To Those Who Regretted After I Died - Chapter 1
“Ahhh!! Madam!?”
What I heard as my consciousness started to fade was the maid’s scream…
I was lying on my back on the bed, and there was still the warm sensation of something flowing from my left hand.
“Sophia!?”
“Sister!!”
The two of them entered my room together…
“…Sophia…what have you done…what are you doing? Hurry, call a doctor!!”
“Y-yes!”
Sophia… why do you seem to be in such pain?
“Sophia…hang in there! The doctor will be here soon.”
“……”
My husband removed his scarf from around his neck and wrapped it around my wrist that had lost all feeling… I’m glad to have experienced your kindness in the end…
“Sophia…”
You’re calling my name so many times… Even though you never called my name once after we got married…
“My sister…my sister…I’m sorry…”
…You’re beautiful when you cry… Now I understand why my husband turned towards you… Unlike your bright and wonderful smile, I was always trying to read his expressions… Even so, I wished that he would smile at me while standing by his side…
“I’ve brought the doctor!”
“…W-what happened?”
“We’ll talk later! Save my wife!”
…Wife… I am no longer your wife…
“…I’ll do my best, but…”
…Doctor, I’ve troubled you so much already…
Throb!
“Ouch!”
“Emily!?”
“…M-my stomach… the baby…”
“!!”
“Quickly, take Emily to another room… Doctor, take care of Emily!”
“B-but Madam is…”
“Tch…”
“Ahh…it hurts, it hurts! Help me…Alec…”
“D-doctor, come with me now!”
…It’s the first time I’ve seen you hold Emily like that… I wonder if you ever did that for me…
“…M-Madam, please stay strong… I’ll be right back.”
“……”
…This is fine… More than me, who is close to death… Your soon-to-be wife and your child will support you from now on…
“…Madam? …Madam!?”
As I lost all feeling in my body, I felt drowsy… as if something was gently leaving my body… When I opened my eyes at the sound of the maids calling me, I saw myself lying there, as if asleep on the bed… ‘Ah… I’ve died, haven’t I?’
“Sophia!!”
“Madam!!”
When I looked at my husband, who had burst through the door, he didn’t seem to notice that I was now just a soul… His unsteady steps were so unlike him… He reached my bedside and bowed his head over my body for the first time…
“…Sophia…why…”
‘Why?’
I want to ask you the same thing…
‘Why did you betray me? I wanted to have your child… Why is it my sister who carries your child?!’
My regrets, which I couldn’t express to you while I was alive… There is no place for me here anymore…
As I was pulled upwards, the last thing I saw was Alec, still bent over my lifeless body…
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Sophia Lemoire was born as the eldest daughter of the count’s family, a family of four.
She was two years older than her younger sister, Emily, and they were very close, often playing together.
“I want matching clothes with my big sister!”
Emily, who adored her sister Sophia, was a bit spoiled and often said exactly what was on her mind, sometimes causing trouble for their parents.
As the youngest daughter, their parents doted on Emily.
Unlike her sister, Sophia had a shy personality and sometimes struggled to express her thoughts.
Whenever Sophia was bullied, Emily would run to call an adult, and when Emily struggled with her studies, Sophia would teach her, forming a supportive and loving sisterly bond.
As time passed, when Sophia turned twenty, discussions about her marriage prospects began.
“They say the partner is Alec Parlis, the only son of the marquis family who has recently become the heir after the passing of the late marquis”
“Well, why would that marquis choose Sophia? Wouldn’t Emily be a good match as well?”
“Eh? Me!?”
“…No, it seems Emily is not suitable… The current marquis has succeeded his late father… He hopes to have Sophia, who can help with paperwork and has a talent for studying. Someone must have spoken highly of Sophia.”
“……”
“Sophia, you are already twenty years old… I’ve heard the marquis is also twenty years old. Will you accept the proposal from Marquis Parlis, who has declined offers from other noble ladies to choose you?”
“…Yes, Father.”
Sophia felt a sense of happiness inside, knowing that Alec himself had chosen her.
“Congratulations, big sister!”
“Thank you, Emily.”
“I’ll come to visit you sometimes.”
“Yes, I’ll be waiting.”
The wedding of Alec Parlis and Sophia Lemoire was held.
Alec and Sophia saw each other for the first time on the day of the ceremony.
Busy with work, Alec had never met Sophia since their engagement… He welcomed Sophia not as a wife to build a family, but as a work partner.
“Wow! Big sister, you look so beautiful!”
“…Thank you…”
“How nice! I want to wear a wedding dress too!”
“If Emily finds a good person…”
“I want to marry Brother Alec!”
“Eh…”
Emily, who was linked to Alec’s arm, looked up at him with a smile.
“…You haven’t fixed your hair yet…”
“Eh!? Oh, Big Brother, You’re such a tease!!”
“……”
Sophia could only watch as Emily clung to Alec’s arm, chatting with him, smiling.
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On the night of her wedding, Sophia felt restless, often startled by even the slightest sound.
Knock, knock!
“Y-Yes!”
Thinking it was her husband Alec at the door, Sophia opened it to find a maid standing there.
“I apologize, my lady, but it seems the master cannot come to your room due to work. He said to rest first.”
“…I see, thank you…”
Upon hearing that Alec couldn’t come to her room, Sophia accepted that it couldn’t be helped if it was work, and she ended up spending her first night alone.
It had been several days since the wedding, and Sophia thought Alec would not return home today either.
“My lady, the Marquis has returned.”
“Really!?”
Sophia hurried down the stairs and saw Alec taking off his coat at the entrance.
After five days of marriage, Sophia approached her husband Alec, who she had not seen since their wedding.
“W-Welcome back… my husband…”
“……Ah…”
Alec greeted Sophia with a single word and started walking down the hallway, prompting Sophia to call out.
“Um, husband… about tonight…”
“…I’m tired from work…”
“…I-I’m sorry…”
Without turning around, Alec finished speaking to his wife Sophia and walked down the hallway into the dining room.
Although their lives continued in this way, with Sophia seeing Alec rely on his work, she felt joy in helping him with his tasks.
“Please sign these documents.”
“Understood, husband…”
“……”
Since her husband Alec had never called her by name, Sophia thought it might be because they had been apart for a while. She believed that one day he would call her name and for now, she felt happiness in working together.
Three months had passed since their marriage, and Alec had yet to spend a night with his wife.
Sophia, understanding that her husband was tired from work, stopped bringing up the subject of spending the night together.
(…I’ll wait for my husband…)
One day, Emily, her sister, came to visit Sophia for the first time in three months.
“Big sister Sophia!”
“Emily!”
The sisters embraced, rejoicing at their reunion.
“Did someone come?”
Alec, who had taken a rare day off, reunited with Emily for the first time since their wedding.
“Ah… husband… my sister…”
“Nice to meet you. I’m Emily, Big Brother. Do you remember me?”
With a smile, Emily greeted Alec, who looked slightly surprised before responding.
“…Ah, you were the sister who talked to me on the day of the wedding and stepped on my foot during the dance at the reception…”
“Yes! I lost my balance and stepped on your foot, but… you still remember that?!”
“It was almost like breaking my toe.”
“W-Well, I wasn’t putting that much weight on it.”
“Haha, that’s true.”
For the first time, Sophia saw her husband Alec smile while chatting with her sister Emily.
“You must be tired. Let me show you around the mansion.”
“Okay!”
“……”
(…I’ve never seen my husband show concern for anyone like this… not even once for me…)
Watching Alec walk ahead with her sister Emily, Sophia felt a pang of pain in her heart as she observed the two.