Even If Your Regret Tries to Hold Me Back - Chapter 29

After leaving behind her quiet declaration, Natasha patted the old butler’s shoulder a couple of times and stepped away from him.

Then, as if it were her own possession, she naturally handed the map over to Gordon.

“This is a gift. Even if we think differently, we’re on the same ship for now, so we might as well share the spoils.”

Though his mouth felt as dry as if he’d swallowed sand, Gordon barely managed to part his lips.

These were the only words that came to mind right now, the only words he could say.

“The Grand Duchess will return. Without fail.”

And instead of arguing further, he put the map back in the treasury. Natasha didn’t particularly object either.

She simply bowed her head gracefully with a smile that fluttered like a butterfly, then withdrew.

“Please continue to take good care of Evergale, Sir. I’ll also do my best as the lady of the house.”

****

Boooo-.

The sound of a ship’s horn echoed from afar, and waves rolled onto the sandy beach with white foam.

The port of Futuo was peaceful today as always.

Except for one man crying out in despair before the beautiful scenery.

“It’s over… I’m ruined now… sob…!”

Most unfortunately, even a passing bird seemed to sympathize with his grief.

Watery bird droppings splattered down near the man’s eyes. An opaque liquid that could have been tears or bird droppings began streaming down his cheeks.

The man who believed without doubt that he was the most miserable person in the world at this moment, Dion, let out a sigh.

“Ah… it’s dark, so dark… I can’t see anything… Is this… my future…?”

He slid down to his knees. Through his blearily clouded vision, the blue sea flickered in and out of sight.

“Ha… the color is disgustingly pretty… Should I just jump in…?”

As despair set in, a strange impulse overwhelmed him. Come to think of it, there was nothing stopping him.

There was no master left to scold him for such madness.

He needed to wash off the bird droppings anyway. Standing up abruptly, he waded into the water without hesitation, splashing around.

“Where are you! Where on earth are you!! Where are youuuuu!!!”

Dion cried out to the sky like a beast cub that had lost its mother, then plunged his head into the rippling waves.

That’s when it happened.

“Gack, cough!”

His throat was suddenly strangled tight. Someone had grabbed his collar firmly and was pulling him back. He flailed his arms desperately, but there was no sign of it stopping.

When he finally came to his senses, he was back on the sandy beach.

The man who had dragged him out by the scruff of his neck threw him down roughly with consistently harsh movements.

“Cough, hack, gack! Gasp, huff…!”

Dion vomited up a mouthful of water, then raised his head toward the man and exploded in anger.

“What do you think you’re doing!”

“What do you think.”

Then an unfamiliar voice fell. For someone who had just tried to strangle a person to death, it was a remarkably calm tone.

“If this is the thanks I get for saving someone who was dying, I should have just let you drown. Why don’t you remove the seaweed from your head before you speak.”

The man who had saved Dion was none other than Eugene.

****

Eugene had reached the point of thoroughly searching even the deserted coastlines to find Helena.

That’s when he spotted Dion. His body moved before he could even recognize what was happening.

Since he’d been thinking only of Helena recently, anyone splashing in the water looked like her to him.

By the time he got close enough, he realized it wasn’t her, but he wasn’t heartless enough to leave someone who was about to die.

However, Eugene soon regretted his hasty judgment.

What came back in return for his kindness was nothing but ear-piercing irritation.

“What kind of mentality makes you rush over and strangle someone’s neck? Do you have some grudge against me? Even if you do, we should resolve it through conversation first. How am I supposed to talk if you’re strangling my neck like this? No, more than that, who exactly are you? I’ve never seen you before. If you’re trying to extort money in exchange for saving me—”

“I save someone who was trying to die, and this is how shameless they are.”

“What, what?”

“I don’t expect thanks, so just stop your squawking. It seems it would be faster to shut your mouth than to plug my ears.”

“Ha, ha, this is ridiculous. I can’t believe this. Who was trying to die? You were just trying to kill me!”

Despite unconsciously covering his mouth, Dion’s attitude was quite bold for someone with a pea-sized heart. His upward gaze held considerable irritation.

Because of this, Eugene asked back in a somewhat subdued tone.

“…Weren’t you going into the sea to end your life?”

“What, does everyone who goes into the sea want to die? I was just washing off bird…!”

“Bird?”

“Well… bird…”

Dion, who had been retorting sharply, suddenly shut his mouth. He couldn’t bring himself to say he’d been hit by bird droppings. Any other excuse would be better than bird droppings.

He hurriedly made up something to say.

“I, I went in to wash my face.”

“…Are you saying you’re an idiot who goes into the ocean to wash your face?”

“It’s a preference. Please respect it.”

Dion frowned and brushed the sand off his clothes.

A faint glimmer appeared in Eugene’s eyes as he watched him. Though Dion’s clothes weren’t particularly neat, his accent and gestures occasionally revealed traces of nobility.

