was clear, but back then, he had been too focused on holding onto Vanessa to pay it much attention.
But this time, that annoying kingdom had properly provoked him. Only one half-blood from Garten was involved with Vanessa, but upon learning how that man had tormented her, Declan wanted to dry up the very seeds of that nation.
What if he hadn't gone to Mount Siltria to exterminate the bandits?
What if he hadn't discovered Vanessa being chased by bandits after entering the mountain through that path?
What if she had been left alone on that dizzying cliff as a result?
Just imagining it made him grind his teeth, and the back of his neck burned.
The Garten man who started it all had unfortunately already breathed his last. It was genuinely regrettable. Had he been alive, Declan would have inflicted a punishment terrible enough to make him beg to be sent to hell.
However, Declan had no intention of letting the man's crimes slide just because he was dead. The nation that let such a criminal roam free had to answer for it.
And there was plenty of room to do so. Although his body was here, he hadn't neglected the management of the Duchy's canyons, so he already possessed evidence linking them to the war three years ago.
[Carter] "Um, and......"
As Declan examined the documents, Carter, who hadn't yet withdrawn, spoke carefully. Declan nodded, signaling him to continue.
[Carter] "Lady Rohawk asked about Your Grace's condition."
The hand flipping through the papers stopped abruptly. His gaze, which had been directed downward, crawled up Carter's body to meet his eyes.
[Carter] "That is, the scar on your neck. She asked about treatment......"
[Declan] "So?"
[Carter] "I only told her that you did not wish for treatment. Since it is the truth, however, if this were something I should have hidden......"
Carter knew better than anyone how hung up his superior was on Vanessa Rohawk. So he had spoken, thinking it would be fine if it were her, but belatedly realized he might have made a mistake.
Regarding the master's health, especially if it was on the negative side, it was the subordinate's proper duty to keep his mouth shut.
Even considering who the recipient was, Carter fretted that he had been complacent, eventually having no choice but to report it himself.
[Declan] "......"
[Carter] "Your Grace?"
[Declan] "Upon hearing that, what did she say?"
[Carter] "She didn't say much."
After that, he said nothing. Carter rolled his eyes, gauging the mood.
Before long, Declan, perhaps feeling stifled, stood up and only then seemed to recall Carter's presence, telling him he could leave.
Reporting honestly out of uneasiness, Carter saw he wasn't rebuked once, so it seemed it wasn't a big problem.
Indeed, if it was Vanessa Rohawk, was everything tolerated?
He opened his mouth again to confirm if this sudden realization wasn't just his misunderstanding.
[Carter] "In the future, should I keep quiet even if Her Ladyship asks?"
[Declan] "Tell her everything."
[Carter] "......"
[Declan] "If there is anything she asks about me, tell her everything. There is no need to get my permission for each thing."
Hah......
Carter inwardly gasped as the conversation flowed exactly as he had suspected. Although he had sensed it three years ago, it was indeed a devotion that made one click their tongue.
He swallowed these inner thoughts, bowed, and left the office.
Declan, having no way of knowing Carter's thoughts, approached the window. Since hearing that Vanessa had asked about him, his heart had been racing strangely.
[Carter] "She didn't say much."
Was that a positive signal or a negative one?
No matter how much he racked his brain, he couldn't get a sense of it.
From a certain moment, Vanessa hadn't allowed him any emotion. The feeling of his insides burning, his body heating up, and his blood drying up was something he always experienced, yet he never got used to it.
If he had been facing her, would he have known?
[Declan] "......"
His eyes moved slowly along the coastline.
It was Vanessa. Her ankle injury seemed to have healed completely, as she appeared to have no trouble taking each step.
[Carter] "Try to carefully consider what Her Ladyship enjoys. The answer might be in there."
The roses sent today were a result of that advice. When she stayed by his side as the Grand Duchess, she used to enjoy garden walks. She strolling through the scenery, fragrant with the scent of flowers, was one of the few comfortable images he remembered.
Unlike the past days when she ruthlessly returned everything, seeing that she accepted it today, it seemed he hadn't barked up the wrong tree this time. Or perhaps the gold powder he had sprinkled abundantly, because he heard it looked a bit prettier, had a good influence. Whatever it was, he couldn't control his overwhelming heart.
