Your Regrets Are Late

There was no such thing as friendship between the Marchioness Radiasa and Lillian. Rather, it was surprising that they knew each other. Therefore, Charelize couldn’t understand why Marchioness Radiasa paid for Lillian’s bail.

“What are you talking about?”

At first, she thought the butler was mistaken.

“It’s true, Master.”

“…That Lilian was released from Astan?”

“…Yes.”

She had no choice but to admit it to the butler’s stubborn reply.

“When? Tell me the exact date.”

“It looks like she left three years ago and has already arrived at Marsetta territory.”

Listening to the butler, Charelize covered her dry face.

“It seems that Marchioness Radiasa has silenced Count Tien, who manages Astan. I also heard that news recently.”

Then, a knight came in with a knock.

“Greetings to the little Duchess.”

“…Enough with the greetings. Just keep things simple.”

The knight bowed his head to Charelize and continued in a polite voice. “The carriage of Marquis Radiasa has arrived in front of the main gate.”

At the words of the knight, Charelize approached the window.

Lillian, supported by Marchioness Radiasa, struggled to get down. Unlike the last time she saw her, she was very skinny. Maybe because Lillian had the same hair color, she looked like someone in Helsen Prison. That person looked just like her in the trial.

“Your Highness, shall I send them back right now?”

“No, I’m going down now, so let them go inside.”

“I will take your order, Your Highness.”

Coming down to the first floor, Charelize called Hailey.

“Hailey.”

“Yes, Your Highness.

“Give Lillian a proper guest room. While you watch, make sure she never met Chenia.”

“Don’t worry, Your Highness. I will also place knights outside her room.”

Chenia, the only witness to prove that Lillian drank the poison herself, anticipated that she would harm herself and sold the information to Lebanon. She said she didn’t feel compassionate enough to help Lillian, who had fallen into the abyss. However, Charelize couldn’t completely rule out the possibility. This time, she didn’t want to give Lillian even the slightest chance to escape.

“Greetings to the little Duchess.”

Marchioness Radiasa and Lillian entered the duchy. It was none other than Marchioness Radiasa who greeted Charelize.

After confirming that Lillian had gone to the guest room with Hailey, Charelize guided Marchioness Radiasa to the parlor. Hot steam rose from the two teacups served by the butler.

“I’ve never invited guests, but I think my head hurt in that brief moment. I don’t remember it at all, so it’s a big deal.” Charelize patted her head and said as if she didn’t like this situation.

“…Thank you for allowing me to come inside.” Marchioness Radiasa replied smoothly. She didn’t take any offense when Charelize called her *as an uninvited guest.

Charelize was curious about the intention of Marchioness Radiasa, who had bailed Lillian and even silenced Count Tien. “Are you thinking of making war with Marsetta?”

Even if they were close, it was something she wouldn’t have dared to do unless she wanted to make Charelize her enemy.

“…It can’t be. It’s just that Your Highness hit Delphir in the back once, so I just paid you back. As you know… my son is dead.”

Marchioness Radiasa revealed that the reason she brought Lillian was to avenge Delphir. She added that she hoped that doing this would put Charelize in trouble.

Charelize could immediately tell that this person was trying to provoke her. Her statement that she had hit her son on the back of his head bothered her the most. She wouldn’t have said something like this to Charelize if she had known what had happened.

Thinking it was a waste of time to continue talking to her, Charelize rose from her seat. Seeing Charelize heading towards the door, Marchioness Radiasa couldn’t help but feel flustered. Charelize didn’t like the subject Marchioness Radiasa had just poured while dropping her shoulders.

Marchioness Radiasa was a close friend of her mother. Since Charelize didn’t explain the situation, from Marchioness Radiasa’s perspective, she had lost her son because of her. However, just thinking of Delphir made Charelize even feel more irritated.  

“However… it’s not just because of that.” Marchioness Radiasa, holding a teacup in front of her tightly with her two hands, opened her mouth, which had been closed.

“What do you mean?”

“Before that, Your Highness. Let me ask you one question.”

“…Say it.”

“Why do you think… Del… is dead?”

In response to her question, Charelize remembered there was a will left by Delphir. Even if marchioness didn’t know everything, if she had read it, there was no way she wouldn’t know why he died.

