To Those Who Regretted After I Died - Chapter 62
After parting with Paul, the father headed to the aristocratic school where he worked. He had been told by the headmaster to take some time off, but since he was taking an extended leave, he went to the school just to say hello.
Arriving at the school, the father noticed that there were no students in the hallways. Realizing that classes were in session, he walked down the hallway to greet the headmaster.
“Mr. Lemoire!?”
“Ah… Ms. Amelie.”
“Sir… I heard about your daughter’s misfortune…”
“It was so sudden… I came to greet the headmaster and the other teachers as I will be taking some time off.”
“I see…”
The sound of footsteps approaching quickly echoed down the hallway, and a female teacher calling out Ms. Amelie approached.
“Ah! Teac—”
“Eh?”
As Sophia’s father tried to call out to the female teacher, she grabbed Ms. Amelie’s arm and led her away, as if ignoring him.
“Wh-What was that?”
Tilting his head, he entered the headmaster’s office.
“It’s Lemoire! Headmaster, excuse me.”
“!…What is it today, Mr. Lemoire?”
“I apologize for startling you. I’m taking some time off from school, so I came to say hello.”
“I heard about Sophia… That must have been difficult for you…”
“Thank you for remembering my daughter…”
“She was an excellent student… It’s such a pity, so young…”
“……”
The headmaster offered his condolences for Sophia’s sudden death.
“The father is a teacher, and the sister achieved excellent grades, but the younger sister…”
Seeing the headmaster shake his head, the father involuntarily exclaimed, “Eh?”
“Um… Headmaster…”
“A resignation request has been submitted for you…”
“R-Resignation!??”
The father raised his voice in surprise.
“Wh-Why is this being brought to me? Who would submit a resignation request…?”
The father, unable to contain his agitation, raised his voice to the headmaster.
“The parents of the students and some of the faculty members have requested your resignation…”
“W-What’s the reason? Why from the students’ parents and teachers…?”
“As you probably know, this school is attended by children of nobles… Rumors are spreading that your daughter had an affair with her sister’s husband.”
“!”
“Rumors have spread that Emily had a secret relationship with the Marquis, her sister’s husband, even though she had a fiancé. Upon hearing this, the students’ parents said that it ‘affects their children’s education’ and requested your resignation… Some of the teachers have also stated that they cannot teach students alongside you…”
“B-But my daughter and… it has nothing to do with my job!”
“It was decided at a faculty meeting… I was just about to inform you, Mr. Lemoire…”
“S-Such a thing… without consulting me…”
The headmaster apologized to the father, who was drooping his shoulders.
“We were able to provide severance pay… We are grateful to Mr. Lemoire… We thank you for your service to the school until now…”
The headmaster bowed to the father, thanking him for his service as a teacher.
“……”
Suddenly being forced to leave the school, the father entered the faculty room in a daze.
“Hahaha, so what happened?”
“Behind you… It’s Mr. Lemoire…”
“……”
The teachers who had been talking stopped, and the faculty room fell silent. He could hear the whispers of the teachers as he packed up his desk, which he had used for many years.
“……”
When he looked up, he met Ms. Amelie’s eyes, but she looked away in confusion. He assumed she had been told something by the female teacher who had pulled her away. The father finished packing and left the faculty room with a silent farewell to the teachers.
“I never thought it would come to this…”
The father was forced to resign from the school where he had worked as a teacher for many years.
━━━━━━ ◦ ❖ ◦ ━━━━━━
Returning to the mansion, the father went to his room. As a servant carried a box from the carriage, the mother called out to her.
“What is that box?”
“It seems the master brought it from the academy.”
“From school?”
Opening the box, the mother saw several textbooks and printed materials. She was surprised to find even his teacher’s badge inside. She entered the father’s room.
“Father.”
Seeing the father placing a bottle of alcohol on the table, the mother realized something had happened and sat across from him on the sofa.
“……”
“……”
She waited patiently as the father looked down and said nothing.
“Today… I was forced to resign from the academy…”
“Eh!?”
The mother was shocked and looked at the father drinking. To be sure, she asked him again.
“Father? Did I just hear you say ‘resigned’…?”
“The headmaster told me they wanted me to resign…”
“Wh-Why resign…? What happened, Father?”
The mother’s face turned pale as she asked the father for the reason.
“I went to the school to tell them I would be taking some time off, and the teachers were avoiding me… I asked the headmaster for the reason…”
“What’s the reason? Why would the teachers avoid you…?”
The father finished the alcohol in his glass and gripped it tightly.
“It’s about Emily…”
“Emily? Why is Emily’s name coming up?”
“Rumors about Emily and Marquis Alec are spreading…”
“!”
“The students’ parents, upon learning about the relationship between Emily and the Marquis, said it would affect their children’s education and requested my resignation…”
“Such a thing…”
“Not only the parents, but some teachers also told me to leave the academy… It was decided at a faculty meeting while I was away.”
“Why…? I’ve heard stories of other nobles having affairs… But… to make a teacher resign because of his daughter… Isn’t that terrible…?”
“……”
With tears in her eyes, the mother voiced her outrage at the injustice.
“I will receive severance pay… but it will be used up by the servants’ salaries… and the wedding expenses… I will have to find a job, but it will be difficult to maintain our current lifestyle… We have to think about the future…”
“Ah… how could this happen…?”
The parents were dejected, their future seeming bleak.
Rumors had spread among the nobles that Emily had a secret relationship with her sister’s husband. The news of Emily’s broken engagement and miscarriage had also spread.
“Haa… I’m supposed to go to the Parlis house tomorrow…”
The father, having received a letter from Alec’s aunt, could only sigh.
Alec also knew about the rumors among the nobles.