Thus Began Your Regret - Chapter 12
The center of Lindblum, Central Square.
This place was surrounded by a neatly arranged bustling area, worthy of being called the center of high-end shopping districts used by nobles.
Edward parked the car in a suitable spot and got out.
There were far more moving cars than people walking around. Among them, a woman with an impressive colorful parasol and puffed-up skirt was seen waving her hand.
“She’s standing quite well in such an outfit, even though she has to walk outside.”
Edward, who uttered something close to admiration in a sense, walked briskly with his characteristic gait.
As he approached, the woman took a few steps forward and greeted him.
“It’s my first time meeting a gentleman who keeps a lady waiting.”
Her name was Emily Earnest.
She was the second daughter of the Earnest family, Gilford Theodore’s in-laws.
“Ah, I didn’t know the schedule would be set for today right away.”
“Well, the appointment was a bit quick. I couldn’t help it because I was so excited as soon as I heard about it.”
She said with a smile on her bright, flower-like face.
“Fortunately, you seem to be in a good mood today.”
“Today?”
“When I met you before, your expression was quite stiff.”
At her words, Edward briefly recalled, thinking, ‘Where did I run into this woman?’
He remembered exchanging greetings in passing at some party. He clearly remembered that Gilford had introduced them at that time.
However, since she wasn’t someone he paid much attention to, he couldn’t recall exactly when it was.
He finally gave up trying to figure it out and said,
“Did I offend you in some way? If so, I apologize.”
“Oh, no. You’ve done nothing of the sort to me.”
She covered her mouth with the fan she was holding and continued.
“I was just a bit worried because I heard there might have been some issue with your wife. There were rumors about Mrs. Allen’s eccentricities…”
Upon hearing that, Edward began to vaguely remember something.
He must have come out after having an argument with Louisa that day.
When he asked about the dirt on his wife’s clothes, she said it got dirty while doing volunteer work.
He had scolded her for that, but Louisa didn’t back down and spoke her mind. Feeling upset, he had fled to the party venue.
But at the place he came to forget his frustrations, people were gossiping about Mrs. Allen’s eccentricities and her labor.
Because of that, he had lost his temper with those fellows there, and it seemed that this was what the woman was talking about.
“Ah, I think I know which time you’re referring to. The rude fellows I encountered that day deserved it.”
How dare those bastards bring up Louisa.
Edward nodded in agreement.
Emily, who had been observing his expression, closed the fan that had been covering her mouth. She adjusted her parasol and stood beside him, saying,
“I believe you’ll show me a gentlemanly side. Now, shall we go pick out the gift you want, leaving behind this gloomy talk?”
* * *
The meetings at Valiant Palace were usually incredibly boring.
Because it was always the same people saying similar things before leaving, the only new thing was the creativity in how they mocked each other.
Therefore, the appearance of someone who usually wasn’t seen meant some kind of commotion.
Especially if it was someone from the Valeria family who held a grudge against Edward Allen.
“Don’t be fooled! Even yesterday, I was listening to my son’s worries.”
Ralph Valeria, commonly known as Councilor Valeria, said huffing.
“No matter how good the words sound, we shouldn’t lend our ears to anything said by those who bear the name Allen.”
He seemed ready to oppose anything Louisa said. Louisa calmly responded to his rude remarks.
“Your words are excessive. I regret the feelings you hold towards my husband, but there’s no valid reason for it to be mentioned here.”
“No valid reason? I’m saying it because what you’re saying is so preposterous!”
“Please mind your words, Councilor Valeria. There’s no reason for me to be treated with such disrespect by you.”
Louisa felt irritated by the consecutive remarks aimed at her.
Councilor Valeria had been spreading malicious gossip about Allen since the contract between the previous Allen Company and Valeria Company fell through.
Most nobles did, but this man was particularly fond of consuming gossip.
Now that such an incident had befallen them, whether out of anger or amusement at their misfortune, he wouldn’t let them off easily for a while.
As an argument broke out between the two, the surrounding nobles began to whisper.
Unable to bear the commotion any longer, Chairman Bradford banged on the table and shouted loudly to the crowd.
“Alright, enough, enough!”
At that sound, everyone’s attention turned to the center. As the commotion subsided a little, he looked around at the people staring at him and said,
“That’s enough. Councilor Valeria, please speak after obtaining the right to speak. And refrain from rude remarks. This applies to Councilor Allen as well.”
At the chairman’s intervention, Councilor Valeria raised his hand as if he was about to say something more. But after looking around once, he sat down with a huff.
That must have been enough to achieve his intended goal.
Louisa held back a sigh that was about to escape.
Bradford, thinking it was unreasonable to continue the meeting in such a chaotic state, called out to the crowd.
“We’ll take a short recess. The meeting will resume in 30 minutes.”
At the chairman’s announcement, people began to leave the conference room in groups of threes and fives.
Of course, there was one particularly loud voice among them. Naturally, the one making such a show of talking loudly was Ralph Valeria.
“If that fellow shows his face in front of me again, I’ll give him a present with whatever I’m holding, right in his face.”
He said, slapping his clenched right fist against his palm. The men talking with him burst into laughter.
“Haha. Should we understand that as you promising us an interesting sight at this party?”
