Thus Began Your Regret - Chapter 63

The two of them came out wearing the clothes they had chosen for each other.

Although they were somewhat pressed for time, their choices were by no means subpar.

Louisa took in the sight of her husband, who looked even sharper due to his slight weight loss.

His broad shoulders, the curve of his back below them, and the slim waist contrasting with his wide lats exuded masculinity.

‘If he lectures looking like that, a female student might fall head over heels for him like Daniel did.’

Louisa chuckled softly, amused by her own thoughts.

Now that they both looked presentable, it was time to end their magical 40-minute date.

Edward needed to leave now to make it to his lecture on time, and she had to return to the hospital for her appointment.

Louisa approached to pay the bill.

“The payment—”

Madam Lang smiled and said,

“Your husband has already taken care of the payment.”

‘Payment, husband, taken care of.’

Louisa turned to look at Edward, surprised.

He was clearly pretending not to have heard, arms crossed and looking away.

Glancing at Louisa, he took out his pocket watch to check the time. It was a clear signal that they should leave without further ado.

Louisa frowned at his brazen behavior, then gave him a reproachful look as if he were a mischievous child.

She had said she didn’t want to receive anything more, yet as soon as they met again, he was quick to give her something.

It was so typical of her husband, but unlike when she left, she didn’t dislike the feeling.

This dress would bring back good memories even when she saw it at home.

Louisa smiled helplessly, shaking her head a couple of times, and bid farewell to Madam Lang.

“Lang, we have to go now as we’re short on time. We’ll greet you again next time we drop by.”

“It would be an honor if you come again.”

She bowed deeply to the big spenders she hadn’t seen in a while.

Edward, who had been standing at a distance, strode over to Louisa and promptly offered his arm. Louisa found it somewhat annoying and gave him a sidelong glance before placing her hand on his arm.

Escorted by Edward, she came out and immediately got into the cab that was waiting.

This chance encounter, which brought mixed feelings she couldn’t quite grasp, was about to end.

There were still words left unspoken in her heart. However, Louisa wore a faint smile as if she had just unloaded a heavy burden.

But Edward was different.

His heart was still full of things he wanted to say. He needed to convey his feelings and clear up the misunderstandings his wife might have.

He looked at his wife with yearning eyes.

Fortunately, his wife seemed to be in a better mood than expected. Perhaps she might accept his proposal.

Edward turned to face her without daring to take her hand. When his movement caught her eye, Louisa slightly turned her head to look at him.

Edward swallowed hard before speaking.

“Louisa.”

Instead of asking what was wrong, Louisa raised her eyebrows and widened her eyes.

“I don’t have anyone to have dinner with tonight.”

Edward said, overcoming his embarrassment.

Louisa burst into laughter. Despite his serious expression, it was quite a cute thing to say. It sounded like a complete dinner date request.

She didn’t try to hide her laughter as she replied.

“That’s too bad. I thought you knew many people here and there.”

“Where would I know anyone in Tanasen besides you?”

“Is that so? I thought you were always out and about.”

She joked. Edward felt a bit guilty and hunched his shoulders.

“I don’t have such people. I’m always cooped up in the laboratory.”

It wasn’t entirely untrue. The problem was the lack of communication with Louisa during that time.

Edward looked at his wife and tried to appear as pitiful as possible.

“After the lecture ends and I exchange greetings with the chancellor, it’ll be just about dinner time, but I’ll have to go out alone and eat a dried-up sandwich from the station.”

“Good heavens, Ed.”

Louisa shook her head.

“You thought I was lying just now, didn’t you? But I’m not. I’m just a commoner who barely managed to get an invitation for a guest lecture by paying money. There’s no one here who would sit down and have a meal with me face to face except you.”

“Ed, I hope you realize that what you’re saying now is truly an unprecedented exaggeration.”

Louisa said, narrowing her eyes and giving him a sidelong glance.

The cab announced their arrival. The two of them opened the back door and got out.

It was now truly time for them to go their separate ways.

Edward looked at his wife with sorrowful eyes. Was this really how they were parting? Was this miraculous encounter ending just like this?

“Now… where are you going?”

Louisa, who had been staring at him, asked.

“I need to go to the hospital.”

It sounded like a somewhat cold response.

Edward’s head drooped in disappointment. However, he doubted his ears at her next words.

