If I was Going to Regret It Anyway

‘…Like Summer.’ 

 

A year ago, the puppies, who were just babies, have now grown to be almost as big as their mother, Vinnie.

 

Summer, the only black puppy, liked Eleanor more than the other puppies.

 

To be precise, it only liked Eleanor. So when she took it for a walk, it would always bark at passers-by, so she had to go at a time and course where there were no people.

 

Thinking about it, Daryl, who was much bigger than Eleanor, looked cute for some reason. Eleanor gently tilted the drink that Daryl had brought with a smile.

 

Then there was someone leading the attendants towards them. It was Crown Prince Aaron.

 

“Your Highness the Crown Prince.”

 

“We meet Your Highness the Crown Prince.”

 

Following Daryl, Eleanor greeted him with respect.

 

“Daryl, and Miss Townsend.”

 

Aaron looked at them in turn with a friendly smile.

 

“It’s been a very long time since I’ve seen Miss Townsend. When did you return to the capital?”

 

“I’ve been up for a few days since I received the wedding invitation.”

 

“Seeing the two of you together warms my heart. Can I look forward to some good news?”

 

At the prince’s words, everyone’s attention was focused on them.

 

From the moment Daryl and Eleanor entered the banquet hall, no, from the moment Eleanor appeared at the wedding today, everyone was curious.

 

Eleanor looked at Daryl with a flustered expression. He was stern and stiff.

 

“That’s not it, Your Highness the Crown Prince.”

 

“Hmm? Is that so?”

 

“Yes. Miss Townsend is here today as a friend of my younger sister. I am just entertaining her as a guest.”

 

“I see, that’s how it is.”

 

Aaron stroked his chin with a strange smile. It didn’t look like he took Daryl’s words at face value.

 

“I heard you went down to the countryside, are you still continuing your work there?”

 

“Since it’s my first sabbatical, I’m focusing a little more on resting my body and mind. But I’m trying not to completely let go of the brush.”

 

“Well thought out. It’s too precious a talent to be neglected.”

 

“Your Highness is too kind.”

 

Eleanor bowed her head with one hand on her chest.

 

“So are you going back soon?”

 

“I haven’t set a definite schedule yet, but I’m thinking about it.”

 

At that, Aaron paused for a moment. It seemed like he had something to say, but he was wondering whether to say it or not.

 

But in the end, he seemed to decide not to, and he held a thin smile.

 

“Understood. Rest as much as you need. Let me know if there’s anything I can help with.”

 

“Your Highness, thank you.”

 

“Daryl. Can I see you for a moment?”

 

At Aaron’s words, Daryl’s eyes momentarily turned towards Eleanor.

 

Eleanor, who read his gaze, quickly said, “I’m fine. I can be alone.”

 

“I won’t take long.”

 

“…Okay, then.”

 

After whispering to Eleanor, “I’ll be back soon,” Daryl followed Aaron.

 

****

 

Daryl followed Aaron into a lounge where no one was present.

 

“May I ask why you wanted to see me?”

 

Daryl was the first to speak. Normally, he would have waited for Aaron to speak first, which would have been proper, but he was worried about Eleanor left at the banquet hall.

 

“Are you worried about Miss Townsend?”

 

“…”

 

Aaron chuckled and lit a cigar from his pocket.

 

“Is there really nothing going on between you and Miss Townsend?”

 

“As I said before.”

 

“You two seem very affectionate. More so than when you were actually a couple.”

 

“We’ve become more comfortable with each other since then.”

 

“Comfortable?”

 

“Miss Townsend and I are friends.”

 

Aaron’s eyebrows furrowed.

 

“Friends?”

 

“…”

 

“I’ve heard all sorts of strange things in my life. Woman and friends.”

 

It was a very Aaron-like thing to say. If it had been four years ago, Daryl would have probably thought the same and laughed at the person who said it with Aaron.

 

“So you really have no intention of getting back together with Miss Townsend?”

