I Won’t Accept Your Regrets

"Isn't it obvious?"

I got angry and threw at him words. After all, I was sincerely worried that everything would collapse in a moment. But Jeremy just smiled at me with the bravado he was used to.

"What is so hilarious, tell me? For some reason, I’m not seeing something funny here."

He just nearly lost his head, but took this danger as fun?

"Sorry. I didn't take Ellie's concerns seriously. Just… I feel so good right now… No, really. Okay, I won't do it anymore."

Jeremy suddenly changed his tone.

"But why did you break in like that? Couldn't he just disappear when he saw the Emperor?"

"No way. If I wanted to avoid him, I wouldn’t have put such a play there."

And Jeremy wasn't lying. If he wanted to avoid the Emperor, he wouldn’t have attracted everyone's attention and wouldn’t have revealed his identity.

But I really didn't understand, why?

"Then why did you come to us like a thief? You could have walked in, as it should be, and proudly say the name of the family."

"I knew you'd say that. But how was I supposed to appear on the doorstep if I left the Drua family?"

His voice faltered at the moment with the name ‘Drua'.

"I know better than anyone else what threat the name ‘Drua' will bring, and I don't want to frame Ellie once again."

He cares about me as much as I care about him.

Nevertheless, you could accept my help at least once.

You have rescued me countless times in the Lund Kingdom.

And I was completely upset when I stumbled upon one thought. Even in the most difficult situations, his heart cares for me first. And this is so much like the past me.

"Then I'd rather you didn't come at all. No, you should have disappeared even if you came. Why was it so pretentious to jump out in front of the Emperor?"

"Well… Actually, I came for Lisa Sios. I didn't want to ruin the evening for everyone. But this party came to me the only way where I could meet Lady Sios."

"And why did that even happen?"

"Because of Marquis Sios. As I said in front of everyone, the Marquis has connections with the Duke, my father. It's no wonder, the two of them are going to do something… I think trouble is coming."

“…”

“That’s why I wanted to hand Lisa the watch and quietly give her a warning. But then the Emperor himself intervened. And somehow… I had to reveal my status.”

“…”

“Ha-ha, I don't even know myself why I took such a drastic step.”

He smiled and added.

There seems to be some subtext here.

I can’t believe that our resourceful Jeremy couldn’t have gotten out of it.

He could wait for Raymond to leave, and then chat with Lisa as much as he liked.

While I was digesting all these details, Jeremy continued:

"At that moment I was very confused."

He took a deep breath and covered his face with both hands. One would think he was very sorry.

Did this trick of his really come out on impulse?

Something was here strange.

Thanks to Jeremy's initiative, the course of the evening was completely turned around.

Lisa, who had previously pretended to be the first lady, the hostess of the secular stratum, was now surrounded by dubious rumors of a vicious connection with the Drua House.

And so the crowd lost interest in our cute triangle with Lisa, Raymond and me.

Obviously, thanks to this, I was able to plug Lisa in the belt. But… Is this all for me?

Although he was my friend, it is still not enough to stick your neck out like that.

Okay. Enough.

I thought my thought caravan had gone too far.

Jeremy bowed his head as if regretting the recent, and said with a frosty face:

"I apologize for disturbing you. I shouldn't have come, like Ellie said. But the intrigues of Marquis Sios require attention."

"Don’t apologies. All is well that ends well. You helped me a lot today."

"Well, good if that's the case."

"Could you tell me more about the meetings between the Marquis and the Duke?"

I was still worried about Jeremy, so I didn't think too deeply about this discovery. But in fact, the connection of these two carried us a great danger.

"What exactly do you want to know?"

"I wonder how often they meet with Sios, and how long their meetings are."

This way I can trim the version list.

"The meetings are short and rare."

And the smile disappeared from my lips.

This means that Marquis Sios dragged Duke Drua into his camp.

But this Duke wasn’t an ordinary nobleman.

It was a family that harbored the greatest dislike for the current Emperor.

And at the behest of the Emperor, all the nobility of the Empire now pretended that the house of Drua had been wiped off the face of the earth.

Duke Drua supported the killed crown prince. Even if he survived, the seal of a traitor was imposed on his whole life.

So, no noble house wanted to be on a par with Drua.

But Marquis Sios met with the Duke. He was the prime minister and the grandfather of the crown prince.

He probably wouldn’t have turned up to the Duke to ask him how he was doing.

There is no reason for Marquis Sios to meet with Duke Drua, either as prime minister or as representative of the crown prince.

And, more importantly, their meeting was secret.

This means that the agenda for their meeting wasn’t an easy one.

Is Marquis Sios really encouraging Drua to commit treason?

If Marquis Sios is planning a new uprising hand in hand with Drua, then Jeremy…

Who will you go to?

I looked at him a little differently than before.

I believe in Jeremy, but I don't know for sure what he would choose in the face of treason.

If he gets up with Duke Drua, then we…

"Listen."

"…Yes?"

"I don’t betray my friends. These two were clearly in the wrong. I don't know exactly what it is, and I can't say. But what I can say for sure is that I will never betray Ellie."

He felt my doubts?

There was a strong will in his quiet words.

My eyes couldn’t hide my embarrassment and trembled, but his gaze was full of determination.

"Sorry. Now I see what kind of nonsense I assumed. I believe in Jeremy."

"It’s nice to hear."

Jeremy's eyes flashed with playfulness.

"Hey, heir."

The moment I opened my lips to ask if this was another joke, suddenly a cold voice rang out between us.

This voice… well, of course you need be here.

"Your Majesty."

Jeremy bowed.

Two black eyes now gazed at Jeremy, darker than the night sky.

"I wondered what you were doing so much that you rushed out as soon as you finished the dance."

Raymond's gaze now turned to me.

"I think it was busy work."

His eyes flashed dangerously as he looked alternately at me and Jeremy.

"Heir of Duke Drua. The guy who danced with you at Sios's party six years ago."

I can't deny it anymore.

No, I didn't even plan to hide it from the very beginning.

I have no reason to make excuses to him.

However, my words about my long-standing friendship with Jeremy now couldn’t leave my mouth.

Because Jeremy's words were faster.

"I apologized to Lady Croft."

"Apologized… for what?"

"Nobody even invited me, but I burst into your party and made such a fuss. I apologized for this rudeness."

"You weren't even invited, yees?”

Raymond slowly held out the end of his line. At first glance, it may seem that he just got bored, but I know Raymond well.

He was now at odds with his own mind.