Obsessed with Regressors

Eugenie was taken aback by his attitude, which was so generous for a confession of love. She looked at Elliot blankly and asked without realizing it.

 

“Why do you think my love for you is less than your love for me?”

 

Elliot then tilted his head to the side and grinned. ‘Oops.’ Eugenie realized she was caught and she added quickly:

 

“Of course not now. It might happen someday.”

 

“No, that’s impossible.”

 

Elliot’s attitude was firm. He truly believed that even if she loved him, she could never love him more than he loved her. But this story hasn’t happened yet. Elliot raised his teacup and changed the subject.

 

“Anyway, the time of one year is a bit unusual.”

 

‘Thank god.’ Eugenie, who didn’t know what to say in response to Elliot’s words, let out a sigh of relief within her. Why did it have to be one year? If you think about it simply, the government may initially be like a fixed-term contract. Eugenie thought so as she raised her teacup. Her mind returned to Baroness Kernell again. And she naturally followed up with Miss Rogoso, who had come to the ship to complain. She didn’t know what to do because she was afraid that her sister would break off her engagement, but now that her sister had an accident, she couldn’t help but feel bad. Her heart rises to help Miss Logo, but there is no way she can help her. All Eugenie could do was pretend not to know as much as possible.

 

* * *

 

“Yes, you should have been careful about your actions.”

 

Jeffrey spoke in front of a depressed Erica. what? When Erica raised her head in surprise at his words, Jeffrey raised his teacup and added,

 

“Her younger brother is about to get married, so she can’t believe she’s taking a lover. Don’t you think that’s too selfish?”

 

That’s right. But even so, how dare you criticize someone who was attacked and unconscious. Erica countered cautiously.

 

“Jeffrey, she’s still my sister.”

 

“That’s what I’m saying. You are the future Viscountess Turner. Our Viscount Turner’s honor depends not only on you but also on the behavior of your family.”

 

When she brought up the family’s honor, Erica was left speechless. She says he is right. Geoffrey is the man who will become Viscount Turner. She cannot allow herself and her family to become part of his family. But… Erica still felt uncomfortable. She doesn’t like everything she does or her own sister does. Her last few months were especially full of dissatisfaction. She is not criticizing having a government per se. She didn’t like the idea of making too much noise. But that doesn’t mean I wanted something like this to happen. I certainly don’t think it’s cheap to do something like this. Even if it was anyone, Erica would have thought that way.

 

“Be careful what you do, Erica.”

 

After taking a sip of tea, Geoffrey spoke quietly as a warning. She has never done anything wrong until now. Erica’s mouth opened without realizing it due to her angry thoughts.

 

“What do you think I did wrong?”

 

“The boat. You went there.”

 

The boat? At first, Erica didn’t understand what Jeffrey was talking about. She asked in confusion, barely realizing that he meant ‘the boat’.

 

“What’s wrong with that?”

 

“Are you asking because you don’t know?”

 

It’s frustrating. A puzzled expression appeared on Jeffrey’s face. How dare you go to a place like that and not even know what the problem is.

 

“I told you. Don’t go to such low-level places.”

 

“The level is low? That’s Lady Biscon’s salon. How many people come and go?”

 

Not only Miss Grunt, she was told, but also the Countess of Devon had recently been there. It is more accurate to say that it is a swimming pool and a salon. Even if you don’t swim, you can visit and talk to the people there. But Jeffrey didn’t like that. He said, lightly hitting the table with his palm.

 

“There are a lot of people coming and going. That’s proof that the standard is ultimately falling. What are we going to talk about when we get together? They’ll just talk about low standards!”

 

Not like that. Miss Grunt spoke about an area in need and offered to help Lady Viscon raise money on the ship. The Marchioness of Henderson also came by and shared what she could to comfort the Duchess of Germarott, whose son was missing. But Erica knew that even if she said that, she would sound low-class to Jeffrey. When she finished her mouth, Geoffrey continued.

 

“I’m telling you not to go to places like that. Like other respectable women, embroider and embroider inside the house. Don’t wander around needlessly.”

 

In the end, all she could say was that Erica knew. If I refute it for no reason, an excited Jeffrey will hit the table even harder. Then people’s attention will gather, and Jeffrey will get angry at Erica again for that. She says that because of her stupidity, she ended up in people’s gossip. All afternoon, Erica thought about what happened with Jeffrey. Am I the problem? As Geoffrey said, she may be thinking too useless things. Or maybe, as he said, she was making a fuss over something that didn’t matter. She didn’t know. At times like this, she would talk to Imelda. Her sister didn’t like Jeffrey, but she agreed that he was her best choice. However, Imelda has been acting like a different person for the past few months, and eventually, she is attacked by a strange man and is unconscious. Tears filled Erica’s eyes as she remembered Imelda. Why is that so? Suddenly Erica realized that she had always been the only one to counsel Imelda about her concerns. She said Imelda must have had a hard time too, but she didn’t show it was hard in front of her. Was she really just as unbearable as people said? Erica thought for a long time about Imelda. She then opened her desk drawer and took out a piece of her letter.

