Acidity of Regret Ch 15
- Dec 15, 2025
- 8 min read
Updated: Dec 16, 2025
Vanessa was momentarily stunned.
She hadn't expected overly lavish treatment, yet this situation was, well, deeply peculiar. She felt a thick line being drawn, marking her as a third party completely disconnected from Declan.
She had assumed he had left instructions, but apparently not.
Embarrassed, she quickly waved her hands, more flustered than the butler.
[Vanessa] "Ah, I—I already asked His Grace for permission. He said I could use the library before he left."
Her hands, which had been wavering in the air, slowly stilled as she faced the butler. Then, they dropped toward the floor, like her self-esteem plummeting.
Again. Again.
That look was directed at her.
[Vanessa] ".......I suppose you don't believe me."
The acidic glint in the butler’s eyes was too transparent to ignore.
He was doubting her. At the base of his thoughts lay the assumption that Vanessa couldn't possibly have obtained the permission of the master, who was currently absent.
In other words, he was looking at her as if she were lying.
The maid’s gaze in the bathroom hadn’t been much different. It was evident they held no affection for her, and since Declan was gone, they made no effort to conceal it.
Every time she faced their exposed true feelings, Vanessa felt as though she were being whipped raw, stark naked.
Know your place, their silent screams incessantly hammered in her ears.
Yet, their outward behavior was technically impeccable. This meant that if she were to later complain about them to Declan, they would have the leeway to reply:
'I didn't intend to, but it seems I inadvertently caused a misunderstanding.'
Ultimately, Vanessa would look like the only one suffering from a persecution complex, and they sought to silence her that way.
[Butler] "Not at all. I will guide you immediately."
Just as expected. The butler belatedly denied his suspicion and headed for the library.
Vanessa pressed her hand to her forehead, feeling the onset of another headache. The miserable feeling she had barely suppressed all night surged up once more.
Even if she reached the library, she wouldn't be able to read a single line with her mind so fractured.
The excitement she had felt upon leaving her room—the prospect of exploring a new place—had scattered without a trace.
A self-deprecating chuckle escaped her. She felt like a childish girl, unable to assess the situation properly. Nonetheless, she obediently followed the butler, if only to memorize the location.
From start to finish, he maintained an impeccably polite and meticulous attitude, showing her the library. Vanessa stood by the door until he vanished, then quietly turned back.
She was walking back to her room, her mood utterly sunken.
[Maid 1] ".......She must not know her place, does she?"
[Maid 2] "So brazen. She acts as if she’s the lady of the house."
Before turning the corner, she detected a presence from beyond the bending corridor. It seemed maids were gathered, engaging in idle chatter.
If their voices hadn't been so clear, she would have quickly walked past, her head bowed like a condemned woman.
But since they were clearly discussing her, she couldn't simply appear before them indifferently.
[Maid 3] "But she really is beautiful. I can see why she’s so famous in Ingzella. I heard the male servants are going wild over her, too? The butler is having a headache because there's a line of fellows volunteering to clean the third floor every morning."
[Maid 4] "What good is a pretty face? She’s a traitor now; she won't even be able to lift her head high. If anything, her looks just make her stand out more."
[Maid 1] "She must have seduced the Master with those looks, too, right? I hear her title was stripped, and she’s not even a noble anymore? And yet she's still putting on airs and acting like a superior? How ridiculous."
It was a conversation she should never have overheard. If she hadn't, she could have faced them with dignity. But the words, once heard, pierced her chest repeatedly like daggers.
Her heart pounded as if it would burst from her mouth. It was the feeling of lifting a seemingly harmless carpet only to encounter swarming maggots.
Their dark intentions were similar to those for her. When concealed, she could ignore them with composure, but when exposed, she couldn't flee.
[Maid 2] "Do you think the Master is really infatuated with her?"
[Maid 3] "Who knows. Even if he is, will that affection last long? She looks like all she has is a pretty face. She doesn't seem to know how to do anything for herself."
Their accusation was, in a way, justified.
Born a noble, she had little occasion to do anything with her own hands during her life. While she lacked the necessity to do so, the servants fundamentally wouldn't allow it.
The Count's servants had been kind and warm, like family bound by blood, but even in good relations, the hierarchy remained distinct. Allowing Vanessa to do things for herself would have been tantamount to neglecting their duty.
[Maid 4] "I heard the maids in that section deliberately filled her bath with cold water, and she washed with it without a single complaint."
[Maid 1] "Really?"
The sound of their derisive snickering harshly clawed at her insides. They were consuming her pain and sorrow as mere amusement.
They held no weapons, yet she was being ruthlessly attacked. Their tongues were sharper and more incisive than any weapon in the world.
Vanessa clenched her fists tightly.
As they returned to their duties, the maids’ voices gradually faded. Yet, strangely, their sneering laughter became only clearer.
Only when the corridor was empty did she turn the corner and approach the bedroom. Habitually reaching for the knob to open the door, she flinched, realizing this was Declan’s chamber.
