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Chapter 74
If you think about it, what really mattered wasn’t the Moulton incident itself, but what he thought of me, whether he still had the desire to kill me, and where I should go once everything was over.
In front of Vincent’s room, I waited in the hallway, trying to steady my thoughts.
As time passed, I heard Vincent’s footsteps approaching from the end of the corridor.
Step, step, step.
His firm, weighted steps echoed clearly down the hall.
Soon, he appeared, having finished work, and spotted me.
“What are you doing here, Amelia?”
I looked up at him and smiled awkwardly.
“I just felt a little uneasy… I thought I might talk with Your Highness for a bit. Is that alright?”
Vincent looked at me for a moment, then nodded.
“Let’s go inside my room and talk.”
He opened the door and looked back at me.
I glanced at him, then carefully stepped inside.
The unlit room was dim, filled with soft moonlight that gave it a faintly strange atmosphere.
Vincent turned on the light.
The warm orange glow wasn’t too bright.
Then, as if tired, he unbuttoned a few buttons of his shirt.
I swallowed hard before I could stop myself.
“Sit wherever you like.”
“Yes.”
Like an obedient child, I sat on the sofa and watched his every move.
He undid his sleeve buttons, then took a pocket watch from his pocket and set it on the desk.
A trace of fatigue mixed with something languid made him look… almost dangerously attractive.
He went to the cabinet and picked up a bottle of wine.
“Would you like a drink?”
“…Yes, just one glass.”
He slowly poured wine into two glasses and brought one over to me.
“Thank you.”
I accepted it.
He raised his own glass and took a slow sip, his face pensive.
Holding my glass, I glanced at him, wondering how to ask the question crowding my mind.
In the end, Vincent spoke first.
“So, what did you want to talk about?”
I tried to suppress my nerves and decided to lead the conversation gently.
I couldn’t just blurt out, “Do you still want to kill me?”
“Your Highness, things must be nearing their conclusion now.”
“If you mean the Moulton affair, yes.”
He set his glass down and looked at me.
“Everything is proceeding as planned. Why? Is there a problem?”
I hesitated before answering.
“No, nothing’s wrong. I just… I’m not sure whether we should fully trust Stephan.”
A flicker of curiosity crossed Vincent’s face.
“Stephan is still doing his part. He may have been Duke Wentworth’s man once, but did something happen to make you doubt him?”
“No, not at all.”
I quickly waved my hands.
“It’s just… I’ve been thinking a lot lately. If I were in your position, I don’t think I could completely trust him.”
“Complete trust, hmm. Can anyone ever truly expect that from another person?”
His words made my chest tighten.
It sounded like he was speaking about me too.
After all, he still didn’t fully trust me either.
When I stayed quiet, he added slowly,
“I can’t trust him completely, but I trust him enough to let him do his job. That’s sufficient, don’t you think?”
After some hesitation, I asked another question.
“Then, Your Highness… if someone were to betray you, what would you do?”
He was about to pour another glass when he stopped and looked straight at me.
“Betrayal…”
He sighed softly, his eyes narrowing.
He must have been remembering my betrayal from before his regression.
But his answer was surprisingly calm.
“If there were clear proof, I would deal with it firmly. But before that, I’d hear their reason.”
“Their reason…”
Yes, if only there had been a reason.
But I didn’t know why Amelia had poisoned Vincent in the first timeline.
All I knew was that she had cried bitterly afterward.
And even after his return, she still loved him deeply.
Why she did it remained a mystery to me.
As Vincent sat in silence, I prepared my next question carefully, trying not to let my real thoughts show.
“Then, Your Highness… if someone committed a grave sin, could you forgive them?”
Vincent’s hand paused for a moment.
He set down his glass and looked straight at me.
His gaze had turned cold, but beneath it, I saw a mix of emotions.
Every time his eyes met mine, a quiet fear rippled through me.
“There are sins in this world that cannot be forgiven.”
His voice was calm, yet his words pierced deep.
Without realizing it, I clenched my hands and forced a faint smile.
Yes, that was what I wanted to know.
Even if it happened before his regression, Amelia had committed an unforgivable sin against him.
“I guess you’re right. Some sins really can’t be forgiven.”
Vincent let out a small sigh and lifted his glass again.
“Why are you asking me this?”
He looked genuinely curious.
“Oh, it’s nothing. Just a random thought. I wondered what I’d do if I were in your place.”
“Amelia.”
He set his glass down and sat beside me.
The scent of him, mixed with wine, brushed against my nose.
“So what’s your conclusion? Do you think someone who’s done something terrible can still be forgiven—no matter the sin?”
His tone was calm, but the meaning behind it was sharp.
It sounded almost like he was asking, “Do you want me to forgive you?”
My chest tightened, and I swallowed hard.
Keeping my composure, I answered,
“I suppose… if the person truly regrets it, and swears never to repeat the same mistake, maybe they could be forgiven.”
Vincent narrowed his eyes, lost in thought.
I couldn’t guess what he was thinking.
Finally, he nodded.
“Regret and vows alone can’t undo everything. Sometimes, there’s a price to pay beyond that.”
His words were so cold and final that I felt all hope drain away.
Without realizing it, I lowered my head and smiled faintly.
“Is that how you see every wrongdoing, Your Highness?”
Maybe my voice trembled a little.
Vincent watched me silently, then sighed softly.
“That depends on who committed the sin. Forgiveness isn’t just about emotion. It’s about understanding everything that comes with it.”
His words felt like a quiet warning.
As if he were talking to the version of me who had betrayed him.
Listening to him, I felt despair rise inside me.
Would I never earn his forgiveness, no matter what I did?
Sadness welled up, and I fell silent.
If I spoke again, I might end up crying in front of him.
Vincent looked at me for a while, then quietly lifted his glass and took another sip.