 

* * *

 

“Miss Rogoso.”

 

When Lady Biscon entered, Erica reflexively jumped up from her seat. Perhaps because of her slightly pale complexion and small stature, anyone who saw Lady Viscon for the first time could easily have assumed that she was sick. But she is like this. Compared to her older brother, Baron Biscon, it’s hard to believe that they were brother and sister. Of course, Imelda and Erica didn’t look alike either.

 

“Wasn’t it hot on the way there?”

 

Even though Eugenie sent her letter saying that she wanted to inquire about her engagement, Eugenie politely asked about the weather and the well-being of the Rogoso family. These inconsequential conversations tend to relax people. The well-being of the Rogoso family naturally extended to Imelda. Eugenie paused for a moment and then asked cautiously.

 

“What about her sister? Is there a way to recover?”

 

Erica’s eyes filled with tears as she was referred to as her sister rather than Baroness Kernell. She quickly took her handkerchief from her arms and dabbed it on her own eyelids. And then, catching her breath, she said:

 

“Oh, not yet.”

 

“It will happen soon.”

 

Even with Eugenie’s friendly comfort, Erica’s mood did not improve. she asked, clutching her handkerchief tightly.

 

“How do I break off the engagement?”

 

Ehat? Eugenie’s actions, as she was just lifting her teacup, stopped. Erica spoke excitedly in front of her, her eyes wide and trying to figure out what she was talking about.

 

“Lady Biscon broke off her engagement to Lord Rencid, right? How did you do it? How did you resolve to break off the engagement? .”

 

Erica’s expression hardened after saying that. She was so excited that she made a mistake. She quickly bowed her head and apologized.

 

“S-sorry.”

 

“No, uh, no.”

 

She almost said it was okay without realizing it, but Eugenie barely held it in. Because it’s not okay. She said it was against etiquette to inquire about someone else’s broken engagement like this. But Erica’s desperate actions stuck with her. And Baroness Kernell’s strange suggestion, which she heard from Elliot. Eugenie lifted the teacup and took a sip of her tea. Why is she trying to break off the engagement? She was told that she was afraid that her sister’s behavior would cause her to break off the engagement.

 

“What you’re asking now is whether Ms. Rogoso is the one breaking off the engagement? Aren’t you the one on the receiving end?”

 

She checked just in case, and Erica nodded her head. She says she wants to break off her engagement. Why? Eugenie asked cautiously.

 

“May I ask why she was thinking of breaking off the engagement?”

 

Erica hesitated at that question because she didn’t know what to say. Her Geoffrey’s actions were all for her benefit. She did not want her to tarnish the honor of the Turner family. It was for the same reason that she criticized Imelda. She has a younger brother who is not married yet, and it is not chaste for her to have a mistress and to brag about it here and there. She’s lucky that Jeffrey is a patient person, otherwise she would have broken off the engagement already.

 

“This is strange, isn’t it?”

 

Erica said in a low voice, holding the teacup in her hand. If Geoffrey finds out about this, she’ll be angry. She is a selfish woman, just like my sister, who doesn’t know gratitude. Like her older sister, she would yell that she would be beaten even if she was attacked by a gunman. It was so good to her ears that she squeezed her eyes shut without realizing it.

 

“Miss Rogoso.”

 

At that time, Eugenie called her again. Seeing Erica’s exhausted expression on her face, Eugenie realized what she had been thinking. She often thought that way too, when she was engaged to Erning. ‘Is it right to get married like this? Did I choose well?’ That thought occurred to her occasionally, even before her awning became strange. I know now that it wasn’t because Eoning was doing anything wrong back then, but because she was afraid of her own choices.

 

“Is there a reason you want to break off the engagement?”

 

Eugenie asked again. The reason she wanted to break off the engagement before the wedding started getting weird wasn’t because of the wedding. She just wasn’t confident in her choice. If Erica was like that too, Eugenie was thinking of persuading her. She says everyone thinks like that. But the words that came out of Erica’s mouth were different from what she thought.

 

“It’s strange, right? Jeffrey is saying it for me, but it’s breathtaking.”

 

Are you out of breath? Eugenie was dumbfounded, not knowing what that meant. At that time, the door to the living room burst open and Julia came in and shouted.

 

“Of course! He only chooses to say such mean things!”

 

“Julia?”

 

—————————————————————

Translator Note: