To Those Who Regretted After I Died - Chapter 2
From the day her sister Emily first visited the mansion, she began to come over more frequently, eventually staying the night on occasion.
One day, Alec and Emily returned from shopping together.
“Thank you, Big Brother! You bought so much for me!” Emily exclaimed with delight.
“It’s necessary for your stay at the mansion, isn’t it? If there’s anything else you want, just let me know,” Alec replied.
“Yay! I’m so happy! I love you!” she said, beaming.
“Easy now, easy,” he chuckled, trying to rein in her enthusiasm.
Watching them from a distance, Sophia felt a pang of something deeper. As Alec noticed her gaze, he quickly averted his eyes, still holding onto Emily, and turned his attention to Sophia.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
“Aren’t you a bit too lenient towards Emily?” Sophia replied.
“Why do you think like that?”
“Isn’t this a bit excessive? If Emily has something she desires, she tends to be quite spoiled. I’d prefer you didn’t spoil her too much.”
“That’s mean, sister! I didn’t ask for anything unreasonable from Big Brother, did I?” Emily chimed in, her eyes glistening as she looked up at Alec.
Recalling how Emily had excitedly pointed out various items while they shopped, Alec found it hard to see her requests as spoiled. He just thought she was adorable for seeking comfort beside him.
Sighing in frustration, Alec addressed Sophia, “Alright, my apologies. I’ll buy something for you too.”
“Really?” she asked, her curiosity piqued.
“What do you want? If you have something in mind, we can go shopping together.”
“Shopping with you?” Sophia’s cheeks flushed, and a smile broke across her face. Alec felt relieved that the mood had shifted.
“Are you going shopping with your sister?” Alec responded.
“May I join as well?” Emily interjected, still holding onto Alec’s arm, her excitement palpable.
“Well…” Sophia felt a twinge of disappointment at the thought of Emily tagging along.
“You can come, but I’ll only buy things for my wife then,” Alec stated firmly.
“Aw!” Emily pouted, though her eagerness remained.
That night, Sophia couldn’t sleep, eagerly anticipating her first shopping trip with Alec.
On the day of their outing, she finished preparing and waited at the entrance for him to arrive.
“Oh, my lady,” the butler approached, flustered.
“What is it?” she inquired.
“Um… I have a message from the Marquis…”
“A message from him?”
“He requests that the outing with you be postponed.”
“Is there something urgent?”
“Well…” The butler hesitated, and Sophia realized Emily was nowhere to be seen.
“Where is my husband now?” she asked, feeling a growing unease.
“He… he went out with Lady Emily.”
“…”
“Lady Emily expressed a desire for something, and the master agreed to take her shopping…”
“Let him know I’d like to see him when he returns,” Sophia said, her heart sinking.
Once back in her room, she took off her favorite dress—one she had brought from her family home—and sat on the bed, tears streaming down her cheeks.
When Alec and Emily returned from shopping, Sophia awaited them at the entrance.
“Guess what, sister! I got more things from Big Brother! I’ll show you later!” Emily said cheerfully.
“…”
Sophia’s silence made Alec feel a pang of awkwardness, having broken their promise to go shopping together.
“I can’t wait to see them!” Emily exclaimed, tugging at Alec’s arm.
“Y-yeah…,” he stammered, struggling to meet Sophia’s eyes.
As they made their way inside, the excitement of shopping with her husband faded away, leaving Sophia with a growing sense of distance between herself and Alec.
═════ ◈ ═════ ◈ ═════ ◈ ═════ ◈ ═════
Emily, who had come to see me, was always looking at my husband…
“Emily, are you sure you don’t want to go home? Our parents are worried.”
“I’ve already informed them that I’ll be staying at Brother Alec’s house for a while.”
“Eh!? I’m hearing this for the first time… Did you tell my husband?”
“Yes, I received Big Brother permission.”
(When did that conversation happen…)
“You should have told me such an important thing first…”
“Oh! Big Brother, I’ll be in your care starting today!”
