It's Too Late for Regrets - Chapter 13.4

“Well… okay.”

 

Ines also responded plainly, showing no sign of being shaken.

 

“Then, what should we do that day? You choose.”

 

“Me?”

 

“Yes. You always ask me what I want to do. This time, you do what you want. Anything is fine.”

 

Ines frowned slightly after saying that. Because she turned her head to look at him, the heartbeat she had been feeling on her lips disappeared.

 

Rayan slowly lifted his eyes to meet the blue ones looking at him.

 

“Just so you know, I don’t want to stay in the bedroom all day. It’s exhausting.”

 

“…”

 

“And that would mean leaving Caesar alone for a long time.”

 

Her firm voice made it clear there was no room for negotiation. A slow smile crept across Rayan’s lips.

 

“Got it. I won’t keep you too long. If you help me, we might even finish—”

 

“No need to add anything unnecessary.”

 

“Okay.”

 

He answered obediently and gave her a small kiss.

 

“Friday is mine. You promised.”

 

“Yes.”

 

Ines still replied indifferently as she snuggled back into his arms.

 

“If you’re going to be away for the weekend, that’s a good time for me to visit the Earl of Irope’s family. I heard Celia still hasn’t woken up, and I’m a bit worried.”

 

“You don’t need to worry about that woman. If she hadn’t entered your body, she should have died a long time ago.”

 

“But she didn’t die in the end. A noble lady suffered in this body for two years. It must have been hard for her…”

 

“Don’t talk like that, Ines. There’s nothing wrong with you.”

 

“I’m weak, sick, not as beautiful as Celia…”

 

“What are you saying?”

 

Rayan cut her off like he couldn’t bear to hear it. As if trying to prove her wrong with his actions, he gently held her hand and kissed the back of it.

 

“You’re the prettiest. In the whole world.”

 

“…Sure. Anyway, I was sick, that’s true. I won’t be much help, but I at least want to check on her face. I heard priests visit the count’s house every Thursday. If I ask the archbishop, I might be able to sneak in with them without causing a scene.”

 

“…If that’s really what you want.”

 

Rayan nodded, although he didn’t seem happy about it. Then he immediately started asking what they’d do starting the next Tuesday.

 

Only after Ines roughly listed out her two-week schedule could she escape his flood of questions.

 

 

As promised, on Tuesday they visited a woodworker’s workshop on the outskirts of the capital.

 

Caesar personally chose a piece of wood he liked, and Ines asked them to carve all three of their names on a small wooden boat.

 

On Wednesday, Ines met Edgar one last time at La Celia Cathedral.

 

Perhaps because it was right before departure, Edgar seemed especially on edge about the security around the bishop’s office that day.

 

Then, on Thursday, Ines and Caesar baked a cake in the kitchen with Berry. The rich smell of butter filled the whole house, and even the servants swallowed unconsciously.

 

Rayan hated anything sweet like sugar or butter, but he couldn’t refuse the cookies and cake Ines offered him. Since she made them and they were clearly good both in taste and appearance, he ate them — but it was obvious he wasn’t enjoying it.

 

Both Ines and Caesar laughed at how terrible he was at hiding his expression. That day passed like that.

 

And finally, it was Friday.

 

 

The sun rose.

 

Rayan opened his eyes and once again recalled today’s date.

 

‘…Friday.’

 

A Friday in mid-July.

 

Today was the day the secret pilgrimage group headed for Jenaire would begin their journey.

 

He slowly sat up in bed. Though he had kept his eyes closed all through the early morning, he hadn’t slept a wink.

 

He was afraid that if he opened his eyes, he’d rush over and throw open the door to the next room and check again and again — so he had forced himself to stay in the bedroom.

 

The air inside was filled with the strong, sharp scent of sleep candles.

 

For an ordinary person, just a few seconds of exposure would make them dizzy and fall asleep in minutes. The scent was so strong it felt more like poison than a sleeping aid.

 

He had lit five or six of them at once just to completely empty his head, but it didn’t work.

 

Instead, the strong scent acted more like a stimulant. His heart pounded, and his mouth kept drying out.

 

‘Is she still here?’

 

To join the pilgrimage group, she would have to leave the house early in the morning.

 

He already knew the departure time and the secret route. Rayan could tell exactly where Ines was planning to go.

 

But he deliberately did nothing.