“The will he left… Didn’t you read it?”

“My husband stopped me from reading it. He even burned it.”

After hearing that the Marquis Radiasa had burned Delphir’s will, Charelize looked back. She looked at the hands of Marchioness Radiasa, who was concerned. It was light, but there were definitely burn marks. Perhaps noticing her gaze, she said it was a wound she had suffered from trying to get the burned will.

“I… have known Lillian’s existence for a very long time.”

“…”

“The Lady Luxen, who was staying at the annex of Duke Marsetta, found out she was pregnant and planned to run away. Her Royal Highness Yekaterina, who always blamed herself for her being kidnapped… intended to use her as a tool to gain power in the managing estate, no, in the entire duchy. However, the lady, who had witnessed power struggles between siblings, refused her offer.”

“…”

“It seemed that even before you were born, the superiority of Your Highness compared to Lillian was evident, which is why things turned out that way. Anyway… Royal Princess Yekaterina requested my help. She asked me to hide them in the Principality of Moden so that the duke couldn’t find them anymore, as hiding them there had its limits.”

Marchioness Radiasa soon brought up a whole shocking story.

“Why the Principality of Moden?”

She already knew from Iris that Lillian had lived in the Principality of Moden before she came to Baron Buzz.

“Do you know that my grandmother, the former Countess Azel, is a princess there?”

“I know.”

“There was no place like the Principality of Moden to avoid the eyes of the previous duke. I’m on good terms with my grandmother, so it doesn’t look strange even if I go there often.”

“I don’t know why you did my mother’s favor. If you don’t like it, it’s not like she’s going to force you. And if she did something wrong, you could get offended.”

“I spent a lot of time with Lillian on behalf of Lady Luxe, who was sick. Should I say that child got better? That is my other reason. I don’t want to see Lillian suffer anymore.”

As soon as Charelize heard her words, she noticed that Marchioness Radiasa helped Lillian in her previous life. There was a time when they almost became family, as marchioness had raised Delphir like her own child. That made Charelize feel more sense of betrayal.

Just like the case with Delphir, Charelize had trusted her so deeply, which now become useless. Her relationship with those involved with Delphir had remained strained. She didn’t expect to rekindle close relationships, but she couldn’t help but feel a bitter sense of sorrow.

“When my husband wanted to adopt Delphir, I was absolutely baffled. Because it hadn’t even been a few days since my daughter died. When I first saw Delphir, I deliberately treated him harshly… But his eyes… strangely looked so much like my daughter’s. After living with him, I came to love him wholeheartedly. Even though he was always a bright child, he looked uncomfortable whenever he was with you.”

“…”

“I often wondered if he was forcing himself to endure being with you. When you went abroad for your studies, I was relieved, but then he said he wanted to get engaged after your coming of age, which surprised me. Even though it feels pointless to say it now, I didn’t want to welcome you as his future wife. But… my son really wants this, and he wants to find happiness at last… As parents, who could oppose it?”

Marchioness Radiasa’s eyes turned red. Eventually, her tears welled up and fell to the floor.

“But… it’s been several months since the engagement ceremony… As if it’s not enough to unilaterally declare breakup… how could you even see him dead? He was the person you loved once. Didn’t you… have any pity?”

“…It was Delphir who abandoned me first and ended our relationship. If you don’t understand, I trusted Delphir, but he didn’t trust me, so that’s what had to happen. Maybe… you know everything, but you don’t want to believe it at that time, so you pretend you don’t know.”

Delphir and Marchioness Radiasa had many similarities. They are alike From how they speak to how they shed tears. Strictly speaking, they didn’t share any blood, but it felt unpleasant, as if she was talking to him.

After hearing the reason for the breakup between the two was because of Delphir, Marquis Radiasa was silent for a long time.

“Master.”

“Butler?”

The butler opened the door and came in. “I apologize for coming while you’re speaking.”

“That’s fine. More than that, what’s the matter?”

“Princess Lillian suddenly collapsed. She has a very high fever…” The butler reported the news that Lillian had collapsed in such a small voice that only Charelize could hear.

“…Call a doctor to examine her.”

“I understand, Master.”

After confirming the butler who went outside to call for the doctor, Charelize stared at Marchioness Radiasa.