It's Too Late for Regrets - Chapter 9.10

“If His Majesty sees this, it will be a problem…”

 

By now, the engagement between the Emperor and Celia had spread not only among the nobles in the capital but throughout the entire empire.

 

If someone saw them having a secret meeting in such a quiet place with another man, it definitely would not reflect well on the Emperor.

 

It might even turn into a scandal. She did not want to cause harm to that kind man.

 

“Maybe I should just get up.”

 

How could she leave this place without upsetting the Duke?

 

She was annoyed at herself for wasting energy on such useless worries, and annoyed at the man who kept making things difficult for her.

 

But the most uncomfortable thing was how tense her body kept getting.

 

She avoided looking at his shirt or his taut muscles and calmly turned the pages.

 

A strange silence continued until suddenly the man’s hand reached out on the table.

 

He pulled one of the papers she had been reading toward himself.

 

“…”

 

After that, the only sound between them was the small, faint noise of pages being turned in the bundle of papers they each held.

 

The flower shop owner, who had been sneakily watching them, carefully approached Ines. When she lent her an ear, the owner whispered softly.

 

“His Majesty sent this.”

 

She handed Ines a small note and quickly turned away, looking frightened by the Duke’s stern glance.

 

Ines checked the message from Edgar under the table and let out a short sigh.

 

Sorry. Something urgent came up suddenly, so I have to go.
It might sound like an excuse, but I really worked hard to free up time today…

 

Anyway, I’m really, truly sorry to keep you waiting, Ines.

 

“Seems you had a prior appointment.”

 

The sudden voice made her almost answer “yes” without thinking.

 

She immediately felt the awkwardness and closed her mouth but could not stop her head from reflexively lifting.

 

The Duke was watching her.

 

His face looked like he hadn’t read the newsletter at all and had been quietly observing her for some time.

 

“Yes. I should get going now.”

 

Ines muttered softly and handed the newsletter to Clara, who was trembling like a leaf nearby.

 

Since he opened the conversation with a casual tone instead of a greeting, she had a good excuse to end it without awkwardness.

 

Ines took off her hat, stood up, and bowed lightly.

 

“Have a good afternoon.”

 

Just as she was about to pass by the Duke, her hand was grabbed.

 

“…”

 

His large, rough hand held hers.

 

If he had grabbed her wrist or arm, she would have shaken it off immediately, but he held her hand as if on purpose, pulling gently.

 

She tried to pull away but it didn’t move.

 

“They say the Apael delegation arrived earlier than expected.”

 

“…”

 

“Edgar will be busy with that for a few days. The appointment must have been canceled, so your afternoon today should be free.”

 

The words sent a chill down her spine.

 

That meant the Duke knew she met the Emperor here every Wednesday.

 

So today’s meeting might not be a coincidence…

 

Ines frowned and looked down at the Duke.

 

“Did you put a watcher on me?”

 

“There was no need. This place has been Edgar’s secret contact point for years. No one else comes here except his people.”

 

Even though he spoke boldly using the Emperor’s name, it sounded natural, like a ruler of a duchy standing alongside the Sun of the Northeast, Lezan.

 

Feeling uncomfortable, Ines asked,

 

“What exactly do you want from me, Your Grace?”

 

“I believe I already told you several times by letter what I want.”

 

Afternoon tea and dinner. He still hadn’t given up.

 

Ines sighed in frustration and twisted her hand to pull away.

 

Then she froze.

 

‘His hand…’

 

It was trembling slightly.

 

As if afraid she might reject him harshly and leave again.

 

That was surprising, but the real shock was the scars covering his thumb, index finger, and palm.

 

The skin was badly burned and blackened.

 

But there was more. Ines saw fresh wounds on his palm, still healing.

 

Such injuries could only happen by gripping sharp glass tightly.

 

“…Ah.”

 

The Duke made a short groan, noticing her looking at his hand with discomfort.

 

He relaxed his grip and put on the gloves he had thrown beside his jacket.

