It's Too Late for Regrets - Chapter 3.1

“…Were you that desperate for a woman?”
“Maybe I was.”

The Rayan that Kyra knew didn’t speak so vaguely.
He wasn’t the type to be swayed by women, nor did he ever express his desires so directly.

“There are women far more beautiful and noble than that one, Rayan.”
“Probably. But right now, it has to be her.”

Above all, he had never been the kind of man to openly show possessiveness like this.

He had definitely changed. Kyra suppressed her uneasiness and put on a gentle mask.

“Fine. I’m sure you have your reasons. I only want your happiness.”
“I’m not unhappy right now.”
“…Then that’s good to hear.”

Her nephew emptied his teacup with perfect manners, then looked at her kindly.

“Don’t worry. That woman will never leave a trace in Eleanor.”
“…”
“Just think of her as your nephew’s foolish plaything.”

It wasn’t even a lie.

Time would pass. When Jenaire lost its power and Lezan attacked again, there would be no reason to keep Ines in the duchy.

When that time came, he would divorce her and remarry someone more fitting for Eleanor’s status.

It simply wasn’t the right time yet.

Rayan’s green eyes unintentionally drifted toward the window again.

The woman, sitting alone on the swing without a single servant nearby, suddenly turned her head—as if sensing his gaze.

Their eyes met.

Her pale face bloomed with a bright smile.

The woman he had searched for over half a year and finally claimed was now always within his sight, just as he had intended.

There was nothing in his way anymore. He had placed her in his country, in a mansion that was practically his own.

All he had to do was go to her when he needed to.

Now that the thorn in his side was gone, even this interest would fade with time.

“This plaything, I imagine, will come to an end soon enough.”

Rayan calmly lowered the curtain over the window.

It was a cold, final gesture.

The curtain never rose again. Ines looked at the window with a bit of confusion.

She had seen him talking with his aunt.

Since he had drawn the curtain the moment their eyes met, he must have worried their voices might leak out.

That’s what she tried to tell herself.

But deep down, she was aware—each of his seemingly small actions could crumble a corner of her heart.

Ines dropped her gaze to the small book in her hands.

A few days ago, someone had sent her a book of love poems. It was apparently trending among commoners.

Love, like a fragile flower in spring, a hot wind in summer, golden grain in fall, or biting snowflakes in winter…

Love was portrayed as beautifully diverse, sometimes painful, but always dazzling.

The poetry book had arrived in a package with no sender.

Each page was filled with poems comparing love to the four seasons.

“…Love.”

Her blue eyes followed the words on a page.

Love is like the hot wind of summer, like the piercing snowflakes of winter…

Then maybe she was endlessly moving between summer and winter.

Ines looked up at the clouds floating in the blue sky.

It had been a year since she married and came to the duchy.

Just as Rayan had promised, Eleanor had been a warm place to her.

The mansion had a refined atmosphere different from Lezan or Jenaire, and all the staff greeted her with kind smiles. The meals were always rich, and her clothes were the finest.

That is—when the Grand Duke was home.

Rayan had been away for more than half of the past year. He was often gone for a whole month at a time.

Whenever he was gone, the friendly gazes toward her disappeared completely.

She had accepted that as inevitable. After all, to their eyes, a lowborn illegitimate child had taken the noble position of Eleanor’s duchess.

Still, she believed things would slowly change.

Because he had promised her.

Eleanor will be different from Lezan and Jenaire. I’ll make it so.

But so far, nothing had changed.

Ines smiled faintly as she looked again toward the window with the curtain drawn.

It had only been one year.

Surely that was too short a time for anything to change completely. That’s what she told herself for comfort.

While she absentmindedly flipped through the poetry book, a few quiet minutes passed—minutes that felt like another full year.

Then suddenly, from the corner of her vision, a head of curly brown hair popped up.

“Your Highness. What are you doing out here?”
“…!”

Startled, Ines jerked backward and lost her balance. She had forgotten she was sitting on a swing.

Berry, her personal maid, quickly supported her.

“You need to be careful. And you shouldn’t be outside without a shawl like this.”

Berry had served her back in Lezan’s imperial palace. She was also the only person in this mansion who truly cared for her.

