If I was Going to Regret It Anyway

Daryl nodded silently. The owner hastily guided Daryl into the store. He offered Daryl a seat on the sofa, then asked if he wanted something to drink or needed anything else. Daryl declined all offers.

 

It seemed that the young clerk recognized Daryl. Usually, big customers like Daryl were on the VIP list of most large jewelers. But until now, whenever he needed to buy jewelry, he had Philip do it for him, so he never had to visit the store himself.

 

After a while, the owner laid out all kinds of jewelry – rings, necklaces, bracelets – on the table in front of Daryl. It seemed that he had gathered all the good items in the store. He presented what seemed to be his best products one by one, but as Daryl showed no interest, the owner seemed to lose heart.

 

“Um… Do you not like any of the items I’ve shown you?”

 

“Not particularly, just keep showing me.”

 

“Excuse me? Oh, yes. Understood.”

 

Esmeralda asked him to choose a jewel that would suit her. But looking through these, he couldn’t get a sense of what would suit her.

 

“What criteria do people usually use to find jewelry that suits the woman they’re gifting?”

 

“There are several. Usually, it’s most common to match it with a dress or other accessories, but sometimes it’s matched with eye or hair color. Often, people look for a jewel that suits the person’s unique atmosphere. May I ask what the eye and hair color of the person you’re gifting is?”

 

“…”

 

When Daryl didn’t answer, the owner made a surprised face.

 

“If you don’t want to say, you don’t have to.”

 

Judging by his reaction, he seemed to think that Daryl was in a relationship with the woman he was gifting that he couldn’t talk about in front of others. Of course, his guess wasn’t wrong. But the reason Daryl couldn’t answer wasn’t because of that. He simply couldn’t remember Esmeralda’s eye color.

 

It was surprising. After all, they had been seeing each other for over three years. He was certain her hair was a light brown. He remembered thinking it was quite plain compared to the various wigs she wore on the opera stage.

 

“…Her hair is light brown, close to orange.”

 

“Oh, is that so? Then…How about this?”

 

The owner showed three sets of necklaces and earrings with quite an enthusiastic attitude. But none of them felt right. He was getting bored and slightly annoyed.

 

“Just pick any one from those.”

 

“Excuse me? Oh, yes. Then, um…”

 

While the owner was considering, Daryl found his wallet in his pocket. He planned to pay immediately for whatever was chosen. Then, a certain necklace on the edge of the table caught his eye.

 

It was a necklace made of thin gold chains with small diamonds and a light aquamarine. The transparent aquamarine, without any inclusions, resembled Eleanor’s eyes.

 

“Do you like this item?”

 

The owner, noticing Daryl’s gaze, quickly held up the necklace.

 

“As you can see, this is a product made with only the highest purity and largest aquamarines. It shines brighter at night, making it the perfect jewel for a party. If the woman has a clear and pure atmosphere, it will suit her perfectly.”

 

“……”

 

Daryl imagined Eleanor wearing this necklace. Looking up at him with a shy, happy smile, opened her small, pretty lips and whispered.

 

‘Thank you, Daryl.’

 

“Will you take this one?”’

 

Daryl, who had been staring at the necklace, suddenly came to his senses.

 

“No, this… No.”

 

“No? Then, instead of this, the previous product…”

 

As the owner was about to put away the aquamarine necklace, Daryl reflexively stopped him.

 

“No, wait.”

 

The owner looked at Daryl with a puzzled expression. Daryl, flustered, rolled his eyes and then said as if he was mesmerized.

 

“…Give me that one.”

 

Daryl left the jewelry store with the carefully packaged aquamarine necklace.

 

He didn’t know how he ended up buying it. He had definitely come to buy a gift for Esmeralda, so why did he end up buying a necklace that he thought would suit Eleanor?

 

Thinking about it, there was no reason to just buy this one and leave. He could have just picked something suitable for Esmeralda, and gave this to Eleanor. But going back in also seemed ridiculous.

