If I was Going to Regret It Anyway

Daryl was taken aback by Esmeralda’s words while buttoning his shirt.

 

“Surely not.”

 

“Then please make love to me more.”

 

Esmeralda hugged Daryl from behind and caressed his chest. However, Daryl firmly removes her arms.

 

“I have to go, there’s work.”

 

“Boring.”

 

Esmeralda pouted her lips and pulled the bed sheet over her chest.

 

“Do you know you’ve changed after marriage?”

 

“I don’t know. I don’t see why I should.”

 

“There’s a rumor that the new Duke of Griffith in the capital is stingy. They say he keeps his beautiful wife hidden in the mansion and doesn’t show her off.”

 

A month had passed since the wedding. Daryl and Eleanor were living as a couple in name only. Daryl was busy with work, and even when he had a break, they never spent time together, let alone had a meal together.

 

If it weren’t for the greetings they exchanged twice a day, in the morning when he left and at night when he returned, they might have forgotten they were living together.

 

This was a routine that Eleanor stubbornly maintained on her own. No matter how early Daryl woke up and left, Eleanor was always ready before him and saw him off, and no matter how late he came back at night, she always waited for him at the entrance.

 

And every time, her face was filled with a smile that seemed to be full of affection for her husband.

 

[The sky is very cloudy today. Be careful not to get wet, honey. Have a good day.]

 

[Are you back? You worked hard today, honey.]

 

Daryl couldn’t understand why Eleanor was obsessed with such meaningless things. It takes two hands to clap. Daryl had no intention of responding to her act, neither now nor in the future. As a result, to the servants, Eleanor appeared to be a wife who was constantly neglected yet continually yearning for love.

 

It was an act that had no use no matter how much she practiced. Daryl was refusing all invitations to parties or other social events that would require them to appear as a couple. As a result, Eleanor hadn’t set foot outside the Duke’s mansion since the wedding.

 

The fact that such absurd rumors were circulating was enough to make her chuckle involuntarily.

 

“A husband who cherishes and loves his wife. Me?”

 

“Well, it’s nonsense, of course. You’re too much even if I don’t know you that well.”

 

Esmeralda brushed her tousled hair and chuckled.

 

“But there’s also a somewhat troubling story.”

 

“What is it?”

 

“They say you got furious when you saw another man talking to the bride at the wedding, grabbed the bride’s hand, and stormed out of the wedding hall. Is that true?”

 

His hand, which had been fiddling with the cufflinks, paused at her words.

 

“Oh my.”

 

Esmeralda widened her eyes and brought her hand to her mouth.

 

“Goodness. Is it true?”

 

“……”

 

Thinking of Benjamin Gallahad, he felt even more disgusted.

 

In fact, that was one of the reasons why he didn’t want to send Eleanor out of the house.

He didn’t want to see that guy who didn’t know his place and sullied what wasn’t his. Of course, there was also the option of accompanying her, but that would have made him feel like a watchdog, which was unpleasant in its own right.

 

So what could he do? He had no choice but to confine her.

 

“It seems like you’re quite taken with your step-sister. It’s a bit narcissistic, but it’s your taste after all.”

 

“…Don’t go that far. There’s a limit to teasing, you know.”

 

Esmeralda chuckled.

 

“I’m suddenly curious. What kind of girl is the one you’re so taken with? I heard she’s quite a beauty. What’s her style? Is she sensual? Or on the contrary, delicate and someone you want to protect?”

 

Daryl’s hand covered Esmeralda’s mouth, as if to silence her excitement. He then pushed her onto the bed.

 

“I told you to stop.”

 

Daryl’s imposing shadow completely enveloped Esmeralda. She felt a shiver deep in her body under his cold, scrutinizing gaze. Esmeralda grabbed Daryl’s hand and slowly pulled it away from her mouth.

 

“Will if I don’t stop? Are you going to punish me?”

 

“…..”

 

After licking Daryl’s finger and lightly biting it to leave a small mark, Esmeralda looked up at him with a mischievous smile.

 

“Scold me, please.”

