Regressor Instruction Manual

Chapter 1389. An Unexpected Debut (24)

My clear and resonant voice echoed throughout the room, and my eyes that seemed capable of seeing through everything remained transfixed on him.

It was a question asked out of pure curiosity, with no malice behind it, but there was no way he could take Aina Peneloti’s question at face value, especially not in a situation like this.

“...”

“...”

Aina Peneloti knew something. Perhaps she had no idea exactly what it was, or she had yet to even realize that she knew it, but her question wasn’t some ordinary ultimatum or tedious mind game.

It was born out of an instinct—an intuition. Perhaps it was the manifestation of her curse, a limited foresight into the future. Instinctively, Aina Peneloti had asked the question that cut right through the heart of the matter.

“...”

‘Why aren’t you proposing, damn it? You’ve just been testing the waters with me.’

He had had more than enough time to propose. If Marquis Jayce truly wanted to do so, he would have already shown interest in the Peneloti Family. In a noble society, marriage was essentially a union between families, so expressing intent to the other family came first.

Sometimes, marriages could proceed without even obtaining the family's consent, but seeking the family’s approval was the proper beginning and the first step of a proposal.

The next step, of course, would be to convey his intentions directly to Lady Peneloti and propose to her. Occasionally, the order could be reversed, but Marquis Jayce hadn’t taken either option. The reason behind it was obvious.

‘Because it was all a lie. He's a total fraud.’

He wasn’t Marquis Jayce. Of course, assuming a false identity wasn’t necessarily a problem. Given his abilities, there was no way he’d create a fake identity carelessly, and if he wished, he could live as Marquis Jayce indefinitely. A fake marriage was possible, too.

However, he couldn’t take either path because...

‘You don’t want a fake relationship, do you? Marquis Jayce?’

Perhaps he realized that all of it would be meaningless.

‘Are we Romeo and Juliet?! Damn it! It’s a tragedy!’

Even if he were to win Lady Peneloti that way, he probably felt like it would all be for nothing. The fact that Marquis Jayce was still speechless told me that his feelings were far more sincere than I had expected.

’Instead of rushing to hold the ceremony and stab her in the back afterward, is he trying to win Peneloti’s heart first?’

How had he planned to confess? This bastard.

After revealing his true identity like some contestant on King of Masked Singer, was he going to say something along the lines of this?—“Actually, I’m not Marquis Jayce. My name is Jin Cheong, and I’m from the Republic. That’s why I couldn’t propose to you.

"Ah, I almost forgot. The truth is that I'm here to carry out a terrorist attack at the ballroom. But somewhere along the way, I ended up falling in love with you. Even so, would you be willing to be with someone like me? Let’s go to the Republic together.”

Was that what he’d intended to say? I had put it a bit bluntly, but that was probably the kind of buildup he had in mind. Or perhaps he hadn’t thought that far ahead and simply wanted to enjoy this pleasant moment until the end.

In that sense, Lady Peneloti’s question was no different from saying, “Let’s wrap up this happy time and return to reality.”

‘What’s the reason you can’t propose?’

“That’s because...” Marquis Jayce trailed off.

“Is it because I’m... the cursed third daughter of a fallen house?” I asked.

'Peneloti’s voice trembled slightly, tinged with sadness!'

“It’s not for such a trivial reason. Whether your family has fallen or you’re cursed, it doesn’t matter at all. Lady Peneloti, I feel the happiest when I’m with you,” Marquis Jayce said, denying my words.

“Then... is it because of the bad rumors you’ve heard behind my back?” I asked.

“It’s not that either, Lady Peneloti. It has nothing to do with any of that. You know better than anyone that I don’t care about such things,” he answered.

“Then why is it that you won’t propose? I-I’m not trying to push you to do it. How could someone like me ever dare...” I muttered.

“Lady Peneloti, please don’t speak that way...” he said.

“I’m happy when I’m with you, Marquis Jayce. I can feel how much you care for me. I’m not sure if it’s a romantic interest or not, but... I trust and believe in you. Without even realizing it, that’s what happened to me,” I confessed.

“...”

“It’s embarrassing to say, but I thought you might feel the same. That’s why... I simply don’t understand. Before I could even decide whether to accept or reject your proposal, you’ve been showing me affection, and yet... you've kept your distance.

"You visit me again and again, and you've never talked about... the most important thing. Or is it that... you’re hiding something from me?” I asked.

“...”

“Sometimes... sometimes it feels like your thoughts are elsewhere, Marquis Jayce,” I added.

“What do you mean by that?” he asked.

“It’s like... this ball means nothing to you. Like our lives mean nothing to you. Perhaps you have the right to feel that way. I'm destined to be married off, and I've been living that way since I was born, so I must be really pathetic in your eyes. You’re someone above such things... you're someone with the power to live freely,” I answered.

“Whoo... Lady Peneloti.”

“But this is how I have to live. T-this is something important to me, and I believe you understand that. So why... why won’t you send word to the Peneloti Family?” I asked.

Marquis Jayce's face turned solemn.

“...”

“...”

“I...” he paused.

‘You’ve got nothing to say, do you?’

'It’s all true, isn’t it? You really thought this whole ball was foolish, didn’t you? You must have mocked it as something meaningless, right? If it hadn’t been for Peneloti, you definitely would have believed it was meaningless. This is what you call a checkmate.'

