It's Too Late for Regrets - Chapter 5.6

“What is it?”
“It’s about Lady Kyra.”
“Why? Did something happen to Aunt?”

Now that he thought about it, Kyra, who usually came out to greet him, was nowhere to be seen. The aide spoke more passionately than when he talked about the Grand Duchess.

“Her chronic illness suddenly worsened about two months ago… I think Your Highness should hurry to see her.”

What was this supposed to mean?
Except for her chronic headaches, Kyra was a healthy person with no major illness.

‘The one who should be sick is healthy, and the healthy one is now ill?’

After returning to his mansion after a long time, too many things were happening all at once.

With an annoyed sigh, Rayan left his office. He decided to deal with the quick tasks first before going to see Ines.

And when he arrived at Kyra’s bedroom—

“Rayan… my dear nephew.”
“Aunt…?”

He saw Kyra lying sick in bed, her face pale and thin.

Rayan was returning.
Ines had heard the news and couldn’t calm her trembling heart starting two days before his arrival.

The child’s father was coming back.
She tried to soothe herself while gently patting her baby in her arms.

He was just a tiny newborn, barely two months old, but still—today was the day he would recognize his father for the first time.
And it was also the first time Rayan would see his son.

Her heart clenched.
How would he react?

The child didn’t look much like Rayan.
Considering how Rayan had once obsessively doubted her fidelity before she got pregnant, there was no guarantee he wouldn’t suspect her again after seeing the child.

It was a relief that the baby had green eyes… but still…
She couldn’t predict how Rayan would respond.

Ines took a deep breath and spoke to the aide.

“Please tell His Highness that I’m here.”

Alveron’s eyes scanned her sharply, as if evaluating her. He had disliked her ever since she started dismissing the existing staff and replacing them with new ones.

He responded coldly.
“His Highness is not in.”

Ines widened her eyes at his reply.
He returned this afternoon—had he gone out again?

“Where did he go? Did something happen?”
“He went to investigate.”
“Investigate what?”
“Why all the mansion staff have been replaced. And what’s been going on at the estate while he was away.”

Ah.
Ines sighed quietly.
She had planned to explain everything to him in person.
But he already noticed.

A sense of unease grew in her chest.
Ines held her baby closer.

“…I’ll wait.”

She waited outside the office for a long time.

One hour, two, then three.
To Ines, it felt like an eternity.

At last, footsteps echoed from down the hallway.

“Your Highness.”

And then, Ines faced her husband for the first time in four months.

“It’s been a while,” Rayan spoke first.

His green eyes passed over her and then lowered to the child in her arms.
Rayan asked slowly,

“That child…?”
“…Yes. He’s our son.”

Her heart pounded hard.
She couldn’t read the emotion in Rayan’s eyes, which made her nervous.

“What’s his name?”
“I haven’t named him yet.”

Ines swallowed hard.
Still, he was the child’s father. At least the name… the name should come from him…

“You must have a few names in mind. Choose the one you like best.”

But once again, Rayan crushed her expectations.

Though his eyes were on the child, he didn’t seem particularly interested.
His gaze soon returned to Ines.

Her heart felt like it was rotting from the edges.

She managed to speak.
“Then… may I name him Caesar?”
“Caesar. That sounds good. Let’s go with that.”
“Yes.”

But Rayan’s eyes never returned to the baby.

Instead, he stared at Ines, scanning her face and body.
She grew more nervous.

“Are you alright? The doctor said everything was fine.”
“I’m okay. He said I’m healthy. I was really worried, but aside from being slightly underweight, everything else is…”
“I meant you. Not the child.”
“Me?”

She had been answering with a smile, but stopped.
She looked up at him with puzzled eyes.

“Why… are you asking about me?”
“What do you mean, why?”

Rayan seemed baffled by her question.
His green eyes swept over her pale face, her thin shoulders.

“You don’t look very well…”
“I’m fine. But, Your Highness…”

Ines quickly cut him off.

“Would you like to hold Caesar?”

Only then did Rayan look back at the baby in her arms.

He was so small, maybe because he took after his mother—or maybe all newborns were just that tiny.
Even so, Ines seemed to struggle to hold him.

And because she was holding the baby, Rayan couldn’t clearly see her figure.

He reached out his arms to her.
“Give him to me.”

Ines’s face lit up.
Just from that small gesture—holding the baby once—her eyes softened warmly.

It was a smile Rayan hadn’t seen in a long time.
A smile she had never shown him before.

Thankfully, it seemed she had bonded with the baby.
Well, after carrying him for ten months, that was only natural.

Once the blanket covering her body was gone, he could finally see her figure.
Her once-swollen belly had returned to being flat.

“Didn’t Aunt Kyra hire a nanny? You shouldn’t carry the baby yourself—let the nanny handle it, Ines.”
“No. I don’t need a nanny. I want to take care of him myself. Isn’t he adorable? He has your eyes.”
“…Does he?”

Rayan couldn’t see any resemblance to himself in the baby, except for the green eyes that proved their blood connection.

That, at least, was a relief.
If even that hadn’t matched, he would’ve had no choice but to doubt again.

Even after leaving his mother’s arms, the baby didn’t cry.
Rayan looked down at the peacefully sleeping infant, then slowly changed the subject.

“I heard you changed all the staff in the mansion.”
“Ah… yes. I did.”
“Why? Some of them have served Eleonor for ten, even twenty years.”

The sudden question made Ines’s mind go blank.
She took a deep breath.

Get it together. You were planning to tell him everything anyway.

Ines gathered the last of her courage and opened her mouth.

“Lady Kyra gave me poisonous tea. For over half a year.”
“What?”

Finally, emotion rippled across Rayan’s face.

Ines looked straight into his eyes and continued.
“No one in this mansion treated me as the Grand Duchess. I endured it because I thought that was what you wanted. You told me to act like I knew my place.”

Rayan opened his mouth as if to stop her, but Ines’s voice began to tremble, so he closed it again.

Afraid he might interrupt again, Ines rushed her words.

“But when she insulted me and tried to harm an innocent child even after knowing I was pregnant, I couldn’t bear it any longer.”
“…”
“So I took back the authority Lady Kyra had. But I didn’t abuse that power. I only replaced the staff who had constantly disrespected me. That’s all.”

She hadn’t meant to sound so defensive.
But she couldn’t help tensing up, afraid he would react coldly again.

“Your Highness was away for too long. I had no choice. I’m sorry if it upset you. And…”

Ines steadied her breath.

If I stop now, I’ll just cry and leave again like before.

“Now that the baby’s born, I want to say something I told you months ago.”
“What is it?”
“I asked to go down south for a few years after the baby was born. Please consider it again.”

This was her final request.

She couldn’t stop trembling as she finished.
“I don’t think I can live with Lady Kyra anymore.”

Ines couldn’t look into his green eyes anymore and looked away.
She had said everything she wanted to.
Now, she had to wait for his judgment.

Rayan looked down at her for a long time.

To be honest, one thing stood out most to him while listening to her.

She was still too thin.

Even after giving birth, he had hoped she’d at least return to how she was around the time of their wedding. But her wrists, arms, and shoulders were still so frail.

He looked at the baby in her arms again.
A newborn, barely able to open his eyes.

So small, it felt like something would break if he wasn’t careful.

Maybe the baby was small because his mother was small.

It felt like a child had given birth to another child.

In truth, Rayan had intended to be much colder toward Ines.

He hadn’t expected her to fulfill her duties as Grand Duchess.
And for her to mess with the household management without knowing anything—was outrageous.

But her trembling body and the tears sparkling in her blue eyes stopped those harsh words from leaving his mouth.

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