Acidity of Regret Ch 49
- Jan 6
- 8 min read
[Hayden] "Declan?"
Hayden rose halfway from his seat, startled by the unexpected guest.
Declan, looking far more composed than he had at the recent banquet, shifted his gaze between the pair sitting intimately together. A crooked, mocking smile played on his lips.
[Declan] "I heard you were enjoying luncheon, so I thought I would stop by."
[Hayden] "When did you return from the Duchy?"
[Declan] "Just a moment ago."
The two men spoke with an easy familiarity. Declan answered without reservation as he strode further into the room.
It was only after hearing their exchange that she realized Declan had been away. It explained why things had been so strangely quiet during the marriage preparations.
The Seneschal, who had followed Declan in an attempt to stop his unauthorized entry, quietly withdrew at a sharp gesture from Hayden.
[Declan] "May I join you?"
[Hayden] "Have you not eaten yet? I don’t mind, but..."
Hayden turned his head toward Vanessa. She knew she had to give him an answer, but her mind was a whirlwind of confusion, and her lips refused to move.
What is he planning? Why on earth did he show up here?
[Hayden] "Vanessa?"
Hayden prompted her, using her first name with the casual intimacy of a fiancé. At the sound of it, Declan’s eyebrow twitched violently.
[Vanessa] "...It is fine with me."
Regardless of his intentions, the current situation was actually in her favor. In her previous life, she had lost everything and had been forced to rely on him, but that was no longer the case.
There was no reason to flee from a confrontation. More importantly, she saw no reason why she should have to avoid him in the first place.
The moment she gave her consent, Declan pulled a chair near Hayden and sat heavily right next to her. There was no trace of noble decorum in his brash, self-serving actions.
[Hayden] "Are you two acquainted?"
He asked, tilting his head as he noticed Declan’s unusual behavior.
[Declan] "Are we merely 'acquainted'?"
Declan sat with his legs crossed, smirking as if he had just heard a fascinating question. His spiteful tone carried a depth of history that Hayden could not possibly fathom.
Declan stared intently at Vanessa, suggesting she knew the answer better than anyone. His blue eyes, which she had once adored, were sharp today—resembling shards of glass that would cut anyone who dared touch them.
Whatever his goal was, Vanessa had no intention of letting him run his mouth. While there was no proof of their past marriage in this timeline, she knew all too well how much weight a mere rumor could carry in high society. She could not let his reckless remarks jeopardize her marriage talks with the Imperial family.
[Vanessa] "I made a mistake involving His Grace in the past."
[Hayden] "A mistake?"
She explained with a faint, polished smile directed at Hayden.
[Vanessa] "There was a commotion where His Grace mistook me for someone else. In the process, my knight unfortunately drew his sword against him. If His Grace is still harboring a grudge over that incident, I offer my apologies once more. Your Grace."
Hayden turned to Declan, wondering if such a thing had genuinely occurred. However, Declan did not look at him. His gaze was fixed solely on Vanessa, who refused to return his look.
She was drawing a clear line.
Her cold, distant attitude—treating him like a man she had only recently met—caused his expression to turn even more predatory. He cast a fierce glare at her, as if demanding she look at him immediately. Vanessa, however, remained unmoved.
Hayden sensed the air in the room growing heavy. Thinking the tension stemmed from their awkward history, he called for a servant to bring more food, hoping to shift the mood.
While the meal was being prepared for Declan, the Seneschal quietly approached the Crown Prince. After hearing a whispered report, his expression turned troubled.
[Hayden] "Oh, what should I do? It seems a matter has arisen that requires my immediate attention."
The moment she heard those words, she felt what little appetite she had left vanish completely.
The cozy atmosphere had been shattered the moment Declan barged in; now, the room felt like a bed of thorns. To make matters worse, Hayden—her only source of protection—was leaving. She already felt suffocated.
Still, she didn't want to show her weakness to Declan.
[Vanessa] "I understand. Please, go ahead."
She spoke with a forced air of indifference.
Hayden stepped closer and pressed a brief, apologetic kiss to the back of her hand. He then glanced at Declan, who was sitting beside her.
[Hayden] "Since it has come to this, let go of your grudge and try to be kind to her."
It was the sight of a man entrusting his woman to another.
Declan let out a short, dry laugh, a cigar already between his lips.
Hayden had to hurry out of the dining hall before he could even begin to decipher the meaning of that laugh.
A strange, heavy silence settled between the two of them.
Though her mouth tasted bitter, she acted as if nothing were wrong, picking up her fork and knife to cut her meat. As she went to take a bite, a pungent scent suddenly pierced her nose. He had already lit his cigar.
His sharp cheeks hollowed and filled as he exhaled. Smoke and the acrid scent of tobacco drifted over the fine food. It was a display of manners so wretched it would ruin anyone's appetite.
Since Hayden was gone, she saw no reason to suppress her feelings any longer.
[Vanessa] "Why did you come here?"
She spoke while keeping her eyes fixed on her plate.
Unlike the soft, gentle tone she used with the Crown Prince, her voice now bristled with thorns.
Declan furrowed his brow, clearly sensing her displeasure. His obsessive gaze remained pinned to her profile.
Suddenly, her hand stopped mid-motion. Declan, who had been glaring at her intensely, had ground out his half-finished cigar directly onto her plate. It was a cold, silent protest against being ignored.
