To Those For Whom Even Regret Is A Luxury (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 9
“Miss, the Marquis is waiting in the drawing room…”
“Oh, I’ll change into another outfit and come right down.”
I’d discarded the cloak on my way back, but the clothes might still carry the scent of alcohol or tobacco.
Halfway up the stairs, I suddenly stopped in my tracks.
“Empty one of the jewelry boxes completely. A whole new batch of little ones will be arriving soon!”
Elena’s bright voice pierced through my ears. She sounded unusually cheerful, as if something wonderful had happened.
“Oh my, miss! Did you receive another gift?”
“Yeah. ‘He’ prepared a surprise for me—said he’d have jewels custom-made for me at Pierre’s.”
Elena hummed a little tune, placing a strange emphasis on the word ‘He’.
“Pierre’s? Goodness! Isn’t that the place famous for dealing only in expensive items?”
“Hmm, I suppose he must have thought someone of my caliber deserves nothing less.”
“Oh, you truly are remarkable, miss!”
I resumed my steps and finished climbing the stairs.
Elena, spotting me, paused briefly before a deep smile spread across her lips.
“Hello, sister. Where have you been?”
Elena asked with a relaxed, twinkling gaze—completely different from the sulky, defeated girl from yesterday.
“You disappeared without a word, so the Marquis came by cluelessly and nearly wasted his time. But don’t worry—I kept him thoroughly entertained, so he won’t be upset with you.”
She stretched the word “thoroughly” in a peculiar way as she prattled on.
I turned to look at her and slowly smiled.
“Thank you.”
Elena’s eyebrows twitched slightly—my calm reaction apparently bored her.
I turned to leave but then took a few steps back toward her.
“But be more careful next time, Elena.”
“…What? Careful about what?”
“An unmarried maiden shouldn’t chatter too much with her sister’s fiancé—it might give rise to gossip.”
“What? Oh my, sister! What on earth are you saying?”
Elena’s eyes widened in shock, and she covered her mouth with her hand.
“The Marquis and I will soon be family. What’s wrong with spending a little time together as family?”
Her personal maid, Sally if I recalled correctly, also stared at me with bulging eyes—as if I were some paranoid, suspicious lunatic.
Elena’s eyes, fixed steadily on mine, held not a trace of hesitation.
“Besides, my future brother-in-law is also my investor—he supports my singing career.”
Elena shrugged her shoulders gently as she spoke.
“You know how he treasures my talent like a precious gem. Time flies when I’m with someone who truly understands my artistic world. So, please understand if it made you uncomfortable, sister.”
Elena had always spoken like this—implying they shared some untouchable, special bond, something far more refined and artistic than a simple romantic relationship.
“Your artistic world.”
I curved my lips into a faint smile.
“Have you memorized all the tempo markings yet?”
“…What?”
A crack instantly appeared on Elena’s otherwise smooth composure.
For someone who pretended to possess such an “artistic world,” her musical knowledge was shockingly shallow.
It wouldn’t be a complete exaggeration to call it miraculous that she’d managed to memorize the names of musical notes at all.
Keeping a gentle smile, I whispered softly,
“Do you even know what ‘Moderato’ means, or what ‘Vivace’ signifies? I can’t keep explaining every single thing to you forever.”
After all, the half-sister who patiently guided her through every sheet of music had officially gone on strike as of yesterday.
“You’re all grown up now, Elena. If your fans find out you lack even basic musical knowledge, they’ll be deeply disappointed. You’d better start studying from now on.”
At my gentle warning, Elena’s shoulders trembled slightly.
Just as I turned to leave, I remembered something and looked back at her.
“Oh, and my advice was sincere. Of course, I do believe it’s perfectly fine for ‘family’ to get along well.”
When I touched her boldly exposed white shoulder, Elena frowned.
“But society tends to judge women especially harshly. If you’re not careful with your conduct, people might start calling you frivolous.”
“What did you say?”
Elena’s mouth fell open as if caught off guard.
“What exactly did you just say? Fr-frivolous? Ha! Are you calling me cheap?”
“I didn’t say anything that extreme. I merely thought you might not realize, so I pointed it out—no need to get so worked up. Of course, neither I nor anyone in this household would spread such rumors, so you’re safe at home…”
I smiled as I gazed into her eyes, which were a shade of blue quite similar to my own.
“But a vessel that leaks from the inside usually leaks from the outside as well.”
Elena’s pupils dilated rapidly.
Biting her lip hard, she cried out in an agitated voice,
“Gah! That’s unbelievable! How can you say something like that?! I’m really offended right now!”
I didn’t have the luxury of time to deal with Elena’s hysterics, so I simply stepped away.
Then I turned toward my original destination—the dressing room.
Seeing where I was headed, Elena’s eyes suddenly sparkled.
“…You seem in a particularly foul mood today, sister? Calm down and come down slowly.”
Her voice sounded as if she’d already regained her composure.
