To Those Who Regretted After I Died - Chapter 25

The head maid, observing the doctor and Alec, spoke about preparing Sophia for her final arrangements.

“…I’m sorry to interrupt your conversation… We need to change the clothes for the madam now…”

Next to the head maid, a maid held the outfit that Sophia would wear.

“…I apologize… for having to prepare the madam…”

“No, it’s fine… I’m just glad to have heard about the madam…”

“I would like to speak with you and lady Emily later…”

“Understood…”

“Ah… Head Maid, please inform the madam’s parents right away… I hope they can come today…”

“Understood… I’m grateful for your presence, doctor…”

The head maid thanked the doctor and left the room. The remaining maids, tears streaming down their faces, began to adorn Sophia beautifully.

“…Ugh… Why, madam… Why didn’t you say anything to us…”

“…The fact that you came to us… was to say goodbye…”

“…Madam… sniff… What will we do after you’re gone…”

Seeing the maids in despair, the doctor spoke to Alec.

“…Your wife was loved by her servants and was happy…”

“…”

“My lord, how long have you had a relationship with lady Emily?”

“Eh!…”

Alec was taken aback by the doctor’s sudden inquiry about his relationship with Emily.

“I don’t think it was just once before lady Emily became pregnant… While some may conceive on the first try, how long has it been?”

Seeing the doctor’s angry expression, Alec looked down.

“…It’s been… half a year…”

“What!?”

The doctor was astonished, his mouth hanging open.

“…Half a year… So you’re saying this started a few months after you married your wife!?”

“…”

“…What triggered it? Why did you get involved with your wife’s sister, Emily?”

“…It started when Emily confessed to me…”

“She confessed to you while you were married?”

“…Yeah…”

“Did she confess knowing she was your sister-in-law?”

“…Yeah…”

“And despite having a wife, you accepted her?”

“…Yeah… I found Emily’s affectionate nature, which my wife lacked, endearing… I pushed my wife away…”

“What was the purpose of marrying your wife? Did you use her for your work?”

“…!”

Alec was left speechless as the doctor grabbed him by the collar, expressing his anger.

“Did your wife ever go out with you or attend any banquets together? Did you spend any time with her?”

“…”

“D-Doesn’t that mean… you spent every day with Emily?”

One of the maids stepped forward to Alec and the doctor, while the other maids looked on in shock.

One maid, who was preparing Sophia, overheard the conversation between the doctor and Alec and joined in.

“…Since lady Emily started living in the mansion, my lord has always been with lady Emily…”

“…”

“W-Wait a moment… if you start talking…”

“No, I want to hear what you maids have to say… I don’t think the lord knows anything about the madam…”

“…”

Alec couldn’t retort to the doctor. He had spent so much time with Emily that he knew nothing about his wife, Sophia, outside of their work.

“…Before lady Emily arrived, my lord and lady worked together… even if they didn’t talk much, they shared meals together.”

“…”

Alec was remembering… Even though they worked together after getting married, they often shared meals.

“However, since lady Emily came, my lord started to avoid the madam and spent more days with her sisters…”

“…”

“I always wondered, did lady Emily come here from her family home?”

The doctor had been curious since he often saw Emily at the Parulis mansion.

“When she first came, she said she was here to see the madam. Sometimes she would commute from her family home, but as time went on, it became frequent for lady Emily to stay overnight… and before long, she was living in the Parulis house.”

“…Did the madam say anything about lady Emily living here?”

“I’ve seen the madam tell lady Emily to go home. But lady Emily showed no intention of leaving… and before anyone knew it, she started staying overnight, and they even prepared a room for her…”

“…That room, I see…”

The doctor recalled how surprised he was when he entered Emily’s room.

(When I entered Emily’s room… I was shocked by the number of clothes spread out on the bed, the many shoes on the floor, and the jewelry box left open on the vanity, filled with various gems and accessories… Did she bring all this from her family home? I was astonished…)

“…lady Emily didn’t bring anything, so my lord bought everything for her.”

“What?”

The doctor was left speechless, having been surprised so many times by the maid’s story that his mouth remained agape.

“Um… Everything in Emily’s room was bought by Sir Alec?”

“…Yes.”

The doctor turned to Alec, his expression turning stern.

“…My lord, what does this mean? I was told the madam only had the clothes here… But I was shocked when I entered Emily’s room…”

“…”

“…My lord… You went shopping with Emily… You took her along when you traveled for work… The madam was left alone to do the tasks you assigned her, waiting for you two to return…”

“…My lord, how much longer do you intend to torment your wife?”

“…”

Alec knelt on the floor, filled with regret for everything he had done to his wife, Sophia, and could only listen to the maid’s words.

The maids by Sophia’s bed wiped their tears as they listened to their companion’s story.

“…At the gathering of the nobles, Madam was getting ready to go… but then she returned to her room… and she didn’t attend the banquet…”

“She returned to her room? Was it because she was unwell?”

Alec joined in the conversation between the doctor and the maids.

“…I invited my wife to the noble banquet… I even gifted her a dress… but she said she felt ill and didn’t go…”

Alec spoke about the banquet without looking at the doctor or the maids.

“…My lord, your wife said she was feeling unwell, but you still went to the banquet… with lady Emily…”

“D-Do you not know it was an important gathering for the nobles? Besides… my wife said it was fine for her to stay home…”

“W-Wait! When you returned from the banquet, you didn’t see your wife and spent the night with her sisters instead!!”

“Wha!?”

“What!?”

A maid who had been by Sophia’s side rushed in, recounting the story of Alec and Emily returning from the banquet.

“…I was in the room with Madam at that time… she asked me to let her know when you returned from the banquet… When I was climbing the stairs, I saw Madam face down in the hallway… crying…”

“Why was she in the hallway? Was she feeling unwell?!”

“…No, Madam was crying because she was talking about you…”

“W-What? She was crying about me?”

Alec raised his head, no longer looking down, and stared at the maid.

“Madam said… she thought lady Emily would be enough for you… that she couldn’t be seen as a woman in your eyes…”

“…”

“And she was speaking out loud about divorce…”

“Wha…!?”

“Madam?”

“However… it seemed she was pained that she couldn’t bring up the topic of divorce…”

“…Do you know what happened to Madam?”

The doctor asked the maid who had said she was by Sophia’s side. The maid glanced briefly at Alec and sighed.

“After returning from the banquet, my lord had promised to meet lady Emily in your room… Madam saw that…”

“My wife saw…!?”

“…”

Alec’s face turned pale, and he clenched his hands on the floor.

“Madam saw lady Emily go to your room… I saw lady Emily standing in front of your room, and Madam and I both saw you let her inside…”

“Ugh…”

Alec trembled, bowing his head to the floor and letting out a voiceless apology to Sophia.

“Sir, do you understand how your wife felt seeing you and lady Emily together all this time? You and lady Emily have committed an unforgivable sin against her… You have taken away her will to live… Ideally, it should have been your child that she carried… You have stolen her life from her…”

Alec realized many things after his wife Sophia had passed away…