It's Too Late for Regrets - Chapter 3.6

It seemed that his casual tone, without any seriousness, was just his way of speaking.
The suggestion was so natural that Ines almost nodded without realizing it.
If it hadn’t been for Kyra stepping in at just the right moment, she probably would have.

“You’ve already done enough for today, haven’t you, Ines?”
“Oh.”
“Now go in, take your medicine, and rest. I think that’s enough for today.”

Her tone was refined, but her words were cold.
In truth, Ines wasn’t in such bad shape that she couldn’t go for a walk.
Just being in a good place and eating good food had made her feel better than before.

“If that was too much to ask, I apologize.”
Edgar added a moment later.

Ines slowly shook her head.
“No, it’s fine.”

Then after a short pause, she continued.
“A short walk should be okay. It would be an honor if Your Highness joined me.”

“Oh, really?”
A bright expression appeared on Edgar’s face.

In contrast, Kyra’s expression hardened, as if she hadn’t expected Ines to go against her.

‘It’s just a walk.’
It wasn’t like she was leaving the mansion. She just wanted to take a few steps in the garden.
The crown prince was right. People needed fresh air from time to time.

No matter how luxurious the mansion was, it didn’t make sense to only see sunlight for a few minutes a day.

“…Very well, then.”
Kyra looked at her with an unreadable gaze for a moment, then nodded.

“But keep in mind that Rayan will worry.”
“Yes, Aunt.”

Even Kyra didn’t seem able to openly suppress her in front of the crown prince.
Somehow, it felt like she could finally breathe a little.

Ines placed her hand in the one offered to her by the man standing beside her.

“The Eleanor estate is always so beautiful, no matter how many times I see it.”

Light conversation flowed between them. Ines looked up at the mansion.
The ivory-colored building stood under the midsummer sun.
Elegant sculptures decorated the spaces between the windows.
The first floor was wrapped in red and blue rose vines.

Just like he said, it truly was a beautiful place.

“How is life here?”
“Hmm…”

There was a certain calmness around the crown prince that made people feel at ease.
It was a strange comparison, but he reminded her of Robert.

“It’s been okay these days.”

Maybe that’s why she could be more honest than usual.
Edgar, who was escorting her, quickly caught the nuance and asked,

“These days it’s okay? That sounds a bit odd.”
“Last year… to be honest, there were a lot of hard times.”

The neatly trimmed grass rustled under her feet. Ines continued in a calm voice.

“But no one finds happiness all at once. I’m okay now. I’m just waiting for autumn.”
“Autumn… So you’re waiting for my brother.”
“Yes. He promised to go outside with me then.”

They walked toward the fountain in the center of the garden.
The summer garden was filled with roses, the symbol of Eleanor.

“There are still three months until autumn. Isn’t that too long a wait? I think it would be fine to go out somewhere before then.”
“He won’t allow it.”

Edgar tilted his head, as if he’d heard something strange.

“Why would the Grand Duke’s wife need my brother’s permission to go out?”

Ines stopped walking.
She looked around at the grand mansion and the brightly shining garden.

Just a year and a half ago, this world had not been permitted to her.
Ines moved her lips.

“…Honestly, I don’t know. I don’t know what he’s thinking.”
“….”
“Why did he go to such lengths to find someone like me? Why did he make such kind promises I couldn’t refuse? What does he want in return?”
“….”
“I don’t know, so I have no choice but to wait. Wait for him to do something—anything. But when I tell him what I want, even if it’s late, he listens… And honestly, there’s nothing else I can do.”

Ines’s position was such that with just one word from Rayan, she could be cast out at any time.

When she had chosen to leave for him from Apael, perhaps what she gave up was her right to decide for herself.

“…But even though I say all this, the truth is, I trust him.”

Ines sat on the marble fountain and smiled softly.
She had said a lot, but in the end, that was the biggest reason she quietly stayed within the mansion.

She trusted him.
She believed in Rayan’s words in Apael.
She trusted his power, his wealth, and the fact that he had no reason to lie because he already had everything.

