And from that point on, the rumors about Delfion being called the Count illegitimate child’s puppy or whatever else completely disappeared. But even so, Curtis still treated him like a puppy that simply followed Irvelyn around.

In any case, if Delfion had said they’re just his friend, it was certainly not Irvelyn.

Then what was it, really? If he hadn’t left because of a mistake involving Irvelyn, there was no reason for him to be away from her side, was there?

Dalia was beyond curious—she was utterly confused—but she did not lose her composure. She had died once and returned to the past. No matter how inexplicable something was, could anything be stranger than experiencing regression itself?

Besides, the situation now wasn’t exactly the same as it had been before her regression – something she had already noticed from the newspaper.

Reminding herself to stay calm, not to act hastily, and not to worry, she took a deep breath, cleared her mind, and repeated these thoughts to herself.

As she calmed her breathing and repeated her thoughts, her mind began to clear.

While Dalia was briefly immersed in her own confusion and quickly stepped away from it, Delfion remained immersed in his own troubles, dejected and powerless, drinking cheap rum that had been so watered down that it only smelled sweet.

In a way, things were unfolding differently than before her regression, but she probably hadn’t deviated from the main course of events.

So the things with Irvelyn, Curtis and the other men still happened. That’s the way it should be. If none of this had happened…

Dalia was filled with an icy feeling of dread and her mind froze like ice. She took another deep breath and picked up the grilled kebab, tasting it thoroughly.

“Delfion.”

“Yes, Dalia.”

“Is your friend perhaps a woman?”

“Is your friend perhaps a woman?”

“No, he’s a man. He’s a deep thinker, and this is the first time I’ve seen him get so angry.”

So he wasn’t Irvelyn’s friend.

Then who was the person he was supposedly in love with?

No. That can’t be right.

When she put together the pieces of the stories he dropped, it seems that the person had feelings for Delfion, so it couldn’t have been Irvelyn.

If it had been Irvelyn, they would probably be in a happy relationship by now. Although the question was direct, the answer was not what she expected. So Dalia decided to go one step further.

“We met in the Romand Territory, right?”

“Ah? Yes, that’s right. The park on the outskirts was a nice place to think.”

“I heard that Count Romand has a daughter of marriageable age. Is she the one your friend is in love with?”

She tried to keep the conversation as natural as possible, but her mouth went dry. After escaping death in the Fraser Duke’s house, she never thought she would have to mention Irvelyn’s name.

Life really doesn’t go according to plan.

“No. I’ve never seen her. My friend’s crush is someone very capable who works in the upper ranks…”

Before he could finish, Dalia asked again,

“You’ve never seen her?”

“Yes. Well, as a lowly employee like me, I wouldn’t have the chance to meet the Count’s daughter.”

The logical answer came so easily that Dalia was at a loss for words, and Delfion went on to talk about how capable his employees were. Listening in a daze, Dalia snapped back to attention at Delfion’s question.

“Where are you going? Ah, if it’s difficult to answer, that’s fine. I only ask because our paths keep crossing.”

“Do you have a destination, Delfion? I hear you’re missing…”

“Ah, I’m going to the Gruy Territory. There are some promising products there, and I plan to start a new business. It’s part of my plan to disappear while I get some work done.”

They had met three times from the Romand Territory to here because he was also heading to the Gruy The reason why they had met three times from the Romand Territory to here was because he was also going to the Gruy Territory. However, their encounters were still purely coincidental. Hiding her complicated emotions with practiced ease, Dalia parted her lips to speak.

“I’m on my way to the Gruy Territory as well.”

“Really? In that case.”

Seeing the smile on Delfion’s face, as if he was about to say something, he suddenly stopped and Dalia continued his sentence for him.

“Would you like to travel together? As you said, our paths cross and our goals are the same.”

“If it’s okay with you, I’d like to join you.”

It really was an “accidental” companionship, but for Dalia it wasn’t a bad situation at all. In fact, this might be the perfect opportunity to find out what’s going on in the capital.

Things seemed to be unfolding quite differently than before her regression… Maybe Curtis, like Delfion, hadn’t met Irvelyn either?

Dalia quickly cut off her unnecessary and useless thoughts, avoiding ideas that weren’t helpful. Of course, she didn’t know then that these thoughts would turn out to be true.

“Let’s rest for today and leave tomorrow. I’ll get up first.”

“I’ll stay a little longer. I didn’t expect to have company. I’m sure the journey will be more enjoyable with someone as beautiful as you.”

Because of the embarrassing and awkward words that came out, Delfion seemed to feel a sense of self-loathing and covered his face with both hands.

“I’m sorry.”

“Okay… I’ll just take it as a compliment.”

“Yes, it was a compliment, but no, I was just telling the truth!”

“Yes, I understand, so it might be better if you stop now.”

Since his attempt to explain only made things more awkward, Dalia quickly cut him off. Delfion then sighed deeply and asked,

“Did I say something strange again?”

“It’s not so much strange, but anyone who heard it would probably misunderstand it.”

“Ah… My friend told me the same thing.”

Delfion’s face darkened as he remembered his friend being angry with him. Dalia’s expression darkened as well – after all, she had never had an angry friend before.

Nothing was going as she had expected. Or rather, since that was something that had already happened, perhaps it was only natural that it would happen again. 

“Not all words spoken with good intentions lead to good results. My friend knows my habits, so he didn’t blame me, but still… sigh”. 

In truth, Delfion’s worries and circumstances barely registered in Dalia’s mind, but in at least one respect she felt a sense of relief.

At least it seemed that Delfion Ackman hadn’t changed. Before her regression, she had heard this story countless times – gossip spread by those who loved to talk about the men associated with Irvelyn.

Among them, Delfion was always described as the sweetest and most gentle. Considering how casually he says such things, it’s no wonder he has such a reputation. 

He seems embarrassed, as if he’s been through something difficult and wants to change… but is that why he kept his true identity a secret? 

When someone you’ve only met a few times talks like that, it’s hard to trust them. There’s a limit to how friendly a person can be. 

With these sharp thoughts in mind, Dalia chose her words carefully as she addressed Delfion, the head of the Ackman Trading Company – a man known to have the greatest credit and wealth on the continent.

Since they had already agreed to travel together, it would be better to establish a bit more of a relationship with Delfion and naturally extract information.

It wasn’t that she was hoping for something big, but she wanted to understand the current situation, which was different from before her regression.

The most important thing she wanted to know was how far the relationship between Irvelyn and Curtis had progressed.

Two years had passed, and if she thought back to before her regression, it should have been almost settled by now, but Delfion said he hadn’t even met Irvelyn.

As the doubts and fantasies she had pushed to the back of her mind, Dalia decided to focus on what she could control for now.

“You called it a habit. Earlier, you mentioned that you said the same thing to the person your friend had a crush on, which led to a misunderstanding, didn’t it?”

“Ah, yes. Hmm… Thanks for letting it go.”

“It’s okay now, but if you keep saying it like that, others might interpret it as having some meaning.”

At Dalia’s answer, Delfion immediately shook his head in a desperate denial.

“Huh? No, absolutely not! It doesn’t mean anything! I have no other intention! It’s just because you’re beautiful, no, that’s not what I meant!”

As he spoke, he covered his face again, looking frustrated, and Dalia looked at him with a hint of sympathy.

“Maybe it would be better to change that habit before it becomes a problem. The person your friend had a crush on probably didn’t think anything of it at first, but after hearing it repeatedly, they might have started to feel differently.”

Delfion raised his head before she could finish.