Regressor Instruction Manual

Chapter 1393. Crimson Ball (3)

It was a reaction so intense that it felt almost excessive, yet even such a reaction wasn’t enough. Overnight, Aina Peneloti became a tragic heroine. She learned that the person she trusted and the one she wanted to rely on had built their entire relationship on lies.

The person she thought she would spend her whole life with was actually a terrorist who had infiltrated the ballroom in disguise.

By the standards of this era, describing it as a massive shock would be more than just accurate. Modern people, hardened by all kinds of extreme dramas, could manage to take a step back and observe the situation rationally, but Aina Peneloti could not do that.

Her mind was dominated by the fact that everything had been a lie.

Every single word they had exchanged so far had all been nothing but sweet talk.

The Marquis Jayce she knew wasn’t Marquis Jayce at all.

It wouldn’t be strange for her to collapse right there and then. Her hands and feet trembled; her chest heaved violently, and tears blurred her vision so much she could barely see.

In the midst of that, Marquis Jayce tried to approach her, eliciting a scream.

After all, the person before her had never been Marquis Jayce.

“Don’t come closer... Don’t come closer!” I shouted.

Despite everything, the unwavering composure of First Life Commander Jin was impressive. However, I was sure he was rotting away deep inside. It felt like cracks were forming in that solid mask. A rare sight indeed.

He approached me slowly, but he couldn’t bring himself to say anything. He seemed to feel like he had to do something at least, so he reached out to support me, but I could only slap his hand away while staring furiously at him.

Slap!

“Lady Peneloti,” Marquis Jayce said.

“...”

“...”

“Lady Peneloti,” he repeated.

And then came the most cliched line...

“Liar,” I said.

‘Liar!’

“You... why—hic... why?!” I shouted.

“...”

“If things were going to turn out like this, then why would you even approach me in the first place? Why?!” I questioned.

“I won’t ask you to forgive me or even try to understand me. Every bit of this is all my fault. I won’t deny it, nor will I make excuses, my lady,” Marquis Jayce said.

‘Right, of course. Every single part of this disaster is on him. Since he had come here for a mission, he should’ve just completed it and left. But no, he had to show up at my salon every other day to laugh with me and play games with me. What was going through his head? Had he ever thought this through?’

Aina Penelot was still denying it deep inside; she was trying to calm herself down with the hope that perhaps there was a deeper reason behind his actions. Now that the truth was exposed, however, she could no longer cling to that delusion.

Aina Peneloti felt her heart growing colder by the second, and perhaps it was because he said he didn’t expect any forgiveness or understanding from her.

“So everything... everything was a lie,” I mumbled.

‘Everything was a lie.’

“So everything we shared was just a lie. Every moment. From the day we first met to every single hour that followed... even the night we stayed up together and even the quiet talks on the terrace... they were all lies. Y-you deceived me,” I said.

“That wasn’t—”

“You must’ve had a great time. Really. You must’ve found it entertaining. How foolish did I look to you? How pathetic? I feel so ashamed,” I said, looking like I was about to cry.

“I really trusted you... Marquis Jayce,” I told him.

He hurriedly said, “I was sincere in those moments. That much was never a lie. The conversations we shared every day and the time we spent together... none of them was fabricated.”

‘As if I can believe that... You don’t even sound like you believe it yourself. And what difference does it make at this point?’

“Lady Peneloti,” he said.

“...”

“I won’t ask you to trust me. I did deceive you, and I did inflict a wound that cannot be erased. But my lady, please think of yourself. You know better than anyone what’s right and what’s wrong. If, someday, your future holds no place for me, that’s fine.

"At the very least, in the Republic, you won’t be bound to the fate of a cursed third daughter or to a life defined by marriage,” he explained.

“And what awaits me there?” I asked.

“...”

“If I go to the Republic, what then? I’ll still be alone. I’ll still wake each morning waiting for a sunrise that refuses to come. Yes, perhaps I can dream there. Perhaps I can become who I want to be. But what does that change? Can you say with certainty that such a life will make me happier? And before all of that, was my life as a noblewoman truly so pitiable in your eyes?” I asked.

“My lady...” he mumbled.

“Don’t look down on me. Even if I was pushed into it, this is a path I chose. You can’t possibly understand how much I’ve learned here and how many people I’ve met. I’ve met warm, kind, and all kinds of wonderful people.

Of course, I must look stupid to you. Coming from a world you believe is broader and greater, everything here must seem trivial, but...” I trailed off.

“...”

“People live here, too,” I added.

“...”

“This place is full of living, breathing people. It’s full of people who fight, endure, and carry their own struggles with their own reasons to keep going. What made us look so pitiful to you? How extraordinary must your own life be that you can so easily judge someone else’s?

"Among all the young ladies gathered here, every single one of them is desperate in her own way, but one of us despises or rejects our lives,” I explained.

“...”

