To Those Who Regretted After I Died - Chapter 53
“…This dress… is the one Sophia wore… Why is it shredded like this…?”
Alec’s hand trembled as he clutched the dress.
It was the dress Alec had given Sophia as his first gift to her.
Alec had been invited to a banquet for nobles and was expected to attend with his wife. Since Representatives from other countries would also be present, Alec couldn’t avoid attending with Sophia.
Assuming Emily wouldn’t be content to stay behind, Alec had decided to give her a dress as well and take her along.
As he spent more time with Emily, he came to understand her personality, and choosing a dress for her wasn’t difficult. However, he struggled to choose a dress for Sophia. He didn’t know her size or her preferred colors.
Alec rarely saw Sophia. They only interacted during work and occasionally at mealtimes.
During their work together, Alec noticed Sophia often wore black and blue clothing. He assumed she liked blue and decided to give her a blue dress, while he chose a pink one for Emily.
Alec knew Emily’s size since he spent so much time with her, but since he rarely spent time with Sophia, he wasn’t sure about her size. He assumed Sophia was roughly the same size as Emily and bought her a dress in the same size.
Alec had considered spending some time with Sophia to get to know her better, but because of Emily, he never did. His marriage to Sophia remained a loveless union in name only.
“Who did this?!”
Alec glared at the three maids and demanded an answer.
The maids exchanged uneasy glances. Finally, one of them spoke.
“My Lady… cut the dress herself…”
“My wife? Don’t lie! My wife would never do such a thing. She was happy with the dress I gave her. Tell me the truth, and I won’t be angry.”
The maids felt frustrated that Alec was only now showing concern for Sophia, refusing to suspect her.
“…We heard that when Master returned from the banquet, he left My Lady alone and spent time with Lady Emily… We also heard that My Lady was crying when Master and Lady Emily left for the banquet…”
“…She told me she wasn’t feeling well…”
Alec was taken aback, hearing from the maid that he had left Sophia alone.
“My Lady was told that the dress Master gave her was identical to Lady Emily’s… She then cut up the dress with scissors and said she wanted to apologize to Master when he returned from the banquet…”
“But I didn’t see her…”
“…I believe the other maids have informed you… Even when My Lady wanted to speak with Master, Lady Emily was always with him… My Lady waited for Master until the very end…”
The maid’s eyes filled with tears as she continued.
“This dress… represents My Lady’s anger and sorrow… She was happy when she told us Master had given her the dress…”
“…”
“…We’ve finished packing My Lady’s belongings… We apologize for our impertinence… We’ll excuse ourselves…”
One of the maids finished speaking and left the room. The other two maids quickly bowed their heads and followed her out.
“…”
Alec, left alone in the room, sat on the floor, holding the shredded dress in his hands, his shoulders slumped.
“…I knew nothing about you…”
Alec looked at the dress in his hands, then glanced around Sophia’s empty room.
Alec hadn’t entered Sophia’s room since she had moved in. It was so bare, it hardly seemed like a room someone lived in.
“…After learning about Emily’s fiancé… my desire to see you grew stronger… I’m the one who should apologize for the dress… I didn’t consider how you must have felt when you received it… I was too caught up in my infatuation with Emily… I want to apologize… If my actions are preventing you from finding peace, then show yourself to me… Let me apologize…”
Clutching the dress, Alec bowed his head, pleading with Sophia to show herself so he could apologize. He waited for her to appear.
Sunlight streamed through the window, illuminating the room. Alec had spent the entire night in Sophia’s room… but Sophia never appeared, not even in a dream or a vision.
“…”
The head maid occasionally checked on Alec in Sophia’s room.
The butler and head maid were worried about Alec, who had confined himself in Sophia’s room without eating since the funeral. However, most of the other servants felt he deserved it.
“Master blamed us for cutting up the dress he gave My Lady, claiming she didn’t do it. I told him it was his fault for making her upset in the first place!”
The maid who had packed Sophia’s belongings the previous day retorted that it was Alec’s fault for making Sophia cut the dress, not the maids’.
“He’s been in My Lady’s room since last night, without eating.”
“He’s just like her.”
“Her?”
“Who else? That spoiled brat, Lady Emily! Both of them are just children in adult bodies!”
“Now that you mention it, that’s true… They did whatever they pleased and took out their frustrations on us… It’s infuriating just thinking about it!”
The maids began to complain about Alec and Emily as they cleaned in the morning.
Alec, still in Sophia’s room, looked at the dress for a while longer, then placed it on the dresser and turned towards the bed.
“…”
The bed was bare, stripped of its sheets and pillows. He remembered Sophia’s smile, the last smile he had seen from her, as he wrapped her injured wrist with a scarf.
“…I have to apologize to Emily’s fiancé today… I won’t let Emily stay in this mansion any longer… I don’t know what will become of me…”
Alec spoke to the empty room, then left Sophia’s room.
He returned to his own room, began to get dressed, and called for the butler.
“Master, about your meal…”
“I’m not hungry… Prepare the carriage. I’ll be going out.”
“Understood… Master, we received a message from the painter… The frame is ready…”
The butler hesitantly brought up the frame Alec had commissioned.
“…Have the painter deliver the frame to the room where the portraits are kept… And there are several portraits of Emily… Dispose of them all.”
“What?!”
The butler cried out in surprise.
“…Are you sure, Master…?”
“…I was wrong… I indulged Emily’s every whim… and ruined the portraits that should have commemorated my marriage to Sophia… Dispose of all of Emily’s portraits… including the ones of us together.”
“…Understood…”
The butler’s eyes filled with tears. He wiped them away, relieved that Alec had realized his mistake.
“Master, the doctor is here.”
A maid informed them of the doctor’s arrival, and the butler turned to Alec.
“Are you unwell?”
“…I’m going to Emily’s fiancé’s estate… the Colbert family… Emily’s engagement has been broken off.”
“!! W-what? Lady Emily…”
“…I’ll apologize… and pay for the wedding and reception expenses…”
“!? W-why would you do that…? That’s Lady Emily’s…”
“It’s my punishment… for failing to be a proper husband to Sophia… That’s also why I asked you to sell the rugs and curtains… If that’s not enough, I’ll sell the gifts I gave Emily…”
“…Master…”
The butler sensed that Alec was distancing himself from Emily… but it was too late…