To Those Who Regretted After I Died - Chapter 6

Emily’s spoiled behavior continued to be a problem for my husband, who would buy her anything she wanted right away. I hated seeing him like that…

“Big sister~!”

“…I always tell you to knock before entering.”

“This isn’t the time for that!”

“What’s got you so excited?”

“Alec is cheating on you!!”

“Eh…”

When I heard from Emily that my husband had cheated, I wasn’t particularly shocked. After all, I had my sister, who was practically cheating right in front of me…

“…So, who’s the other person?”

“It’s Lady Cattleya.”

“Cattleya… you mean the Countess Cattleya’s daughter? How did she and my husband end up cheating?”

“Today, while I was out shopping with Alec, we ran into Lady Cattleya at the store. They were both chatting happily, ignoring me… When their conversation ended, Lady Cattleya leaned in and jumped into Alec’s arms!”

“……”

“They were gazing at each other, and Lady Cattleya was blushing!”

“…Emily, is that what you think means my husband is cheating?”

“Of course! They were hugging right in front of me!”

“……”

I almost shouted, “Then what do you think you’re doing all this time?”  but I couldn’t bring myself to say it

Knock knock!

“Excuse me, is Emily in here?”

“…Yes, she is…”

“Hmph!”

Emily puffed up her cheeks as she looked at my husband, and seeing her, he hurried over to her side.

“Emily! Can’t you cheer up? There’s nothing going on with Lady Cattleya… I just caught her when she was about to fall!”

“Is that so? They seemed like they were having a good time, so maybe they’re meeting in secret?”

“That’s not true! I’ve spent almost all my time with you… Ah…”

“……”

Alec stopped mid-sentence when he noticed me standing nearby and awkwardly grabbed Emily’s hand. “Emily, let’s talk somewhere else.”

“Eh? Why?”

“Just come on…”

As I watched Alec take Emily out of the room, I began to think, Am I no longer his wife?

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“Portrait?!”

The maid came to call me after I had finished the work left by my husband.

“Yes, the painter has just arrived.”

“Is he painting someone’s portrait?”

“It’s yours and your husband’s.”

“Eh?! My husband and I?!”

Sophia was so surprised that she kept confirming with the maid.

“…But I…”

“This is an important tradition that has been passed down through generations. I believe your husband has requested this. Until then, please wait in your room.”

“…Understood…”

One hour passed, then two… Even after waiting for a long time, there was no call from my husband, and the maid eventually came to take me directly to the portrait room.

“Sir, I have brought the lady.”

When there was no response from inside the room, I spoke to the maid.

“Since there’s no answer, perhaps today isn’t the day…”

“That can’t be! Other maids are also with the painter, so excuse us, sir.”

When the maid opened the door, I was shocked to see the painting the artist had just finished…

“?! W-What… Why are Emily and my husband…?”

“……!”

The painting depicted my husband and Emily together.

“Ah! Big sister, I was just about to come get you! I heard the painter was coming today, so I had Alec draw a portrait with me. Isn’t it wonderful?!”

“……”

Emily, blushing and smiling happily, seemed completely unaware of what she had done. Sophia clenched her hands and walked toward Alec, who was stretching beside her.

“Haah~ It’s surprisingly hard to just stand here quietly…”

“…Husband…”

“Ah, it’s you… I’m sorry for leaving you with work.”

Seeing Alec’s wry smile made Sophia think, Why did I marry this man… She took a deep breath to calm her trembling hands.

“Why did you pose for a painting with Emily?”

“Eh, why, you ask…?”

“I asked Alec to paint with me! I want to show it to Father and Mother too~ Isn’t that good, Alec?”

“Sure, but… it’s quite a hassle to move such a large frame…”

“…Are you really going to show this portrait to my parents?”

“Emily wants to show it to them…”

As Sophia smiled slightly, Alec felt he had never seen her smile like that before and was taken aback. When he noticed that Sophia’s expression seemed almost to glare at him, he looked away as he always did.

“It’s fine to show it to my parents, but if you want to be scolded by them, feel free to do so, husband.”

“Scolded? Why should I get scolded by your parents?”

“Haah… husband, isn’t this painting meant to be displayed as a historic portrait?”

“…Historic… Ah!…”

Alec stood there in a daze, realizing what Sophia meant.

“Eh?! Am I going to be included in Alec’s family history?!”

“Just be quiet!”

Emily jumped in surprise at Sophia’s words, and Alec, watching the scene, spoke up to protect Emily.

“It’s not right to speak to Emily like that…”

The painter, observing the three of them, turned his attention to Sophia and spoke.

“Um, I apologize for interrupting your conversation, but… this lady is…”

“I’m the marchioness.”

“Uh? Ah, um, the woman I painted is…”

“She is my sister! You painted the marchioness sister, not the marchioness!!”

“W-What?!”

The painter turned pale and looked towards Sophia.

“I-I’m sorry… Lady Emily insisted that she wanted to be painted together… C-Can I still paint a portrait of you two together?”

“……”

(Alec’s panicked expression was pale, and he had been asking me… Because it’s a portrait of the historic Parlis family, he probably realized something would be said by the relatives, and now he’s finally aware of it…)

“Sir, I’m afraid I must inform you… Once the historic portraits are framed, they cannot be removed…”

“Wha?! Then why did you frame it?!”

“I stated from the beginning… that we would be painting the historic portrait today and requested you to bring your wife… Then you said you wanted to be painted with this lady.”

“…”

Alec placed his hands on the table, and as he hesitated, Emily took his hand and smiled at him.

“Alec, there’s no need to be so down. Isn’t it fine to display the portrait of you and me together?”

Bam!

“Be quiet!”

“?!”

Sophia was surprised when Alec shook off Emily’s hand, but she sighed, thinking he would remain the same as usual.

Emily, startled by Alec’s raised voice, had tears welling up in her eyes.

“Y-You don’t need to be angry! You said you wanted to paint together, it’s not my fault!”

Pouting, Emily left the room, and Alec sighed, showing a troubled expression.