 

“That’s correct.”

 

Aaron exhaled a long puff of smoke with a slight frown. Daryl looked at him quietly and opened his mouth.

 

“Is it because of His Majesty the Emperor?”

 

Aaron’s eyes widened in surprise.

 

“…Why do you think that?”

 

“I can’t think of any other reason why Your Highness would be interested in the relationship between Miss Townsend and me.”

 

Daryl’s guess was accurate. Despite more than a year since Eleanor left the capital, Emperor Hector III was still unable to let go of his obsession with Eleanor.

 

The day after Hector III had run around demanding Eleanor be brought before him last spring, Eleanor moved to the far south as if she knew the fact.

 

Aaron thought Daryl must have had a hand in it. On one hand, he was relieved. Daryl had prepared a super-strong measure that he could overthrow the emperor if he tried to reach out to Eleanor. It was a situation on the verge of explosion, where things could get messy in the worst-case scenario. But thanks to Eleanor’s move, thankfully, the fire did not spread too much.

 

“So you’re not doing anything with Miss Townsend?”

 

“That’s correct.”

 

Of course, the emperor caused a commotion, but realistically, there was nothing he could do. The frail emperor couldn’t possibly leave the imperial palace and go that far, and it was impossible to forcibly bring Eleanor back to the capital. Such an unreasonable act could be easily blocked by Aaron. Aaron placated the emperor with the words, ‘Eleanor is just on a temporary vacation, and as an artist, she will return to the capital someday.’ 

 

At that time, he also said that he would try his best to follow the emperor’s will. Of course, he didn’t mean it. He thought that the emperor’s interest would naturally cool down during the time Eleanor was away from the capital.

 

But it wasn’t. The fact that the emperor, who had wielded absolute power all his life, couldn’t have his way with a woman he had set his sights on seemed to have left a deep wound on his pride. The emperor began to obsess over ‘women who should not be touched.’ Despite the countless women who tried to live off the emperor’s favor, he tried to touch everyone from the wives of high-ranking nobles to the maids of the empress.

 

And every time, he vented his anger at Aaron, who tried to stop him, saying, ‘That’s why you should have stopped Eleanor then.’ 

 

It was impossible to wait and see if the emperor’s obsession would subside in a year or two. Of course, all this was known only to a very small number of people, including Aaron.

 

Even Daryl wouldn’t have known about the intimate affairs of the imperial palace.

 

“Stop talking nonsense. When was that?”

 

Aaron shook his head and dismissed Daryl’s words. He was embarrassed inside, but on the outside, he kept a face that said, ‘I’ve heard all sorts of nonsense.’

 

“Then why did you bother to move and say this?”

 

“That’s because you’ve been a mess for a few years. Did you think I wouldn’t know that it’s all because of Miss Townsend?”

 

“…”

 

“You don’t know that it’s all because I care about you. You’re a really ungrateful friend.”

 

Aaron clicked his tongue and put out his cigar.

 

‘I was just going to test the waters, but I didn’t expect him to be so quick…’ 

 

Just by looking at this, it was clear that Daryl still had special feelings for Eleanor. And today, it seemed that the relationship between the two was not bad. The fact that she attended Daryl’s sister’s wedding, even coming all this way, was the biggest proof.

 

The person who was most surprised to find Eleanor at the wedding today was none other than Aaron. If the emperor knew that Eleanor had returned to the capital, he honestly didn’t know what he would do. He had barely managed to refrain from telling Eleanor to ‘go back as soon as possible’ earlier.

 

His only hope was that Daryl would remarry Eleanor. If Eleanor became the Duchess of Griffith again, it would be difficult for the emperor to run wild as he does now. Even if not, it wouldn’t change the fact that Aaron could more aggressively block the emperor.

 

No matter how much the emperor was, he couldn’t touch the wife of a family with a firm position in the empire. So he was truly disappointed when Daryl definitively drew the line, saying, ‘I have no intention of getting back together with her.’