What Remains at the End of Regret - Chapter 13

Vivian Mabel. That bold girl’s retreating figure looked just the same as it had back when she had gotten her head stuck between the iron bars and struggled to escape.

She had been a surprise visitor on a summer day, leaving him with a slight sense of confusion. Her ridiculous situation had made him laugh in spite of himself. During that quiet and almost boring vacation, she had offered a fresh bit of amusement. For that much, perhaps she was worth remembering.

But Edmund Lockberg had no intention of offering her any answers without a price. Not until she stopped running every time, she saw him. Her defiant attitude might at least add a ripple of excitement to a summer that otherwise dragged on. A short-lived distraction for a long and tiresome season. Nothing more.

That was enough for Edmund to be patient.

When she finally turned back and approached him on her own, when her steps no longer ran from him but toward him, then perhaps this annoying discomfort he felt would go away. Edmund was a nobleman who understood patience well. He had learned that waiting often brought the reward he desired.

He brushed off his jacket, which had been ruffled by the wind, and turned back toward his horse.

She was still afraid, still weak, and still running away.

But one thing had changed.

She was no longer a naive child.

Vivian, who had been rushing toward Hayden, suddenly lost her balance and stumbled.

She was about to fall.

Just as she squeezed her eyes shut, Hayden ran toward her without hesitation and caught her in his arms.

With a heavy thump, Vivian fell onto the sand. Slowly, she opened her eyes. But instead of the soft ground she expected, her body felt like it had landed on something hard, like a rock.

Something was strange.

When she realized that she had landed not on the sand but on her friend, Hayden, she looked up in surprise and met his slightly dazed eyes.

“Are you alright?”

“I am so sorry.”

Vivian quickly sat up. Hayden calmly brushed the sand from his hair, then walked over to her side while she stood frozen, unsure of what to do.

“Don’t run like that. You could hurt yourself.”

A few grains of sand clung to her pale cheek. Hayden reached out without hesitation and gently brushed them away. Vivian accepted the gesture quietly, not pulling back.

This gentle, quiet side of her always drove Hayden Harper a little crazy.

Vivian, who never turned him away. Vivian, who always smiled and came to him.

His warm gaze shifted beyond the beach to the tall man standing motionless in the distance.

That man must have been the reason Vivian had come running so desperately.

“Who was that?”

Hayden asked, keeping his uneasiness hidden behind his usual smile.

“The Duke of Lockberg.”

That summer day when the duke had come and upset young Vivian still lingered in Hayden’s memory. He had often thought that the girl who used to complain about old-fashioned etiquette and sneak away from lessons had started to change after that day.

Probably ever since the duke had left.

Even after that, Vivian often seemed distracted, as if her thoughts kept returning to that encounter. So now Hayden understood why she had rushed across the sand with such urgency. Of course she would feel uncomfortable. A visit from someone who made her uneasy was the last thing she would want.

“He must be staying at the Faubert villa.”

“Does he make you uncomfortable?”

At Hayden’s question, Vivian hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

Whenever she stood in front of the duke, she felt like she became someone who didn’t matter. There had only been two meetings, but in both of them, she had felt the same way.

“It’s alright. You won’t have to see him again.”

Vivian repeated the thought to herself and tried to shake off the troubling feelings that had begun to rise again.

Vivian believed that tomorrow, and the day after, she would continue living her days in Faubert just as she always had.
If she could make it through the summer wedding, a small shift in her otherwise ordinary life, everything afterward would flow just as gently as she hoped.

She imagined a peaceful life, crossing the sea with Hayden, the one they had always dreamed of together, and then returning to Faubert to continue their days there.

“Yes. That’s how it will be.”

Vivian finally felt a sense of calm after hearing Hayden’s answer. He was always that kind of person. His hand gently reached for hers, slipping between her fingers. Surprised, she quickly pulled away. Hayden looked down at his hand with a slightly disappointed expression but did not step back. Instead, he closed the distance between them again.