But the crown prince seemed to focus on something different.
He asked in a serious tone, no longer light or casual.

“Do you love him?”
“I think I do.”

Ines answered calmly.
Her heart fluttered when she saw Rayan. She smiled secretly at his kind words, and when he seemed the slightest bit cold, her heart sank.

When she told that to Berry, the maid had laughed playfully.
<You’re in love, my lady.>

Ines chose her words carefully.

“There are many things about him I don’t understand…”

For example, why he was so overly sensitive about her going out.
Why someone who was indifferent to everyone else acted so unpredictably with her.
Rayan Eleanor was too hard for Ines to understand.

But still, it was okay. She liked it.
That was why she quietly waited for autumn.

“…Feelings are so complicated, aren’t they?”

At some point, Edgar had stopped talking and was just listening.
He sat in front of the fountain like her, stretched out his legs, and placed his hands on the stone surface just like she did.

Ines didn’t notice that he was quietly gazing at her side profile.

“Someone once said love has the colors of all four seasons.
Since I keep going back and forth between endless summer and winter… I often wonder, if this isn’t love, then what is?”
“…You must have read poetry.”
“Yes. A kind person sent me a parcel, and that line was written in it. I really liked it.”

Edgar turned his gaze away with an awkward smile.
The tips of his ears, visible through his bright blond hair, were slightly red.

But Ines didn’t notice that either.
She gently swung her legs and murmured,

“…But Your Highness is quite mysterious too.”
“Me?”
“Yes. It’s strange, but I feel very comfortable around you…”

Ines hesitated, trying to think of the least offensive way to say it.
No matter how kind the crown prince was, he was still a noble by birth, and she came from nothing.

As Kyra had shown, most nobles hated her very existence.
The crown prince didn’t seem that way, but she couldn’t be sure.

“Um… somehow you feel familiar. Like we’ve talked like this before, just like now…”
“….”
“Of course, it must be my imagination. I’m sorry if that made you uncomfortable.”

When he didn’t respond right away, she thought maybe she had gone too far and hurried to apologize.
But Edgar gently stopped her.

“No, you don’t need to apologize. It’s just…”
“…?”
“Just… for no reason, I feel happy.”

He stood up from the fountain.
As he stepped down a few steps, their eyes met at the same level.

Ines didn’t avoid his gaze.

‘…He really does look like sunlight.’

Sunlight-colored hair.
Eyes the color of melted chocolate on a hot day.
A man with soft, delicate features spoke quietly.

“Still, I hope you don’t think of yourself so lowly.
You are a beautiful woman who fits this place well.”
“….”
“So I hope you’ll keep smiling like you did earlier. Without falling apart like that again.”

He was clearly referring to the incident during the meal.
He must have seen everything—her reaction in that moment.

Ines smiled, feeling a little embarrassed but truly grateful.

“Thank you. It’s been a long time since I’ve had such a conversation with someone new…”
“I feel the same.”

The man lifted her hand.
His lips gently brushed the back of it.

It was different from Rayan, who always kissed her as if trying to leave a burn.
At first, the difference felt unfamiliar.

But it didn’t take long for that unfamiliarity to become comfort.

That summer, while Rayan was away from the mansion, Edgar visited the Grand Duke’s estate several more times.
He helped Kyra review the budget and always had tea time with Ines during his visits.

One afternoon, he even gave her an address.

“I thought you might be bored.
You can write to this address like chatting with a dear friend. Any kind of letter is fine—if you send it here, it’ll reach me.”
“A letter…”
“Is there someone else you want to write to? You can send it with mine. I’ll make sure it gets there.”

Thanks to him, she was able to send a letter to Robert, which she had hesitated to send because of Kyra.

Looking back, those were truly magical days.

Whenever the man who resembled sunshine visited once, a week flew by.
When he visited twice, half a month passed without her noticing.

She had thought autumn was still far away, but one day, before she realized it, summer was over.
The garden slowly turned from green to shades of red.
A cool breeze began to blow.

And just as Eleanor was turning into autumn—

“The Grand Duke has returned!”

The master of the mansion had come back.

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