I'm Not Sorry But The Prince Will Marry Me Anyway-Chapter 127

Whenever it happened, I knew that one day Tristan would ask me, “Do you go to the Sacred Salon?”

Whether it was about what bets I had exchanged with Rick or what kind of relationship I had with him... I had anticipated receiving such an embarrassing question.

But why did it have to be today? At this very moment?

And in a way that involved following me, no less.

Tristan, you really are...!

“Lady, my apologies.”

“Huh?”

A staff member urgently clamped a hand over my mouth and dragged me backward. Strong, too!

“Madam, I don’t know what’s going on, but please calm yourself. If a disturbance occurs, the guests still inside the salon won’t be able to respond properly!”

“……”

It was only then that I realized my hands were awkwardly raised as if I were about to grab Tristan by the collar.

What was I doing? Rushing at him—and then what?

As I lowered my hands, the staff member let out a small sigh of relief.

“We’ll escort you home as quickly as possible. I apologize for the inconvenience.”

“…Alright.”

“If you wish, I can carry you.”

“I can walk.”

We walked together for quite some time.

At the end of what felt like an endlessly winding alleyway, I finally reached a road I recognized.

It was late, and there were few people around.

The staff member let out a sigh, seemingly relieved now that I was safe.

“Phew… You may remove your mask now. I will accompany you to your residence.”

“I’ll go in alone. More importantly, what happens to this bet? Will the salon open again next week?”

“All coin exchanges and wagers are recorded, so you need not worry. As for the salon’s reopening, we will notify you in writing soon.”

Soon? When exactly is ‘soon’?

I wanted to press them further, but the part of me that was a customer and the part of me that was a working professional clashed.

It was a decision for someone higher up. Pestering the staff wouldn’t change anything—it would only make their lives more difficult.

And I had no way to contact those ‘higher-ups’ directly, anyway…

That was when the staff member said something unexpected.

“You’re very kind.”

“…Excuse me?”

“You must have been quite shaken, yet you’re keeping your emotions in check.”

“I was just considering the most rational approach.”

“And that’s precisely why I’m grateful. I swear to you, the Sacred Salon will never betray you.”

“……”

“To the ever-kind and delightful lady.”

The staff member gently brushed a stray lock of my hair aside. Their rough hands carried a faint, sweet scent—butter? Someone who worked with their hands often, perhaps.

Like my maid, the one I had caught working as an informant for the Sacred Salon.

“…Do you know who I am outside of the salon?”

“Oh my, I’ve said too much.”

Beyond the mask, I saw their eyes curve into a soft smile.

“I truly hope we meet again. No matter where or in what circumstances, I believe it would be a pleasure.”

With a bow, they turned away.

Under the salon’s lights, their robe had gleamed like the feathers of a raven. But in the autumn night, it merely looked like an ordinary coat.

I should go home, too.

If I stayed out any longer, my maid would come looking for me. I didn’t want to give her extra work.

…And yet, my steps halted at the alley leading to the Redfield estate.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

I still had something to do.

From the main road, a dog barked. It must have spotted a frantic intruder.

Don’t bark, little one.

That’s my uninvited guest.

“Hah… Hah…”

He had removed his mask, but with his coat pulled up high, he should have been difficult to recognize.

And yet, he ran straight toward me without hesitation.

Just how long had he been sprinting? Even after stopping, his silver hair shook as he gasped for air.

“Dori, w-wait… please…”

“I’m not going anywhere.”

Because I had to have this conversation with him.

Even if it ended up being our last.

Tristan Winter Albion. The Sacred Salon’s unwanted guest. My unwanted guest.

“You certainly found me quickly. I assume you knew the Sacred Salon was open tonight?”

Still bent over, struggling to catch his breath, Tristan barely managed to reply.

“It was… partly coincidence. But yes, I found out that you’ve been going to the Sacred Salon.”

