If I was Going to Regret It Anyway

Of course, that didn’t mean he was sure that she wasn’t Frederick’s child. But it was a hundred times better than being a spitting image of his father.

 

“Nice to meet you, Lord Grayson. I’m Eleanor Townsend.”

 

She greeted Daryl, who was observing her with a blank face.

 

She had perfect manners and accent. Her pronunciation was clear and her tone was strong. Her face and voice still had a youthful touch, but that was all. She was quite different from the young ladies of her age that Daryl had encountered in the society.

 

It wasn’t just a matter of etiquette. If she was a daughter of a strict family, she could have a decent appearance. The decisive difference between Eleanor and the other young ladies was her eyes. Without having to remind of the saying that the ‘eyes are the mirror of the soul’, one wouldn’t be able to hide their inner thoughts under Daryl’s gaze.

 

The eyes that would look up at him showed their feelings without exception. They ranged from simple curiosity to envy or admiration, or even blatant desire. It didn’t matter what they said or if they kept their mouths shut.

 

In the end, the eyes didn’t lie. For Daryl, it was as easy as undressing a woman to figure out what she was thinking and feeling. Yes, until that day.

 

But Eleanor’s eyes were unreadable. He couldn’t find any of the spark or heat that he had seen in the eyes of the women he had met. Eleanor’s eyes, which stared at him straight, were just calm. They were as still as a windless night lake.

 

“Daryl Lloyd.”

 

As Daryl greeted her back, Eleanor turned her head away without hesitation. She didn’t even have the courtesy smile that beautiful women often offered.

 

‘Is she playing some kind of game?’

 

Daryl couldn’t help but think so. He had seen many women who pretended to be indifferent to him to attract his attention. It was impossible for him to assume that Eleanor had no interest in him at all, even in his dreams.

 

‘Maybe it’s because of his father.’

 

If Frederick and Eleanor were already in that kind of relationship, it wouldn’t be fun for the young wife to show interest in his handsome and young son in front of him. It was something that a smart woman would be careful about. Daryl leaned back on the sofa with a mix of displeasure and mockery.

 

After some trivial greetings and inquiries, Frederick got to the point. He said he had found a family to adopt Eleanor. Daryl didn’t know if Frederick really had a plan to make Eleanor a duchess. Anyway, he kept his wife’s will and looked for a family to take Eleanor in. It wasn’t easy because of the rumors in the society, but with the help of the Duke of Griffith, Frederick managed to find a decent family.

 

But Eleanor never became the daughter of that family. She had refused Frederick’s offer herself.

 

“I am always deeply grateful for your generous kindness, Your Grace. I will never forget it in my life. And for my late mother’s sake as well. But please take back your words this time.”

 

Eleanor lowered her eyes slightly, but spoke with a straight posture.

 

“May I ask why?”

 

“Because I don’t want to give up the name that my parents left me. If I join another family, I won’t be able to remain as a daughter of the Townsend family anymore.”

 

“But Eleanor, you are only sixteen this year. Without anyone to guide and care for you, do you intend to maintain your family with your own body?”

 

“I’m not alone. The competent servants who served my mother are still with me, and you are also helping me in many ways, Your Grace.”

 

“Eleanor.”

 

“I’m fine.”

 

Eleanor didn’t budge from her will despite Frederick’s repeated persuasion. Frederick looked quite flustered. It was more so considering that he was less expressive than Daryl. Daryl was also surprised from his perspective.

 

By law, titles were not inherited by women. The Earl of Dashwood had died, and his title had passed to a distant relative long ago. That meant Eleanor had inherited nothing but a shabby mansion and a small fortune from her grandfather. The adoption place that Frederick had found was a fairly reputable earldom. It was not a place to refuse for the sake of a nameless family name.

 

‘So she’s not satisfied with that.’

 

It was something that the duchess had left as her will before she passed away, so it wouldn’t be strange if Eleanor herself had dreamed of becoming the daughter of the Duke of Griffith. If so, it was natural that she didn’t say ‘yes, I understand’ when she heard about being adopted by an earl.

 

The protagonist of the rumor was quite different from Daryl’s expectation, but there was one thing that was right. She was a very shameless woman. Daryl hated people who didn’t know their place more than anyone.

 

In the end, Frederick left the Townsend mansion saying ‘let’s talk about this later’. After returning to his ducal residence, Daryl left the house with an excuse that he had other business. And he visited the Townsend mansion again alone.

 

“Lord Grayson.”

 

Eleanor’s face showed a faint surprise as she came down to the reception room. Daryl asked bluntly.

 

“What’s your scheme?”

 

“What?”

 

“What do you mean by refusing my father’s arrangement?”

 

Eleanor looked like she was chewing over Daryl’s words several times. She opened her mouth hesitantly.

 

“I have no scheme.”

 

“Then you should have accepted it right away. Especially if you knew it was too much for you.”

 

“Didn’t I tell you? I want to keep the name of Townsend.”

 

“You don’t have to pretend in front of me. I didn’t come back here wasting my precious time to hear that kind of talk.”

 

“…”

 

Daryl lit a cigar. The servant who was standing by hurriedly brought an ashtray. Soon, the smoke he exhaled blurred the face of Eleanor who was sitting across him.

 

“Judging by your age, you seem to be quite smart, so you must know the fact that you have been a burden to the ducal family just by existing. I hate people who don’t know their place. If you have any delusional dreams that are beyond your reach, you better give them up right now. You will never enter the ducal family in the future. My mother made it clear when she passed away.”

 

Surprisingly, there was no change in Eleanor’s expression. Only a very slight, barely noticeable reddening of her eyes.

 

“What should I do?”

 

Eleanor opened her mouth with a calm voice.

 

“Contact my father and tell him that you accept his offer from yesterday.”

 

“I don’t want to do that.”

 

Daryl looked at Eleanor with his thin eyes.

 

“Don’t you understand what I’m saying?”

 

“I understand your words very well, Your Lordship. The point is that I don’t want to cause any more trouble to the ducal family.”

 

“So?”

 

“Would it be enough if I swear that I will not accept any help from you or any other family, including the ducal family?”

 

Her voice and eyes didn’t tremble. Eleanor was just looking at Daryl with a polite and calm gaze.

 

“How can I trust that?”

 

“I’ll write a pledge.”

 

With the paper and writing tools that the butler brought soon, Eleanor wrote a pledge with the same content as she had declared in front of Daryl. As expected, her handwriting was flawless. Daryl checked the content carefully and tucked the pledge in his pocket.

 

“You seem to have a lot of attachment to your family name, so I’ll trust that you won’t break your oath on that name.”

 

There was nothing more to see. Daryl got up from his seat right away.

 

“Lord Grayson.”

 

As he reached the door, he heard Eleanor’s voice from behind.

 

“I hope we never meet again.”

 

She didn’t hide her anger in her voice or eyes. Eleanor threw a word like a dagger and turned around and went up the stairs. It was the first time that Eleanor looked her age. Daryl left the mansion with a snicker.

 

That was six years ago at present. They never met face to face again. It wasn’t because of the last words that Eleanor left. It was because Daryl didn’t feel the need to meet her personally. To be precise, Eleanor didn’t create a reason for that to happen

 

Eleanor finally refused Frederick’s adoption offer, and reluctantly agreed to let him find a chaperone to help her debut in the society. But that also proved to be meaningless. After that, Eleanor never had a debutante ball.