Thus Began Your Regret (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 14

Edward sat alone in the driver’s seat, fiddling with a pearl between his fingers.

“It would have looked truly lovely on her.”

He lifted one earring up before his eyes. Its milky, delicate sheen was unmistakably just like Louisa’s skin.

After gazing at it for a long while, he quickly hid the earring in his fist and closed his eyes.

His wife’s face appeared before him—her cheeks flushed as she’d asked whether he’d accompany her to the party. He remembered with painful clarity the moment that hopeful expression turned to disappointment.

But of course, there was no way he could possibly go.

His own origins clung to his wife’s name like a label.

No matter how hard he tried to stay away, he couldn’t help but hear the rumors anyway.

“The son of a swindler, whose low birth couldn’t be hidden. A base fool, overstepping his station.”

And his wife had foolishly chosen such a man as her husband, sealing her own disgrace with her own hands.

The insults hurled at him might annoy him, but they never truly wounded him.

The words aimed at his wife, however, were different.

Those words tore at his chest, and even the silent gestures that excluded him—though their meaning remained unclear—were insult enough.

But how could he possibly share such things with Louisa?

He had always ensured that anyone who insulted his wife paid dearly for it. Yet that didn’t mean he wanted her to hear those vile words in full.

Pretending not to be hurt, pretending everything was fine—

He didn’t want his wife to see that hardened mask he wore.

“What should I do with this?”

He glanced back at the pile of items behind him.

If I went to the party with her, perhaps she’d have no choice but to wear it, just to appease me.

But he quickly dismissed the idea. He couldn’t bear to see his wife holding her head high in the face of their scorn. To witness Louisa being attacked because of him—yes, honestly, it frightened him.

Someday, I’d love to see Louisa wearing the dress I chose for her.

Edward leaned back alone against the car seat.

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The morning breeze was rather chilly.

The trees planted in the garden had begun shedding their leaves one by one.

Paul, sweeping the fallen leaves in the yard, checked his watch once.

“It’s already this late.”

It was nearly time for Louisa Allen to leave for work. He leaned his broom against the wall and moved toward the car to start the engine.

When he arrived at the garage, his employer, Edward Allen, was already there. Paul greeted him respectfully.

“Sir. Please take care on your way.”

“Oh, right. You drive carefully too.”

Edward returned a brief greeting before getting into the car. But just before starting the engine, he hesitated for a moment, then suddenly reopened the door and leaned halfway out.

“Hey, Paul!”

Paul, who had been wiping dust off Louisa’s car window, turned around.

“If… if you learn anything about what Louisa is thinking, please pass it along to me. It’s important, so keep it in mind.”

At his words, Paul smiled faintly, as if he understood everything perfectly.

“Yes, I’ll remember. Please take care on your way.”

Yet Edward remained standing there for a long while, seemingly unsettled. Only when Louisa’s departure time drew near did he finally start the car and drive off slowly.

“Oh? Master left a while ago already. Was there some issue with the car?”

Rachel, who had come out to see Louisa off, noticed Edward’s car and remarked.

Paul, following behind her, stopped the car in front of the mansion’s porch and replied.

“We just chatted about the weather for a bit. The fallen leaves keep piling up no matter how much we clear them away.”

He got out of the driver’s seat and opened the back door.

“We should get going now, Madam.”

Louisa watched Edward’s car disappear down the driveway before climbing into the car.

“To the Valiant Palace—correct?”

“Yes, indeed. As you said yourself, your workday starts early again today.”

Louisa brushed it off with a light-hearted remark, and Paul chuckled warmly in response.

“Well, hardship isn’t only for wives, you know. Agatha’s been pulling her hair out over the upcoming birthday celebration.”

“I’m always indebted to Mrs. Johnson.”

Paul Johnson started the car. With a jolt, it rolled past the estate’s main gate. He glanced back briefly and asked.

“Is everything coming along well with preparations? It seems Master is paying particular attention this time.”

“Oh… it’s coming along fine. Someone’s helping me, after all.”

Louisa had been about to say there was nothing to prepare, just as she’d told Edward yesterday—but realizing her companion was Paul Johnson, she tactfully changed the subject instead.

“That’s right. My wife is remarkably skilled, after all.”

He grinned with his characteristic affable smile. After glancing once at Louisa’s expression, he cautiously broached the topic.

“It seems Master won’t be going again this time, either.”

“He’s busy with work—it can’t be helped. You and the others see it up close far better than I do.”

“I know. But precisely because of that, I’ve noticed lately just how much Master has changed.”

Paul Johnson had been watching over the Allens for three years now. For most of that time, every day had been nothing but a cold war.

