To Those For Whom Even Regret Is A Luxury (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 14
“How could she possibly…?”
For a moment, an overwhelming sense of bewilderment spread, eclipsing even her gratitude.
Ariana’s improvised interlude blended perfectly with the original melody.
So seamlessly, in fact, that Rosalyn—who had sung this piece dozens of times—hadn’t noticed right away.
Moreover, it was bewitchingly beautiful.
Had the circumstances been different, she surely would have lost herself completely in admiration.
“Can anyone really improvise at this level?”
Even as she continued this extraordinary performance, Ariana occasionally glanced toward Rosalyn.
With calm, patient eyes that never urged her—only silently conveying, “Whenever you’re ready.”
“…”
No one—not even her former lover, Mark—had ever shown Rosalyn this kind of consideration.
Then again, perhaps it was simply because no one else possessed the skill to do so.
Rosalyn barely managed to swallow the hot surge welling up in her throat.
“I have to sing.”
Thankfully, her voice had settled considerably since earlier. She now felt confident enough to tackle the climax.
With renewed resolve, she gave Ariana a subtle nod. Understanding immediately, Ariana lowered her graceful eyelashes and continued playing.
The music once again approached its climax.
The audience, who had been dazed and puzzled by the unfamiliar melody, now brightened with anticipation, eagerly awaiting the familiar part.
At last, Rosalyn opened her mouth.
“I’ll never regret again—because only I will stand by your side!”
A powerful melody erupted from her lips.
After a brief moment of silence, the crowd burst into thunderous applause.
Clap! Clap! Clap! Clap!
Amidst the cheering—like the chorus of thousands of birds—Rosalyn smiled happily.
* * *
“Wow, I was totally entranced. Who’s that singer? Not just her tone—her vocal power is insane!”
“Right? That high note in ‘On Possession’—only someone like Elena Lopez from the Lopez family could usually pull it off. She seems like a newcomer, but she’s incredible!”
“But wait—‘On Possession’… was the piece always like that?”
“No, I think it was rearranged. It felt quite different—I was surprised, but I loved it.”
“Oh, me too! The interlude was so long I was startled at first, but now it keeps replaying in my head. Hey, do you know if they’ll perform this new version anywhere else soon?”
“But who was the accompanist?”
“Hard to say. Judging by their build, definitely not a man—they were clearly a lady… but their face was completely hidden under that cloak.”
The previously empty seats were now bustling with people.
Eyes darted toward the stage, clearly eager to speak to the performers who had given them such aural delight.
But as soon as Rosalyn finished her bow, she turned abruptly and dashed straight toward Ariana, who was rising from the piano bench.
“L-Lady Lopez!”
Ariana turned to face Rosalyn.
Rosalyn breathed an inward sigh of relief. She must have sung it correctly, after all.
‘My benefactor clearly said they composed “On Possession.”’
Though Rosalyn had never even touched an expensive opera house ticket, she’d at least heard of the main composer currently rising to fame at the opera house.
If her memory served, the name was definitely…
“Are you… Mr. Edward Lopez?”
“…”
‘No. It’s obvious to anyone that you’re not.’
Ariana stared blankly at Rosalyn’s beaming face.
Edward was unmistakably a man’s name. This young lady was remarkably free of prejudice.
Ariana let out a soft laugh, almost like a sigh.
“My name is Lady Ariana Lopez.”
“A-Ah…?”
Rosalyn’s mouth fell open in stunned silence. It was clearly a name she’d never heard before.
And understandably so.
Ariana’s name had never once preceded those of Edward the composer or Elena the soprano.
Just as she turned her head, still mulling this over, Ariana froze.
Far off, leaning casually against the doorway, stood a man watching her.
“…”
The instant their eyes met, it felt as though all sound in the world vanished.
Rosalyn’s voice, the murmurs of the crowd—everything disappeared.
In the hush, Ariana slowly drew a breath.
‘Since when…?’
Though the question floated vaguely through her mind, she already felt she knew the answer.
When a soprano commands the stage with dazzling brilliance, no one usually pays attention to the accompanist.
Yet throughout her performance, Ariana had felt it—the persistent, weighty gaze trailing across her cheek.
It was different in texture from the idle curiosity occasionally cast toward mere accompanists.
‘From the very beginning… it was him.’
The moment she realized this, Ariana’s fingertips subtly stiffened.
A tension she’d never felt before—even under the audience’s stares or Rosalyn’s admiring, almost reverent gaze—now ran down her spine.
‘He must have been evaluating me.’
Judging whether my skill matched the price I’d agreed to pay.
He must have scrutinized me all along with those bloodshot eyes.
And by listening to the entire piece, he must have finally reached a conclusion.
‘What conclusion did he come to?’
Thud.
Snapping her from her thoughts, the man suddenly moved.
As he strode forward with wide, commanding steps, those who recognized Dante hurriedly stepped aside.
Dante passed straight through the parted crowd as if it were only natural, reaching her in an instant.
His presence, already palpable from afar, now pressed so close it instinctively tightened her heart.
Ariana tried her best not to show it and offered a light bow.
In response, Dante merely tilted his lips into a faint smirk instead of replying.
“Composers often take sopranos as their muses,” he said abruptly in a low voice.
Startled, she looked up—and saw him give a slight nod toward his side.
