What Remains at the End of Regret - Chapter 16

Just as a cheerful humming filled the air, Edmund Lockberg approached Vivian with determined steps.

“Y-Your Grace!”

Vivian gasped, startled by the Duke’s sudden appearance. Her heart nearly dropped from the shock.

How long had he been watching her?

Stunned, she stammered with a dazed expression.

“Why… without a sound…”

“As the master of this estate, should I concern myself with such things?”

Vivian pressed her lips together, speechless like someone who had lost her voice. He wasn’t wrong. The summer villa in Lockberg belonged entirely to Duke Edmund Lockberg. Within this villa, there was nothing that didn’t belong to him. Still, Vivian had never imagined that the Duke would come to the glass conservatory himself. If he had needed her, she assumed he would have summoned her.

“Answer me, my lady.”

His low voice, gentle but firm like someone scolding a child, made Vivian uncomfortable. Lowering her head, she replied in a subdued tone.

“Your Grace is right. I was just surprised and spoke without thinking. Please forgive my rudeness.”

“I refuse.”

“Excuse me?”

Caught off guard by his unexpected answer, Vivian stared at him in disbelief.

Seeing her bewildered face, Edmund gave a faint, mocking smile.

“Every time I see you, Lady Everleigh, you are always asking for my forgiveness. I wonder when you will finally behave like a proper lady.”

Vivian clenched her jaw to stop herself from trembling. His words were unbearably humiliating. If she didn’t stay strong, she feared she might break down in tears like a child in front of him.

Even so, one thing was now clear.

The Duke still remembered the mistake she had made that summer.

If this was the reason he was treating her so coldly, then she could endure it. After all, she was the one who caused it.

But still, she could not understand why he had to be so unkind.

It was true that she was at fault. However, everything she had heard about Duke Lockberg described him as a nobleman of dignity and generosity.

Vivian began to question whether her decision to apologize like a proper lady and finally release the guilt she had carried was the right one.

Her conclusion did not change. She would apologize and move forward. It was the only way to take responsibility and make amends for what had happened.

“Do you remember the question I asked you at the beach that day, Your Grace?”

“You mean when you asked if I remembered you?”

“To be more specific, the day I came to the garden.”

Edmund gave a slight nod, as if encouraging her to continue.

“The day I entered a place I should not have. That very day, Your Grace.”

Vivian’s hands were tightly clenched, her face pale as if she had gathered all her courage to speak. Edmund looked at her silently, listening as she continued with resolve.

“You may have forgotten, but I always hoped that if I ever had the chance, I would ask for your forgiveness for my disrespect that day. I have regretted it deeply ever since. So, if you are still angry because of that, I will do my best to stay out of your way. This is how I will take responsibility for what I have done.”

“And the conservatory?”

“I will visit only at times when I am certain you will not be there.”

The smile that had lingered on Edmund’s face was now completely gone. His expression had turned cold, leaving no trace of warmth.

“Responsibility,” he said.

To him, the responsibility Vivian spoke of sounded no different from running away once again.

If that was Vivian Mabel’s way of asking for forgiveness, then the Viscount and Viscountess had clearly failed in raising their only daughter. They should have taught her basic manners before instructing her in etiquette.

This young lady from Faubert, who had been constantly getting on his nerves since that day at the beach, needed to fix her reckless behavior if she was going to be of any use.

“Your approach is wrong.”

That was not the kind of apology I was hoping for.

“Just do your part. Be a pleasant companion to my grandmother and take care of the conservatory like you’re supposed to.”

In the still air that carried a trace of warmth, his slow gaze swept over the anxious look on her face.

“Then come find me and report what you’ve done. Personally.”

That is the responsibility you truly owe, Vivian Mabel.

With an icy and unreadable expression, Edmund Lockberg looked at her pale face. He clicked his tongue in frustration and walked out of the conservatory, leaving her behind as if she had just received a sentence.

Even after he left, the conservatory remained stifling.

The heavy air, still clinging to the warmth of the day, was laced with the faint scent of flowers that made it hard to breathe. Vivian’s legs gave out, and she sank to the floor.

It seemed the Duke disliked her even more than she had feared.

Her already troubled heart sank even deeper.

＊＊＊

Vivian returned home later than expected, and Betty was the one who welcomed her. Seeing her mistress’s shocked and pale face, Betty quietly led her to the bed and helped her sit down. As a loyal maid, she would never ignore her lady’s emotional state. But her reason for waiting was not just about loyalty or duty.

Her careful steps had a clear purpose. But Vivian, standing there like someone completely lost, didn’t even seem to notice that her maid was acting more carefully than usual.

Last night, Betty had been given a secret task. A quiet and important order, directly from Lady Norma. For the sake of that mission, she needed to find out exactly what had happened to her lady today.

“Did something happen?”

“…”

“Did you spill tea in front of Lady Norma?”

“…”

“Please, say something. Anything.”

Vivian stayed silent, and Betty’s anxiety continued to build. Finally, unable to hold back her worry, she spoke more urgently.

“You didn’t have some sort of trouble with His Grace, did you?”

In Betty’s mind, the worst possible situation was one involving the Duke. That was because her secret assignment was directly related to him.

Her forehead creased as tension built. Then, as soon as Vivian slowly parted her lips to speak, Betty’s face turned pale.

From the accidental first visit to the villa, to the incident at the beach, and everything that had happened today, Vivian told her everything.

The moment her story ended, Betty’s legs gave out and she dropped to the floor with a stunned and helpless look.

“Oh, my goodness… what are we going to do?”

There was no doubt about it now. Her lady had clearly fallen out of favor with the Duke. The same young lady who had caused trouble since she was a child had finally gone too far. And she had done so quietly, for a long time.

“He must have accepted your apology… politely, right?”

Even Betty, who usually didn’t pay much attention to rumors, had heard that Duke Lockberg was a man of integrity and noble grace. So, who was this cold and harsh nobleman Vivian had just described?

Betty had no idea how she was supposed to report this to Lady Norma, who was probably waiting for news more eagerly than anyone else. Seeing her lady looking so defeated and hopeless made her feel even less confident.

She couldn’t bring herself to tell the Viscountess that Vivian Mabel had upset the Duke. Especially not when the Viscountess had secretly shared with Betty her hopes of using the Lockberg connection to enter central society.

As she quietly replayed Vivian’s story in her mind, Betty nervously bit her lip.

Vivian had clearly said she apologized politely, so that part likely was not the problem.

While thinking it over, Betty’s eyes suddenly lit up.

She thought she understood the Duke’s mindset now. She grabbed Vivian’s shoulders and spoke with urgency.

“You have to do exactly what the Duke told you to do.”

“What?”

“The Duke is definitely someone who only cares about results. You know how seriously he treats Lady Norma, right? There’s no way he isn’t aware of the request Lady Norma made about the conservatory.”

“What are you talking about?”

Vivian shook her head, clearly not understanding. Betty grew frustrated and tapped her chest with both hands.

“Really, you don’t see it? If you carry out Lady Norma’s request well, she will be pleased. And so will the Duke. He’s her grandson, after all.”

Now speaking with full confidence, Betty raised her voice.

“If you avoid the Duke and mess up the conservatory work, how will he face Lady Norma? That’s why I think he meant that if you manage the conservatory properly, he will forgive you.”

She smiled with certainty and repeated herself so Vivian would not miss the point.

It seemed the report to Lady Norma would have to wait. At least until her lady had earned the Duke’s forgiveness. That would probably only be possible after the conservatory was fully taken care of.

Standing at the edge of despair but holding onto a sliver of hope, Betty pressed her hands together tightly.

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