His thoughts, stretching out like branches, were suddenly cut short. An obvious 'thing she likes,' which he wondered why he only noticed now, was unfolding before his eyes. He realized it a beat too late.
Declan turned from the window and hurriedly left the office.
At the same time.
Vanessa, who had gone for a walk after a long time with a complicated heart in many ways, shrank her neck at the cold wind brushing her face.
The temperature was still cold, but it was better than the murderous cold she had experienced in the cave. Back then, she really thought her flesh would freeze and fall off.
Now, the wind's strength had weakened, so it was incomparable.
Evarn County, located in the southwest of the Empire, had a very short winter. Snow fell when it felt a bit chilly, and by the time the accumulated snow melted, the density of the cold thinned. That process took a month and a half at most. The winter in the County never exceeded two months.
Especially this year, it was on the shorter side. After suffering through various incidents and getting up, two-thirds of winter had already passed. The snow that fell for just one day from the dawn she was trapped in the cave had melted away in the meantime, leaving hardly any trace.
[Vanessa] "......?"
Walking alone as if enjoying contemplation, she suddenly turned her head at the presence felt from behind.
Splash, splash.
The view of waves rolling in gently and then curling back with the cold wind. Beside it, on the endless sandy beach, she saw Declan. He stood about ten steps away from her, though she didn't know when he had appeared behind her.
When she stopped, he stopped too. Thus, the distance didn't narrow.
Shifting her gaze, she saw Dina, who had stepped aside at her request, flinching as if she didn't know what to do. Her restless appearance was the identity of the bustling presence. She seemed surprised by the Grand Duke's sudden appearance, but since he wasn't approaching Vanessa beyond a certain distance, she looked as if she was debating what to do.
In the past, Dina used to treat the Grand Duke like an enemy, but her reaction had changed quite a bit since the bandit incident. Knowing that he was the benefactor who saved Vanessa and even herself, she couldn't just sharpen her thorns anymore.
Vanessa shook her head to signal her not to come, looked at Declan for a moment, and then turned back. And she extended the foot that had stopped moving.
One step, thud.
Another step, thud.
She felt the person who appeared like the wind matching her steps side by side. The speed was the same. Even if she deliberately walked slower or faster, Declan matched it all.
Eventually, not long after, she stopped again and spun around.
[Vanessa] "Why are you following me?"
[Declan] "I'm not following you."
[Vanessa] "Then what are you doing?"
[Declan] "......A walk."
It was a rather poor answer. She cast a blatant stare to dig into his intentions, then strode up to him. Before long, the distance between the two was only about one stride.
His profile was dyed vermilion by the sunlight shimmering on the horizon.
[Vanessa] "Then you continue your walk."
Even in that intense light, the sign that he was nervous wasn't easily hidden.
[Vanessa] "I'm going in now."
Turning her body diagonally from facing him, she walked away without hesitation.
However, not long after, a large frame filled her vision. Declan, who had been standing stock-still, urgently blocked her path.
[Declan] "I was following you."
[Vanessa] "......"
[Declan] "I saw you...... and came out here."
She looked up at him without answering. She showed no reaction, but Declan was at a loss on his own. Even now, he was acting somewhat distractedly, repeatedly washing his face with dry hands and touching his chin as if choosing an excuse.
[Declan] "I didn't have any intention, I just wanted to do what you like together."
[Vanessa] "......"
[Declan] "I won't disturb you. Since you dislike it, I won't come close either. I'll keep my distance and just quietly follow behind."
[Vanessa] "......"
[Declan] "Still...... I can't?"
His tone was as cautious as the distance he thoroughly maintained.
Since he couldn't even make eye contact, as if scared in advance every time this happened, Vanessa took this opportunity to calmly examine his face.
Proving the insomnia Carter mentioned, the shadows under his eyes were dark.
Is he still not sleeping well these days?
Tilting her eyes precariously, she saw the bandage wrapped around his neck above his collar. It was the trace of self-harm he hated showing to anyone, yet uniquely allowed her touch.
She saw the large scar on his chest in the cave, plus the tattered nape of his neck. All the evidence he showed felt like proof of the love he spoke of with his own mouth.
Since she couldn't believe it in words, it seemed as if he were revealing the emotion called love with his own body.
Even if he was harmed in that way, it was no different from a desperate confession that anything was fine as long as she recognized it.
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