“Vivian, about the wedding.”

“Yes?”

“What do you think about having it on the beach where we can see the Tannic Sea?”

Vivian’s eyes softened. Her gaze became a little deeper, reflecting her thoughts.

“You’ve always loved the ocean. I thought it would be beautiful to have our vows reach the sea. A wedding by the Tannic Sea, with everyone from Faubert invited.”

“To invite everyone from Faubert, we’d need a massive venue.”

Vivian laughed quietly at his suggestion.

“It would definitely be unforgettable. Though I’m sure we’d all end up with some sand in our mouths.”

Hayden laughed with her, letting himself imagine the future they had talked about for so long. His thoughts wandered through that scene, through the wedding day, even into the darkening evening as the sun completely disappeared beneath the surface of the Tannic Sea.

They stayed there together until night quietly arrived.

“You’re late, Edmund.”

Despite the time that had passed, his grandmother looked even healthier than before. When Edmund removed his riding gloves, Varner stepped up beside him and took them.

“Please bring some tea.”

“Will you be having anything to eat?”

“Tea is enough.”

A cup of freshly brewed breakfast tea was placed in front of Edmund as he sat across from his grandmother. Catherine watched him calmly as he picked up the cup with perfect posture. A satisfied look appeared on her face as she leaned back into her seat.

It was summer here again.

Back then, nothing had been more urgent than the sudden death of her son-in-law. She had left without hesitation. She did not regret it, but once the pain had softened with time, the summer house in Faubert had stayed in her thoughts more often than she expected. That, she could not deny.

She knew the peace she now enjoyed in her final years had only been made possible because of one person. Her grandson, Edmund Lockberg, who had become a perfect duke.

He was also the one who had left behind the only lingering guilt she carried.

By the time Catherine had learned what happened, everything had already gone too far. What Beatrice, her daughter and Edmund’s mother, had done to him had become a wound she would never be able to forget.

Catherine Anait had raised her daughter with pride and dignity, always believing she had done her best. But learning the truth destroyed all of that in a single moment.

To protect Edmund, Catherine had chosen to separate him from Beatrice. Albert Lockberg, the previous Duke, had entrusted all parental rights to her. That was how he fulfilled the responsibilities he could not complete as a father.

To others, her decision may have seemed severe. But as a parent, she knew her daughter and son-in-law had failed.

And that was why she was proud of Edmund. He had grown into a true Lockberg, entirely on his own.

Since his father’s death, Edmund had carried the responsibilities of the next generation’s Duke. He had managed the estate with strength and grace, and he had adapted the family’s businesses to match the times with careful leadership.

Catherine now hoped that this summer in Faubert would feel like a reward to him.

The suggestion to spend the summer in Faubert had been made under the excuse of needing rest due to her age, but Catherine’s true reason was a quiet desire to gift Edmund a perfect summer retreat. She wanted to offer him peace. That was her real intention when she brought it up, and Edmund accepted without question.

And so, another peaceful summer in Faubert began.

Catherine was able to enjoy this summer fully.

At one point, she had feared that her grandson might go astray because of his parents’ mistakes. But seeing how Edmund had grown, with stronger and steadier eyes, allowed her to let go of those fears.

What had happened in the past was like an unspoken rule, a truth everyone knew but no one dared to voice. Even so, Catherine was certain. Edmund had become strong enough to overcome the tragedy life had given him. He was not someone who could be broken by something like that.

Catherine sipped her tea in silence, cherishing the quiet and peaceful moment. As she looked out through the tall glass windows of the sitting room, her gaze followed the waves rolling in gently, as if ushering in the night.

The Tannic Sea, now wrapped in darkness, reminded her suddenly of that child in Faubert.

The waves roared softly as they crashed again and again over the sand, echoing the memory of that evening tea when someone had suggested, in a gentle voice, a very simple idea.

“Why don’t we invite that child?”

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