‘This has become troublesome.’

Seeing how he was arguing like this, it didn’t seem like he would just let it go. Not wanting to create unnecessary trouble, Eugene took out a few gold coins to show him.

“Would this much be sufficient as compensation?”

Dion stopped wringing water from his clothes and froze.

‘What kind of person throws around gold coins so casually?’

He’d thought the man’s build was extraordinary, and the amount was equally remarkable. The gold coins jingled and danced in circles before Dion’s eyes.

But still, he had his dignity to maintain. He pursed his lips and snorted.

“Ha, really, ha! If you come at me like this, what am I supposed to, ha!”

Clink. The shining gold coins fell into Dion’s palm.

“I’ll accept them most gratefully.”

He decided to fold his pride away neatly for the moment. Having even had his money pouch stolen, he didn’t want to starve out of pointless stubbornness.

Dion cleared his throat unnecessarily and tucked the gold coins deep into his clothes. He couldn’t let them get stolen again like last time.

“Ahem, ahem. You should consider it fortunate that I’m the type who’s interested in money. Otherwise, fists would have come first in these parts.”

“Do you know this area well?”

“I’ve been searching so thoroughly for someone that I couldn’t help but know it inside and out. Why, do you have someone you’re looking for too?”

“…….”

Affirmation could be read in the silence. Dion narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms.

“Well, if you want, I could become your search companion. Would you like to travel together? This is quite a large territory since it’s a district that owns trade routes, so you’ll have some trouble if you’re alone.”

It was a rather considerate suggestion on his part, but Eugene was firm.

“No. I don’t have a hobby of torturing my ears. I’ll pass.”

Then he turned around without a moment’s hesitation.

He could hear grumbling sounds behind him, but he quickly moved away. If he was going to find Helena, he didn’t have time to waste with an idiot who went into the ocean to wash his face.

‘If I stay about two more weeks and still can’t find her then…’

Organizing a search party wouldn’t be difficult. A few simple official documents would mobilize the security forces throughout all of Evergale.

Even so, Eugene found it hard to make the decision easily. He couldn’t let Evergale’s reputation be damaged over something like this.

Rumors would spread instantly that his wife had not only demanded a divorce but had also run away without a word.

But more than tarnishing his own face, he couldn’t so easily erase Helena’s position.

‘Look at the standing she’s built up over the years.’

Even if she returned obediently, it certainly wouldn’t be the same as before.

To regain her current position as Grand Duchess, she might have to start over from the beginning. Even if it was somewhat troublesome, he had to bring her back himself.

Eugene gritted his teeth as he divided the areas and sent out the knights again.

‘So appear before then, Helen. Before I really go mad.’

His golden eyes, always steadfast, wavered with unusual anxiety.

****

Uniform footsteps echoed through the quiet street.

Helena glanced once at the man walking alongside her at a moderate pace, then looked ahead again.

The place they had arrived at by carriage was a bustling district with many high-end salons.

Unlike usual, the path outside the lower town was spotlessly clean without a single rough edge. Just like the clothes she was currently wearing.

‘Has he been coming here alone all this time?’

The clothes Ian bought were simple in design, but the material was by no means ordinary. The smooth fabric was comparable to the dresses she had worn while staying at the Grand Duke’s residence.

The inns they stayed at were also located away from the city center, but they were places equipped like small villas. It sometimes felt like she wasn’t fleeing home but just on a brief vacation.

As Helena gradually regained her sense of reality while staying with him, she realized that he had been considerate in many ways.

Along with the fact that the source of that consideration wasn’t entirely clean.

“You have gold coins again.”

Helena frowned at the jingling sound coming from Ian’s chest.

True to his words that there was nothing to worry about, he had immediately procured another pouch of gold coins from somewhere.

“You said you run a small trading company, but you have that much money?”

“I was being a bit modest. Come to think of it, it doesn’t seem to be all that small.”

Ian answered while pulling on a silver-decorated door handle. Of course, Helena didn’t take his words at face value.

Just because he didn’t harm her didn’t mean she could trust him as a completely good person.

‘Maybe the money too… Oh.’

Just as she was harboring a pinch of suspicion in one corner of her heart, her body was suddenly pushed forward.

It was because Ian, who had been holding the door and waiting for Helena to enter, had suddenly hurried his movements.

He pushed Helena inside and quickly closed the door. Not satisfied with that, he grabbed her wrist and hurriedly walked toward the back of the store.

“Why are you suddenly acting like this?”

“Excuse me for a moment.”

The large display window at the front of the store, made of plate glass, gradually moved away.

Ian went deep inside until they were hidden by the clothes displayed in the showcase. Meanwhile, he kept glancing outside the store.

A man was checking the faces of women wearing hats whenever he spotted them.

It was a man he was acquainted with. Someone he had even gone to see himself.

A faint look of dismay crossed Ian’s face.