 

For the past 17 days, reports detailing Ines’s movements had been piling up in the safe in his study. But once those reports went in, they never came back out.

 

Because he promised to trust her. Because lying again would be worse than death…

 

In the end, Rayan couldn’t stand it anymore and got up. His hand trembled irregularly as he gripped the sheet, and he had to clench it into a tight fist.

 

Throwing on a robe carelessly, he stood in front of the bedroom door — and then, his sensitive ears caught a soft rustling sound.

 

It came from the hallway beyond the door.

 

Suddenly, a chill colder than winter wind crawled down his spine.

 

Soft footsteps. A slightly slow pace.

 

Even with just that faint sound, he could tell it was Ines.

 

The footsteps gradually approached his bedroom. To go downstairs from Ines and Caesar’s room, she had to pass by his.

 

His clenched fist slowly loosened. Then, the next moment, gritting his teeth, he reached for the doorknob.

 

But before he could roughly swing the door open, he heard a click — the doorknob turned on its own.

 

Someone outside had grabbed and turned it first.

 

Rayan held his breath and stared as the door slowly opened. Even with all the sleep candles, his mind had never gone blank — until now.

 

“…?”

 

Through the crack in the door, he saw a glimpse of a white nightgown and dark hair.

 

It was Ines. She looked surprised to see him standing right behind the door she had been about to open quietly.

 

“Rayan?”

 

“…”

 

“You’re not asleep? Ugh, what’s with this strong sleep candle smell…”

 

She frowned and pushed the door wide open.

 

Rayan instinctively stepped back a few paces but didn’t take his eyes off her.

 

Her nightgown was wrinkled, and her hair was loosely tied back. She clearly came straight from bed.

 

“How many candles did you even light? Doesn’t your head hurt? I’ll open the window.”

 

Ines muttered as she brushed past him into the room. Covering her nose and mouth with her sleeve, she blew out the candles that were already burnt down and opened all the windows.

 

The stuffy air burst out, and the cool early morning breeze of summer flowed in. Only then did Rayan’s mind begin to breathe again.

 

“Why… did you come here?”

 

“Hm?”

 

While putting out the last candle, Ines turned to look at him and gave a faint smile.

 

“I just woke up early and couldn’t sleep. No special reason.”

 

“…”

 

“Is that not okay?”

 

Rayan slowly shook his head, dazed. Maybe the candles were finally working — his thoughts felt one step slower.

 

Ines came closer and suddenly reached out to touch his forehead.

 

“You feel a little warm… You won’t be able to do anything today at this rate.”

 

“…”

 

“Let’s just rest today. Try to get some sleep, even now.”

 

“…No. I slept a lot.”

 

Rayan kissed her white cheek as if trying to check with his lips whether she was really standing in front of him.

 

His whole body still felt like it was wrapped in a thick fog, but the soft skin touching the most sensitive part of him was real.

 

Only then did Rayan let out a long breath, as if a dam had finally broken.

 

“…You scared me. It’s not even sunrise, and you left your room…”

 

“I can leave if I want to.”

 

“…Yeah.”

 

He dropped his forehead lightly on her small shoulder, and Ines gently patted his back. Rayan managed to squeeze out his words.

 

“Let’s eat breakfast and go for a walk. Toward the city wall…”

 

“Will you be okay?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

Today was Friday. Rayan closed his eyes.

 

Ines was still here.

 

…How long would she stay?

 

 

On Saturday, Rayan was scheduled to leave the estate.

 

The reason was an order to inspect the repair site of the northern border wall in Lezan.

 

The trip would take four days.

 

Naturally, it was expected that he would bring Ines and Caesar with him, but unexpectedly, Rayan left the estate with only his knight escort.

 

“I have no idea what they’re thinking. Both of them.”

 

Robert looked uneasily back and forth between Ines and the window. Outside, the large iron gate of the estate slowly opened and then began to close again.

 

“I thought they’d leave over the weekend, but not even that. Ines?”

 

“That man would never let me go so easily. He’s trying to read my next move.”

 

Ines gently touched the anemones in the vase by the window. The red flowers were already wilted and drying from the midsummer heat.

 

“He’s not only sharp but smart too. I haven’t even tried to hide it, so he must already have some idea. And if he left the estate on purpose even knowing that…”

 

“…It means he’s testing you?”

 

“That’s probably it. By now, I bet there are tons of watchers following the pilgrimage group that just left the capital.”