Even the Devil Regrets it - Chapter 84

A flash of lightning cut across the western sky.

Juliana stood on the terrace, quietly staring at the sky, which was heavy with dark clouds. She had been watching it for quite some time. Thunder rolled again and again, followed by flashes of lightning.

Today was the day.

The day she had been waiting for. The ship sailing toward the Western Continent would be caught in an unprecedented storm and sink beneath the waves.

As she stood there, unmoving, the sound of someone lightly tapping on the window caught her attention.

“It looks like the rain is about to pour. Why are you just standing here?”

Braeden opened the door to the terrace and stepped out, his face filled with concern.

“Eden, I want to see the sea,” Juliana said.

The words left her lips before she even thought about them. After living so long suppressing her feelings, it surprised her to realize how naturally she could now express what she wanted.

“You want to go to the sea in this weather?”

“Yes. Today is the day everything sinks. The day the Barnett family’s fortune disappears into the ocean.”

“I see. If that is the case, I will not stop you. But you should dress properly.”

Braeden glanced up at the sky, a slight frown forming between his brows.

Still, he did not try to hold her back. Juliana smiled faintly, quietly thankful for his understanding.

Once the rain came, the temperature would drop sharply. Rain after the Harvest Festival always signaled the start of winter.

They both put on thick waterproof cloaks.

“Are you sure all this teleportation doesn’t exhaust you?” Juliana asked as she stood facing Braeden.

He found her question amusing. She had waited so long for this day, and yet she was worried about him instead of herself. She was so kind, it almost made him doubt her ability to carry out revenge.

“Not at all. Do I look like someone who gets tired easily?”

Braeden carefully adjusted the hood of her cloak to keep it in place.

“If you are that worried, maybe you can help me regain my energy during the teleport.”

“Me? How am I supposed to do that?” Juliana asked, eyes wide.

Braeden gave her a playful grin, then leaned down and gently bit her lower lip.

At that moment, their surroundings changed. The two of them were instantly transported to a northern beach.

Her breath caught from the kiss just as rain began to fall heavily onto their cloaks.

“This is not a bad way to travel, is it?”

Braeden smiled and traced her lips with his rain-soaked fingers.

“You are impossible,” Juliana said.

She looked up at the way the rain clung to his dark bangs. Her heart stirred, but she pushed against his chest with a calm expression, trying to stay composed.

The heavy rain and that teasing kiss left her with a strange and lingering feeling.

A sudden boom of thunder cracked across the sky.

A massive bolt of lightning lit up the horizon, streaking down toward the sea.

Their eyes turned naturally toward the ocean. Juliana’s green eyes seemed to glow with intensity, as though they could consume the vast waters in front of her.

She stepped forward, walking slowly toward the edge of the pier. Her shoes and skirt were completely soaked, but she did not care.

Her expression stayed calm and clear.

Braeden followed silently behind her.

The wild and violent sea grew closer. Waves rose high, already far taller than a person.

The strong wind made their cloaks whip loudly in the air. Even though their hoods were tightly fastened, the storm was too harsh for any clothing to keep out.

The cold rain struck her face like ice, but Juliana barely noticed.

As she stood facing the endless, furious sea, her heart swelled with something she could not put into words.

She felt alive.

It was a feeling she could not easily explain, but if she had to name it, it was something close to joy.

How many times in life could someone feel exhilaration in the face of a typhoon? Every time a massive wave surged toward the shore, Juliana felt a thrill so sharp it gave her chills. It was a rush that bordered on ecstasy.

Oh God, I truly am a cruel and unfeeling person.

As she stood before the overwhelming power of nature, Juliana whispered the name of God, filled with awe and wonder.

While she stared at the raging sea, Braeden was staring at her. His gaze was not on the storm but on her, watching carefully where her eyes were fixed.

A man who could become a disaster far worse than any storm realized that her focus was on something far beyond the horizon.

It was as if she could see the very moment the trade ship, carrying the Barnett family’s hopes for sudden wealth, was being split in two by the storm. Her eyes reflected certainty and joy.

He could not look away. A woman seeking revenge had never looked so beautiful.

What strange taste I have, he thought to himself.

Clicking his tongue with quiet amusement, Braeden finally called out to her. She was soaked from the storm, and he could not let her stand there any longer.

“Juliana.”

At the sound of his voice, her green eyes turned toward him, bright and sharp like the lightning above.

