Acidity of Regret Ch 29
- Dec 25, 2025
- 7 min read
Carter might have been born without a lick of intuition, but lately, his instincts regarding the Grand Duke were sharpening—specifically regarding the poisonous undercurrent flowing between the Duke and the Crown Prince over the Grand Duchess.
The romantic rivalry that had sparked before the wedding had not flickered out; if anything, it had transformed into a silent, savage war. The tension was so thick it made Carter’s skin crawl just to be in the same room.
And now, the air turned to ice.
The moment Hayden’s name was mentioned, Declan’s eyes turned into twin blades of frost. He made no effort to mask his hostility anymore.
Declan was, as Carter suspected, in a foul mood.
He’s desperate for even a glimpse of her, it seems.
Declan had seen exactly how starved Hayden was for Vanessa’s attention at the wedding reception. The Prince had practically tripped over himself to reach the Duchy the moment he heard the news of the marriage.
His longing was so nakedly transparent it was almost pathetic. To see those usually brilliant, arrogant eyes clouded with such raw grief and defeat... it was the most entertaining thing Declan had seen in years.
Declan had spent his entire childhood drowning in those very emotions. Now, it was Hayden’s turn to experience the crushing weight of loss—and from the one person he never expected to lose to.
The Prince’s motive for this visit was laughable. He had volunteered for this diplomatic mission just for a chance to stand in the same room as Vanessa.
But it was too late for Hayden. Vanessa wasn't just a "traitor" under the Empire’s thumb anymore; she was Declan’s wife.
The marriage certificate was tucked away in the innermost sanctum of the castle, a vault more secure than any imperial treasury. Unless that paper was reduced to ash, their bond was immutable.
Declan relished the sight of Hayden thrashing against the chains of his own unrequited love. It was a balm to every insecurity he had ever felt as a child.
[Declan] "Let him come."
[Carter] "Sir? Are... are you sure that’s wise?"
[Declan] "Why wouldn't it be?"
Hayden’s problem was his innocence. He was built like a mountain, yet he possessed the soft, trusting heart of someone who had been sheltered by sunshine and adoration his entire life. Constant warmth made a person's guard go soft.
Declan, however, was a creature raised on envy, jealousy, and the bitter cold of twisted affection. His world was built on suspicion and shadows.
[Declan] "It might be amusing to watch him play his little games until he finally collapses under the weight of his own futility."
He murmured the words with the ghost of a smile.
Carter looked down, suddenly feeling like he had overheard something he shouldn't have, and focused intensely on his paperwork.
With the Garten mages and the Crown Prince arriving, the next few days promised to be a nightmare of epic proportions.
Vanessa woke to a soft touch brushing against her eyelids. She blinked, her vision clearing to find Declan looming over her, a faint smile playing on his lips.
[Declan] "Good morning, sleepyhead."
He pressed a few more kisses to her messy hair, coaxing her toward wakefulness. She glanced at the clock; it was just past nine.
Declan had been true to his word. Ever since the crisis at the gorge had settled, he had been a constant presence, hovering near her as if to compensate for every moment she had spent alone.
For the first time since her arrival, the gnawing ache of loneliness had begun to fade.
[Declan] "You need to eat."
[Vanessa] "You haven't eaten yet?"
[Declan] "I was waiting for you."
He said it so casually, yet every time he spoke like that, she felt a frantic drumbeat in her chest. It was the proof that her love for him wasn't just a flicker—it was a forest fire.
[Declan] "By the way... what is that?"
He pointed to the nightstand. Vanessa followed his gaze and let out a soft, embarrassed hum.
[Vanessa] "I found it while I was walking. I wanted to give it to you."
[Declan] "For... me?"
He looked genuinely taken aback, his usual composure faltering into a rare, stunned silence.
Resting on the table was a single, vibrant bloom in full flower. Despite the biting cold, the petals hadn't curled or withered; they held their color with a fierce, stubborn pride. It was a rich, luscious scarlet—so beautiful that Vanessa hadn't been able to leave it behind.
Sometimes, words weren't enough. Vanessa saw herself in that flower—a love that had bloomed in the harshest, most frozen environment, reaching its peak against all odds.
Giving him this flower was her silent confession.
This is my heart. Stark, red, and blooming just for you.
