To Those Who Regretted After I Died - Chapter 71
“Hey! Newbie! Stop slacking off!!”
“Y-yes… I’m sorry…”
Alec was gathering soiled hay.
His clothes were dirty, his hair was covered in dust, and his face was grimy with sweat and dirt as he cleaned the stables alone.
“Man, it’s great having a young guy to do this work. Thanks, Master Richard! Hahahaha!”
“But man, I was shocked… To think My Lady Sophia’s husband would become a commoner and work alongside us… At first, we were even using formal language with him… Now we look down on him! Every day is entertaining! Hahahaha! Hey, newbie, if you don’t hurry up, the sun will set, and you’ll miss dinner!”
“Yes…”
“Hahahaha!”
Alec endured the servants’ laughter.
“Huh? Isn’t that… Lady Emily?”
“It is! Is she crying? Looks like she’s heading back to her carriage. Did they kick her out or something? No one’s allowed in the mansion. Hahahaha!”
“!” (Emily?!)
Alec saw Emily in the distance and realized she had come to see him.
“Why don’t you go see her?”
“What?!”
“She came here to see you, didn’t she? Go comfort her.”
The servant smirked at Alec.
“She and I… are no longer involved…”
“Oh really? You’re cold, you know. You were all over her when you were hiding it from Lady Sophia.”
“I’ll get back to work…”
“I bet she’ll run away screaming after seeing you like this. Hahahaha!”
“…”
Alec returned to the stables and continued working… That was the last time he saw Emily.
━━━━━━ ◦ ❖ ◦ ━━━━━━
“Uhh… Hiks… Hiks…”
The driver watched Emily cry in the carriage, his face troubled.
“Sigh… I’ll be scolded if I take her back like this.”
He spoke to Emily hesitantly.
“My Lady, shall we go to the park or perhaps to town?”
“Hiks… The park…? Town…? Hiks…”
Emily looked out the carriage window, tears in her eyes.
“Stop the carriage!”
“What?”
“Just stop it!”
“Y-yes, My Lady.”
The driver quickly stopped the carriage. Emily opened the door and ran towards the people walking on the street.
“My Lady?!”
Emily ran into the crowd and embraced a man from behind.
“Paul!”
“E-Emily?!”
Emily had spotted Paul walking down the street.
Paul, surprised by Emily’s sudden embrace, didn’t smile.
“Paul?”
“Ugh… Please don’t hug me from behind… It’s startling…”
“S-sorry… I saw you… and I’m glad I did.”
“…”
Emily nuzzled her face against Paul’s back.
“Who is this?”
“Huh?”
An unfamiliar woman was standing beside Paul.
“Who are you?”
Paul released Emily and spoke to the woman.
“Do you mind if I speak with her for a moment?”
“Certainly. I’ll be waiting over there, on the bench.”
“Thanks.”
Emily watched their casual exchange, her heart filled with unease.
“Let’s talk over there.”
“O-okay…”
Emily awkwardly followed behind Paul. When they were together, she always walked beside him, arm in arm.
It had been the same with Alec.
Emily and Paul sat on an empty bench. Emily was bewildered by Paul’s unusual demeanor.
“Are you feeling alright?”
“Uh… yes… I’m fine… I’ve been eating properly and sleeping well.”
“I’m glad to hear that… I heard about the baby… I’m sorry…”
“Yeah…”
Emily, seeing Paul wipe his tears, hoped they could reconcile.
“I had a dream… about my sister… She was with the baby…”
“Your sister?!”
“She said, ‘I’ll take care of the child,’ and I felt so relieved that I entrusted the baby to her in my dream.”
Emily smiled as she recounted her dream to Paul.
“Even in your dreams, you’re burdening your sister…”
“What?!”
“I hate to say this, but… I’m glad we broke up.”
“B-broke up…? P-Paul…?”
Emily’s face turned pale as she looked at Paul sitting beside her.
“P-Paul…”
“Ever since I heard about your affair with Marquis Alec, I’ve resented you.”
“!”
“When I learned about the baby, I was overjoyed. I was looking forward to raising our child together. But then, just moments later, I learned about your betrayal, and I couldn’t even bear to look at you…”
“P-Paul… I’m sorry… I…”
Tears welled up in Emily’s eyes as she grasped Paul’s hand.
“You always cry whenever something happens, don’t you…? Is that how you seduced Marquis Alec?”
“T-that’s not true… That’s cruel, Paul…”
“She would never do such a thing.”
“What…? She…?”
“The woman who was with me earlier.”
Emily looked at the woman sitting on a bench in the distance.
“We’re engaged.”
“Engaged?!”
Emily trembled, unable to stop shaking.
“Y-you’re lying… Paul… Engaged…”
“I’m not lying. We’re getting married tomorrow… That’s why I can’t see you again. This is goodbye.”
Paul, his face devoid of any warmth, released Emily’s hand.
“I’ll apologize! Please don’t leave me!”
“You’re the one who left me. I met her through my mother, and she’s the one who saved me… not you.”
“That’s not…”
“People were gossiping about me, saying I was betrayed and abandoned by my fiancée, but she always stayed by my side…”
Paul stood up and spoke his final words to Emily.
“You seem to enjoy falling in and out of love with different people, but I hope you won’t forget that your actions hurt others… Just like your sister… Take care…”
“P…”
Paul, without looking back, walked away from Emily… This was their final parting.