“How unsurprising. You’re clever, after all. Yes, I’ve been attending the salon for several months, where I placed bets with Rick and—”

“I don’t care.”

“I got it. The final bet was about Your Highness’s deployment to the Blue Atrium—”

“I really don’t care. You don’t have to say any more.”

Tristan’s head snapped up.

Even in this dim alley, barely touched by the glow of the streetlamp, I could see his expression clearly—his clenched jaw, his tightly drawn lips.

His silver-blue eyes burned with something unspoken.

But I didn’t stop speaking.

Because he wasn’t the only one who had a right to be angry.

“You do care. That’s why you came all the way here, isn’t it?”

“……”

“You’ve been agonizing over it ever since the day you got Rick’s letter.”

If it bothered him that much, he should have asked me back then.

Or maybe I should have just told him first.

If I had, at least things wouldn’t have escalated like this—at least I wouldn’t be standing here, trembling at the thought that the Sacred Salon might fall apart.

Regret always comes too late.

So this time, I was going to say everything before it was too late.

Afraid that he might retreat before hearing me out, I reached for his arms and said—

“You’re going to keep worrying about this, aren’t you? Then you might as well hear it all now! My final bet with Rick was—”

But before I could grab him, he reached for me first.

His large hand moved as if to grasp my forearm—but at the last moment, it hesitated. Instead, his fingers dropped lower, clutching the edge of my sleeve.

Even though he stood tall above me, it felt as though he was clinging to me.

And then, in a trembling voice that sent a shiver through my spine, he said—

“I love you.”

“……”

I had every intention of finishing my sentence.

Whether he believed me or hated me, I was going to lay everything bare and face reality.

Yet in the end, I was the one caught off guard.

“…Your Highness?”

The storm raging in his silver-blue eyes finally settled, revealing its true nature.

It wasn’t anger.

“Dori. When I learned that the Sacred Salon could grant wishes, I was terrified that you’d use it… to wish to marry someone else.”

“……”

“I know it’s ridiculous. But you’ve always seemed perfectly fine without me. Reading your books, spending time with your friends, placing your little bets… I thought maybe it wouldn’t matter to you if I wasn’t there. Or worse, that maybe you were better off without me.”

“……”

“But I can’t do that. I can’t be fine without you, Dori. I… I love you.”

His words crashed over me—sometimes like heavy bricks, sometimes scattered and hesitant.

But in the end, they all conveyed one undeniable truth.

There was no misunderstanding it. No running away from it.

Meanwhile, my mind had shattered into fragments, unable to process it all.

The only thing I managed to say—something completely different from what I had intended—was:

“…Since when?”

Tristan. You don’t even like me. You’ve always followed other women around.

Sure, sometimes you confused me, but the fact that you confused me at all—that was the problem.

He answered immediately.

“Today.”

“…What?”

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“I fell in love with you too much today. The moment you told me that I’d done well in the Blue Atrium.”

“Oh…”

“But I loved you before that, too.”

“……”

“And I liked you even before that. I don’t remember when I first put a name to it, but I do remember… there was a spring afternoon, and I thought—I want to touch her cheek in the sunlight.”

Tristan let go of my sleeve and hesitantly lifted his hand toward my face.

He didn’t touch me. The moment I inhaled sharply, his fingers froze in place.

“…I’m sorry, Dori.”

“……”

“More than anything, I’m sorry for making you hear such a pathetic confession. In a place like this. In such a disgraceful way…”

Of all the things he should be apologizing for, it should have been last summer—when he lied and said he had no feelings for me.

But of course, this was the kind of thing Tristan would fixate on.

Strangely enough, I wasn’t angry.

Maybe because, in this surreal moment, it was the only thing that grounded me in reality.

“Doris Redfield.”

His voice shook, and for the first time, so did his hands.

“Please. I won’t ask for anything else. I’ll give you whatever you want. Just… don’t take our marriage away from me.”

Somewhere along the way, tears had begun to fall from his eyes.