It's Too Late for Regrets - Chapter 13.6

Ines carefully slipped out of Rayan’s arms, just as she had done last month.
The man, who hadn’t slept a wink since Friday, couldn’t wake from the rare sleep that had finally come to him.
Even when the hem of Ines’s white dress fluttered like an afterimage and disappeared through the door.

“Your Grace.”

Someone followed behind Ines as she calmly walked down the hallway toward the stairs.
Two guards in uniforms with green satin trim. They had been mixed in among the knights who stood guard outside the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess’s bedroom since the previous night.
One of them quickly shortened the distance with large strides until he was right behind her. There was a faint fluttering sound.
And soon, a thin cloak was draped over Ines’s shoulders.
The white chemise that had shimmered even in the dark was now hidden under a black cloth.
Without surprise, Ines tied the cloak firmly and pulled the hood over her head.

“What about Lord Robert and Berry? Did they get out safely?”

“Yes. They’re waiting in front of the outer wall with the young master. Don’t worry—we got them out safely.”

A quiet reply came to her indifferent question.

<When the Grand Duke came to the capital, I planted spies in the Eleanor estate. They’ll help you get out safely that night. So all you have to do is get away from your brother.>

With determined steps, Ines walked down the main staircase of the mansion.
At some point, the carpet underfoot changed from green to purple. She passed through a corridor where all the portraits of former family members had been taken down and replaced with landscape paintings of the five great views of Eleanor.
Finally, after passing the parlor, she arrived at the entrance of the mansion. There, Ines turned to look back one last time.
The mansion, filled with the blue light of dawn, was unnaturally silent and heavy with gloom.
The doorknob, the stairs and railings, the marble sculptures that filled every space, the sparkling chandelier hanging above the central staircase…
Though filled with expensive and glamorous things, there was nothing in the mansion that truly felt like it belonged to the Grand Duchy. All of it was reflected in her blue eyes.

“…Let’s go.”

Ines turned her back on everything he had prepared for her—on Rayan Eleanor himself.
Then, three horses carrying her and the knights began to gallop past the moonlit artificial lake, heading toward the gates of Randeva.

Robert and Berry paced nervously under the outer wall, unable to hide their anxiety.
They were dressed perfectly like travelers.
So was Caesar, who was in Berry’s arms. He wore neat, plain clothes and a traveler’s cloak.
A few holy knights stood guard around them.
They had been secretly assigned by the royal family and were supposed to guide the group to the La Celia pilgrimage party that had left the capital last Friday.
The pilgrimage group had already arrived in a city near the western border of Lezan. They would likely need to travel non-stop for four days to reach the border on the scheduled day.

Berry, holding Caesar, repeated the same words for the fifth time.

“It’ll be fine, young master.”
“Yeah, it’ll be fine!”
“There won’t be any problems. Once we cross the border, no travel records will be left. If we can get through just three days, things will get much easier…”

But Caesar had never once shown anxiety or said he was worried. He figured his nanny must be the one who was nervous. He smiled brightly at the thought.
Robert came closer and met the boy’s gaze.

“Young master, aren’t you scared? You’re going to a world you’ve never seen before.”

“It’s okay. Mom, Berry, and Robert will all be with me.”

He had already said goodbye to Kian the night before.
Kian didn’t say a word and just stared when Caesar reached out with both arms, asking to be held. When Caesar complained, “It’s our last time, are you going to ignore me like this?” Kian finally came over and hugged him.

<…I’m sorry.>
<For what?>

<Why say that now… If you really feel bad, do me one favor. It’s about my father.>

Caesar couldn’t help but worry about his father.
He hadn’t said goodbye to him the way he had to Kian. Since they were leaving in secret, and even Caesar thought it was better if his father didn’t know in advance, he couldn’t say anything directly.
Instead, for the past two weeks, he spent a lot of time with his father—riding horses, helping build a squirrel house his father had made, and playing in the lake until he was soaking wet.

Though Caesar had done a lot of things with Rayan before, they had never truly shared the moments.
Rayan always had a sense of guilt—feeling he should do something for his son.
And Caesar, fully aware of this, felt a strong sense of duty to reassure his father somehow.
So, the past two weeks had been the first time the two had really done something together as father and son.