She bit her lower lip until it ached, then fled into the guest bedroom. Thankfully, no one was inside. Though even if someone had been, she knew she wouldn't have been able to say a word.
She sat before the vanity, her steps heavy as if wading through a swamp.
The mirror was spotless, as if recently cleaned. Her face was reflected clearly on the transparent surface, without a single blemish.
‘She must have seduced the Master with those looks, too, right?’
Vanessa slowly raised a hand and touched her cheek. Her blinking green eyes, deprived of vitality, drooped like withered leaves.
‘She looks like all she has is a pretty face. She doesn't seem to know how to do anything for herself.’
Her beauty, which had been constantly discussed along with the honor of the Count’s family since birth, attracted undue attention even here.
Vanessa had never once viewed her appearance negatively. Though it had occasionally caused her distress, that usually stemmed from the rudeness of those around her, not her own fault.
Looks that garnered affection were an advantage, if anything; they were certainly not a disadvantage. The fact that her appearance had sometimes made things easier for her could not be ignored.
But now, she hated this face. She was mortified by it. It felt like it had become a cruel flaw that she couldn’t hide from anyone.
The assessment that she could only receive Declan’s protection because of this face, and the sneer that she was acting haughty like a noble based solely on this face—it was all horrific.
That was absolutely not true. Declan was not someone who judged people by their looks, and her unintentional haughtiness was merely a habit ingrained from a lifetime of being a Count's daughter.
But no matter the truth, they would clearly continue their gossip, caring nothing for her position. That she was a base commoner who had enchanted the worthy master of this land with her face, a creature who didn't know her station.
[Vanessa] ".......Ha."
A self-mocking laugh involuntarily escaped her.
She hadn't expected a warm welcome. But she hadn't realized that everyone, excluding Declan, would hate her this much. To everyone in this castle except Declan, she was an unwelcome guest.
She had thought the relationship, once equal as nobles, had only tilted slightly askew. But that was her privileged delusion.
The line connecting her and Declan was now bent at a near right angle, making it difficult to even be considered a single connection.
In the eyes of the servants, Vanessa was a base thing who couldn't dare look up at Declan.
Her gaze, which had been fixed on the mirror, gradually lowered, finally settling on the floor.
Her lip, which she had been biting so hard its redness had faded, finally broke, filling her mouth with a metallic taste.
The uncomfortable sensation scraping her heart was so vivid that she couldn't spare a thought for the pain.
Her self-respect slowly festered, like a fruit whose flesh was being consumed by worms.
*****
The north gate of the Grand Duke’s castle, connected to the Tyrelle Mountains high above, was opened.
The loud fanfare echoing through the Grand Duchy grandly announced the return of the master and lord of the castle.
It was the first news of him in fully two weeks since he had left for the subjugation.
The ravines of the Tyrelle Mountain range, perpetually shrouded in mist, were virtually a haven for monsters.
Concealing their violet skin within the dense fog and masking their icy presence with the ice flowers that gathered in the gorges, they lurked like parasites, biding their time.
Since evil forces possess the peculiar characteristic of gathering and multiplying, it was necessary to periodically sweep the ravines and deal with them to minimize the potential for future catastrophe.
Entering the castle, Declan took the handkerchief offered by the butler and wiped his forehead. Sticky, purplish monster blood stained the white cloth.
[Butler] "I am relieved that you have returned safely, My Lord."
Declan stopped the conversation with a guttural hum in his throat.
Stepping into his study, he removed his cumbersome, blood-splattered clothes and asked.
[Declan] "Vanessa?"
[Butler] "She should be in the guest bedroom."
The butler, who took the clothes soaked with a mixture of the beast’s unique stench and his body odor, gauged the timing and casually conveyed a message.
[Butler] "And, I did as you instructed."
Declan, who had been washing his hands in the water the maid had preemptively prepared, paused.
He then resumed his movements naturally, thoroughly cleaning his hands, which were densely covered with calluses. The butler watched his master with questioning eyes.
Before leaving the castle, Declan had given the butler a strange instruction.
[Declan] "Do not treat her with excessive hospitality just because she is my guest."
[Butler] "...Pardon?"
The butler, who rarely questioned his master, involuntarily asked back in confusion.
Since he referred to her as a guest, he was clearly speaking of Vanessa, but the instruction not to treat her with hospitality was difficult to understand.
When Declan’s gaze returned to him, a sharp light emanated from his eyes.
[Declan] "She is no longer a noble, so treat her accordingly."
The butler also vaguely knew how Vanessa Rohawk had ended up at the Grand Duchy.
He had heard that the Count’s family was entangled in treason, resulting in the stripping of their title and her becoming a commoner...
Even given her circumstances, he had maintained courtesy because she was someone the Master had personally brought. Thus, this instruction came as a surprise.
But understanding and obedience were separate matters. In his position as a subordinate, he couldn't ask why. He could only obey by saying, 'Yes, I understand.'
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