For the Lady's Wise Regression - Chapter 52

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 52
And so Kirious’s freedom slipped through his fingers once more, unable to cross the threshold.
He supposed he ought to send a book to Ruscliffe Manor soon as a gift.
Something like “Fifty-Eight Foolproof Techniques for Winning a Woman’s Heart.”
Being unmarried would have been far simpler—it was painfully obvious that if he married and then got divorced, he’d be the one left exhausted.
‘No doubt that hothead’s already done something reckless.’
The curse meant they couldn’t even touch, after all.
‘That’s what I said—just give the gift and keep your mouth shut.’
But no, he always had to add his two cents and stir up trouble.
***
The evening came early.
Vanessa stared fixedly at the Hairpin in her hand.
“Sigh…….”
She’d overreacted, clearly.
She’d known Ian’s mouth moved freely enough, yet she hadn’t anticipated this kindness at all—had her gratitude been too overwhelming?
And here she was, a duchess, feeling hurt over such a remark. Walking around in wet clothes. Of all things.
It was nothing, really.
If she set aside her wounded feelings and thought about it rationally, he hadn’t been wrong.
The higher one’s rank, the more careful one had to be with one’s appearance.
So the duchess of House Leonard in her past life would have been just as mindful of her dress.
“……But I don’t want to be the first to apologize.”
It wasn’t even my fault to begin with.
If I’d avoided him a few times before speaking, it would’ve been out of disgust, but we’re husband and wife, aren’t we?
Even if we’re bound by a Contract Marriage.
She couldn’t even understand why she was so stubborn about it.
Was it because she’d glimpsed in the Ian of his forties a shadow of the emotionless man he’d been in his twenties?
Because the quiet tenderness hidden in those indifferent eyes seemed unexpectedly thoughtful?
No.
It was the surprise that got her.
Because he kept poking at her like this, again and again.
She’d resolved not to hope, yet she kept catching herself thinking, ‘Oh?’ and then her eyes would linger a moment longer.
It was just that part of her still wanted to make this marriage work, now that she’d gone through with it.
‘I’m not ready for this either.’
To see herself unable to keep her wits about her even after being warned.
Vanessa set the Hairpin down on the table with a sharp sound.
It was just a whimsical kindness, nothing more.
Like the jewels on the Wedding Dress.
So there was no reason for her to keep it, no need to wear it around.
Vanessa took one last look at the Hairpin on the table and left the room.
“Ah, madam.”
Kirious happened to be walking toward her.
“Your Highness?”
“Ian said he’s setting sail tomorrow.”
What?
A hollow laugh escaped Vanessa’s lips.
Now he’s making decisions about departure on his own?
But with Kirious standing right there, she couldn’t let her anger show, and had to clench her teeth instead.
“Thank you for letting me know.”
“Ah, no. That wasn’t what I meant to tell you…….”
Kirious’s head swiveled left and right, then he leaned in close to Vanessa.
“……The garden. I thought if not now, there’d be no time to show you. Ian’s gone to train for a while.”
“I see.”
Vanessa nodded.
Right. She mustn’t forget the purpose that had brought her here.
Revenge was what remained, and what remained was Revenge.
***
Kirious led her to a cave beneath Snowood Mountain in the north.
Through the branching passages, he walked without hesitation.
The deeper they ventured, the brighter the cave’s interior became.
Eventually they emerged into an open space, and before her eyes stretched an immense forest.
“We’re here.”
The vista that unfolded before them was breathtaking enough to steal her words.
The north was perpetually blanketed in snow—it barely exaggerated to say so—yet this forest alone seemed to have dodged every flake, standing verdant and impossibly green.
“……How is this being preserved?”
What astonished her most was that the entire forest blazed with lush green foliage, vibrant and flawless.
How was any of this possible?
Not a single leaf appeared artificial or worn—each one looked as immaculate as silk flowers, not living things at all.
She’d come searching for the Jeongjeong Flower, only to find herself amazed by the forest itself.
“Let’s just say I received some assistance.”
“Assistance? From whom?”
At Vanessa’s question, Kirious merely smiled faintly, saying nothing.
“It doesn’t matter. Shall we go in? We mustn’t let Ian find out about this.”
“……Yes, of course.”
Vanessa glanced back at the cave entrance they’d just emerged from, then followed Kirious deeper into the forest.
As they ventured inward, a transparent dome came into view.
It was filled entirely with flowers that glowed a luminous blue.
