It's Too Late for Regrets - Chapter 8.3

“I got about half of it.”

 

“I don’t do word games. Speak clearly and stop going in circles.”

 

“Do you think I’m telling you this because you ordered me to? Human.”

 

Kian’s voice still had no emotion. His words were flat, like he was just stating facts.

 

“This is my arrangement. My plan to help you protect Ines this time.”

 

“Rayan Eleanor met with the sorcerers of Jenaire. That makes it hard for me to stand against him effectively. I was captured by him once, and there are things I must protect. So, I’m choosing you instead.”

 

What happened last autumn in Jenaire’s imperial castle had been beyond what Kian had predicted.

 

He had underestimated Rayan Eleanor’s obsessive obsession with Ines—and he paid the price.

 

But in the end, it wasn’t all bad.

 

Though he had less time to act freely under Rayan’s watchful eye, it also meant he was slowly cutting down Rayan’s long life—just like he had done to Ines.

 

Edgar still looked like he didn’t understand.

 

“Why don’t you go to her yourself? You could protect Ines better than I can.”

 

“I’m the one who pushed her to death.”

 

The man, like a still marble statue, glanced down at his own hand. A black mist rose from his palm, then faded.

 

It was the darkness that had eaten away at Ines’s heart and drained her breath.

 

A formless evil spirit that could only set foot on earth by clinging to a host.

 

Kian lowered his gaze, hiding the slight disturbance in his green eyes.

 

“…I will never go back to her again.”

 

It was enough for him and that man to walk the path to destruction. Ines only needed to enjoy her newly given life.

 

Kian turned his back on Edgar and walked toward the window again.

 

“And Eleanor is a perfect host for me. I don’t plan to leave him anytime soon.”

 

That was the last thing Kian said.

 

His body broke apart into fine mist and disappeared into the blue sky overlooking the palace.

 

Several minutes passed after his presence completely vanished from the study. Only then did Edgar slowly start to move.

 

He sat back down at his desk and picked up a pen and paper.

 

The season was nearly spring. She had said she would come to the capital in the spring.

 

As soon as he received her letter, he had checked—Count Irope’s only daughter was already on her way to the capital when he got the letter.

 

‘A chance to protect her…’

 

The quiet scratching of a pen filled the study as it touched the blank paper.

 

This time…

 

As Edgar melted the wax and sealed the envelope, a look of bittersweet determination crossed his face.

 

This time, may I be able to protect you better—so I’ll never again be suffocated by regret.

 

His reverent lips pressed gently on the sealed envelope.

 

 

A grand carriage marked with a white lily surrounded by blue leaves passed through the gates of the capital.

 

At the wide-open entrance of the Irope mansion, the Count and Countess, along with all the servants, were already out to welcome her.

 

The carriage slowly stopped, and the coachman jumped down energetically.

 

The Count and Countess, overjoyed, shouted even before the door was fully opened.

 

“Celia! Our beautiful daughter!”

 

A white dress brushed the bottom of the carriage.

 

Soon, someone lightly stepped onto the ground with the coachman’s help.

 

Under the spring sunlight, her red hair sparkled, cascading down to her back.

 

It was the color of a freshly bloomed rose soaked in morning dew.

 

Her eyes, half-covered by long delicate lashes, were bright gold. Her lips, closed in a straight line, were as red as her hair.

 

When she left, she had just turned twenty—stunningly beautiful, but still standing between girl and woman. She was a lively noble young lady, innocent of the world.

 

But the woman who stepped down from the carriage and tilted back her wide-brimmed hat now looked like a completely different person.

 

With deeper eyes, a calm smile on her lips, and graceful movements as she looked around, she had a pure yet mature air.

 

Even the long-time servants—and the Count and Countess—momentarily lost their senses. Then, her red lips slowly opened.

 

“I’m back.”

 

Her soft, gentle voice flowed into their dazed ears.

 

At last, bright smiles bloomed on the Count and Countess’s faces.

 

“Who is this? I almost didn’t recognize you, Celia!”

 

The pride of the Irope family, the queen of the Lezan social scene—Celia Irope—returned to the capital, Randeva, after two years and one month.

 

 

<I heard you still don’t remember everything. Don’t worry, dear. Even if your memories never return, you will always be our daughter.>

 

The Irope couple were kind and warm-hearted people.

 

As soon as Ines arrived at the mansion, she was smothered with hugs and cheek kisses.

