To Those Who Regretted After I Died - Chapter 61
“Let’s leave her alone for a while…”
The father told the mother to leave Emily alone for now.
“I’ll go to the Colbert house now to inform them about Emily’s child.”
“Isn’t it too soon to inform his parents?”
“Something urgent happened… It’s better to tell him sooner so Paul can move forward…”
“But… Emily still feels for Paul…”
“We mustn’t let Emily trouble him any further… I don’t want her to end up like Sophia… Emily is still young. When she’s settled, I intend to recommend marriage talks to her… It would be better for her to have someone by her side than to be with us.”
The father told the mother that he was thinking of arranging a marriage for Emily and began preparing to leave.
“I’ll go to the Colbert house alone… I’ll stop by the academy on the way back.”
“I hope they’ll at least show some concern for Emily…”
“I hope so… Well, I’m off.”
“Please be careful…”
The father headed to the mansion to inform Paul, Emily’s former fiancé, about Emily’s child.
Arriving at the Colbert house, the father was irritated at being kept waiting as usual.
“How long do they intend to keep me waiting…?”
Knock knock!
“I apologize for the wait.”
“No…”
Paul’s father, showing a smile, and his mother, with a displeased expression, entered the room.
“Are you alone today?”
“Yes, I apologize for this sudden visit… I have an important matter to discuss with you…”
“A matter?”
The father, with Paul’s parents staring at him, clenched his hands on his knees.
“Actually… regarding my daughter Emily, due to a sudden change with the baby… she had to terminate the pregnancy… It was a miscarriage…”
“!!”
Paul’s parents were surprised.
“I see… How is Emily’s condition?”
“She still needs to rest… She seems quite distressed…”
“Time heals all wounds, please tell Emily to take care of herself…”
“Thank you… Um… about Paul…”
“I will speak to him, so please don’t worry.”
“Understood…”
Paul’s mother did not offer any words of concern for Emily.
“I will take my leave now… Thank you for your time…”
“Emily is still young, she will find someone suitable.”
“Yes.”
“Please tell Emily from you, her father, to not approach Paul.”
“W-Well, I am telling my daughter that strictly…”
“Hearing that reassures me. Everyone at the tea party was worried.”
“……”
The father’s expression changed upon hearing Paul’s mother’s words.
Hearing about the tea party, the father became concerned that rumors about Emily were spreading.
“I apologize for discussing this here, but the cost of the ceremony has been finalized, and I have sent a letter to the mansion.”
“Ah… yes…”
“Please make the payment as soon as possible.”
“U-Understood… I will take my leave today…”
The father bowed to Paul’s parents and left the room.
“I never thought it would come to a miscarriage…”
“The child was doing a good deed. The child would have been confused knowing it had two fathers. This way, Paul doesn’t have to worry about the inheritance.”
“That’s true. It feels like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders.”
“Hehehe, we’ll be very busy from now on.”
Laughter could be heard from inside the room. The father, still standing in front of the door, suppressed his trembling body and left the mansion.
“How heartless… I can’t believe they’re Paul’s parents…”
The father sighed, worrying about the large sum of money for the ceremony and the nobles. He walked towards his carriage.
“Father-in-law!?”
“P-Paul!?”
It was Paul, Emily’s former fiancé, who called out from behind him.
Paul, who was in the garden, didn’t know that Emily’s father had come.
“Father-in-law.”
“You still call me ‘Father-in-law’?”
“Ah…”
The father showed Paul a wry smile.
“I heard from your parents that you haven’t been eating…”
“I’m eating now… I apologize for the worry…”
“It’s not your fault, Paul… My daughter is at fault… She caused you pain… I’m truly sorry…”
The father bowed his head to Paul, who was standing before him, and apologized.
“Please raise your head, Father-in-law… I also unilaterally broke off the engagement, ignoring Emily’s feelings… I later realized that I was also at fault…”
“Paul…”
“I was also involved with Emily’s child, yet I left Emily as if abandoning her…”
Seeing Paul apologize to him, the father repeatedly regretted in his heart that Emily had gotten involved with her sister’s husband. He thought that Paul would have made Emily happy and spoke to Paul.
“Paul… about Emily’s child… she had a miscarriage…”
“Eh, a miscarriage!?”
Paul was shocked to hear from the father that Emily had a miscarriage.
“Wh-why… what happened?”
“According to the doctor, continuous psychological stress led to the miscarriage…”
“Psychological stress…”
Paul’s tears streamed down his cheeks, thinking that what Emily had been told by his parents when she came to their mansion had led to the miscarriage, and he apologized to the father.
“I… my family pushed Emily into this…”
“Paul, it’s not your fault, nor your parents’… I also said terrible things to my daughter many times…”
“Ugh…”
The father held Paul’s hands, who was crying with tears streaming down his face, and comforted him.
“The burial…?”
“I’m thinking of having it beside Sophia… She might dislike it, but she’s a kind daughter… She will be with her…”
“I wanted to meet her sister… May I go to pay my respects?”
“Ah… she would be happy.”
“Thank you… I’m glad I heard this from you today, Father-in-law.”
Seeing him wipe away his tears, the father wanted to confirm something once more.
“Paul… do you still want to get back together with Emily?”
“Eh…”
“Emily seems to still think of you… I want to know your current feelings…”
The father wanted to ask Paul if he still had feelings for Emily.
“I’m sorry… I can’t think of Emily as I did before… I will be having an arranged marriage soon…”
“A-an arranged marriage!?”
“Yes… It seems my mother decided to prepare for it when my health improved.”
“I see…”
“I wanted to tell you this, Father-in-law… I’m glad I could see you today… I thought I wouldn’t be able to call you ‘Father-in-law’ next time we met…”
“Paul…”
“I want Emily to be happy… Father-in-law, thank you for everything until now… Please take care of yourself… Please tell my regards to the mother-in-law and Emily.”
“Paul…”
Paul had tears in his eyes but gave a smile to the father and said goodbye.
After parting with Paul, the father cried in the carriage, bidding farewell to the short time they had spent together as father and son-in-law.