I Won't Accept Your Regrets

“Anyone can stumble at least once. I suppose you got really scared today. So leave and have a good rest.”

Raymond drew back from the drooping Lisa and turned towards the exit.

“When Edmund wakes up, send me a word.”

He gave the order to the servant and left the room without turning around.

Lisa lifted her head and turned to the servant:

“I’ll be with the prince. You can go.”

The servant left and the door slammed shut. When silence returned to the room, Lisa’s gentle face cooled in an instant.

“So I’m not in a position to advise you?”

She was neither Raymond’s advisor nor the Empress.

She wasn’t even his mistress.

Just Edmund’s biological mother.

That was her only merit.

If it wasn’t for Edmund, the Emperor had no reason to let Lisa be in the palace.

If every now and then remind of their former love, it’s like sprinkling salt on the wound once again. But these feelings were lost in time.

She parted with the past ‘her’ the moment she stepped down on the imperial shore, arm in arm with Edmund.

If Raymond had come down to her and held out his hand to her, she might even melt. She could do all sorts of stupid things out of her emotions.

However, rather than seeing him alienate further and further, she would rather make a knight’s move.

“…I won’t regret it.”

About his murder.

Lisa turned to Edmund with a sinister smile.

She gently stroked Edmund’s injured hand and kissed the child on the forehead.

“Don’t get sick, my little Imperial Majesty.”

* * *

“Your Majesty, it’s too late. Tell me to serve you dinner in the bedroom?” the butler in the main palace asked.

But Raymond had no appetite.

“I don’t need it.”

“Then let me prepare a bath.”

“I don’t need anything. I want to be alone. All of you get out.”

The butler sent all the servants away, seeing his master in a bad mood.

“Ha-a.”

Throwing aside his cloak, he went to the window.

Raymond fixed his gaze on Edmund’s palace, where torches were never extinguished.

“…Lisa.”

Raymond spoke her name in a voice as cold as the wind at night.

You really don’t know anything?

Raymond remembered the look on Lisa’s face.

If it is true that Marquis Sios decided to dig my grave, Lisa will stand by and advise him.

But is she with Marquis Sios? Time will show.

But one thing is sure…

Whatever they think, the first thing they do is take out Duke Croft.

I pretended to care about him. In fact, the subject of my concerns is completely different.

But first, what is Lisa’s role in this conspiracy?

Raymond frowned.

Once upon a time I was embarrassed to doubt her, the mother of my child.

Lisa always looked at me with a face in which you won’t find even a drop of evil.

It’s hard to believe that disgust lurked under her innocent face all this time.

Raymond sighed.

If it’s revealed that the Marquis is really so insidious, the Sios family will instantly lose their lives.

Regardless of the fact that she is the mother of the crown prince, Lisa wo’t be protected from the sword either.

Or maybe even Edmund…

A flash flew through his black eyes.

I’ve already killed my family.

At worst, I…

Raymond turn his numb face away from the Crown Prince’s palace in the distance, smelling again the forgotten metallic scent.

I don’t want a river of blood again.

But if someone touched Ellie, even the Emperor himself didn’t know how far he would go.

Raymond’s heavy breathing mingled with the cool breeze that swept through the Imperial Palace.

* * *

It was very early in the morning when I returned to the Duke’s mansion after meeting Carlisle.

Relaxing in the hot tub, I fell asleep for a while.

At that moment, I dreamed of the past.

My first child was born, Raymond and I are walking around the palace. Laughter flows around.

“I overworked in the last days. I dream of all kinds of nonsense.”

“Yes?”

The maid overheard me talking to myself, and asked. I spoke to her, fighting off unnecessary thoughts:

“It’s nothing.”

“Milady, let’s up your hair today? Or, perhaps, omit them?”

I looked in the mirror.

The slouchy light green tunic dress was more elegant than flashy.

“Comb it clean.”

“Yes.”

“I’m late, so hurry.”

Morning turned into noon.

I didn’t want to be late because today’s meeting was very important. A person dear to my heart was waiting for me.

If I know that I would have a strange dream, then I wouldn’t have gone to bed at all.

At my request, the hand of the maids became faster.

They fixed my hair with pearl hairpins and retreated.

“It’s done, Milady.”

“Good job.”

I gave the maids a copper coin, grabbed my purse and left the room.

I was in a hurry, because my destination this time was the house of the Marquis Celine.

It didn’t know what happened to the Celine family, but their fall was clear to me.

The appearance of the young lady Celine was completely stuck in my head that time.

So instead of ordering Lumont to find out, I decided to visit the Marquis in person.

After returning from tea party, I sent a letter in which I indicated that I wanted to visit the Marquis Celine. The answer came soon.

And here I am standing in front of the estate of the Marquis Celine.

It was a two-story house, which can hardly be called the dwelling of an aristocrat.

Looking at the house, I blinked slowly.

Maybe I was in the wrong place?

I looked embarrassed at the house in front of me and turned to the coachman.

“Is this really the estate of the Marquis Celine?”

Their mansion faded in just a couple of years.

And the answer to my question didn’t come from the coachman.

“Mrs. Croft. And here you are!”

I was greeted by the daughter of the Celine family. She walked out the front door and came up to me with a bright smile on her lips.

“Lady Celine.”

“We have no gatekeeper, and I didn’t know you were here. Thank you for visiting our home.”

After these words, there was no room for doubt.

This small two-story house was indeed the home of the Celine family.

I answered quickly, smoothing the embarrassment off my face.

“No, I should be grateful to you.”

“We were so happy when you expressed your intention to visit. My mother told me a lot about Mrs. Croft when you was the Empress.”

“Is the Marquise Celine inside?”

“Yes. She couldn’t come out to meet you because she was sick. Oh, I’m sorry!”

The girl smiled shyly.

“We haven’t had guests for a long time. Something I forgot and chatted with them on the doorstep. I will lead you inside. ”

I smiled and entered Celine’s house.

It was difficult to judge from the meager home decoration that a high titled lived here.

However, the place was decorated so nicely that in spite of that, the atmosphere here settled down to be cozy.

The time that I spent in the Lund Kingdom was quite long, so now I preferred a small and comfortable house rather than a luxurious huge mansion.

I smiled with nostalgia for the happy days in the Lund Kingdom, and widened my eyes when I saw the person sitting on the couch in the living room.

Marquise Levellin Celine.

She stood in the middle of the living room.

“Mrs. Croft. Long time no see.”

I was happy to see her after so many years. But when I remembered about the situation with the Marquis, my heart ached.

They may have suffered more than I expected. The Marquise’s face was much more emaciated than before, and wrinkles appeared on the once smooth forehead.

I bowed my head to her.

“I should have contacted you. But I hadn’t time.”

“Don’t talk nonsense. The misadventures of Celine’s house are not a lady’s problem. Raise your head.”

The Marquise gripped my arm tightly. When I slowly raised my head to her, the Marquise smiled tenderly.

She had rustic features, but her gentle smile hasn’t changed from the past.

She patted me with the back of her hand, as if to say ‘it’s okay’.