For the Lady's Wise Regression - Chapter 74

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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 74
“Ah, Duchess. Thank you for your hospitality. I’m Lehila Antuella.”
“You arrived before tedium could set in?”
The Crown Prince spoke with a smile.
“I’ve enjoyed the leisure thoroughly.”
Vanessa answered gently.
After that, Kirious and Ian walked forward side by side.
“Separate quarters have been prepared for the guard knights, and for Lord Kirious as well. And if you wouldn’t mind, might I show the Third Princess to her own chamber? Only if it wouldn’t be a bother, of course.”
Lehila nodded cautiously at Vanessa’s undemanding suggestion.
“I’d like to see the room I’ll be staying in first, if that’s all right, Your Highness?”
The way she naturally ceded the choice to the other was little different from her past life.
So far, everything was proceeding as expected.
Crown Prince Tesse nodded.
“Go along with the Duchess. I’ll be enjoying myself with my friends.”
The moment the Third Princess crossed the threshold of the estate, Vanessa moved to her side. Only half a step ahead.
She deliberately shortened her stride and quickened her pace.
Since the Third Princess wouldn’t know Vanessa’s usual gait, it was a calculated courtesy.
Lehila’s tension eased slightly at the distance—neither burdensome nor uncomfortable.
Tap, tap, tap.
The sound of heels echoed in rhythm with their steps.
“What if I hadn’t chosen to stay?”
At the Third Princess’s question, Vanessa smiled softly.
“Then we’d look forward to next time.”
“Next time…”
“I was only trying not to put you in an awkward position, so please don’t feel burdened by this. Being able to welcome you in person is an honor in itself.”
“…”
“It’s an unfamiliar place, after all. If it were me, dropped into a strange space like that, I imagine the weight would feel quite heavy.”
It was a manner of speech that deviated somewhat from strict protocol, yet the Third Princess found herself smiling faintly at Vanessa’s words.
“Dropped into a strange space… yes, that’s exactly how it felt.”
This was a delicate tightrope that only Vanessa, who had glimpsed the Third Princess’s nature, however briefly, in her past life, could walk.
Not so casual as to seem presumptuous, yet not so formal as to feel stiff.
The Third Princess had a gentle disposition, and the habit of reading the room had long since become second nature to her.
Vanessa opened the door and stepped half a pace to the side.
“Feel free to look around at your leisure.”
She watched as the Third Princess’s eyes widened slightly upon entering.
Vanessa smiled quietly to herself.
The room was suffused with a subtle citrus scent mingled with the light aroma of lime. Beside the bed, a nightstand held soft lighting that wouldn’t disturb sleep.
The bed itself was positioned far from the windows so as not to wake the sleeper with early morning light.
Though the overall tone was bright and airy, the careful placement of yellow and pale green accents transformed the space into something like a spring meadow.
It had been arranged with the colors of the dresses the Third Princess had favored in her past life in mind, and though she stood in unfamiliar surroundings, her gaze sweeping the room suggested the taste suited her well.
The bed’s canopy hung at precisely the right height to block light, and the furniture bore clear signs of being rearranged with foot traffic in mind.
The Third Princess’s stride was narrow and quick, after all.
Which meant, conversely, that her body had learned to move swiftly whenever someone called for her.
Noticing the subtle difference from the usual aristocratic furniture arrangements, the Third Princess glanced at Vanessa with an odd expression.
Feeling that gaze, Vanessa deliberately avoided meeting her eyes.
Rather, she let a hint of nervousness show through.
“…”
Reading that hint, the Third Princess took a careful step deeper into the room.
The bed, the wardrobe, the nightstand, a small side table. And the subtle, fresh fragrance drifting through the room and window.
The carpet beneath her feet was as verdant as grass, and the wallpaper, too, wasn’t a single solid color but shot through with pearl.
Having observed the room’s layout, the furniture placement, and finally its overall character, a smile bloomed across the Third Princess’s lips.
“The room is so lovely…”
It was genuine admiration.
Hearing those words, Vanessa shed her nervous air and exhaled softly, as if relieved.
This too was a calculated courtesy, though the Third Princess, meeting her for the first time, had no way of knowing it.