Noting the odd tone in her voice, I opened the dressing room door.
Just as I started walking toward the wardrobe, I abruptly raised one eyebrow.
‘This is…’
The long sofa placed right outside the dressing room.
On it lay two strands of hair, each a different color, tangled together.
A fiery red strand—and a much longer platinum blonde strand, far longer than my own.
“Hah.”
A short, hollow laugh escaped my lips.
‘Now what’s this?’
Everything finally clicked into place.
Elena’s strangely elated demeanor.
Her eyes lighting up with mockery the moment I headed toward the dressing room. Even the talk of jewels I’d overheard on the stairs.
“…How amusing.”
I picked up the strands and gave a fleeting smile.
Despite the clear warning I’d subtly delivered yesterday, these beasts hadn’t backed down at all.
Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath. A wave of revulsion surged up, almost unbearable, but I had to suppress it for now.
A few seconds later, I opened my eyes again and slowly ran my hand over my face.
‘I’ll have to replace the sofa.’
The cream-colored sofa I’d once loved now looked filthy—buried under what felt like heaps of filth.
* * *
When I entered the drawing room, a melodious singing voice greeted me.
Opening the door, I found Elena perched by the window, singing like a nightingale, while Lucas watched her with adoring eyes.
“Oh, Elena—wasn’t that part slightly off-key?”
“Oh! No, it wasn’t! Don’t tease me like that, really.”
After watching her delicate fist give Lucas’s shoulder a playful tap, I made my presence known.
“Oh, Ari!”
Lucas turned to me, his whole face lighting up with a broad smile as he approached.
“Why so late? I’ve been waiting.”
As he drew near, the cloying scent of his cologne hit me.
Barely managing my expression, I forced a bright smile in return.
“I went out for a stroll.”
“Alone, sister? Someone with no friends to accompany you—why didn’t you call me? I would’ve come right away!”
“Haha, our future sister-in-law is so sweet. It’s heartwarming to see such a close bond between sisters.”
His unfunny joke made my ears ache.
Instead of answering, I raised my hand to his eye level.
Lucas looked puzzled when he saw my fingers.
“Huh? What’s wrong, Ari?”
“Take a look at this, Marquis.”
Dangling from my index finger was a strand of red hair.
Red hair wasn’t common. Lucas instantly recognized it as his own—his eyes widened in shock.
I held his gaze and smiled.
“I found it on the sofa right outside my dressing room.”
For a moment, silence fell over the drawing room.
Elena rolled her eyes and glanced nervously at me. Lucas’s smile vanished from his face.
Watching them, I became certain.
‘I’d wondered if Elena had left this deliberately to mock me…’
But it was just the careless mistake of beasts blinded by lust.
The realization hit me like a wave of disappointment and pity.
Swallowing my bitter smile, I cast my bait.
“Could it be that you visited my dressing room, Marquis?”
“…Ah, yes! Exactly!”
Lucas eagerly took the bait I’d casually dangled before him.
His face instantly relaxed again as he nodded.
“I got terribly bored waiting, you see. I decided to take a peek at my fiancée’s wardrobe.”
“My wardrobe? Why?”
When I tilted my head in confusion, Lucas smiled warmly.
“Well, is it so odd to be curious about the wardrobe of the woman I’m about to marry? Honestly, Ari—you’re refreshingly simple, but even you went too far this time! Since our wedding’s coming up, I really should get you a beautiful dress, hmm? And some jewels too.”
Lucas coaxed me with a suggestive tone—the words ‘dress’ and ‘jewels’ dripping with saccharine intent, clearly trying to lure me in.
I plastered a radiant smile across my face and clasped my hands together.
“Really, Marquis?”
Lucas looked genuinely surprised—such eager enthusiasm from me was unprecedented.
He chuckled and grabbed my shoulder. A wave of instinctive nausea rose in my throat, but I choked it down.
“Of course! You’re my future Marchioness—it’s only proper you receive an engagement gift like this, isn’t it?”
“That you’d think of me so thoughtfully, Marquis, makes me so happy.”
“Hm, well—it’s really not that big of a—”
I beamed widely and cut in,
“So it was for me that you reserved Pierre’s Jeweler?”
At that, Lucas’s polished smile wavered slightly.
“Huh? Er…”
Clatter!
From behind me came the sound of Elena dropping her teaspoon.
Turning at the noise, our eyes met.
Her wide eyes were twisted in utter disbelief and outrage.
“Wait— that’s…”
The moment Elena opened her mouth, the doorbell rang.
Turns Out He’s Been Secretly in Love with Me
One-line summary: He acts like he doesn’t like her but is actually playing hard to get.
Synopsis:
Xu Muzhou like her. He has liked her for a very long time, and through repeated schemes, he finally closed the distance with her.
But this is still far from enough.
He wants to be the one who stands out among her many suitors, to fight for her attention, and to make her take the initiative to pursue him.
_____
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