If I was Going to Regret It Anyway

“Are you still remembering that? It’s been a while. Besides, you left your seat at that time because I told you to.”

 

“…….”

 

Emily silently looked down.

 

It was regrettable that Emily still couldn’t get over it even after two years had passed. Eleanor had forgotten about it a long time ago.

 

“Just forget about it. It’s all in the past now. And thanks to you noticing quickly and coming, there was no harm done.”

 

“……So please don’t go out alone. It was okay last time because I was nearby.”

 

Despite her disheartened expression, Emily firmly said what she wanted to say. Eleanor smiled warmly and stroked Emily’s head.

 

“Okay. I won’t go out without you anymore.”

 

Only after hearing those words did Emily seem to be relieved.

 

Eleanor began to draw with Emily by her side. The sea breeze carrying the scent of the ocean and the warm sunlight felt good. It was a moment of peace and freedom like no other.

 

Since coming to Wembury, Eleanor had been spending her leisurely time drawing or walking along the beach. Wembury wasn’t a popular resort destination, but for Eleanor, the days spent here felt like a vacation for the first time in her life.

 

The only thing she missed was the lack of a place to get books. She had moved all the books from the Loud library, but most of them were ones she had already read. So, she went down to the village yesterday to see if there was a place selling books, just to look around.

 

Plymouth, as the shopkeeper told her, was a city about half a day’s journey by carriage from here. If she went, she would have to plan to stay overnight.

 

‘There’s no rush, so I’ll think about it slowly. I can go when I run out of paint…’

 

Eleanor moved her pencil with a faint smile on her face.

 

****

 

The work environment must have been good, or perhaps it was the inspiration from seeing the sea for the first time, but the beach landscape painting was completed in just five days. Considering it usually took twice as long to finish one painting, this was quite fast.

 

Moreover, she was quite satisfied with the result. She wanted to show it to Benjamin and hear his opinion, as she always did, but she decided not to hurry.

 

One day, Peggy, who had gone to the village to buy groceries, said to Eleanor.

 

“Miss, I heard that a library is being built in the village?”

 

“Huh? What do you mean?”

 

“They’re using an entire building to make a big library. I saw them bringing in books just now.”

 

Eleanor was so surprised that she couldn’t help but widen her eyes. A library suddenly in a small village that didn’t even have a bookstore until recently.

 

“Shall we go take a look?”

 

“Yes, let’s go.”

 

Eleanor went down to the village with Peggy and Emily. When they arrived, they saw several carriages lined up in front of a two-story building next to the village hall, and workers were moving books. It seemed like a considerable number of books. The scale did not fit this small village at all.

 

Eleanor wasn’t doubting Peggy’s words, but seeing it with her own eyes was even more surprising. The villagers also seemed curious, gathering in groups to watch.

 

Among them, Eleanor noticed a familiar face. It was Walter, the owner of the general store. When he caught Eleanor’s eye, he bowed his head in embarrassment.

 

“Hello, Mr. Walter.”

 

As Eleanor approached and greeted him, Walter’s face turned faintly red.

 

“Oh, yes. Hello.”

 

“There’s going to be a library, right? Do you know what happened?”

 

“Well, that’s…I’m not sure myself. It was a project suddenly pushed by the village chief…”

 

Walter said, stroking his short beard with the tip of his finger.

 

“Suddenly? So it wasn’t planned originally?”

 

“Yes. As far as I know, that’s correct. But you’d have to ask the village chief for details.”

 

Eleanor furrowed her brow slightly and fell into thought.

 

‘It must have cost a lot of money to bring in this many books…It doesn’t seem like this small village would have enough funds to operate such a place.’

 

Eleanor didn’t know much about the village’s affairs, but she did wonder if the residents really wanted a library of this scale.

 

Walter glanced at Eleanor and continued.

 

“But it’s good news. You were looking for books before. Now you don’t have to go all the way to Plymouth.”

