What Remains at the End of Regret - Chapter 33

Suddenly, Edmund thought that something so trivial wasn’t a reason not to have that woman.

It’s just, because it’s you.

Because you’re a pathetic woman who only gives me unpleasant feelings.

That’s why I’m throwing you away.

Like no longer looking for a boring toy.

But Edmund thought again.

Did I completely possess that woman?

If I didn’t, then throwing her away is also a wrong assumption.

So, did I possess you?

The grandmother’s intention in calling the Grand Duke’s daughter was clear. Catherine Anait was the de facto mistress of Lockberg, where there was no adult to take responsibility for the family’s marriage.

After the death of his mother, she was the one who raised the only heir to the dukedom. Edmund had no intention of taking away that right.

A Grand Duke trying to start a rebellion. The Grand Duchess whom his grandmother is considering as a fiancée.

Isn’t it like pushing him to become a traitor?

Edmund, who was mulling over such ridiculous thoughts, changed his mind and turned his steps.

Towards the annex where that woman had sneaked in.

Vivian Mabel, whom he saw today, held her breath and hid herself so as not to be noticed by him.

As ordered.

She moved as he wanted.

But, why.

The darkened sky had already cooled to the point of being chilly. It was such a hot summer, but when darkness came, it shamelessly hid its warmth as if nothing had happened. With the emerald sea, so vast it made his eyes dizzy, behind him, Edmund opened the door of the annex without hesitation.

Edmund stepped into the silence that had suddenly fallen, stood in front of the fireplace, threw in firewood, and picked up the matches on the shelf. The match scratched with a small friction instantly created a flame. Edmund put the embers into the fireplace and slowly stood up.

Edmund stared blankly at the faintly burning flames. His gaze moved back slightly. On the hard floor in front of the sofa, where the woman had been crouching with her wet body, traces of moisture were still faintly seeping in.

A faint but clear stain.

In those remnants that stubbornly remained even when he wanted to erase them, eventually remaining in a sordid form, Edmund spent a short time with a parched agitation.

Will she cry?

She probably will.

Because she was a woman who cried a lot.

She was a woman who cried and said she didn’t like it every moment, so it wasn’t something he couldn’t have predicted.

If she’s abandoned?

If this village that makes you, your parents, even your fiancé whom you love so much, abandon you, you.

I, you.

“Can I have you?”

The faint embers gradually swelled and grew to the point where they were now blazing greatly.

To throw away, you must first have it.

Edmund slowly closed his eyes, watching the slowly drying firewood.

The heat that rushed in from afar was like Vivian Mabel. Not here. That insignificant and resentful woman who leaves me and runs away every time.

Your answer is wrong, Vivian.

There is no love, and emotions are wrong.

Edmund wanted to see the answer to this question.

If he could make her realize how useless and light the love she believed in so much was. And if he could completely possess the woman who had nothing left.

“…Vivian.”

Only then would he be able to throw her away.

The unpleasant feeling that bothered him.

The indescribable desire that surged up from deep inside every time he saw her.

All of that, everything.

＊ ＊ ＊

Catherine headed to Foberg’s summer villa without delay.

It was a very hot day.

Thanks to Catherine’s consideration in sending a Lockberg-owned car so that the journey would not be uncomfortable, Catherine set foot on Fobert’s land faster than she had expected.

“We’re almost there.”

“Thank you for letting me know.”

Catherine replied with a perfectly aristocratic smile to the driver’s words, who was considerate of the Grand Duchess, who was unfamiliar with the scenery of Fobert. Catherine smiled and nodded, then turned her gaze to look out the window.

The driver glanced at the Grand Duchess’s face reflected through the glass window and let out an invisible exclamation.

The reputation that she was the most beautiful woman in the capital was clearly an unexaggerated fact.

Her luscious, red, wavy hair had a subtle sheen, showing how well it had been managed. And what about her enchantingly upturned eyes and porcelain-smooth skin? But above all, the small mole next to her lips, which were dyed redder than her hair, gave her an elegant yet eye-catching atmosphere.