She hadn't expected him to understand the depth of the gesture, but seeing him look so utterly disarmed made her heart swell. He looked like a man who had just been told a profound secret.
[Vanessa] "You look strange, Declan."
She giggled. His lips curled into a slow, hungry smile. He leaned over the bed, his weight pressing into the mattress as he hovered above her.
[Declan] "Perhaps breakfast can wait a little longer?"
[Vanessa] "What? Why...?"
She didn't need an answer. His actions spoke for him.
By the time they finally made it down to the dining hall, the sun was high in the sky.
A vase was soon placed in their bedroom to hold the crimson bloom. Every time Vanessa looked at it, she couldn't help but smile.
The hours spent in his company had blurred the sharp edges of her grief, and the intimacy they shared had allowed her love to grow into something colossal.
Even her resignation about having children began to soften. If Declan stayed like this, she didn't need anything else.
Her suffering was becoming a ghost of the past. Her life was quiet, safe, and perfect.
Vanessa prayed this peace would never shatter.
The atmosphere that day was impossible to describe. It was just... wrong.
The sky was a bruised, heavy grey, and a persistent shiver kept racing down her spine. She couldn't tell if it was the cold or her own heightened intuition.
She had felt this before. It was the same visceral dread she had experienced the day before the Rohawk estate was stormed. The morning after a nightmare.
[Declan] "We have guests arriving today. I expect you at the banquet tonight."
He spoke as he adjusted his cravat in the mirror. Vanessa watched him from the safety of the duvet. He finished with a crisp, efficient tug, then leaned down to press a kiss to her bare shoulder.
[Declan] "I’ll send the maids to fetch you when it’s time. Be ready."
[Vanessa] "Who is coming?"
[Declan] "A delegation from Garten. And someone from the Empire... likely Hayden."
His brow furrowed. The memory of her last conversation with Hayden—his confusing, intrusive questions about her marriage—resurfaced like a bad taste.
She didn't want to go. Seeing the Crown Prince would only drag her back to the damp stone of the dungeons and the humiliating platform of the auction block.
But it wasn't just the Prince; foreign dignitaries were involved. She couldn't risk Declan’s reputation by hiding away.
As her expression darkened, Declan began to pepper her face with soft, distracting kisses.
[Declan] "You look a bit pale today."
He braced his arms on either side of her head, studying her with clinical intensity.
She pulled the covers tighter, nodding.
[Vanessa] "I feel a bit... off. I think I might be coming down with a cold."
[Declan] "Did I overwork you yesterday?"
Her face turned bright red at his bluntness. He let out a low chuckle, rubbed her flushed cheek, and stood up.
She watched his retreating until the door clicked shut.
Left alone, she turned to the window. The sky looked ready to swallow the world whole, the gloom matching the damp weight in her chest.
She felt restless. Back at the Rohawk estate, she could have vented to her favorite maids, but here, Declan was her only anchor.
Her loneliness, which she thought she had conquered, came crawling back in the silence.
The day dragged on. Evening fell, and Vanessa sat in silence as the maids fussed over her dress.
The weight of seeing Hayden again settled in her gut the moment she stepped out of the bedroom.
She clutched her skirts so tightly that by the time she reached the dining hall, she realized she had wrinkled the expensive fabric.
The room was packed—a stark contrast to their usual quiet meals. She was the last to arrive.
[Declan] "Vanessa."
Declan rose from the head of the table. He moved toward her, tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear and kissing her hand. It felt performative, as if he were marking his territory for an audience. But Vanessa, now used to his touch, simply accepted it.
As she took his arm to head toward their seats, a sudden clamor broke out among the line of standing knights. She glanced over. One of the knights had dropped his sword, the steel clattering loudly against the stone.
[Knight] "Watch yourself! What's wrong with you?"
Another knight hissed a warning. She noticed the golden embroidery on their hooded robes—the crest of the Imperial Guard.
These were Hayden’s men. She turned her eyes back to the front and followed Declan to the table.
Before they sat, Declan introduced the guests.
To the right sat the Garten delegation; to the left was Prince Hayden.
The mages from Garten stared at Vanessa, unable to look away. Her beauty, which had once drawn marriage proposals from across the continent before her family’s fall, was undeniable.
Had she not been breathing or blinking, one might have mistaken her for a masterpiece carved from the finest ivory.
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