It's Too Late for Regrets - Chapter 11.3

Caesar cried for a long time.
It was clear he cried so sadly because he realized Ines remembered him again. Or maybe it was triggered when he saw Ines shed tears.
Even if he was more mature than other kids his age, he was still only six years old. He must have finally reached his limit after holding it in for so long.

 

Not only Rayan, but also Robert, Berry, and even Kian, who had been watching the reunion, had never seen Caesar cry like that.

 

“It’s okay. Mommy’s here now. Mommy won’t cry anymore. I promise, okay?”

 

Even though Ines did her best to comfort him, Caesar couldn’t stop crying.
He cried so hard that Rayan’s shirt collar became completely wet.
He only fell asleep, exhausted, after Ines took him into her arms.

 

“I’m sorry. I should’ve come back sooner…”

 

After the joy and tears of the reunion had settled down, a deep sorrow overwhelmed Ines.
How could she have forgotten, even for a moment, that this lovely child was her son?
She hugged her child tightly and whispered in his ear.

 

“I’ll stay by your side from now on. No matter what, I promise.”

 

She rubbed her face against his soft cheeks and took a deep breath.
Watching Caesar cry so helplessly had torn her apart, but now she was slowly putting the pieces of her heart back together.

 

Rayan, however, looked uneasy watching her.

 

“Ines, should I carry him instead?”

 

“…No.”

 

“It’ll be hard going up to the third floor like that.”

 

“It’s fine.”

 

Ines walked past him and began climbing the grand staircase.
Only then did the silent people around them let out sighs and murmurs.

 

The first person she faced was Kian, leaning against the railing.
She met her old friend’s eyes for a moment.

 

“It’s been a long time, Kian.”

 

It was only the second time she’d seen Kian in his full human form.
When they were together, he always looked like a creature made of black fog or a lump of darkness.

 

Ines took a good look at his face.

 

I didn’t notice it the first time I saw him before I died, but…

 

His all-black knight uniform suited him well. His long, narrow eyes gave off a sharp impression, but the soft lines of his face somehow resembled hers—almost like siblings.
Even the color of his tied-back hair was similar to hers.

 

“It looks like you’ve adjusted well among humans. You seem much better than when you were with me.”

 

“…More or less.”

 

“That man didn’t treat you badly, did he?”

 

“I’ve wanted to kill him more than once for being arrogant.”

 

Ines chuckled at his flat tone. It wasn’t an empty threat—Kian would eventually devour his host if he stayed attached long enough.

 

“And yet Rayan is still alive, which must mean he has a longer lifespan than me.”

 

“…Eventually, that vessel will crack too.”

 

Rayan’s body was physically stronger than the average human.
But in the end, he was still human—a fragile soul who had endured mental trauma twice.
He would probably go insane before his body gave out.
When that time came, Kian wouldn’t hesitate to tear his limbs apart and consume him.
As long as Ines didn’t stop him.

 

Kian looked at his old friend with a troubled face.

 

“I didn’t think you’d ever return to Eleanor.”

 

“No, I should’ve come back much sooner.”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“You, Caesar, and the few people who were with me—all of you are here.
Everything I lost is here. I only came to get it back.”

 

Kian glanced down the stairs at Rayan, who was staring at him with sharp eyes, hands in his pockets.

 

A dark message from the host filled with impure intentions flowed into him.
The meaning was clear: “If you help her regain her memory, prepare to be thrown into the abyss.”

 

His tone was threatening, but it was easy to see the anxiety swirling behind him.

 

Whatever he had whispered to Ines, it was obvious he had tricked her into coming back here with lies.
But he didn’t realize that bringing her back to Eleanor would only speed up her memory’s return.
Kian never had the power to fully control her mind in the first place.

 

Lie after lie, none of them sweet.

 

“We probably have a lot to catch up on, Kian.”

 

“Yeah.”

 

Ines noticed Rayan’s gaze still fixed on her and Kian. She whispered quietly,

 

“Let’s talk later—tonight, in my bedroom.”

