Chapter 226
‧₊˚ ☁️⋅♡𓂃 ࣪ ִֶָ☾.
“I’ve given up the townhouse, and the Duchy even issued a correction in the newspaper. Isn’t there nothing more I can do?”
“I know. But she’s dead now.”
So, the Duke and she had to go.
Emilia thought of Leah. The last time she had seen her was when she visited the Duke’s estate.
‘Enough thinking about it.’
She slowly shook her head. The more she thought about it, the more her chest tightened.
When Count Chevron cried out, she wanted to cry too. She knew too well the kind of grief that the death of a family member brought.
Emilia quietly left the room.
It was to bury her parents. But she hoped no one would attend.
For that reason, she decided to go to the place where she would bury her parents alone. She hoped they would be buried in the Loren family’s land, not Duke Heinrich’s.
Once she climbed into the carriage, Emilia sat in silence, waiting.
However, the carriage, which she thought would leave immediately, remained strangely still.
Eventually, when Emilia opened the door to ask the coachman what was going on.
“…I said I would go alone.”
“How could I let you go alone? Just treat me like I’m invisible.”
As Mikhail climbed into the carriage, Emilia’s expression faltered. She didn’t want to show him how weak she was.
No one could remain indifferent to the death of their family.
She tried to get out of the carriage, but as soon as Mikhail climbed in, the coachman started moving the carriage.
As the wheels began to roll, Emilia awkwardly held onto the wall to steady herself.
“It’s dangerous if you fall. Sit down.”
“You never intended to let me go alone, did you?”
“It’s because I’m worried about you, not because I wanted to ignore you.”
“Are you afraid I’ll run away?”
Mikhail shook his head. But in that brief moment, she sensed hesitation.
It seemed that he was planning to go to the Loren estate with her.
Emilia gave up on trying to talk to him and turned her head away. The sunset was fading behind the mountains, and soon, the sky was filled with a faint, shadowy darkness.
It had been a long time since she had gone to the Loren estate.
Though she was sure Mikhail had made the arrangements, just the thought of seeing it made her heart race.
Finally, they arrived at the Loren estate, and the carriage stopped in the courtyard. The coachman opened the door, and Emilia carefully stepped out.
As she turned her head, Mikhail only watched her silently from inside the carriage.
“I’ll stay here. Go ahead.”
She couldn’t tell whether he was trying to be considerate or if he had grown indifferent to the deaths he had once cared about.
Emilia discovered that the roses of the Loren estate, which she thought had withered away long ago, were now in full bloom.
“….They’re strong.”
Perhaps they grew even better because they hadn’t been tampered with by human hands. The rain had been sufficient, and the flowers must have had the perfect conditions to grow.
Emilia passed through the captivating garden and made her way toward the land behind the mansion.
Emilia had asked her mother and father not to be buried side by side, and it seemed that her request was remembered, as their resting place was far from each other.
When she arrived, the funeral workers, likely morticians, were preparing to lower the coffin into the earth.
“Would you like to see their faces one last time?”
Emilia shook her head. Instead, she recalled the faces of her parents as they had remained in her mind.
It was better this way. If she opened the coffin and saw their faces, she would break down completely.
“Then, we’ll proceed.”
The coffin was lowered, and soon the earth began to cover it.
Emilia silently wept, her sobs quiet. She didn’t collapse or cry out. It felt as if all the ties that had been constricting her were loosening, no longer choking her.
“I’ll live as myself now.”
Her connection to the Loren family was now over. Only after the dirt had been heaped and the gravestone placed did she turn to leave.
Her legs felt weak, and she walked slowly, trying not to stumble, her eyes fixed ahead.
The mansion, with its closed doors, felt devoid of warmth. The Loren family would slowly be forgotten.
She wished even the fact that she had once belonged to the Loren family would be forgotten.
But before that, everyone needed to know the end of the family’s misguided path.
Once back, Emilia wanted to compose an article to send to the Spiegel newspaper. It was the only thing she could do at the moment.
❖ ❖ ❖
Mikhail stood in front of the carriage, waiting for Emilia to return.
He was tempted to run toward the place she had gone, but he suppressed the impulse and kept his feet rooted to the ground.
Still, his gaze remained fixed on the spot where she had disappeared.
He feared that she would vanish into the dark night sky, swallowed by sorrow, losing all light.
He had already lost her once. Above all, Mikhail feared her absence.
When he had thought she might be dead, even his own death had seemed insignificant. Now, the fear was overwhelming.
Though she appeared fine, she was in a precarious state. She had asked to be left alone, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it.
He was a coward.
Even if it meant she would hate him more, he didn’t want to leave her alone.
And now, he regretted allowing her to face the funeral alone.
Time continued to pass, and his anxiety grew. When he turned his head, he saw a red rose that reminded him of her.
Mikhail thought he should transplant these roses to Duke Heinrich’s estate.
Seeing roses would surely bring back memories for her, and it might help her recover.
‘Damn.’
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