Berry glanced sideways at the drawing room window.

“Especially when Lady Kyra is watching… it’s best to stay away from the garden.”
“Okay.”

Ines obediently stood up from the swing.

She had realized it within just a month of living here—who in this place hated her the most.

It was Kyra, the previous Duke’s sister and Rayan’s aunt.

Berry urged her forward.

“Let’s go inside quickly, Your Highness. Before you run into her again…”

But Berry’s efforts didn’t succeed.

Just as they stepped onto the stairs inside the mansion, heading upstairs—

The drawing room door opened at the far end of the hallway.

Kyra spotted Ines first.

…Of all people, why her again.

Her brows furrowed as she stepped into the corridor with her nephew escorting her.

Ines hesitated for a moment, then bowed her head in greeting. She didn’t look afraid, which irritated Kyra even more.

Was she truly unaware of her place? Or was she just pretending to be shameless?

No matter how cold Kyra’s voice or expression became, Ines never wavered.

She just listened quietly, and at most said, “I’m sorry.”

That only made her more irritating.

Kyra looked her over from head to toe. According to the mansion’s physician, her health wasn’t very good.

That, at least, was a relief. There was a low chance she’d carry on any precious bloodlines.

Ines noticed Kyra’s clearly stiffened expression. She still didn’t know how to deal with the woman.

When she gave a formal greeting in Eleanor’s style, it was met with cold indifference. But when she gave a simpler bow, Kyra’s eyes would flash in offense.

It reminded her of how she had to treat her grandfather back in Jenaire.

To someone who hated your very existence, no gesture could win favor.

As Ines faltered for a few seconds, unable to decide, Kyra’s sharp voice rang out without fail.

“How rude. Don’t you know to greet your elders properly…?”

“Ines.”

A cold voice cut off Kyra’s sharp scolding.

Rayan stepped forward and approached her. Ines’s face lit up.

Rayan asked flatly, “You were outside?”
“Ah, I was just…”

She tightly held the poetry book in her hands.

Since he had returned three days ago from the reconstruction area in the wasteland, she hadn’t had a proper chance to see him.

She had things to say and items to give him, but he only ever returned at night.

Most nights, she’d fall asleep waiting or he’d leave before she could speak.

So today, she had wandered around the mansion, hoping they’d run into each other.

“I told you not to wander around.”

Rayan didn’t like her staying outside for long. He always cited her health as the reason.

“There’s a lot of wind today. Go upstairs. Don’t open any windows.”

He gave her shoulder a light push. Ines impulsively grabbed his hand.

“Your Highness.”
“What is it?”
“…Will you come tonight?”

Rayan paused. Her voice was so plain, it didn’t even sound like she was trying to seduce her husband.

She probably didn’t mean it the way he thought, either. She was just asking because he usually came at night.

Her blue eyes held no cloudy desire, only quiet longing.

“Tonight…”

His dry gaze fell from her black hair near her shoulder to her hand that was holding his.

A pale hand with faint blue veins under thin skin.

A flashy wedding ring clung awkwardly to her slender ring finger.

His cold, calm thoughts slowly began to heat from the edges.

Rayan let out a low laugh in disbelief.

It was always like this. When she was far away, he barely thought about her. But the moment she came into view, even the smallest things stirred him.

He wasn’t some dog in heat, so what was this?

And yet, he knew—in truth, the woman who had spoken didn’t want that kind of intimacy.

But what she wanted didn’t matter. He didn’t need to understand. He just had to take what he wanted when he wanted it.

“Yeah. I’ll come tonight.”

Even when he clearly emphasized the word tonight, she didn’t blush at all. Ines just smiled brightly, genuinely happy.

“Then I’ll wait for you.”
“Alright.”

Rayan inwardly sneered while trying to suppress the crude desire.

How long are you going to stay this clueless?

Even as he thought that, he couldn’t take his eyes off her slim fingers fidgeting slightly. It felt like those delicate fingers had taken hold of his mind.

Rayan consciously stopped his thoughts. He turned back to Kyra, who was looking at him strangely, and smiled.

“Shall we go, Aunt?”

He turned his back on Ines without hesitation—never noticing the look on Kyra’s face as she glanced back and forth between the two of them.

Support