The sight of him hesitating was almost strange. He was unlike the man known for his smooth talking. He seemed to be carefully choosing his words, but of course, there was no right answer here.

Confessing the truth would be the worst option, but he couldn't just keep going like this, either.

He slowly looked up to stare at me—no, to stare at Lady Peneloti.

I was sure he could see that she was slightly emotional, uneasy, and desperately hoping that her intuition wasn't right. Above all, she looked like she had mustered every ounce of courage in her. In truth, Aina Peneloti was trembling. Her confident demeanor and her composure were all the result of forcing herself to be brave.

‘Marquis, who on earth...’

Are you...

‘Are you even Marquis Jayce?’

It was a question she couldn't say aloud, but her words contained her unspoken questions inside them; it was a roundabout way of referring to a proposal, but even Peneloti herself wasn't fully aware of it.

“I stake everything on this when I say it: I would never humiliate you, Lady Peneloti. I would never mock you or treat this relationship like a joke. I have always... treated you sincerely, Lady Peneloti...” Marquis Jayce said, reassuring me.

‘Look at this bastard lie.’

“It's just that right now there are personal circumstances that prevent me from doing so,” he added.

“C-could you tell me what they are?” I asked.

“Not right now, Lady Peneloti,” he answered.

'How long do you plan on hiding it, Marquis Jayce? No, Commander Jin?'

Naturally, his answer couldn't satisfy me.

“...”

“...”

“P-please go back now, Marquis Jayce. I'm tired,” I told him.

“L–Lady Peneloti,” he stammered.

“I'm not... angry or anything. I'm just a little... a little tired. That's all. I'm a bit... a bit confused, maybe because of that dream... maybe it's because of that dream,” I said.

“...”

“...”

There was nothing more to say. As I stood up, he stood up as well.

‘Confused?’

Was the story suddenly moving too fast?

‘I really hoped not, but this guy really was just here to have fun, huh?’

It was clear that he had no manual to refer to in a situation like this. He looked as if he had never even dreamed Peneloti would catch him off guard first.

Of course, what likely startled him more than being caught off guard was his own heart. What on earth did he want to do, and how did he want to do it? One could bet he was asking himself the same question.

I was sure his thoughts were something along the lines of— ‘What the hell do I want to do? Why must it be with Lady Peneloti?’

Perhaps he finally realized that there was a wall between himself and Aina Peneloti. It was a wall he could never possibly break down. Perhaps he finally understood that all of this was nothing more than a childish game of make-believe.

At this point, there was no choice but to make the confused man even more confused.

“Then... rest well, Marquis Jayce,” I said.

'And right before the door closes, cry. Just cry...'

Aina Peneloti allowed the tears that she had been holding back to flow freely down her cheek for no particular reason. She had no idea why she was crying, and there was no real logic behind it.

Naturally, the young ladies of the Black Rose Salon rushed over to comfort her.

“P-Peneloti,” Lady Brush stammered.

“Are you all right, Lady Peneloti?” Lady Palette asked.

“L-Lady Peneloti...” Lady Paint asked.

“W-what kind of bastard does something like that? From this day on, I withdraw all my support for Marquis Jayce! He said everything he could say, whispered all those sweet words, gave her diamond necklaces, and acted like he’d give her the world, only to stop short of the one thing that actually mattered! What kind of person is he? How wicked of him, that Marquis Jayce...” Lady Pastel grumbled.

‘He didn’t actually do all that, though.’

One could practically hear Marquis Jayce’s approval rating plummeting into the abyss.

“He was never even interested in the debutante ball. People like him only care about having fun. They always end up walking away when it stops being convenient. He’s just another cowardly man who can’t even take responsibility for a single household!

"Lady Peneloti! Please don’t cry. There’s no reason to shed tears over someone like that. Don’t... don’t cry... heuk... sniff... ugh...” Lady Brush said. She was crying as well.

“D-Don’t cry, Peneloti. Heuk... heuuuk...” Lady Palette cried, too.

‘Why are you all crying with me?’

“E-Everyone else is crying, so I just... I couldn’t help it...”

The young ladies clung to me like a mother bird shielding their chicks. It was a sight to behold.

‘Girls...’

“Let’s switch our allegiance to Count Kim Hyun-Sung. A-actually, I've always been rooting for him,” Lady Pastel suggested.

“Don’t even bother thinking about men like that, Peneloti. We’ll just stick together, the rest of us. H-how about we all sleep in the salon tonight, okay?” Lady Palette suggested.

I smiled faintly at their attempts to comfort me. Of course, I couldn’t resist picking up the Telescope to look toward Marquis Jayce. His face looked as heavy as ever, no, heavier than usual. His somber expression refused to lift as he walked away.

Even after meeting his subordinates, he looked exactly the same.

— Sir, there’s something I must report...

— I’ll hear it later.

— It’s urgent.

— Later.

— Sir.

— ...

— ...

— I said I’d hear it later! Damn it!

‘Oh? Are you actually mad? Worked up, are you?’

— Damn it...

“...”

— Damn it!

He even stormed into his room and threw something. After that, he rested his chin on his hand, looking like he was in deep contemplation.

— Damn it!

‘What a drama queen.’

For a moment, it looked exactly like the scene where the male lead finally realized his true feelings.