“It must be nice... doing something you deem meaningful. The work you plan to carry out in this ballroom must be really important to you. It’s obvious. It’s for the continent, for the Republic, and for the good of your nation, but we are no different.

"The marriage alliances born here are for the sake of our own kingdom’s interests and ideals as well,” I continued.

“...”

“I've resented my life every now and then, but I have never questioned or denied the choices I've made. I am Aina Peneloti, the third daughter of the Peneloti Viscountcy. I’m the same Aina Peneloti who traveled all this way for the absurd marriage alliance you're looking down on,” I added.

“My lady.”

“I will not betray my nation, my house, my pride, and my honor,” I said, her eyes glimmering with the pride of the Peneloti bloodline and the steadfast resolve of a noblewoman of the Union of Kingdoms.

‘Has she grown?’

No, perhaps growth was never the point. She was never an uncut stone; she had always been a gem. The Union of Kingdoms had already cut her out of a stone and refined her. The Peneloti household shaped her, and even if the process was painful, she was standing here by her own will, with conviction, pride, and honor.

Her eyes shone despite the tears swelling within them, and he undoubtedly saw that radiance.

Just then, our eyes met once more.

“...”

“...”

‘Did you... fall for her?’

It was a ridiculous thought and yet...

‘Did you really fall for her... all over again?’

First Life Commander Jin looked genuinely taken aback, almost shaken by the moment. No doubt he had plenty of words he could have said to counter her, but instead of confronting her, he chose to honor Aina Peneloti’s stance.

Aina Peneloti had invoked her honor, and she had vowed never to betray it. She was not going to betray her pride and her life. Someone like him lived and breathed honor, so he could never treat her resolve as a joke, nor could he dismiss it with mockery.

Even if the entire event seemed pointless to him, the one person he couldn’t belittle was Aina Peneloti, as she stood there not merely as a girl from a noble house, but as a noblewoman of the Union of Kingdoms in her own right.

“Lady Peneloti...” he mumbled.

He barely got her name out before she spun around and walked away. His hand lifted instinctively, but he couldn’t even touch her sleeve before she walked away and entered the ballroom once more.

Naturally, all eyes turned to her.

“Marquis Jayce, you absolute bastard!” Lady Pastel’s booming voice cut through the hall.

‘No, it’s not like that.’

It was certainly worse than the assumptions they were making, but she wasn’t as devastated as they had imagined. In that fleeting moment, Lady Peneloti’s tear-stained face made every young lady in the Black Rose Salon arrive at the same conclusion.

Naturally, they deduced that Marquis Jayce had hurt her again.

They were probably picturing something like him leading her away as though to propose, only to flee at the last moment, or they probably assumed that he never had any intentions to propose to her.

Whatever was going on in First Life Commander Jin's head, he still decided to chase after her.

However, Lady Brush stopped him dead in his tracks.

“Stay away from Peneloti!”

Without hesitation, she grabbed the nearest objects on a table and hurled them at him. Funnily enough, they were cupcakes, and one of them exploded on his chest.

“Stay away from Lady Peneloti! Y-you piece of garbage!” Lady Brush shouted.

“Peneloti, are you alright?” Lady Pastel asked.

“Lady Peneloti! A-are you unharmed?” Lady Palette asked.

“Calm down, Lady Peneloti. Just breathe. Everything is alright,” Lady Paint said.

“Everything is fine. Calm down. We’ll stop the Marquis Jayce for you. Let’s get you to your room so we can talk...” Lady Palette suggested.

‘They really don’t understand the situation at all.’

Of course, everything was already in motion. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have told her to return to the salon. Everything was ready, and the trigger was simply waiting to be pulled. They had to have accounted for the possibility that Aina Peneloti could do something unpredictable, but they didn’t seem intent on letting her stay silent.

There simply wasn’t enough time to handle things, or perhaps they believed it didn’t matter even if she knew the truth.

‘Whatever I say here, they’ll all just...’

...think that no young lady would be reckless enough to shout a bunch of nonsense, and of course, they were correct. The crying Aina Peneloti rushing in from the balcony, was a little more than just a spectacle for them to gawk at, and I was certain the entire ballroom shared the same assumptions as the Black Rose Salon girls.

Lady Peneloti was hurt once again, and it seemed they knew this would happen. Some whispered among themselves, while others rushed to console her. However, the ballroom itself remained unchanged. People were dancing and exchanging polite conversation.

It was the same serene and graceful scene as ever. To Aina Peneloti, it was still beautiful. It was a place so bright that even its shadows looked like they were dancing; it was still the same place that led her into a brand-new world.

In the midst of it, Aina Peneloti shouted, “Everyone, run! Get out of here!”

“Huh?”

“Everyone, run!”

“Lady Peneloti? What are you—”

“Right now! Run! Get out of this place!”

“Uh... what?”

“RUN! NOW!!!”

Just then, a deafening explosion slammed into everyone's ears.

BOOM!

“LADY PENELOTI!!”

BOOM!