As he fiddled with his fingers, Caesar mumbled softly.

“There’s one thing I regret.”
“What is it?”
“I couldn’t say that to Father…”

He moved his lips slightly, then shut his mouth altogether.
Robert, guessing what the boy had meant to say, smiled warmly, his wrinkled face gentle.

“I’m sure His Grace knows. Even if you didn’t say it out loud.”
“…”
“He knows you loved him very much.”

No, he probably doesn’t.
Caesar looked away from Robert and gave a bashful smile.
His father was a smart adult—much smarter than Caesar—but when it came to emotions, he wasn’t good at understanding or expressing them.

Will he be okay on his own? I asked Kian to take care of him, but…

<If Father tries anything, stop him. I’m asking as a friend—and as your second master.>

Caesar really hoped Kian would keep that promise. His face looked slightly troubled.
Seeing the boy’s worry, Robert opened his mouth to say something more—

Then, a faint vibration rose from the ground.
The sound of hooves pounding the earth grew louder.
When Robert and Berry looked up, three horses came galloping through the open gate in the outer wall.

It wasn’t the people they were waiting for.
A man rode like the wind and jumped off with a graceful motion, scanning the group with sharp eyes.
Recognizing the emperor, Robert and Berry bowed in surprise.

“We greet His Majesty, the Sun of the Northeast, Emperor of Lezan—”
“That’s enough. Ines isn’t here yet?”

Edgar couldn’t hide the anxiety on his face.
Ines had been sure that escaping from the Eleanor mansion wouldn’t be a problem.
But the Grand Duke’s instincts were always unnaturally sharp, so it was possible the plan had failed from the start.

I believed her because she was confident…

If things went wrong, the only option would be to stop the Grand Duke by force.
If a clash broke out between the royal knights of Lezan and the Eleanor private army at dawn—who would win?

Fortunately, Edgar’s worst-case scenario didn’t happen.
The gates opened for the third time.
A small horse came to a sudden stop before them.
The woman riding it flipped back her hood.
Her clear blue eyes looked kindly at Caesar, Robert, and Berry in turn.

“It’s all good so far. You did well, Caesar.”
“Yeah!”

All the sadness that had shown on Caesar’s face earlier was now completely gone. Robert let out a soft sigh-like laugh.

“You’re pretty good at riding, little one.”

“To run away well, horse riding is a must. I practiced hard. I still can’t ride at full speed, though….”

Ines, who had slipped off the horse, smiled as she pretended to pat her waist with her fist.

But she had only been learning for about two weeks, so she still wasn’t used to it.

It was better to ride with a guard knight if she needed to move fast.

“For now, we should leave quickly. If we want to reach the western border in three days, we have to move fast.”

At her firm voice, the group started moving quickly. Caesar got on a horse with the strongest-looking holy knight, and Robert and Berry each mounted their own horses.

But Ines didn’t get on her horse right away. Instead, she turned around.

“Your Majesty.”

Edgar’s eyes widened when he realized Ines was suddenly walking toward him. Before he could say anything, she gently hugged him.

He blinked blankly as her black hair lightly brushed against his cheek.

Ines spoke in a voice as calm as the night air.

“Thank you.”

Those words caught in his throat. Edgar barely managed to speak her name in a low voice.

“Ines.”

“I always wonder what I should say to you, but no matter how much I think about it, these words are the only ones that truly express how I feel. Thank you, truly, Your Majesty. In the past, and now…”

“….”

“I’m sorry that the only thing I can offer you is just words.”

“…I didn’t do anything.”

Edgar barely smiled.

Ines gently brushed his shoulder a couple of times.

“Just the fact that you were there was enough for me.”

“….”

“You probably don’t know how comforting it was for me to have a friend I could rely on. But still, Your Majesty…”

When Ines stepped back, the scent of her that had been in the air faded with her breath.

Edgar’s clenched fist twitched, as if trying to reach out and hold on to her.

Ines smiled faintly, a bit sadly.

“I believe someone who shines should be in a place where they can shine.”

“….”

“You’re someone who deserves to love and be loved fully, perfectly. I don’t mean to overstep or judge Your Majesty…”

“….”

“But I truly hope you find a love that’s peaceful and steady.”

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