To Those Who Regretted After I Died - Chapter 17

Alec walked down the hallway, bewildered by the butler’s words about how Sophia had contributed to the Palris family.

“I understand… that my wife has been supporting the Palris family… Even if I divorce her, I never considered that she would leave the mansion… I want my wife… Sophia, to stay in the mansion… I realized that when I faced her and talked to her yesterday… I need her… I don’t want to let her go… Just because I’m divorcing her doesn’t mean she has to leave…”

Alec clenched his fists, beginning to recognize how important Sophia was to him only now.

Returning to the guest room, Alec saw Emily sitting on the sofa, rubbing her belly and chatting happily.

“I can’t tell you how happy your mother will be to know you’re in there. When you’re born, we’ll go shopping together. For your birthday, we’ll invite the nobles and have a grand celebration… I also want to travel. Your mother and father want to take you to special places, so let’s go as a family!”

Watching Emily smile as she rubbed her belly, Alec found it difficult to feel genuinely happy… he didn’t realize why until later.

“I’ve ordered food.”

“Thank you, husband!”

Alec stiffened, feeling for a moment as if he were looking at his wife, Sophia.

“Emily, please don’t call me that…”

“Eh? Why not? I’m going to be Alec’s wife soon. Isn’t it okay to call you that now?”

Pouting, Emily protested Alec’s request to stop calling him “husband.”

(… Ever since she returned to her family, Emily has stop calling me by my name…)

“Ugh… I haven’t told my wife about the divorce yet… Can you please call me by my name for a while?”

Sighing, Alec asked Emily to use his name instead.

“Got it. I’ll hold off for a bit… Oh! I want you to call my sister by her name too. You can’t keep calling her ‘wife’ forever, right?”

“That’s…”

Alec stumbled over his words when asked to call Sophia by her name.

“What? You told me I can’t call you ‘husband,’ but you’re still planning to call my sister ‘wife’?”

Tears welled up in Emily’s eyes as she began to cry.

“F-Fine… I’ll call my wife by her name…”

“Really?”

“Yeah…”

“Hehe, hurry up and call me your wife!”

“Yeah…”

Emily stood up from the sofa and moved to Alec’s side, kissing him.

“You know, I’ve talked to this little one a lot. We’ll go shopping together, have a tea party in the garden, throw a big birthday celebration, and go on trips! This time, the three of us will go to the places where you and I traveled together.”

With her hands clasped together, envisioning their future, Emily looked at Alec, who then spoke up.

“It’s still a while until the baby is born, and I need you to support me as the marchioness…”

“Marchioness… Hehe, I want everyone to call me that soon! Hey, hurry up and finalize the divorce!”

“Before that, I have something to discuss with you…”

“What is it?”

“I want you to help me with work.”

“Eh!? Work? Why do I have to help you with that?”

Emily tilted her head with an unhappy expression.

“As I mentioned earlier, I need your support… This season is busy, and I can’t do it alone.”

Alec pleaded with a troubled look.

“Just hire someone! I can’t handle work! I have a baby in my belly!”

“T-That’s why I only need help with organizing documents…”

“That’s so mean… Telling me to work when I have a baby inside me…”

“……”

Alec couldn’t say anything to Emily, who had tears in her eyes as she rubbed her belly. Stopping the conversation about work, he felt uneasy but reassured himself that “Emily is just unstable because she’s pregnant” and tried to calm her down.

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Realizing Emily’s pregnancy from the doctor, Sophia sat on the bed, lost in thought…

“I knew this would happen… that Emily would get pregnant… When my husband was in the mansion, they were always together… I should have been prepared for this…”

Sophia got off the bed and approached the desk, opening a drawer to take out an envelope.

“I wonder if my husband will read my letter after I’m gone… But even if he reads it… it’s already…”

Tears fell from her hand holding the letter, and she remembered the days from when she first met Alec at the wedding venue until today.

“Since marrying my husband, we have talked very little… but I was happy when we worked together… I kept hoping that one day my husband would open his heart to me… but the hand he extended was not to me, but to Emily…”

Sophia returned the letter to the drawer and touched the letter from her father that was next to it.

“I intended for my husband to see my father’s letter… but if I had sent it to my father earlier, could I have kept Emily away from my husband? It’s too late now… but the future is for my husband and Emily to decide…”

Closing the drawer with a thud, Sophia shut her eyes and remained still.

Knock, knock!

“Madam, it is I…”

The head maid stood at the door, with two maids beside her holding a meal.

“I heard you hadn’t had breakfast yet, so I brought it for you…”

“I’m sorry… it’s kind of you, but…”

“Ugh…”

“!?”

Suddenly, one of the maids began to cry, startling Sophia, and the other maid soon joined in.

“A, you two… in front of the madam…”

“W-we’re sorry… ugh…”

“I-I can’t help the tears… sniff…”

“……”

Seeing the two maids cry, Sophia smiled.

“Thank you… I’ll accept it after all…”

“Madam…”

Feeling grateful that the two maids were crying for her sake, Sophia ate the breakfast they had brought…

She thought it was the last meal at the Purlis family home as she ate.

“Head maid, I have a request… may I take a walk with you?”

“Understood…”

“Thank you both…”

“Madam!”

“Madam~!!”

After thanking the two maids, Sophia walked with the head maid for a stroll.

“Head maid, did you hear about Emily?”

“Yes… I believe the lord will speak with you later…”

“I see…”

The quiet conversation between Sophia and the head maid continued as they walked down the corridor, with Sophia glancing around the mansion.