# 48 -
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“No need for tea, thanks.”
Reagan said this to the secretary, then closed the office door himself.
Yuan got up from his seat and walked towards Reagan.
“What's wrong?”
"Nothing important. I was nearby and thought we'd have lunch together."
Hearing Reagan's words, Yuan took out his pocket watch and checked the time.
It was lunch time.
Yuan nodded as if to say he understood.
***
The two went to a restaurant near the office.
It was a place that did a fair amount of Southern food, and Reagan liked it a lot.
Sometimes Yuan wondered if Reagan was visiting his office just to come to this restaurant, since he insisted on coming every time.
When the dishes arrived, the two began to eat and exchange light conversations.
“But why were you in such a hurry to get married? You said you were thinking about the end of the year or the beginning of next year.”
Regan asked, putting the fork down.
“Seret was the one who wanted it.”
"Yes."
Regan nodded upon hearing Yuan's answer.
Yuan drank his water while watching Regan's expression.
His sharp eyes were checking whether Reagan had any feelings left for Seret in his heart.
When he saw that Reagan's features were no different from what he was accustomed to, Yuan's gaze softened.
The Freegan he knew wasn't so foolish as to harbor feelings for a married woman.
He felt again that he had done well to hasten the marriage.
If Reagan's feelings had run deeper, it would have been very disturbing.
After that, Reagan ate in silence for a while.
Even Yuan focused on his food without saying much.
Just before the meal was over, Reagan suddenly brought up a strange topic.
“Do you remember that white cat that lived in the Imperial Palace when we were young? The one that suddenly appeared one day?”
"cat?"
Yuan frowned slightly at the unexpected mention of the cat.
He tried to recall the image of the white cat, of which only a faint trace remained in his memory.
In his childhood, whenever Yuan visited the Imperial Palace, this white cat would somehow appear and approach him playfully.
Yuan wasn't a big fan of animals, but he wasn't such a cruel child to ignore a cat that was so attached to him.
When the white cat appeared, he would hug it or pat it, and over time he began to take special snacks with him to give it.
But one day, the cat stopped appearing.
He was upset at first, but he assumed she had gone somewhere else, and stopped thinking about it.
So why mention it now?
Yuan stared at Regan with puzzled eyes.
“That cat was very attached to you.”
"correct."
“I don’t know why, but it suddenly came to my mind.”
Reagan muttered this as if to himself, turning his gaze out the window.
“It's a good atmosphere to say meaningless things, isn't it?”
At Yuan's words, Reagan burst out laughing and then turned his gaze back to Yuan.
“I hope you protect her better this time.”
His smile faded, and his eyes took on a serious look.
At those words, Yuan felt a physical pain in his chest.
His face convulsed under the weight of that sudden, inexplicable pain.
'Why did you do that! For that poor woman. Why!’
Reagan's angry voice echoed somewhere.
Reagan's face, burning with anger, flashed in Yuan's mind.
A memory from a time he did not know squeezed his breath until he felt suffocated.
When was this anniversary?
Yuan's face froze at this strange sensation.
"What is with you?"
Regan asked, noticing that Yuan was not feeling well.
“Nothing. Nothing at all.”
Yuan evaded the question.
But for some reason, he felt an urgent desire to see Seret.
***
It was bothering him.
In his previous life, Reagan would often find himself surreptitiously observing Duchess Freaktwister without realizing it himself.
It was at a party held at Marquis Golding's mansion.
Everyone was enjoying the cheerful atmosphere, but the Duchess, who seemed to know no one, had been alone for a long time.
Regan looked for Yuan with worried eyes.
Yuan was surrounded by people, chatting with them in a friendly atmosphere.
Lydia was standing next to him.
'He left his wife alone...'
Since Reagan knew Yuan's temper well, he lightly clicked his tongue mockingly. There's no need for him to be so cold to his wife.
In the end, he could not ignore the matter, so he headed towards the Duchess, carrying two glasses of champagne.
“Duchess Freaktwister.”
Regan called her in a gentle voice.
Siret was surprised and raised her head to look at him.
“Your Highness the Grand Duke.”
Her voice trembled a little.
There was some shrinkage and shame on her features, which made Reagan secretly curse Yuan.
“How about some champagne?”
He handed her the cup.
"Thank you."
Seret took the cup cautiously, looking confused by the Grand Duke's interest in it.
'She was from Mushili, wasn't she?'
Reagan thought, a small smile appearing on his face at her shy innocence.
“I came to gossip about your husband a little.”
“Excuse me? You mean Your Highness the Duke?”
Siret's eyes widened with worry.
