Please Grant Me a Glorious Regret [Novel] Chapter 16

The flow of the conversation was impossible to follow.

After confirming how much the debt was, he asked if she had ever learned to paint, and then suggested they go get the money.

It was an entirely unpredictable turn of events.

Arte was barely keeping up just trying to follow him.

"I mean…"

"The bank. It's in town, right? Let's go together."

Unlike the flustered and frozen Arte, Dimion strode toward the door.

He threw open the old attic door and stood before it.

Arte blinked her large eyes rapidly before staring intently at him.

It seemed he had assessed the value of her paintings and found enough certainty to lend her the money, which was a relief.

However, the prospect of going to the bank together worried her.

While perhaps not on the same level as Dimion, Arte was quite a celebrity in this estate.

As the youngest daughter of the Count who owned the land, everyone recognized her.

If Arte were to wander around town with Dimion, it was obvious what kind of rumors would spread.

Of course, it was Arte who had willingly offered to become his doll as Phelia's replacement.

But she had only envisioned doing so in the capital, and she hadn't anticipated being seen with him here in her own territory.

When Arte hesitated, Dimion, standing at the door, gave a short nod, motioning for her to hurry out.

After a brief moment of hesitation, her expression turned resolute, and she walked toward the door.

Although flustered, it meant he would quickly hand over the money, so Arte had no reason to delay.

This wasn't the time to worry about what would be said behind her back.

It was better to think of it as a rehearsal for the many things that would happen in the capital.

Leaving the attic, Dimion led Arte to his car.

It was the striking red car that had fiercely captivated Arte's attention the moment he arrived.

Very naturally, he seated her in the passenger seat, took the wheel without delay, and drove off.

As Dimion drove Arte away from the estate, the eyes of the servants working in the garden widened in shock.

Seeing their jaws drop, Arte let out a faint sigh.

It was obvious rumors would quickly spread throughout the estate.

Since she had followed Dimion without telling her parents, Lisa, or Peter, they would surely look at her with expressions not much different from the servants.

A slew of worries rushed in, but they were all erased before long.

Dimion navigated the wide roads like a renegade.

He pressed down on the accelerator relentlessly, speeding up more and more.

Overwhelmed by the sheer velocity, she had no time to think about anything else.

Before she knew it, they were in front of the bank.

It was incomparably faster than when she had traveled by carriage.

"Get out."

Unlike a shell-shocked Arte, Dimion was perfectly serene, as if nothing had happened.

Even the fierce wind that had battered Arte throughout the ride seemed to have entirely spared Dimion, leaving him impeccably neat without a single hair out of place.

Arte barely managed to gather her wits and grasped the hand Dimion offered.

The thought of having to return in that car still made her dizzy, but that wasn't what mattered.

Right now, receiving the money from Dimion was her top priority.

"Good heavens! I can't believe Duke Rocata would visit our branch. It's a profound honor."

Perhaps rumors of who owned the red car had already spread, because the moment they stepped inside, the branch manager rushed out and bowed deeply.

As soon as he spotted Arte standing beside Dimion, his eyes sparkled. It was

palpable how he was spinning his own narrative, trying to guess the nature of their relationship.

"Right this way, please."

The manager personally pulled out a chair to accommodate Dimion.

For Arte, who had only ever seen the Tian family dismissed as penniless nobles, it was so absurd she almost scoffed.

It was both baffling and left a bitter taste in her mouth.

While Arte stewed in her bitterness, Dimion expertly filled out the withdrawal forms without needing any guidance.

Even in that short time, the manager rained down obsequious flattery.

Watching Dimion ignore it entirely, as if he were well accustomed to such things, suddenly made her realize the kind of world he lived in.

"50,000 lirang. In five notes."

Dimion handed the meticulously written document to the manager.

Hearing the amount, Arte startled and stared at him.

It was more than double what she had asked for.

An inexplicable anxiety washed over her, but she calmed herself with the thought that he was likely withdrawing all the money he needed since he was already at the bank.

Five cheques were placed in an envelope and handed to Dimion.

Confirming the amount, Dimion immediately stood up and left the bank.

Arte trailed closely behind him with hurried steps.

As soon as they hastily got into the car, Dimion handed her the envelope he had received.

"50,000 lirang."

"…Are you saying you're giving me all of this?"

Why were her ominous premonitions never wrong?

Dimion handed Arte an amount far exceeding what they had agreed upon.

How was she supposed to interpret this extra money she hadn't even asked for?

It would be a different story if it were free money obtained by chance, but right now, Arte was paying off debt with more debt.

Giving her extra only meant more debt for her to repay.

The money Dimion thrust into her arms was not welcome in the slightest.

"50,000 is too much. It's more than double the debt I need to repay. I appreciate that you're willing to lend me more, but 20,000 lirang is plenty."

"Plenty?"

Dimion raised an eyebrow as he looked at Arte.

"After you pay off the 20,000 lirang debt, what about running the estate? That money only covers the debt, so you have nothing prepared for what comes next, do you?"

"That's…"

"If the estate falters again, where will you borrow money then? The bank won't appraise your estate's value highly, and you have no more cards to play to borrow more from me. So the only one left is Baron Pitt's family again."

"I will never be entangled with that family again. Preventing that is exactly why I proposed this contract to you, Your Grace."

"How can you be so certain? What if you suddenly need a large sum of money again, just like you experienced before? What if Baron Pitt seizes that opportunity and waves money at you again? How can you guarantee such a situation won't arise?"

It was a valid point.

The fact that she was merely putting out the immediate fire without a long-term plan, and that an unforeseen, desperate situation could once again strangle the Count's family… It all made perfect sense.

However, the more she listened to him, the bigger the question mark in her mind grew.

Why point this out explicitly?

Why spell it out and even offer her more money?

What Dimion just offered was a kind of favor.

It was no different than him identifying a risk factor Arte hadn't considered and warning her about it.

Dimion had no reason to show her such favor.

Strictly speaking, whether the Tian family struggled to run their estate again or fell into the danger of debt once more, it was none of Dimion's business.

Though she had only observed him for a few days, in Arte's eyes, Dimion wasn't someone who handed out kindness easily.

He was much closer to someone operating strictly on calculated interests.

After all, she had to throw down every card she had just to secure the contract.

The more she chewed over everything that had happened, the more her instinctive wariness reared its head.

"Are you worried you won't be able to pay it back?"

Dimion took a step closer to Arte as he posed the question.

Startled, Arte, who had briefly lowered her gaze, met his eyes.

"I plan to sponsor you. I need a plausible title to bring you to the capital."

Her golden eyes wavered significantly.

He meant he would sponsor her as a painter.

It was an approach she had never even imagined.

"Since you said you've learned to paint, you should understand well what the backing of Rocata signifies. You must also know how rapidly a painter's value and the price of their artwork can skyrocket."

"…"

"With this level of skill and the Rocata name attached, 50,000 lirang shouldn't be an impossible sum to repay. It might not even take as long as you think."

It was tantamount to Rocata himself acknowledging Arte's paintings.

He even appraised their value highly.

If she were an ordinary painter in ordinary circumstances, it would be grounds to flush with immense joy.

Considering even the heavily guarded Arte felt a subtle swelling of pride, there was no need to explain further.

But she couldn't allow herself to be fooled by the beautifully wrapped sweetness.