“I’m so glad you like it.”
At Vanessa’s words, the Third Princess walked silently toward the bed and lightly ran her fingertips across the bedding.
Then she opened her eyes slightly wider.
“I’ve never felt fabric this soft before…”
“Since this place is unfamiliar to you, Your Highness.”
She had compressed into a single sentence how carefully she had tried not to burden him while he slept.
The Third Princess seemed to recognize that consideration; pure joy filled her expression.
“When I come next time, will it be a little different?”
At those words, Vanessa met the Third Princess’s eyes.
“It will be even more to your liking then.”
Now that she understood her tastes, she would decorate with greater care—that was what she meant.
The Third Princess’s face softened.
Her eyes were wide with laughter, yet a flicker of exhaustion crossed her features.
After that, as if to read the careful considerations laid before her, her gaze turned forward once more.
Vanessa caught that look, gave a small nod, and quietly turned the door handle.
At the soft sound, the Third Princess’s head turned.
“Madam?”
“I will explain everything to His Highness separately, so please rest, Your Highness.”
Vanessa gave a small bow and added one more thing before closing the door.
“Thank you for visiting the Ruscliffe Estate the moment you arrived in the Empire.”
With that, the door closed.
Wanting to see the room the moment she arrived at the estate was as good as saying she wanted to rest.
She had probably shown her face to the Emperor as soon as the Delegation arrived in the Empire, then set out straight for the Ruscliffe Estate.
Given Crown Prince Tesse’s nature, there was a good chance he had pushed for it.
And with Kirious and Ian there besides, the Third Princess couldn’t have even asked for rest.
That was simply how she was.
Because she was always watching others’ feelings, ironically, she had become quick at reading them.
That made her reluctant to ask for anything, though.
Moreover, because she could distinguish between natural kindness and obvious kindness, Vanessa hadn’t uttered a word about how she’d decorated the room or what she’d put in it for the Third Princess.
The Princess was someone who would rather distance herself than bear the burden of being cared for.
True to form, the Princess didn’t emerge from her room for some time.
Vanessa stared at the firmly closed door once, then descended to the first floor with a faint smile.
Passing through the living corridor toward the Reception Room, she caught sight of Tesse and Kirious walking somewhere beyond the window.
And Ian, walking behind them, happened to turn his head—and his gaze met Vanessa’s directly.
That direction… wasn’t that where the Pavilion was?
The dome-shaped Pavilion inside the Garden—that small flower garden that Ian Ruscliffe had designed himself, the place with the tea table……and as Vanessa realized what state that Pavilion was in, her mouth fell open slightly.
Wait. Wait a moment.
They were going there right now? To that lavishly princess-like place?
To that spot decorated with pink cherubs as if about to blow trumpets, more suited to rest beneath stained glass in a cathedral than in any ducal manor?
To that place with the rabbit-and-carrot carpet, where the tea table sat?
Vanessa caught Ian’s gaze just as he was turning his head, pointed at herself with her index finger, then pointed at him.
Ian’s eyes blinked slowly, then his head tilted slightly to the side.
The very picture of ‘I don’t understand.’
Vanessa raised one hand in a gesture for him to wait, then hurried toward him at a quick pace.
“Ian.”
Fortunately, he had stopped.
Kirious and Tesse, who had been walking ahead, had also stopped and were admiring the Garden.
“Where are you going?”
The old Vanessa wouldn’t have asked something like this, but if they meant to show—or were going to—that Pavilion, she had to stop them.
Ian Ruscliffe would surely say something about the Pavilion being “for Vanessa,” and it would be predictable.
“The Pavilion.”
“Don’t you think you should ask me first?”
Ian’s head tilted slightly again.
The gesture of ‘why should I?’
“Because you gave it to me as a gift.”
His head tilted slightly once more.
‘And?’
“I haven’t given you permission to show it off, so it’s a bit much to step inside.”
This time, his head bent unmistakably to the side.
‘It’s my estate, though?’
“That’s……!”
Well, that was true. The Pavilion in Ian’s estate was hers.
But Vanessa had decided to be shameless about it.
“I’m a Ruscliffe too, aren’t I?”

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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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