Her face even faded a little, as if she was afraid that Yuan had made a serious mistake.
“For him to leave such a beautiful wife alone... This is truly a shameful sight. If I were in his place, I would never leave you alone.”
Reagan said, smiling lopsidedly and taking a sip of champagne.
Only then did Siret's features soften, and she started fiddling with the champagne glass, smiling shyly.
“His Highness the Duke is busy.”
Seret said as if she understood everything.
As such, Yuan seemed like a truly bad man in Reagan's eyes.
Reagan remained by the broad-hearted Duchess's side.
When Yuan finally came, he took Seret and they left together.
As she was leaving with Yuan from behind, Siret's figure appeared lonely and sad, and Reagan's heart sank.
“You damned bastard, treat her a little better.”
Reagan muttered as he looked at Yuan's back as he walked away.
After that day, he found himself thinking about Seret often.
Her appearance as she stood alone seemed to arouse his pity.
Reagan bought a luau-style dessert that was popular among ladies at the time, and headed to the Duke's Palace.
And this time, instead of Yuan, it was Seret who received him.
Her face turned red as she received the candy and thanked him. She said she had never tasted anything like it before, and the sparkle of her smile was breathtaking.
Another day, he came carrying a bouquet of flowers because he wanted to see that smile again.
Since Seret seemed to love flowers too, he was very happy.
As he did so, Siret transformed in his eyes from a poor woman to a beautifully smiling woman.
But as time passed, that smile began to fade.
Even the most delicious sweets no longer elicited anything from her except a faint smile.
He felt her fading little by little.
And Reagan knew very well what that was doing to her.
“Can't you be nicer to your wife?”
One night while drinking together, Reagan finally said what he had wanted to say for a long time.
He wanted to scream. Don't you see your wife withering next to you?
“This is an issue between me and my wife.”
"yuan."
“You are exceeding your limits, Your Highness the Grand Duke.”
Yuan said with a cold face.
“Since I have already crossed the line, let me say something else. For the sake of the Duchess… put an end to the rumors circulating in social circles.”
“Why are you doing this? And for whom?”
Yuan's gray eyes sparkled coldly.
Reagan felt like he touched something, but he didn't know what it was.
“For you and the Duchess. It pains me to see her like this.”
“You don't need to worry. I'll deal with my wife myself.”
Yuan got up and left Regan's side.
The next day, concerned for Serret, Reagan went to the Duke's palace.
In the reception room, Siret looked tired, and kept trying to hide her neck with her hair.
And then Reagan saw it.
The red mark on her neck.
He knew very well who had left it there, so a bitter smile appeared on his lips.
After that, Reagan refrained from visiting the palace for a long period.
During this period, Seret's paintings began to accumulate one after another in his studio.
The more the paintings accumulated, the more longing accumulated in his heart.
"Why did you do that! To that poor woman. Why!"
Regan grabbed Yuan's collar while he was lying on the ground, and pulled him up.
Seret Freaktwister is dead.
When Reagan received this shocking news, he boarded the night train and raced toward the Duke's Palace.
He couldn't believe it.
The shadow of Seret's face, as she counted the days until the baby was due, loomed before his eyes.
Finally, he saw her bright smile again.
'I think I can live just for the baby.'
She said that with a calm smile.
This woman who found in the child a way out of a stifling situation seemed truly happy.
As he gave her a baby gift, Reagan wished from his heart that she would be truly happy.
But after a few months, all he heard was the news of the death of that woman who was clinging to happiness with all her might.
Reagan could not forgive Yuan.
"Why did you kill her! Why did you kill that woman!"
He shouted, looking into the empty gray eyes.
Tears gathered in Reagan's eyes.
As his hot tears flowed, he made a promise to himself.
If there was another life, he would recognize Seret in it before Yuan.
He will not allow the slightest bit of misery to touch her.
That sad era fell to the ground in the form of tears.
***
While returning home after finishing his meal with Yuan, Reagan noticed a crowd of people lined up in front of a store, so he ordered the car to be stopped.
People leaving the store carried in their hands long pieces of bread topped with generous amounts of white cream.
She looked seductively sweet.
For some reason he did not know, he remembered Seret.
So Reagan asked the driver to buy him some.
After a while, the driver handed Reagan a paper bag.
“They say it's a luau-style dessert. It's called eikong, and it seems to be very popular these days.”
“Nice name.”
“I will immediately return Your Highness to the Grand Duke’s Palace.”
The driver said.
But Reagan shook his head.
“Let's go to Duke Frecktwister's palace instead.”
For some reason, he wanted to give that sweet name to Seret.
A happy smile appeared on his face.