 

“…Ah, yes.”

 

That was true. The timing was too perfect. Just after Eleanor moved to Wembury and thought, ‘The only thing I miss is a place to get books,’ a library was being built. It was hard to think of it as just a coincidence.

 

Eleanor asked Walter.

 

“How can I meet the village chief?”

 

****

 

The village chief of Wembury was an old man of small stature, about the same height as Eleanor. He blinked his wrinkled eyes and offered Eleanor some tea.

 

“I’m not sure if it will suit your taste…”

 

Eleanor shook her head and smiled at the chief’s cautious words.

 

“No, it has a really nice fragrance. Thank you.”

 

“That’s a relief.”

 

The chief seemed very relieved.

 

“How do you find Wembury? Is it a good place to stay?”

 

“Yes. The weather is nice, and the scenery is very beautiful, so I’m really enjoying my time here. I even think I could live here for the rest of my life if possible.”

 

Eleanor had previously introduced herself as someone who came to Wembury for a vacation.

 

The chief couldn’t hide his proud expression at Eleanor’s words.

 

“Haha, that’s right. Although we lack many things compared to the city, there’s no better place to relax.”

 

“Chief, I have something I want to ask.”

 

“Oh, yes. Please go ahead.”

 

“I saw on my way here that a library is being built in the village.”

 

“Yes, that’s correct. If all goes well, it might open tomorrow or the day after.”

 

“It looked like a very large library with a lot of books… If it’s not too much trouble, may I ask how you decided to start this project?”

 

“Oh, yes. I suppose you would be curious. It does feel like the belly button is bigger than the stomach for our village.” (TL: This proverb is used when the part that should be small (something that is not very important) is actually larger than the part that should be big (something that is important).)

 

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it like that…”

 

“Oh no, not at all. It was I who made an unnecessary joke and caused you concern.”

 

The chief waved his hands dismissively at Eleanor’s embarrassed expression.

 

“Actually, we were able to build it thanks to a donation from a philanthropist. All the books were personally donated from their private collection.”

 

“…A donation?”

 

“Yes, it’s an astonishing amount for a personal collection, isn’t it? The donor must be a remarkable reader. They said that books should be read by as many people as possible and generously supported the project.”

 

The village chief had a pleased expression, but Eleanor remained silent, hiding her complicated feelings. She had an uneasy feeling that this was becoming a reality.

 

Eleanor suspected that Daryl might be involved in this matter.

 

Of course, it was still just a hunch. Could Daryl have followed Eleanor all the way here and built a library for her?

 

‘…No way, that can’t be. Even so, there’s no reason for him to go to such lengths.’

 

On one hand, it felt like an absurd overestimation of her own importance. But considering the recent incident with the security at the Loud estate, she couldn’t dismiss it as just a feeling.

 

“…May I know the name of the person?”

 

“Oh, yes. They said their name was Lewis Wilson.”

 

It was a name she hadn’t heard before. But considering how the security job was handled, it was entirely possible that a pseudonym was used this time as well.

 

“Do you know Mr. Wilson? Does he live around here?”

 

“No, I didn’t know him before, and I heard he moved to Wembury recently. He lives not too far from the estate where Miss Townsend stays.”

 

“…..”

 

Eleanor fell silent for a moment, then spoke again.

 

“Could you tell me where that is?”

 

****

 

The next day, Eleanor found the estate of Lewis Wilson. She had sent someone ahead to contact him, and the reply was that he would be happy to receive her.

 

Wilson’s estate was similar in size and shape to where Eleanor was staying. It seemed to have been built around the same time.

 

Eleanor was led to the drawing room to wait for Wilson’s arrival. She watched the passing servants closely, but none of them looked familiar.

 

Finally, Wilson appeared.

 

“Hello, I am Lewis Wilson.”

 

Contrary to her uneasy feeling, he was not Daryl. He was a man of about her father’s age, with black and white hair and a kind demeanor.