Lately, however, something had begun to shift. They were still a young couple, so missteps were inevitable—but one thing was certain: Edward Allen wanted to change something.

Paul Johnson genuinely wished for his courteous, quiet employers to find a little more happiness. He ventured a careful suggestion to Louisa.

“Why not ask Master to go with you this time?”

“Is it really necessary? It’s already hard enough for someone who never used to come home at all to make time and stop by like this.”

Louisa dismissed the suggestion with a light laugh.

She’d already thought the same thing herself—had even asked him whether he might attend the party.

But all her hope had done was reaffirm a painful reality.

Unaware of this, Paul spoke to her once more.

“I may not know much about women’s society myself, but through my wife, I’ve learned a few things—like the looks women receive when their husbands seem distant.”

“True. Everyone’s human; it’s not so different anywhere. You’re absolutely right.”

Louisa replied with a bitter smile.

“But let’s leave this conversation here. That’s enough for now.”

She didn’t want to shame her husband by complaining needlessly, nor did she wish to lie and claim everything was fine when it wasn’t.

So Louisa swallowed her pain quietly within.

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The Allen Research Institute was engulfed in silence.

Edward stared blankly at the results he’d produced, as if unable to believe his own eyes.

It was Jeffrey who broke the heavy silence. He shot up from his chair and shouted.

“It’s done… it’s done! It really worked!”

At his cry, the staff—who had been holding their breath, fixated only on the test results—began cheering.

“Good heavens!”

“Has it really been nearly an hour already? It actually succeeded?”

“It just passed! It’s been sixty-one minutes now!”

“My word!”

The staff of the Allen Research Institute, overwhelmed with excitement, embraced each other in confusion and joy.

Before them, the Allen Corporation’s engine—powered by mana crystals—spun a massive propeller with enough output to drive not only trains but even military warships.

“What will the world say when they see this? This could truly change the course of history. I’m serious—this is no joke!”

An ecstatic Jeffrey rattled off words in rapid succession.

“Westwood Corporation is still scrambling just to run a single automobile—they’ll never catch up! No matter how hard they research!”

He strode over and seized his boss firmly by the shoulders.

“Everyone will come running when they see this output. They couldn’t possibly resist—not with their eyes wide open. They’ll line up, drooling!”

In his excitement, he even began vigorously shaking Edward’s shoulders, prompting Edward to swat his hands away and straighten his collar.

“I know that better than anyone.”

“Sir, don’t act like a stranger at a time like this—just join in with us! You’re happy too, aren’t you?”

Jeffrey pinched his own cheeks, stretched his smile wide, and hopped up and down.

Edward shook his head at his junior’s unreserved antics and pulled a chair to sit directly in front of the spinning propeller.

Seeing this, the staff dropped their work entirely and began gathering around him.

Edward glanced at them briefly and grumbled.

“If you’re just going to sit here and gawk anyway, at least bring chairs or snacks or something.”

Immediately, the staff dispersed like receding tide, rummaging around their stations before returning with various items in hand.

And so another hour passed, then two…

Until the mana crystal exhausted its power—seven hours in total.

That night, the entire staff of the Allen Research Institute gathered to raise a toast together.

[This is the timeline separator]

In the quiet air, the chiming of the grandfather clock rang unusually loud.

After its tenth chime faded into stillness, Louisa, seated in the drawing room sipping honeyed milk, set her cup down.

“If you’re not going to come, you shouldn’t have said anything at all.”

Her husband had always worked late without notice—the fact that she was alone at this hour wasn’t unusual.

Yet something felt off today. Though it was the same as always, she felt more forlorn than usual.

It was probably because of what Paul had said earlier.

Or because they’d been spending more time together lately.

Or maybe… just maybe because she’d foolishly allowed herself to hope he might come.

[Just in case, if I’m going to be late… I’ll let you know.]

She felt foolish for having waited, expecting even a message from him.

Her husband, who had left for work earlier than usual these past few days, hadn’t returned even as the sun set and night deepened.

It was nothing new—but after just a few days of being together, even briefly, the emptiness of his absence now felt this stark.

“That’s exactly why you shouldn’t say things you can’t keep.”

Louisa murmured her complaint into the empty air.

She turned off the light in the drawing room where she’d been sitting.

As she reached for the door to close it, she paused momentarily, her hand still. She gazed toward the stairs leading to the servants’ quarters.

[If you’re truly worried about me being late, just wake Paul and send him.]

Her husband’s voice echoed vividly in her mind.

Remembering the gentle tone in which he’d spoken those words, Louisa turned her head away again and stared into the darkness of the unlit drawing room.

After standing there silently for a moment, she finally closed the door and headed upstairs to her room.