“Is that her? The muse you’ve discovered?”
In the direction Dante indicated stood Rosalyn,
gaping at him as though her soul had fled her body.
…Though she now seemed somewhat naive and clumsy, she was destined to become a top-tier soprano in five years.
Ariana gave a slow nod. Dante smiled faintly.
“So you used my space to promote your singer.”
Ariana gently bit her lip.
He was right.
If her sole aim had been to discover Rosalyn, it would’ve been far simpler to just book her an inn room and treat her to a meal to win her favor.
Yet she’d gone so far as to personally play the piano and place her on stage—because she had another purpose.
She wanted to begin making Rosalyn’s name known.
After all, if Rosalyn was to rival Elena soon, it would be far easier if she already had some reputation to her name.
“I apologize for playing without your permission. If it displeased you in any way…”
“No.”
His low voice cut her off abruptly.
“…Huh?”
Instead of answering, Dante leaned forward—slowly, deliberately, at a pace that left no room for escape.
Soon, his large hand cradled Ariana’s cheek.
The heat radiating onto her skin felt unbearably unreal.
‘…Again.’
That familiar, effortless closeness closing in without hesitation.
Only now did Ariana notice things she hadn’t seen from afar.
For instance, the strange, shadowy ripples shimmering beyond his crimson eyes—like drifting fragments of emotion.
Dark, parched—perhaps even resembling a stifled thirst…
“Go ahead and use everything you can from me.”
Dante whispered slowly, parting his lips just enough.
“Because I fully intend to use you up, down to your very last drop.”
His voice seeped into her ear like that of a distant demon.
“…”
Ariana registered a heartbeat too late that his strong arms had lifted her off the ground.
Her light frame was gently set atop the piano.
“…Ah.”
Her eyes blinked slowly, struggling to adjust to the abruptly altered perspective.
Dante, now seated directly across from her, drew closer with a slight upward curve of his lips.
Ariana thought it all felt unreal—the heavy arm encircling her waist, the firm fingers threading through her hair.
“Huh…”
Even Rosalyn’s sharp intake of breath,
“What… what’s going on?”
“Good heavens—it’s the Duke…”
“Who’s the other person?”
—even the crowd’s astonished exclamations sounded dreamlike and distant.
Ariana held her breath. The head leaning toward her, casting a slanted shadow, felt as if from another world.
A familiar scent suddenly flooded her senses.
Ariana instinctively squeezed her eyes shut. It was too much.
The man’s intense scent, the heat radiating from him, the firmness of his skin—all of it overwhelmed her.
“How about it, Lopez?”
Dante whispered, his lips so close that the slightest movement would make them touch.
“Are you still not afraid?”
At the sound of his voice, Ariana’s eyelids fluttered open again—unconsciously.
The man was smiling.
As if all this were nothing more than a poor joke—calm, unhurried, utterly at ease.
But trapped between the piano and his body, Ariana could barely draw a breath.
‘…I feel like I’ll be devoured.’
His solid frame blocking her like a wall, the unfamiliar scent flooding her lungs—it all evoked that irrational thought.
At the same time, she realized:
‘This too is an extension of his test.’
Today was the day she was to sign the contract.
If she hadn’t yet fully passed his evaluation, she absolutely couldn’t show any sign of weakness.
Ariana lifted her chin defiantly and slowly parted her lips.
“…Yes. Not at all.”
She confirmed from Dante’s reaction that her voice hadn’t wavered.
His eyebrows lifted slightly in surprise, then he gave a faint chuckle and murmured softly,
“A worthy adversary.”
“…”
Ariana suddenly felt her mouth go dry.
Her heart raced inexplicably, and her throat burned.
Perhaps it was because every eye in the room was now fixed on her, making the back of her neck tingle.
“Part of me wants to make you pay for your insolence…”
His lips, which had hovered teasingly close as if to mock her, suddenly lifted upward.
Then, firmly—almost scorchingly warm—a pressure settled on her forehead.
“Well… we are still engaged, after all.”
Dante pressed a light kiss to her pale brow and smiled faintly,
finding the look in her wide, startled green eyes—usually so calm and composed—not unpleasant at all.
Ariana watched in dazed silence as he gently pressed his thumb to her lips.
“We’ll see about it after we’re married.”
With a breezy whisper, the man smiled.
Male lead is a Love-Obsessed Merman
When he discovers she has gone, he risks everything to pursue her on land, enduring agonizing pain to transform his tail into human legs…
One-line summary: Male lead chases female lead. The male lead’s love is a bit sick, an invincible love brain.
Synopsis
During a voyage at sea, Jiang Yang accidentally captures a merman.
Servant: I heard that mermen are fierce and brutal.
Jiang Yang looks at the merman obediently rubbing her palm like a puppy: “You call this fierce and brutal?”
Servant: I heard that mermen have no human nature.
Jiang Yang looks at the merman with wet puppy eyes, obsessively calling her ‘A Yang’ like a childish infant: “You call this having no human nature?”
With great difficulty, she releases the merman back into the sea and returns to shore.
Who would have thought that in less than half a month, the merman, who should have been freely wandering in the South China Sea, would shed his scales, endure the pain of losing his tail, transform into human legs, and come ashore to find her?
He kneels at her feet, rubbing her palm, with merman tears rolling down: “A Yang, don’t abandon me.”
_____
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