Acidity of Regret Ch 83
- Feb 4
- 9 min read
Steps moved here and there, unable to remain in one spot. It was a restless movement, an agitation that could be felt from a great distance.
Behind him, a knight asked,
[Elliot] "It would be best to wait inside, as we will inform you the moment they arrive. How about waiting there?"
The master of this anxiety, however, firmly shook his head. Furthermore, the complexions of the knights who made the suggestion were equally poor; anyone watching would have thought they were all attending a funeral together.
After a brief moment, that felt like an eternity passed.
In the distance, a carriage emblazoned with the crest of the Ingzella Empire appeared as a small dot before rapidly approaching. The carriage soon came to a halt in front of the main gate, its door opened, and Crown Prince Hayden stepped out first.
Ordinarily, it would have been proper to show respect the moment he appeared, but no one in the Count's household had the mental capacity for such formalities. Everyone’s attention was fixed solely on the interior of the carriage, where Hayden reached out his hand.
A wrist as thin as dry kindling emerged. When the owner of that hand finally revealed herself outside the carriage, Count Rohawk threw aside his dignity, his eyes reddening.
[Count] "Vanessa!"
Count Rohawk pulled his daughter, who had finally returned to his arms, into a hug and thanked the Goddess repeatedly.
From the moment he heard the news that his daughter had disappeared from the banquet hall, he had been half out of his mind. She was his only daughter, whom he had raised with the utmost care after the passing of his wife—a child so precious he wouldn't mind if she were in his very eyes.
His feelings upon receiving the report were identical to those he felt during the bizarre kidnapping incident she experienced as a child. A fog-like dark cloud had rolled in, staining his insides black. Back then, she had returned to his arms without any issues through the protection of the Goddess, but there was no guarantee that it would happen again.
His heart had dropped to his feet, and no matter how he tried to lift his spirits, he could not control his emotions. He felt as though his blood was drying and his bones were rotting with every passing second, wondering if his daughter was suffering somewhere even as he stood there. His appetite had vanished, and he frequently missed meals, leaving him just as gaunt as she was.
[Count] "Are you alright? Hmm? Come, lift your face and let me see you."
His touch, filled with the hardships of the past weeks, was both tender and frantic.
Vanessa lifted her head, following the hands that cupped her cheeks. Within her blurred vision, she saw her father, the maid Dina, Elliot, and many other people of the Count’s estate.
It had been quite some time since she crossed the border and entered the Empire, but only now did it feel real that she had returned to the embrace she missed. Her lips parted as if to say something, but she closed her eyes and leaned into her father’s chest.
It was a reaction vastly different from the kidnapping incident of her childhood. There was no need to ask in detail what had happened. Her pale complexion was answer enough. It was only natural that Count Rohawk’s anger soared to the top of his head upon realizing this.
[Count] "I sincerely thank you for bringing my daughter back personally, Your Imperial Highness. Regarding this matter, I hope for a rigorous investigation into the truth and a formal inquiry."
[Hayden] "Count."
[Count] "You surely will not shield him because he is a collateral relative of the Imperial Family."
Even before the prestige of the Grand Duke Vinkart family, the Count's fierce eyes did not waver.
Hayden knew the target of that sinister emotion was not himself, but perhaps because the Count was the man who might one day be his father-in-law, Hayden remained cautious in the face of his indignation.
[Vanessa] "Father."
Vanessa, who had been held in his arms the entire time, suddenly lifted her head.
[Vanessa] "I...... do not want such a thing."
Words flowed from her mouth that would not have been strange for the Count to find shocking.
[Count] "What? What do you mean by that?"
[Vanessa] "I am sorry for making you worry. But I do not want to be the subject of gossip because of this incident. Nothing happened to me. Seriously, nothing...... So I wish for this matter to end here."
The Count could not hide his bewilderment at his daughter’s words and quickly turned to Hayden. It seemed the discussion had already concluded between them, as Hayden also wore a troubled expression, but took her side.
[Hayden] "If that is what she wishes, the Imperial Palace intends to keep this commotion quiet."
[Count] "Hah......"
He was utterly lost for words, still unable to manage the anger surging within him. Not only him, but every member of the Count’s household who had been listening while shifting their eyes back and forth had the same reaction.
He quickly regained his senses and asked her.
[Count] "Vanessa, why is that? Hmm? If it is because you fear there might be some retaliation......"
She shook her head as she pulled away from his embrace.
[Vanessa] "It isn't anything like that."
[Count] "Then why are you doing this? Tell me the reason."
The Count was a man with more flexibility than other nobles, someone who generally sought to resolve matters without making them complicated. While that was his original nature, it was also thanks to his efforts to be generous in all things so as not to tarnish the glory of a family that had served the Goddess for generations.
However, he had no intention of letting this pass easily. Like most fathers, he could endure unfair treatment himself, but he could not stand to see his daughter treated poorly.
[Vanessa] "I do not want to be involved with him any longer."
But when she spoke those words with a face clearly marked by exhaustion, the stubbornness that had risen to the edge of his lips vanished in an instant. Instead, he immediately worried that his actions might have caused her to recall unpleasant memories. The indignation boiling inside him was significant, but it was not more important than his daughter’s pain.
Hayden, who had been quietly listening to the father and daughter’s conversation, settled the situation in a low voice.
[Hayden] "I will ensure that word does not spread outside as much as possible, so do not worry. We plan to move up the date of the national wedding anyway, so it wouldn't be good for strange rumors to circulate."