“If we stay out here any longer, you’ll catch a cold.”

Her lips had turned pale, exposed to the freezing wind and rain.

She glanced back at the sea, reluctant to leave, but then gave a small nod.

“Yes, I’m ready. Let’s go back.”

The way she turned away from the sea, as if she had let go of the last of her lingering thoughts, made her seem almost childlike. It was unexpectedly endearing.

“You know the price to go back, right? A kiss.”

“What?”

Before she could say anything more, Braeden leaned in and kissed her.

The storm disappeared. They were no longer on the beach but standing in a warm and quiet drawing room. Even so, Braeden did not lift his lips from hers.

Water dripped from their soaked cloaks, falling onto the carpet and leaving dark spots behind.

For a while, the only sounds in the room were the quiet dripping of water and the soft, wet sound of their lips pressing and parting again.

“Shall we take a bath together?”

Braeden finally pulled away, his voice husky and warm.

Juliana, already caught in the heat of the moment, slowly nodded.

“Before we catch a cold, let’s head to the bathroom.”

Braeden carelessly dropped both of their cloaks onto the floor and urged her forward.

It did not seem like he was rushing because of the cold. Juliana felt her face warm with embarrassment, but she said nothing. Her wet clothes clung to her skin, and the discomfort made it easier to pretend nothing was happening.

Aileen, using her upcoming wedding as an excuse, had been bossing around the servants of the count’s household and enjoying every kind of luxury she could get.

She received skin treatments made with crushed pearls and rare oils. Fresh fruit and drinks were always placed within reach, no matter where she sat.

After it became known that she had played a part in Tristan’s trade negotiations with the Western Continent, the Countess could no longer oppose the wedding openly.

Instead, she kept to her own quarters, refusing to see Aileen at all.

This gave Aileen the perfect chance to act as if she were already the lady of the house.

“My belly is really starting to show.”

Aileen looked at herself in the mirror and spoke out loud.

“That’s because you’re carrying a very special baby. And with the wedding dress being so full and elegant, no one will notice at all,” said Betty, the maid Aileen had chosen to keep by her side.

Aileen liked this girl. While most of the servants tried to avoid her, Betty was different.

Maybe it was because the girl’s ambition to seize any opportunity reminded her of herself. Whatever the reason, Aileen found Betty’s cleverness strangely comforting.

While Betty filed her nails and Aileen leaned back on the sofa, the sound of hurried footsteps echoed through the hallway, followed by a sharp knock at the door.

“Come in.”

The door opened, and Laura entered, pale and out of breath. Like Betty, she was one of the personal maids Aileen had chosen to keep close.

“Um, M… Miss Aileen…”

Even though the wedding had not yet taken place, Aileen had ordered the servants to call her “young madam.” She usually enjoyed hearing the title, but today, something about Laura’s tone irritated her.

“What is it? What happened?”

Aileen grew annoyed when Laura hesitated to speak.

“It sounds like something happened to the trade ship headed for the Western Continent. Someone came to see the young master, and the whole house is in chaos…”

“What? What are you talking about?”

Aileen shot to her feet, her voice rising. A problem with the ship? That was impossible.

Just then, the door burst open without warning.

Tristan stormed into the room, his face red with fury. He looked as if he had lost all control.

“Tristan, what’s going on?” Aileen asked sharply.

Tristan frowned at the sound of her demanding tone, then shouted back with even more force.

“The trade ship headed for the Western Continent was caught in a typhoon. It broke apart and sank. It went under just a week before reaching its destination, right off the coast.”

“What about the cargo?”

The sapphires mined almost to exhaustion from the Kerbro mines, and everything the Barnett family had invested in, had been loaded onto that ship.

“All of it sank to the bottom of the sea. What do we do now?”

“All of it? That’s not possible…”

Aileen staggered from the shock. Then she realized from the way he was looking at her that he blamed her. Her shoulders trembled.

“Why are you asking me what to do?”

“You really are shameless. This was your idea. You were the one who pushed me. You said it was a sure thing and told me to invest everything we had. Don’t tell me you forgot.”

Aileen let out a shaky breath at the way his attitude had turned so suddenly, like flipping a coin.

“How is this my fault? How could I have known this would happen?”

“Whether you knew or not doesn’t matter. What matters is that we are about to go bankrupt.”

Aileen’s vision blurred. She could no longer stay on her feet and collapsed onto the floor.

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