She was a beauty rarely seen in this place.

As instructed by the old mistress, who had ordered him to treat her with the utmost respect, the driver drove more carefully and smoothly than usual.

Finally, the carriage passed through a cherry tree-lined road where flowers were falling and green new leaves were sprouting, and passed through the main gate to reach the entrance of the mansion.

The car, which slowly entered along the long, well-maintained garden path, came to a stop.

Catherine, who bowed her head and got out of the car, straightened her back. The sun was so hot that her eyes narrowed. Catherine looked up at the sky and hesitated for a moment whether to open her parasol, but she calmly moved her steps after checking the not-so-distant entrance.

The humid air smelled faintly of the sea. The high sky was filled with a deep blue color, which seemed to be an advantage that made the unusually bright mansion stand out even more. When she thought about how it would be completed even more beautifully with her touch, she couldn’t bear this much heat.

“Thank you for your hard work on the long journey, Grand Duchess.”

Varner greeted Catherine with a soft smile and accepted her parasol. The servants lined up at the entrance of the mansion stole glances at the woman of noble status who had come from the capital, pretending not to. She was a noble lady with an ethereal and elegant atmosphere that flowed out naturally, as if she were not from this world.

Pretending not to notice such gazes, Catherine was guided by Varner into the mansion.

Catherine’s eyes widened with an exclamation as she crossed the hall and climbed the stairs to see the owner of the mansion.

“Rumors didn’t even capture half of the beauty of this place.”

The mansion was full of unique charm, enough to surprise even Catherine, who was very picky about aesthetics.

The entire place where the sky and the sea could be seen was made of large glass windows, giving a sense of openness, and the pure white marbles and golden sculptures that held the light that came in were something that could only be seen in the imperial palace.

Indeed, Lockberg.

Catherine came here looking at only one thing. Edmund Lockberg. There was no one in Argent who could give Catherine a greater honor than the name of Lockberg.

She didn’t know why the unmarried young Duke was delaying the marriage, but the letter from his grandmother, Catherine, was welcome news at the right time.

In the ducal family, where there was no adult to promote the marriage, she was the only one who could connect that man and her. The meaning of the letter sent by the Duchess Dowager was no different from Catherine’s intentions.

The request to help with the party preparations seemed plausible at first glance, but the Duchess Dowager was a great aristocrat who had led the Litten social circles for her entire life. She knew that it was a somewhat clumsy excuse for her to make. So, there could only be one thing she intended.

The Duke’s marriage.

And above all.

“I’m very much looking forward to it.”

Catherine captured the Duke standing at the end of her gaze.

“Ah, Duke.”

That man, Edmund Lockberg.

Edmund gestured to Varner to step back, as if telling him to leave. At the concise command, Varner nodded and stepped back with quiet steps.

In the silent hallway where only the two of them were left, Edmund greeted Catherine with an appropriate smile and a relaxed attitude.

“Welcome, Your Highness.”

“We met in the capital before. I’m very happy that you allowed me to come here.”

Edmund reached out his hand to escort Catherine, who smiled brightly. After carefully raising her hand and holding it, she moved her steps at an appropriate pace. Catherine’s cheeks, hidden by her rose-like red hair, flushed pink.

The hot temperature pierced her skin. Feeling that warmth, Catherine could once again be certain.

It had to be this man.

Edmund Lockberg was worth giving up the only woman of the imperial family, that noble side.

In the marriage market, where the profits to be exchanged were thoroughly weighed, the Duke was by far the best item in Argent.

A young and beautiful aristocrat. He was completely different from those mediocre aristocrats who were just indulging in women, and that point was even more pleasing to Catherine.

Despite his unfortunate childhood, having lost his parents at a young age and growing up alone, the Duke, who had perfectly fulfilled his duties as a promising officer, a trusted aristocrat, and a successful businessman, had shown his value as a perfect husband and a man to be a family.

So, his side should rightfully belong to Catherine von Verberosa.

A perfect marriage in many ways.

A summer that will become more important.

Catherine was confident.

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