“Ah, just think of it as your own house.”
“I’m so happy!”
I tried to call out to my husband, but he welcomed Emily into the house instead…
Since Emily started staying at the mansion, my life began to unravel…
After Emily started staying at the mansion, I found myself eating alone more often.
“Where are my husband and Emily?”
“…He said he would be late tonight… and asked you to eat without him…”
“…Where did he say he was going?”
“I’m sorry, but he didn’t mention the destination…”
“……”
The butler, who always apologized at the dining table, had made it a routine to inform me.
It had been a while since I worked with my husband, so I asked where he had been going with Emily.
“…My husband, where have you been going with Emily lately?”
He looked surprised at my question about their destination.
“…That’s none of your business.”
“Emily is my sister. I’m looking after her in place of our parents. If anything happens…”
“Sigh… Being with you feels suffocating.”
“Eh…”
“Can’t you show a smile like Emily does?”
“……”
═════ ◈ ═════ ◈ ═════ ◈ ═════ ◈ ═════
Since Emily came to the mansion, she had been troubling the cooks. There were times when she would tell my husband about the dishes she disliked, and I had seen my husband reprimand the cooks for it.
“I didn’t know you could cook, my lady.”
It had been six months since I married my husband, and I missed my family’s cooking… So, I borrowed the kitchen and made a dish wrapped in pie crust that I used to make with my mother.
“I’m sorry for borrowing the kitchen when you’re busy…”
“No, no, it’s a relief to be able to serve this as one of today’s dishes.”
“My lady, it’s delicious! The master will be pleased too!”
“Thank you.”
The head chef came over and was talking about Emily.
“…Does Lady Emily like this dish as well?”
“Yes, I used to eat it all the time at home… I’m sorry; she must be saying all sorts of things again.”
I felt sorry for the cooks since Emily was picky about food…
“There’s no need for you to apologize, my lady. Now, let’s serve this dish at the table.”
“Okay…”
When my husband saw the pie dish served at the table, he looked surprised to see a dish for the first time.
“…This is the first time I’ve seen this dish, but…”
“Yes, it’s my lady’s homemade dish.”
“My wife’s!?”
When my husband looked at me with a surprised face, I felt a bit embarrassed and looked down.
“…You were cooking?”
“Yes… I used to make it with my mother… This pie is filled with finely chopped meat and vegetables, finished with wine—it’s a dish from my home… I wanted you to taste it, so I made it…”
“……”
My husband took a bite and showed a smile, but it quickly changed with Emily’s words…
“Eh~~~? To come here and eat my mother’s cooking, but I don’t like this pie dish at all.”
“Eh? Emily, you said it was delicious in front of our parents and seemed happy…”
“At that time, I said it was ‘delicious’ because I wanted them to buy me clothes; I don’t really like pie dishes.”
“……”
“…It’s true, this dish doesn’t suit my taste…”
“Eh!?”
(Just a moment ago, my husband smiled when he took a bite…)
“Right! Big Brother adjusts to the food I eat, so I’m happy I can eat the food here with peace of mind.”
“I see; I’ll talk to the head chef and have him prepare some dishes that Emily likes for a while.”
“Really!? I’m so happy!”
“……”
“Sister, you don’t have to make pie dishes.”
“I’m sorry to leave your dish uneaten, but you don’t need to cook… It would be troublesome if rumors spread that the Marchioness is cooking.”
“……”
On my husband’s and Emily’s plates, the pie dish I made remained untouched, and perhaps because the cooks were worried about me, they all ate the pie dishes that the two left behind…
“My husband, this is too much… sniff …to not eat such delicious food… because of Lady Emily’s words… sniff”
“…The Marquis, let’s make pastry dishes together when he is away…””
“…… Thank you… everyone…”
Tears welled up in my eyes as I was touched by the comforting voices of the cooks… And my husband never tasted the pie dishes I made again…