Acidity of Regret Ch 97
- Feb 19
- 7 min read
Vanessa stroked the stray hairs tickling her neck as her gaze drifted to the stack of correspondence on her desk.
An ivory envelope, elegantly embossed with gold foil, sat atop the pile. Habit guided her hand to lift it; the name [Hayden di Ingerote] graced the cover in fine, swirling script.
Two years.
[Hayden] "I will wait for you. For exactly two years, I will wait."
Those were his only words when he visited Evarn County two months after the national wedding collapsed.
She might have preferred a blunt accusation, but Hayden had remained frustratingly kind to the bitter end.
True to his word, he had sent letters faithfully for two years. Each one reflected his warm, affectionate nature. Yet, a stain of guilt sat heavy in her chest, preventing her from ever penning a reply. Once she resolved to cut him out of her life, she believed it best to offer no hope at all.
Those two years had finally passed. His letters had ceased.
She tucked his old messages aside and sifted through the day’s mail. Her fingers halted. A slip of light green parchment sat wedged between the letters from the capital.
Unlike the others, which arrived neatly sealed in envelopes to identify the sender, this was a single, lonely sheet of folded stationery. No return address. No name.
She unfolded the paper, read the single line of text, and scowled.
[Vanessa] "Dina."
She handed the paper to her maid without a word. Dina’s cheerful expression vanished into a deep grimace the moment she scanned the writing.
[Dina] "Good heavens, another one?"
These anonymous notes had begun arriving two months ago. The mystery lay not in the content, but in the delivery; no one could explain how they reached her private bedchamber. When the first one appeared, the butler conducted an investigation that yielded nothing.
No one had delivered it. Even the maid who brought the morning mail knew nothing of the green slip.
Unless it passed through a servant’s hands, only one conclusion remained: someone slipped into her bedroom unseen and left it there. She had tried changing rooms and doubling the watch, but the notes continued to appear with ghostly precision.
Dina dropped the paper onto the table as if the touch alone might curse her. The green parchment sat in a patch of sunlight, yet it seemed to radiate a dark, sickly energy.
The words burned into Vanessa’s mind.
—"You are as lovely as ever today."
The notes had persisted for over two months—unsolicited declarations of love that began with claims of "love at first sight." The sender’s anonymity only made the sentiments more repulsive.
[Dina] "I don't understand why these things keep happening to you, My Lady......"
Unwanted suitors were nothing new in Vanessa’s life. In the capital, men often threw themselves in front of her moving carriage just to catch a glimpse of her face, to say nothing of the mountain of anonymous love letters.
The power of House Rohawk usually shielded her from such threats. The problem now was her location.
Count Evarn treated her with the utmost respect, and her life here was comfortable. However, his hospitality could not replicate her father’s iron-clad security. She was a guest, and guests existed outside the absolute protection of a home's inner sanctum.
The thought that a member of the household might be responsible for these notes sent a shiver down her spine.
[Dina] "Shouldn't we speak to the former Count?"
Vanessa bit her lip, then nodded.
[Vanessa] "I suppose we must."
She had remained silent to avoid causing trouble for her hosts, but the situation had reached its limit. It was better to flush out the culprit now than to wait for a disaster.
Late remedies were no remedies at all.
[Dina] "Don't worry, My Lady. We'll resolve this quickly. Besides, I’ll never leave your side."
She managed a small smile at Dina’s clenched fists.
[Dina] "Do you think...... it could be the Grand Duke?"
Dina’s eyes darted around suspiciously. Vanessa’s smile vanished. She touched her stiff lips and slowly shook her head.
[Vanessa] "It doesn't seem like him."
The handwriting differed, and the timing didn't align. These letters started two months ago; Declan could not have stayed away from his Duchy for that long.
Furthermore, did he possess the temperament for such cowardly, lurking behavior? Despite her suspicions, the evidence against him felt thin.
A cold, mocking laugh bubbled in her throat.
Why do I even bother defending him?
Vanessa, of all people, had fallen most cruelly into the traps he laid. Yet, the image of him kneeling before her, begging for a forgiveness he didn't deserve, remained vivid.
He was the type of man to demand an audience to your face, not slip notes under a pillow.
[Vanessa] "No, it isn't him."
The denial lacked total conviction, leaving a sliver of doubt. Since anxiety thrives on uncertainty, the two women decided to drop the subject.
[Dina] "The weather has turned quite cold. It wouldn't be strange if it snowed tomorrow."
[Vanessa] "I agree."
[Dina] "Once the snow falls, it will be our third winter here."
She whispered as she pulled the curtains.
