To Those Who Regretted After I Died - Chapter 19

As Sophia and the head maid entered the mansion, they walked towards the guest room where Alec was waiting.

“……”

Sophia glanced at the envelope in her hand as she walked down the hallway.

(If only I had said it something before my husband did first… it wouldn’t have been so painful…)

While walking down the corridor, she looked towards a certain room.

“…Head Maid, whatever happened to the portrait?”

“The portrait?…”

The head maid suddenly recalled that Alec was supposed to have his portrait painted with Sophia, but he ended up painting it with Emily instead, and there had been no further discussion about it with Sophia.

“…I-I was told that it would take time to order the frame for the portrait…”

“Ha ha, there’s no need to rush or be so flustered… It doesn’t matter to me anymore…”

“Madam…”

“…You two must have decided this a while ago… I guess you didn’t talk about it because you thought I wouldn’t know about the portrait… I remember very clearly when my husband asked me, as usual, ‘I have work to do and can’t be back, sorry, but can I ask you to take care of it?’ And then the maid informed me, ‘The painter has come to paint the portrait.’ I still vividly recall how flustered he looked back then… It was thanks to you both that I learned about my husband and Emily…”

“Madam…”

Holding the envelope tightly in her hand, Sophia headed for the guest room.

Meanwhile, Alec and Emily had left the guest room and were in the dining room.

“Ah~! That was delicious!”

Emily finished her breakfast, smiling as she rubbed her stomach.

“I was trying not to eat because there were dishes I disliked, but the aroma of the food made me want to eat, and I was surprised to find myself doing just that! The baby must have been hungry, so I ate~!”

“Glad to hear it.”

The table was filled with cheerful conversation between Alec and Emily.

“Hey, Alec~! I want to go shopping later!”

“Shopping?”

“I want to redecorate the mansion for the baby that’s coming! I want some frilly lace~! And I want to buy lots of toys and clothes for the baby! Oh, and I almost forgot about stuffed animals~! Hehehe!”

“……”

Alec liked seeing Emily’s happy face, but as she rambled on about shopping, he began to feel anxious, remembering what Sophia had told him.

“…How about we wait until the baby is born to go shopping?”

“Eh!? Why? You know I can’t stand it when I want to buy something, I have to go get it right away, right?”

“Uh… y-yeah…”

“I want to shop for the baby! If we don’t go now, I’ll forget what I need~! Hehehe, I also have to redecorate the room.”

“……”

Alec was troubled… Did having a child mean he had to prioritize the child? Did he have to accept Emily’s whims and buy whatever she wanted to live on? Watching Emily, who was so joyful, Alec started to feel anxious about the future of the Parlis family.

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(Speaking of shopping, I just remembered… there was an invoice that came in… I wonder if the butler has settled it…)

Alec recalled being surprised by the large amount on the invoice.

“What!? What is this mountain of invoices…!!”

“…You have an unpaid notice, along with a letter from Lord Clemence.”

“From my uncle?”

Alec’s hands trembled as he looked at the contents of the letter.

“…Have I really not transferred any funds to my uncle for two months?”

“…Lately, our shop’s sales have been struggling… So we had to ask Lord Clemence to wait for a while…”

“…How did this happen…? It shouldn’t have been like this before…”

Looking at the substantial amount of money, Alec remembered his wife, Sophia.

(While I was away, my wife… without saying a word to me…)

“Bring my wife here.”

Alec summoned Sophia from her study.

“…Did you call for me?”

“What is this? What did you buy that made it this expensive?”

Alec threw the pile of invoices in front of Sophia.

“……”

“It seems you snuck out of the mansion to go shopping while I wasn’t around! You will repay this with the money you earned.”

“…My husband, this isn’t from me…”

“Huh? You’re hiding things from me, your husband!?”

“…Then, is there nothing you’re hiding from me, your wife?”

“!!”

Feeling Sophia’s intense gaze, Alec became awkward and looked away.

“…If neither of us recalls anything, then isn’t it Emily?”

“!! You suspect your sister? …But, still… when we went out together, it was like this…”

“……”

At that moment, Emily entered Alec’s room.

“Hey? Are you two fighting?! Hehe.”

“…No, Emily, I have something to ask you…”

“What?”

“…Did you go shopping when I wasn’t around recently?”

“Shopping? Hmmm, I usually go shopping with you, Alec.”

“…Yeah, you wouldn’t go shopping alone without me, right?”

(Emily wouldn’t go shopping on her own… It must be my wife lying…)

As Alec shot a glare at Sophia, Emily came over and glanced at several of the invoices, turning her face towards Alec.

“Ah! I forgot, Alec, please take care of the payment!”

“Eh!?”

“When you were away, I went back to my family home, and I chose things while shopping with my friends… I bought a carpet and curtains for redecorating the mansion.”

“…W-Why did you do something without permission!!”

Alec reprimanded Emily for the first time, and both Sophia and Emily were taken aback, with Emily starting to cry…

“I-I’m sorry… I felt lonely without you, Alec… I wanted to see your surprised face when you came back…”

As Emily began to sob, Alec felt confused and tried to comfort her.

“…I’m sorry for raising my voice… But I want you to go shopping with me…”

“Okay… I’m sorry…”

Bang!

“What was that?”

“Eek!? What?”

Alec realized that Sophia was no longer there; she must have closed the door just now… He had blamed his wife and missed the chance to apologize, letting it slip from his mind.

(…I didn’t even apologize to my wife…)

Knock, knock!

“Sir, the lady is waiting for you in the guest room.”

The head maid had come to call Alec from the dining room.

“…I see… Understood… Please ask her to wait…”

“Understood…”

After the head maid closed the door, Emily smiled.

“I have something to tell my sister! I’m so excited~!”

“……”

Alec, feeling a sense of dread, headed toward the room where his wife, Sophia, was waiting.