 

With those words, she passed Kian and walked toward Robert and Berry, who were already wiping their tears and comforting each other.
She smiled brightly.

 

“Your beard’s gotten so long in two years, Sir Robert… And Berry, you’ve gotten even prettier.”

 

Robert, his eyes red, reached out and gently patted her head.

 

“We worried about you a lot, my dear. You disappeared so suddenly…”

 

Among the people at the main estate, only Robert and Berry had believed that Ines was still alive and that the Grand Duke would someday bring her back.

 

He was the man who had driven her to death, and so they could never truly care for him.
But at the same time, he was the only one who could find her—because he always did.

 

Robert and Berry had no choice but to cling to that obsessive hope, and in the end, their faith wasn’t in vain.
The pitiful Grand Duchess who had lived a tragic life had returned once again to the Grand Duke’s side.

 

Tears rolled down Robert’s cheeks.

 

“Still… Still, I’m so glad you’re alive. Truly…”

 

“…I’m sorry.”

 

I won’t give up anything ever again.

 

With the heartfelt welcome from two of the few who had cared for her, Ines closed her eyes.
She felt like everything was finally beginning again.

 

Rayan quietly stared at her back.
She had finally returned to his domain—the only woman he could never control.

 

What is she thinking?

 

Why had she come back to him so willingly? Rayan thought for a moment, then let out a bitter laugh.
Maybe it was better not to know.

 

He signaled silently to a waiting knight.

 

“Summon the butler, head maid, chef, and all other department heads to my study. Right now.”

 

 

The butler, who had been urgently summoned, couldn’t understand the order at first. He just moved his lips silently.

 

“You’re saying… to prepare for a renovation? For the Grand Duke’s Hall?”

 

“Yes. For now.”

 

Rayan reached for the flower vase on the window sill, clearly placed there by the head maid.
Inside were five or six fresh roses, beautifully arranged.

 

The knight, used to watching his master hurt himself without warning, flinched—but Rayan didn’t break the vase.
Instead, he grabbed the rose stems tightly in his hand.

 

Red roses were a symbol of Eleanor.
In the estate’s glass greenhouse, roses were grown year-round to decorate the mansion.

 

But now, it was the last thing he wanted to see.

 

Without hesitation, Rayan pulled all the roses out of the vase.
The red petals were crushed beneath his shoes.

 

“Clear everything. I don’t want a single rose petal left.”

 

“P-Pardon? But, Your Grace—”

 

The head maid looked horrified.
Roses were so important in Eleanor that they were even part of the family crest.
No one had ever removed them completely.

 

And this was the prime rose season!

 

“Pull up every rose in the garden. Take down all the floral decorations on the outer walls. Instead…”

 

Rayan paused.
He needed a replacement flower to decorate the estate.

 

What kind of flower does Ines like?

 

He didn’t know.
He wasn’t even sure if she liked flowers at all.

 

Now that he thought about it, Ines had never really made specific requests, except to go out, be let go, or leave.
Of course, Rayan had no idea what her preferences were.

 

Sighing, he ran his hand down his face and then ordered the head maid, who was bowing low.

 

“For now, use anemones.”

 

Anemones were Caesar’s favorite flower.
If the child liked them, then Ines might like them too.

 

Still unsure, Rayan added,

 

“Bring in a variety of seasonal flowers. Anything but roses.”

 

“Yes… Your Grace.”

 

“And start cleaning from the fourth floor down.”

 

“Yes—pardon? By cleaning, do you mean…”

 

“First, take down all the ancestral portraits.”

 

“What?”

 

“Especially my father’s portrait and anything he used while alive—don’t display them in the halls.”

 

This time, not only the head maid, but also the knights and maids standing behind Rayan gasped.

 

“Put all the taken-down portraits in storage and lock the door. Bring me the key. Move quickly.”

 

“Your Grace! But the portraits—!”

 

“The portraits?”

 

Rayan looked down at the head maid coldly.
As if to say, Do you think I don’t know what I’m doing?