“I missed my appointment time today, so I’m not sure when I’ll be able to leave the hospital. So, if the timing works out, well, let’s have a meal together after a long time.”

Edward’s eyes gradually widened. Vitality began to spread across his entire face in an instant.

He slowly but firmly grasped both her hands and said,

“Alright. I’ll be waiting. I’ll come to pick you up.”

Louisa felt somewhat unsettled yet excited about the sudden outing plan.

Looking back, it was surprising how they had conversed without any awkwardness despite the unexpected encounter.

Of course, the urgency of the situation left no room for their circumstances to come to mind. Nevertheless, the fact remained that familiarity rather than awkwardness had filled the space between them even after such a long time.

It was a different feeling from when they first moved to Tanasen.

Instead of a leisurely mind and mere novel excitement, it was a throbbing accompanied by a sense of urgency and restlessness.

‘Come to think of it, it has been a really long time since I’ve had a meal out with Edward like this.’

The memory that came to mind was of a small restaurant they had visited not long after moving to the capital.

There weren’t many proper memories after that. Her busy husband would constantly check his watch, unable to focus whenever they went out, and seeing her husband like that, she gave up on dating him herself.

Although she had missed her appointment time, fortunately, the waiting list wasn’t long. Soon after her examination ended, she came out of the hospital.

Standing at the main entrance, Louisa muttered,

“The examination is over, what should I do now.”

Should she go to Edward’s lecture venue?

She pondered for a moment.

However, she thought it might be inconsiderate if the sound of the door opening and closing disturbed the lecture. Instead, she decided to drop by Julia’s research lab.

She made her way to the faculty research building of the College of Engineering.

“Julia.”

“Louisa!”

Julia greeted Louisa much more enthusiastically than usual. With her mouth open wide enough to exaggerate that her jaw might fall off, Julia ran to Louisa and hugged her tightly.

After the hug, she looked at Louisa and said,

“It’s good to see you. Do you have some time now?”

“Now? Yes. I just finished my hospital appointment, and I dropped by because I had something I wanted to ask.”

“That’s great.”

She quickly walked over and picked up a stack of student reports piled on her desk. Holding out the bundle of papers, she said,

“Then, could you help me check if these are all correctly sorted by class roster? These are the next batch I need to grade.”

It was so like Julia to boldly ask for help with work as soon as she arrived.

Louisa was feeling a bit awkward about just asking her question and leaving anyway. She readily agreed and sat down on the sofa in the research lab.

As she took the stack of papers, she asked,

“Julia, do you know any good restaurants around here?”

“Restaurants? I know many. Who are you going with?”

“Ah… I promised to treat the person who helped me earlier today to a meal.”

“Oh my. That sounds quite exciting. A man?”

“Um. Yes.”

Julia gave her a knowing look.

It was the day when a big announcement had been made about Edward Allen’s lecture.

She smiled and said,

“In that case, there’s a place called ‘Hamilton’s Restaurant’ across the street from the main gate on Moren Street. It’s quiet with not too many tables, and the food is quite good.”

She recommended a restaurant known for being a great place for couples to date.

“Thanks for the recommendation, Julia.”

“My pleasure. In return, tell me how it goes later.”

I’d like to see how that Evan fellow’s nose gets broken.

Julia muttered the last part to herself as she spoke cheerfully.

Edward declined the chancellor’s invitation to have a meal together.

He rushed out, thinking of his wife who might be waiting for him.

On the way to the main gate, he kept looking around as he continued walking.

His wife was nowhere to be seen on the wide-open path leading to the entrance.

His chest tightened as if his heart was being squeezed.

Edward continued down the path with an anxious heart. At the end of the path, he saw his wife leaning against a pillar set up like a doorpost.

The wind must have been chilly, as she had pulled up the collar of the cape she was wearing to cover her neck.

He ran with his heart pounding as if he were a twenty-year-old experiencing his first love.

Reaching close to Louisa, he put his hands on his knees and caught his breath.

His wife’s reddened cheeks were shrouded in white breath. After adjusting his clothes and fixing his hair, Edward slowly walked up to his wife.

“Louisa.”

Discovering Edward approaching while calling her name, Louisa looked up at him and smiled her characteristic gentle smile.

“Let’s go. I know a good restaurant.”

His wife smiled and held out her hand.

As if in a dream, Edward grasped the tips of her fingers, which had turned red from waiting for him in the cold wind.