 

It took her almost two hours of affectionate concern before she was finally able to get away.

 

“Please understand, my lady. They’ve been waiting for months for your return.”

 

“Yeah. I’m fine.”

 

“My lady, you’ve really changed since your illness… If it were before, you wouldn’t have lasted ten minutes before getting bored.”

 

Clara, who had been her personal maid two years ago, guided her to her room.

 

It was a space full of delicate frills and lace, finely crafted furniture, and soft yellow wallpaper.

 

Clara sat Ines in front of the mirror and took off her hat.

 

“Don’t be too confused or worried. Just relax. Your memories will return little by little. And if they don’t, that’s okay too.”

 

“No. I still want to find them.”

 

Clara widened her eyes as she brushed Ines’s hair.

 

Then she asked nervously,

 

“Is there… some memory you must find?”

 

A memory she must find. Ines lowered her eyes and thought.

 

She couldn’t name just one thing, but first of all, she wanted to know who she was.

 

Right now, she was incomplete—and that made her feel uneasy.

 

Who was I, really? Where and how did I live?

 

Surely, she hadn’t lived alone. There must have been people she loved, people who cherished her.

 

She wanted to reclaim everything that made her who she was. That’s why she came to the capital.

 

And if she could figure out what had happened to her, maybe she could return to her original body.

 

While Ines silently organized her thoughts, Clara, misunderstanding her silence, gradually turned pale.

 

“By any chance, my lady… Do you remember anything about Duke Eleanor?”

 

The duke. Another unfamiliar title.

 

Ines tilted her head in confusion.

 

Now that she thought about it, even the Head Nun of Elroin had carefully watched her reaction while mentioning Duke Eleanor.

 

Was he someone closely related to the original owner of this body? When she asked, Clara jumped.

 

“No! Of course not! Absolutely not!”

 

“Why, why…?”

 

“Anyway, he doesn’t accept proposals anymore! Ever since he returned from Jenaire, he’s refused countless marriage offers from noble families—even from neighboring countries! There’s no hope, my lady!”

 

“Uh, I see…”

 

She wasn’t sure, but it seemed Celia had deeply loved that man.

 

Before Ines could say anything, Clara suddenly burst out,

 

“And besides, he’s not… normal!”

 

“Not normal?”

 

“Yes, my lady! He’s not the same ruler he once was!”

 

Clara glanced around the room in fear, as if one of Eleanor’s loyal followers might be lurking nearby.

 

“They call him a hero on the outside, but people who know the truth say otherwise. Ever since the duchess’s corpse vanished… something went wrong in his head.”

 

More than the fact that the duke went mad, Ines was surprised by the cause.

 

“Her corpse vanished?”

 

“It’s a famous story. The body didn’t rot even after a month, but then one day, it suddenly disappeared.”

 

“They say the chapel door was locked, guarded by Eleanor’s knights. The duke visited it several hours a day—but it just vanished.”

 

“How could something like that…”

 

“No one knows. Maybe the corpse got up and walked out on its own, or maybe someone stole it.”

 

A corpse thief? Whoever it was, how shameless. Ines clucked her tongue as Clara went on.

 

“After that, the duke searched every corner of the duchy—and even the capital, Randeva—for the body.”

 

“Ah…”

 

“Before he left, any young woman with black hair and blue eyes, whether noble or commoner, was dragged in front of him.”

 

Clara shivered at the thought.

 

“And the reward was enormous… So some women even lied, claiming they were the duchess. Honestly, nobody believes he’s looking for her out of pure grief or love.”

 

“I guess… he didn’t really love his wife.”

 

“To be honest, she wasn’t someone easy to love. She was an illegitimate child from Jenaire.”

 

Ines’s face hardened a little at that.

 

An illegitimate child of Jenaire?

 

“She symbolized Lezan’s shame. High-ranking nobles even made bets on when she’d be kicked out.”

 

Ines knew what kind of treatment illegitimate noble children received in Lezan.

 

Even at the prestigious Elroin Monastery, they only accepted such children in secret.

 

If that was how bad it was, a royal illegitimate child must have had it even worse. That duchess must’ve lived a miserable life.

 

As she thought about that, a strange feeling came over her.

 

A memory flashed before her—her younger self sitting in worn clothes, leaning against a rough castle wall. A strange voice followed.

 

<That thing… get it out of my sight…>