Vanessa sat on the edge of the bed and gazed out the window.
[Dina] "Did you know, My Lady? They say if you confess your love on the day of the first snow, that love will surely come true."
[Vanessa] "Is that so? Then you must make sure you're with Tommy that day."
The mention of the name turned Dina’s cheeks the color of a ripe apricot. She waved her hands in frantic denial, but the blush betrayed her.
Vanessa chuckled at the innocent reaction.
Tommy was the gardener’s assistant, a simple, honest man who had joined the estate a year ago. He was a foreigner who had immigrated through the county’s small port.
[Vanessa] "Are you not going to see him today?"
[Dina] "Oh, My Lady! Why would I have any reason to see him......?"
Her eyes drifted toward the gardens anyway. Her honesty made her even more endearing.
Vanessa saw a shadow of her younger self in the maid. Because her own first experience with love had been a lethal poison, such pure emotions had long since faded from her own heart.
[Dina] "Speaking of winter...... the Brahms Flower Festival should be starting soon. I wonder if they’ll hold it this year?"
The Brahms Flower Festival was a local tradition. Before winter fully gripped the land, the townspeople decorated the plaza with the last of the season’s blooms. Since Evarn sat in the warmer south, the variety of flowers far surpassed anything in the capital.
Vanessa had attended twice before. The sight of the plaza, transformed into a lush, floral hill, was breathtaking.
However, rumors of a cancellation circulated this year. Bandits had recently occupied Mount Siltria behind the county. These thugs had already begun raiding merchant caravans. While they hadn't descended into the village yet, their presence was a looming shadow. Opinion was split on whether a festival was safe.
[Vanessa] "It used to be so quiet here......"
She sighed. Last year had passed without a single worry. But since the start of this year—or more accurately, the last two months—disturbances had begun to ripple through her peaceful life.
Is it because I ran into him?
The world felt louder, more chaotic today.
Feeling the unease seep through the cracks of her tranquility, she lay her head on the pillow.
It didn't feel like a coincidence that problems surfaced just as he reappeared.
It was as if Declan Vinkart was the source of every misfortune in her life.
[Declan] "Vanessa."
The memory of his embrace as the horse charged surfaced unbidden. She remembered how he moved without hesitation to save her, and the sight of his mangled hand.
[Vanessa] "......"
She thought she had emptied her heart of him, yet his sudden reappearance stirred a familiar whirlwind in her soul.
She thought of the allowance Count Rohawk sent her. It was more than enough to cover any high-level medical treatment he might need.
She closed her eyes, praying she would never have to see him again.
The Brahms Flower Festival proceeded as planned. The authorities decided that canceling due to the threat of bandits would only spread unnecessary panic among the residents.
Vanessa attended with Dina. In truth, she left the mansion not just for the festivities, but because of the former Count’s request.
A week prior, she had confessed everything regarding the creepy letters.
[Former Count] "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"
[Vanessa] "I thought it was nothing."
[Former Count] "Vanessa, if something happened to you, how could I look your father in the eye? Never hesitate to speak of such things."
The former Count suspected an insider. He arranged for a discreet investigation of the entire staff—from knights to lowly servants—to take place while Vanessa was away at the festival.
He had known her since she was a child and understood the bizarre troubles that often followed her beauty.
Knowing what obsessive men were capable of when cornered, he insisted she stay clear of the house during the search.
[Dina] "My Lady, over here!"
The plaza was a riot of color and cheer.
Pushing her worries aside, Vanessa followed Dina through the stalls. The air had grown so cold that her breath billowed in white clouds. She adjusted her collar against the chill.
[Vanessa] "Hmm?"
A tug at the hem of her robe stopped her. She looked down to find a young girl, barely tall enough to reach her waist. The child wore a crown of woven flowers and beamed at Vanessa. In her other hand, she held a matching circlet.
The girl reached up, offering the gift. Vanessa understood the gesture. She knelt, lowering her hood to let the child reach her head.
[Girl] "You're pretty."
The girl’s eyes sparkled as she placed the vibrant crown on Vanessa’s head.
She smiled at the girl’s rosy cheeks.
[Vanessa] "Is this a gift for me?"
[Girl] "Yes!"
[Vanessa] "Thank you."
She took the girl’s tiny hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. The child erupted into a giggle that sounded like a bird’s chirp.
[Man] "Rosalie! You disappeared again. Ah, please forgive her, My Lady."
A man, presumably the father, hurried over and bowed repeatedly.
Vanessa quickly pulled her hood back over her head and waved off his apologies.
She stood still, watching the man carry the laughing child away into the crowd.
Comments