[Count] "Pardon? Moving up the national wedding......?"
[Hayden] "Count, let us speak about that together. I believe it would be best for Vanessa to get some rest."
Hayden wrapped his arm around her shoulder before letting go. The Count agreed and stated that he would go directly to the drawing room after taking her to her bedroom.
Watching her retreat, Hayden brushed back his silver hair. Only then did the face he had barely maintained with composure harden slightly.
When he had rushed to the Duchy upon hearing of her disappearance, he had been repeatedly barred from entry, starting from the gates. The reason given was military matters related to monsters, but it was an attitude that was clearly intended to hide Vanessa. However, knowing that this northern land was the fortress protecting the Empire from monsters, he could not easily argue back.
In the first place, he had headed to the Duchy blindly based on suspicion alone, so he lacked the physical evidence to force the closed gates open immediately.
For that reason, while he was waiting endlessly at the border, a carriage bearing the flag of the Duchy appeared before him, filling him with a deep sense of frustration. He feared that the operation shared by Count Quasar had failed.
Therefore, he could not help but be more dumbfounded than anyone else when he saw Vanessa stepping out of that carriage.
[Vanessa] "I think it would be better to move up the national wedding."
He couldn't describe how shocked he was when she brought up that topic first inside the returning carriage. On the other hand, he was curious about what on earth had happened with Declan that caused her to accept a proposal she had previously regarded as unwelcome.
Of course, even amidst that, his base jealousy toward Declan intensified. To think that Declan was the decisive factor in moving up the wedding. His pride was wounded.
Did it not seem as if he was still an existence that exerted a profound influence on her?
After saying those words, Vanessa had looked only out the window for the entire journey back.
The skin beneath her parched eyes was dark yet red. It was evidence that she had not slept properly for days, and also evidence that she had cried just before meeting him.
In fact, as her fiancé, Hayden was in a position where he could ask what had happened. However, he did not want to push her any further when she exuded a precarious and pitiful atmosphere, as if she would collapse at a single touch.
Thus, while his questions remained, he could not express them. Rather, there was a somewhat calculated thought that comforting and consoling her at this moment would be a better way to earn points. There was also a feeling that it was a meaningless endeavor unless she trusted him enough to speak first.
Still......
Hayden leaned against the carriage and tugged at his cravat. Even though he tried to pull himself together several times, a wave of frustration would wash over him like a tidal wave. He felt as though he was learning once again that unrequited love was exhausting.
As if proving that, his steps toward the drawing room were slower and heavier than usual.
*****
Meanwhile.
[Dina] "My Lady, are you alright? If you feel like anything is wrong, please call me at any time. I will come running immediately."
She gripped the blanket Dina was tucking around her and nodded.
As if not wanting to bother her further, Dina quickly exited with a greeting, telling her to rest.
Vanessa took a swift look around the bedroom, which was suddenly bathed in silence, and slowly closed her eyes.
However, her eyes snapped open again at the afterimages flickering in her mind.
[Vanessa] "I always want to die......"
The moment she spat out those words, tears flowed endlessly as if the final thread of patience she had been holding had snapped.
Declan had stood there, unable to even breathe, watching her blankly. He was clearly shocked by the miscarriage he had only just learned about.
Then, suddenly, fierce pain struck her chest. In the next moment, she was gasping for air like someone who had suffered a great shock.
Not knowing if it was her stomach or her chest, she clutched at a vague area and crawled across the floor, wheezing, while a deathly pale Declan picked her up.
[Declan] "Vanessa!"
[Vanessa] "Let...... go of me!"
But even in her pain, his touch was so sickeningly terrible that she couldn't bear it without struggling. To him, it must have been a feeble resistance, but he withdrew his hands as she wished.
[Vanessa] "I hate it......"
It was only after she blinked away her tears that she caught a glimpse of his face; it was the most pathetic she had ever seen it.
[Vanessa] "Let me...... go."
[Declan] "......"
[Vanessa] "If I stay there, I will eventually end up making the same choice......"
That was the only thing she could say after wandering and being lost in all kinds of pain.
Honestly, based on the man he had been until now, she thought it wouldn't be strange if he ignored her plea and dragged her back to the Grand Duke’s castle immediately. But for some reason, Declan, with a face deeply shadowed by darkness, simply let her go. Her heart was still pounding because she couldn't believe his actions.
She had no way of knowing what kind of expression he wore then. Because then, and even after, she never once looked back toward where he was.
After staring into space for a moment, Vanessa fumbled as she sat up. She approached the robe Dina had neatly set aside and rummaged through the inner pocket. She grasped the marriage contract his aide had handed her.
She unfolded it and stared at it blankly. She saw the names of a man and a woman written side by side over a fingerprint that looked exactly like a tear stain. The space where Declan’s seal should have been was blank. She stared intently at the empty space before heading toward the candlestick.
As she brought the paper to the sharp tip of the flame, the bright red fire began to nibble away at the contract.
By the time the tips of her fingers felt a bit of heat, it had vanished without a trace. As she took a deep breath, the acrid smell of burning filled her lungs.
Her gaze, which had been wandering through the air following the gray smoke, was soon withdrawn, and she went back to her bed and lay down.
Just before she closed her eyes, a tear rolled down, as if a sob she couldn't swallow had leaked out. It left a mark on the pillow before quickly soaking in and disappearing.
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