Flowers that resembled her own family crest.
Of course, the blooms in House Sharoze were not Jeongjeong Flowers but red roses.
Yet even in her past life, she’d thought them strikingly alike.
She didn’t know why they resembled each other so, but when she’d first glimpsed the Jeongjeong Flower in her previous existence, she’d been quite struck by it.
“This is the Jeongjeong Flower.”
Kirious knelt on one knee and carefully unearthed a bloom.
“I’ll gather a few more for your father’s gift, but please take this one for yourself, my lady.”
“Why……are you giving this to me?”
At her words, Kirious’s gaze shifted to where the flower had grown.
“I’m not certain.”
When he turned to look at Vanessa again, his eyes held an intensity she hadn’t seen from him before.
“You seemed to need it.”
“……Pardon?”
For a moment, her pupils wavered—and Kirious caught it.
So her suspicion was correct.
This honeymoon was nothing but Ian Ruscliffe’s illusion.
“My lady.”
His voice had lost all its playfulness, and Vanessa swallowed hard.
Had Kirious Parbian always been this perceptive?
Perhaps she’d grown too careless precisely because they’d never clashed in her previous life.
Either way, it was clear to her now that she was under suspicion.
Otherwise, those eyes wouldn’t have suddenly turned so serious—eyes that had held a playful glint throughout their stay until this very moment.
“All I can tell you now is that this Jeongjeong Flower seemed necessary for you, my lady.”
“…….”
“Please don’t worry. Whatever you do, I will stand by your side.”
“……I’m sorry, but I don’t accept trust without reason.”
Vanessa, barely concealing her alarm, looked once at the flower in Kirious’s hand, then once at his smiling face.
“So I’ll accept only your sentiment.”
Her refusal was so firm, so absolute, that Kirious flinched.
“My lady, what I meant was……”
“Sir. I think there’s been a misunderstanding.”
Vanessa’s lips curved into a faint smile.
“I have never once, in my own words, said that I desired the Jeongjeong Flower.”
Why would she accept it under such suspicion?
She could simply slip one bloom from her father’s gift anyway.
Vanessa had nothing to lose in choosing either way, but Kirious’s face paled with bewilderment.
***
‘I regret my impertinence, my lady. I hope you’ll accept this as my apology.’
Vanessa stared at the single Jeongjeong Flower now in her hands.
This was after she’d retraced her steps back to the cottage.
When she opened the door to a knock, Kirious stood there holding a single bloom wrapped like a bouquet.
She’d meant to refuse again, but he’d placed it in her hands before she could object.
……Well, since it’s come to this, I suppose I’ll give it to Father as a gift.
She couldn’t extract the medicinal compound—the ratios were beyond her—but Jeongjeong Flower steeped as tea was said to be excellent for restoring vitality.
Besides, with the recent business of dispatching envoys keeping him perpetually drowning in drink, accepting a gift to help with his hangover seemed harmless enough.
Vanessa found herself gazing out the window, where sunlight now streamed brilliant and clear.
The last day in the north already.
To be honest, she’d never once entertained expectations of a honeymoon, not when this was merely a Contract Marriage.
It wasn’t as though she were the sort to fuss over appearances.
And Ian, judging by the careless remarks that tumbled out of him now and then, hardly seemed to regard this marriage as anything serious either.
Though if he’d been the Ian Ruscliffe of his forties, perhaps it might have been…… different.
Her gaze fell upon the Hairpin resting on the table.
‘To be honest, it was a bit…….’
Unexpected, that much was certain.
She’d thought he would simply hand it to her, not that he’d fasten it for her with his own hands.
Yet for a first attempt, those hands had moved with surprising dexterity.
She’d always remembered that there had been no woman beside the forty-year-old Ian Ruscliffe.
But now she wondered—unaware of it herself—whether there had been a woman whose place he’d meant to leave open.
So that was it…… that was why, without knowing it herself…….
‘I must be out of my mind!’
Crack.
Vanessa gave her own cheek a light, sharp tap.
Disappointed?
Reeeally disappointed?
Good heavens, I’ve truly lost it. There’s nothing here to be disappointed about.
It was Vanessa herself who’d proposed the Contract Marriage in the first place.
That he might find a woman later—what of it? By that time, she and Ian would already be divorced.
Yes. Divorced.
……It had to be.
‘It has to be…….’
……Did things not work out with some woman he’d had his eye on?
Was that why, in his past life, he’d remained unwed…….

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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