 

The scars were hidden, but Ines still couldn’t take her eyes off his right hand.

 

Those injuries did not suit a man who looked as noble as a finely carved sculpture.

 

But she quickly remembered he was a warrior who had been on many battlefields. It would be no surprise if his whole body was covered with scars.

 

‘I shouldn’t mind…’

 

Before she could steady herself, the Duke suddenly spoke.

 

“Half an hour.”

 

“…”

 

“If not even that, then I guess I’ll have to send another letter to the Count of Irope. How many apology letters do you want for today’s rudeness?”

 

Ines gave a bitter smile. He was still so crazy and unpredictable. He held her hand desperately with pleading eyes but spoke like a shameless threat.

 

His gloved hand gently squeezed hers again. She could feel his tension.

 

“You don’t intend to apologize for that day, do you? Or did the reply saying you accept the apology not reach you?”

 

“I did receive it.”

 

“Then what do you want to talk about?”

 

“Just trivial things. How your health is, how life at the Count’s mansion is… those kinds of things.”

 

“That’s not something I need to share with Your Grace.”

 

After a moment of silence, he asked,

 

“You keep avoiding me. Do I displease you that much?”

 

“No.”

 

At that answer, a faint hope showed on his face. Ines sighed and firmly cut that hope down.

 

“I have no feelings.”

 

“…”

 

“I don’t like or dislike Your Grace. You don’t stir any feelings in me.”

 

He was nothing to her.

 

Sometimes when she received his letters, she would remember his bare face at the masquerade, but the feeling she had then was just primal fear, nothing more or less.

 

“If you thought I hated you, I apologize.”

 

To Ines, Leon Eleanor meant no more than a blank reply.

 

“So please let go of my hand now, and stop taking an interest in me. I beg you.”

 

She said coldly and shook off his hand.

 

As she started to walk away, the man who had stood up blocked her path.

 

“…!”

 

He had a strong body that could easily crush someone like her. The strange heat from him made it harder for her to breathe.

 

When he tried to hold her shoulder, she shivered, and his hand froze.

 

A painful apology followed immediately.

 

“…Sorry. But please, just for a moment, don’t go…”

 

Ines looked away, refusing to meet his eyes. Even if she said “no” dozens of times, she planned not to let him hear her voice.

 

A strange standoff lasted until he broke it.

 

Leon sighed deeply and asked,

 

“What should I do?”

 

“…”

 

“Do you want to test how far I can go? That’s why you won’t even look at me?”

 

“…”

 

“You can spare me 30 minutes of your useless time…”

 

Leon held back the words he wanted to say badly.

 

You say you don’t remember anything. You don’t like or dislike me. But why are you so cold? Are you always this cold to strangers?

 

If she got engaged to Edgar, it would really be over. No chance left to get close to her.

 

One of the things he hated most was adultery. He couldn’t let Ines be dragged into scandal again.

 

A much stronger anxiety came over him than before.

 

He had to do something today.

 

Seeing he would not back down, Ines sighed with some annoyance. Her face clearly showed she was bothered, but that was still better than showing no expression at all.

 

“I’m not trying to test you. Really. I just have nothing to talk about.”

 

“You say you have nothing to say… That can’t be true.”

 

“I’m sincere…”

 

“Lies.”

 

He did not want to say that. Leon bit his lip and whispered roughly,

 

“I know you are very interested in my son, Lady Irope.”

 

He knew he would regret saying that right away, but he had to say something to keep her from leaving.

 

“What did you just say?”

 

Ines suddenly realized the meaning and sharply raised her head. Her eyes flashed with anger at Leon.

 

“You did follow me, didn’t you? Were you watching me all along?”

 

“If you want an answer, sit down. Your feet must hurt.”

 

He even knew she had hurt her foot yesterday after practicing dancing late into the night.

 

How much does he know about me?

 

Ines glared and spat out fiercely,

 

“If you wanted to make me feel disgusted, you succeeded, Your Grace.”