The food, scorched by the red embers, turned a sickly black.
[Vanessa] "..."
The sight brought back a memory of red flower petals pressed against the ground, never to see the light of day. Petals that were so like her—and her love.
Her chest burned with rage, but her mind grew strangely cold.
[Declan] "Tell him you won't marry him."
He spoke while grinding the cigar deeper into the ruined meal. His tone was overbearing, clearly viewing her as his subordinate. It was a display of horrific arrogance, as if he were certain she had no choice but to obey.
She answered without a moment's hesitation.
[Vanessa] "And why should I?"
Declan pulled his hand away, leaving the cigar stuck in the food. The ivory plate Hayden had specially prepared for her, delicately decorated with floral patterns, was now covered in black ash.
Declan’s rudeness had defiled his kindness.
[Declan] "Do you even have to ask?"
The same long fingers that had held the cigar now gripped her chin. Irritated that she had avoided his gaze until now, he forced her face toward his, leaning in close.
[Declan] "Because you are already married to me."
Hearing his gravelly voice made her chest feel tight, as if she were trapped underwater.
The communication that had begun to fail even before their regression continued to remain unchanged. It was as if they were speaking two different languages. She wanted to retract her past judgment of him as a serious man she could talk to.
[Vanessa] "I told you."
She grabbed his arm and pried his hand off her chin. She expected a violent struggle, but his hand came away surprisingly easily.
[Vanessa] "I am no longer your wife."
[Declan] "..."
[Vanessa] "So, do not give me orders."
She turned her head away again, as if that were all she had to say. She was too exhausted to continue this bickering.
At some point, talking to him had become a chore that made her wince with effort. It had started the moment Declan stopped genuinely listening to anything she said.
[Declan] "Stop ignoring me."
Finally reaching his limit, he grabbed her arm, his voice raw and strained.
She let out an involuntary, hollow laugh. He furrowed his brow as if asking what was so funny.
[Vanessa] "You were the same."
[Declan] "What?"
[Vanessa] "You ignored my words, my actions, and everything about me."
[Declan] "..."
[Vanessa] "Why? Does it feel bad now that it's happening to you?"
She had pleaded with him countless times. To stop the killing, to grant her a divorce, to release her, to let her go.
And what had he done? He hadn't listened to a single word. He had acted exactly as he pleased, only dragging her deeper into hell.
Every time she chewed on those wretched memories, a fresh surge of misery rose within her.
Vanessa sharply shook off his arm. She elegantly pushed the soiled plate aside and pulled another toward her.
[Vanessa] "If you only came here to speak such nonsense, would you please leave?"
She felt his icy gaze piercing her, but she stubbornly looked straight ahead.
[Vanessa] "I don't want my time with Hayden to be interrupted—especially not by you."
Her refusal to even look at him was the ultimate dismissal of an uninvited guest. She calmly finished her command and picked up her fork.
But she couldn't take a single bite.
Suddenly, her cheek was seized, and something soft and firm pressed against her lips.
[Vanessa] "Mmph!"
The moment she realized what was happening, she shoved at his shoulders. The fork fell from her hand, hitting the floor with a loud clang. But he didn't budge. Far from pulling away, he grew even more forceful.
Her eyes, wide with shock, finally looked directly at him. Neither she nor he closed their eyes. It didn't feel like a kiss; it felt like they were clashing blades in a life-or-death struggle.
No matter how much she pushed, his frame—as solid as a rock—did not move an inch. In the midst of her violent struggle, the chair lost its balance and tipped over.
[Vanessa] "...!"
She fell to the floor, but felt no impact. His large hand had cushioned her head. Even then, he refused to break the kiss. In a fit of rage, she bit down hard on his lip.
[Declan] "Ugh!"
The taste of blood spread between them. The weight that had been stifling her breath finally pulled away.
She lay on the floor, covering her throbbing lips with the back of her hand as she glared up at him. His swirling blue eyes looked down at her as if they might swallow her whole.
In the midst of the strange silence, a frantic knocking sounded from behind the closed door.
[Elliot] "My Lady! Is something wrong?"
The heavy thud of their fall must have reached the hallway. Startled by the presence outside, she finally snapped back to her senses.
[Vanessa] "I'm fine. It's nothing."
She answered after a beat, adding that Elliot didn't need to come in.
She then glared at the man above her with all her might. Declan, looming over her, wiped the blood from his lip with his hand. Even though it clearly hurt, he was smiling.
[Declan] "I suppose I have to go this far to get you to look at me."
With blood on his mouth, his smile looked like that of a madman. Regardless of the method, he seemed satisfied that he had forced her gaze back to him.
She stared back at him, her eyes filled with loathing for his reckless behavior.
[Vanessa] "Move."
[Declan] "I expected as much, but that actually hurt quite a bit."
[Vanessa] "I told you to move."
[Declan] "Why? Are you going to kick me this time?"
[Vanessa] "I will if you want me to."
She spoke sharply, but it didn't seem to faze him in the least. He lazily licked the blood from his lip and brushed a stray lock of her hair against the floor.
[Declan] "Vanessa."
[Vanessa] "..."
[Declan] "Don't make this bigger than it needs to be out of spite. Listen to me."
His voice fell like a sharpened arrow.
Struck by it, a corner of her heart began to ache.
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