 

Daryl’s pupils dilated. He slowly began to unbutton the shirt that had been fully fastened. Esmeralda lazily embraced his neck, smiling.

 

****

 

“You look as beautiful as ever today. The updo suits you so well, and the peridot earrings go perfectly with the dress.”

 

Anthony complimented Eleanor with a cheerful smile, and she responded with an awkward smile.

 

Since the wedding, Anthony had consistently visited Chatsworth House to ask Eleanor to take a walk with him. It seemed like he came at least every three days.

 

When Eleanor expressed concern about attending such gatherings too often, he chuckled and said, [Well, we’re family. Wouldn’t it be boring for my sister-in-law to be confined to the mansion every day? I’m sure my brother would appreciate me keeping his wife company in his absence.]

 

She thought it was unlikely, but she didn’t voice her thoughts.

 

“Is your brother out working again today?”

 

“Yes. He always returns late at night.”

 

“It’s too much. Leaving his new bride alone like this during the honeymoon period.”

 

“Lord Jericho.”

 

Even though Eleanor showed signs of discomfort, Anthony did not care and gave a playful smile.

 

“Don’t do that. Just call me Anthony.”

 

“……”

 

Eleanor lowered her gaze to her teacup. She still couldn’t understand why Anthony was doing this to her.

 

She had repeatedly made it clear in various ways that she was uncomfortable with Anthony’s visits. But no matter how politely she asked, how sternly she refused, or how desperately she pleaded, it had no effect on him. One day, she even turned him away at the door, claiming she was not feeling well. The next day, he came back with flowers and medicine, claiming it was a sick visit.

 

‘Is he really doing this because he pities me? If that’s the case, it would be nice if he respected my wishes a little…’

 

Eleanor was well-versed in etiquette and law, but she didn’t know how to deal with men outside of these norms. She had learned about society only through books and education. She didn’t realize dealing with someone who didn’t follow common sense could be so difficult.

 

If he were an unrelated man, she would have ignored him or taken more drastic measures, but because he was her husband’s brother, it was difficult to do so.

 

‘Should I be grateful that he’s not barging into my room like he did the first time we met…’

 

But that was only ‘so far’. The memory of that day was so shocking and terrifying that she couldn’t shake off the worry that it might happen again.

 

In the end, the only sure solution to this situation was to rely on Daryl. He was the only person who had any restraining influence on Anthony.

 

But it wasn’t easy to bring it up. It was burdensome to ask Daryl for anything in the first place, but in a vague case like this, she wondered if he would really take her side.

 

In the end, that incident was just once, and even then, when she asked Anthony to leave, he complied without a word. And since then, he had been following the rules when coming to see her. If Daryl pointed out that fact, she would have been at a loss for words.

 

It wouldn’t have been strange for Daryl to say, “Why are you making a fuss over just having tea with my brother?” She would rather not say anything than hear that.

 

Anthony was said to be very impulsive and moody. She didn’t know why he was doing this to her, but maybe he would get tired of it soon. Realistically, that was her only hope.

 

“That’s still hanging there.”

 

When she looked up at his words, Anthony was looking up at the wall opposite. There hung a portrait of the former Duchess Edith.

 

Even considering the usual embellishment in portraits, it was clear that Edith had been quite a beauty in her lifetime. Her curly, tempting brown hair seemed to have been inherited by Anthony, but her cold and dry atmosphere was more like Daryl’s.

 

“Shouldn’t we take it down now that the owner has changed?”

 

“…She was a person who excellently protected the ducal house as its mistress for a long time. Do we really need to remove the symbol of remembering and commemorating her?”

 

Edith was a person who was famous as a perfect lady and duchess.

 

When she first saw this portrait after moving to the Hibiscus Room, Eleanor couldn’t help but feel awkward.

 

On the day she first met Daryl when she was sixteen, he had said that the former Duchess had left a will saying ‘never adopt Eleanor’. It was enough to guess how much she hated and resented her and her mother.

 

What would the former Duchess feel if she knew that she was now temporarily married to Daryl and using the room she used to use?

 

“Well, I don’t think she was that great.”

 

At Anthony’s muttered words, Eleanor tilted her head.

 

“Pardon?”