“Even for an Allen, surely he wouldn’t think of showing his face at a royal party.”
Their names were Sutherland and Renekton, from families that valued bloodline to the core.
Sutherland said with a sneer,
“That’s right. Having some money doesn’t change one’s social status, does it?”
“Well, considering his nature, it might not be that he can’t come, but that he won’t come.”
Renekton, who was laughing along with him, pointed his chin towards Louisa and said,
“We never see the couple attending together, do we?”
At his gesture, their gazes turned to Louisa. Councilor Valeria looked at her sideways and said,
“Whatever the reason, we’ll find out when we get there.”
These were rude remarks. But unlike during the meeting, Louisa couldn’t open her mouth to say anything.
Because everything they were saying was true.
It was truly infuriating, but she had no words to refute the stories they were blatantly bringing up to insult her.
At first, it was really because they were too poor to afford it.
But even after their circumstances improved, and even after achieving great success, her husband never set foot in such places.
Once, his colleagues at work had urged him to at least attend once, but still to no avail.
Even after he became ‘Edward Allen, the Magic Engineer’, and the royal family regularly sent invitations with his name on them, he never once accepted any of those invitations.
‘Perhaps it would have been a little better if he had become a man who never attended parties at all.’
She truly felt that if it had been that way, her heart might have ached less.
[I’m sorry, but I’m busy that day. I have plans.]
Louisa had heard this words many times. At some point, she began asking out of obligation, expecting his refusal.
Her husband doesn’t even attend royal events. But that doesn’t mean he never attends parties at all.
The problem was that this only applied when it wasn’t a party she was attending.
She cried many times after realizing this fact. After crying and crying, once she realized she had given up on him, she stopped asking unnecessarily.
Valeria and a few others chatted like that for a while before going outside.
Louisa, left alone in the meeting room, tightly gripped her skirt hidden under the table.
* * *
“How about this? These are natural pearls from Calihae, and it would be very difficult to find items of this quality or better.”
The store owner, about two spans shorter than Edward, explained enthusiastically, waving his arms.
But Edward’s expression remained indifferent as he listened.
The designer was babbling something, but to his eyes, everything just looked sparkly and pretty.
Louisa would look good in anything, so just bring out everything you have.
Those words almost came out of his throat, but he reached into his jacket’s inner pocket and pulled out a cigar case instead.
As he put the cigar in his mouth, the store owner approached him and said,
“Oh. You smoke Oliva Maduro. You have good taste indeed. It’s a cigar I like too.”
The store owner quickly took out a matchbox and lit Edward’s cigar. Then, glancing at Emily Earnest sitting beside him, he opened his mouth.
“Miss Earnest seems to like it too, doesn’t she? There’s nothing better than this to enhance a lady’s elegance.”
At his words, Emily nodded and said,
“That’s right. The necklace is very pretty. Are those the only matching earrings?”
“We have one more product made with the same pearls. Let’s see…”
The store owner quickly checked the product’s serial number and went to the back of the store. He came back running with small steps, carrying a small box. He opened it and said,
“Here it is. This one emphasizes glamour a bit more with gold and diamonds. It’s a work by a designer who has a history of supplying to the royal family, so it’s perfect for preparing for this party.”
“I like it. It’s lovely.”
Emily smiled with satisfaction. Edward, who had been puffing on his cigar beside her, said,
“Can’t we just buy everything?”
“No, we can’t.”
Emily flatly rejected his words. The store owner’s desperate gaze turned to Emily. But she ignored the owner’s gaze and said,
“Lord Theodore also advised against it. You can compete with quantity without me, can’t you?”
Edward, left speechless by her words, closed his mouth. Emily turned to the store owner with a triumphant expression and said,
“Let’s look at matching dresses too. Bring some with deep and vibrant colors.”
*
Save yourself from story hunger — the novel below will blow your mind!
[su_service title=”Seducing a God, Do You Dare?” icon=”icon: star-o” size=”16″][/su_service]
This is also on my reread list!
This one is a slow burn, but when it burns, it burns hard.
Definitely worth a read, y’all!
The story follows a thousand-year-old seductive spirit who, on a bet, sets out to charm the male lead—a once-promising but unfortunate cultivator.
But just when she succeeds in making him fall for her, she heartlessly leaves, driving him to madness.
Determined to find her at all costs, he captures her, keeping her by his side no matter what, even if she hates him.
I love this kind of trope—I enjoy watching the male lead suffer in agony.
The ending drags a bit with unnecessary filler, but that’s fine.
As long as I enjoy the beginning, I’m good.
Intro
As an enchantress, Su Heng possesses captivating eyes and charming beauty, easily manipulating the joys and sorrows of living beings at her fingertips.
But to enchant a god, making him taste the bitterness of love’s separation, long-lasting resentment, unattainable desires, and inability to let go…
Do you dare?
Su Heng assists a divine lord in his cultivation, aiming to make him experience all the sufferings of love, so that he can attain the Great Dao.
Only after being chased down from the heavens by the divine lord, confined and completely possessed by him, does she realize how successful she has been.
The once gentle and polite youth has transformed into someone she no longer recognizes.
[Touch the gear icon in the bottom right corner of the screen to move to the next chapter if you want.]
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