 

‘…And besides, I don’t even know if Eleanor would accept it.’

 

According to Philip, Eleanor was very frugal. She hadn’t bought any additional dresses or jewelry for her wedding preparations, except for what was bought under the guidance of Lady Jennings.

 

‘If I offer her this necklace and she refuses, I won’t be able to keep my composure in front of her.’

 

-‘I can’t accept this. There’s no reason to.’

 

The awkward, chilly voice was vividly imagined as if he had just heard it. Daryl gritted his teeth.

 

‘It’s just imagination, but why does it feel more real than before, damn it.’

 

Moreover, there was a strange sense of guilt about giving Eleanor a gift intended for another woman. The more he thought about it, the more irritated he became. Daryl got into the carriage and coldly ordered to go to the Duke’s residence.

 

***

 

“You’ve returned, Master?”

 

As he entered the foyer, Herbert bowed his head. Daryl, about to hand him his hat, stiffened slightly. It was still early evening, but Eleanor was nowhere to be seen. Until now, no matter how late Daryl had arrived, she had always come to greet him without fail. The strange situation made him worry.

 

“…Where is my wife? Is she ill?”

 

At Daryl’s question, Herbert waved his hands in denial.

 

“No, no. The Madam is currently dining with Miss Layla.”

 

This time, it was Daryl’s turn to widen his eyes.

 

“…Eleanor? With Layla? They’re dining together?”

 

He hurried to the dining room, and from a distance, he could hear the sound of cheerful laughter. Even after seeing it with his own eyes, he couldn’t believe the sight of Eleanor and Layla sitting across from each other at the large table, covering their mouths and laughing as if they were sharing a funny story.

 

“Honey.”

 

Eleanor, who had noticed him standing there dumbfounded, quickly rose from her seat.

 

“When did you arrive? I didn’t even notice. I couldn’t even greet you…”

 

“…It’s okay, sit down. You were eating.”

 

“But still…”

 

“It’s fine.”

 

Reluctantly, Eleanor sat back down.

 

“Have you eaten yet?”

 

At Layla’s question, Daryl quietly shook his head. Eleanor opened her mouth to speak to Daryl.

 

“Oh, then…”

 

“We’ll finish eating quickly. We were just about done.”

 

But before Eleanor could finish her sentence, Layla spoke up.

 

‘…Don’t people usually ask to eat together in this situation?’

 

When he looked at her, Layla smiled. For some reason, her smile seemed very mischievous.

 

“If we make my older brother wait too long, we’ll feel sorry. Let’s eat quickly and get up. And let’s have tea in my room.”

 

“…Yes.”

 

Eleanor still seemed to be glancing at Daryl and checking his reaction.

 

“You two seem to have become quite close while I was unaware.”

 

“Yes. Oh, didn’t you know?”

 

At Daryl’s faint words, Layla’s eyes widened.

 

“Well, you’re so busy every day that you’re hardly ever at home, so it’s only natural that you wouldn’t know. You don’t seem to care at all about what your only younger sister is doing or how your wife is getting along.”

 

“…”

 

“…Layla.”

 

Eleanor called Leila with a troubled expression. Layla pretended not to know and maintained a natural expression.

 

“Why? Are you done eating? Then shall we get up?”

 

As soon as she finished speaking, Layla wiped her mouth with a napkin and stood up from her seat. Eleanor hesitated for a moment before following suit.

 

“Quickly clear the table and bring out new food. It’s for my older brother.”

 

“Yes, Miss.”

 

After instructing the maid, Layla turned to Daryl.

 

“Then we’ll be going. Enjoy your meal alone, brother.”

 

“…”

 

Daryl stared at Layla with a meaningful gaze. But she cheekily nodded her head and left the dining room.

 

“Then I’ll go too. See you later.”

 

Leaving only those words behind, Eleanor hurriedly followed Layla. Left alone, Daryl sat in the dining chair, pondering for a long time what this uncomfortable and dirty feeling was.