I borrowed a friend’s carriage and returned to the estate from the soirée. Normally, Rosa would be waiting for me eagerly, but even she wasn’t waiting tonight.
“The lady has already retired for the evening,” John, the longtime servant of the house, informed me, and I breathed a sigh of relief.
Part of me had worried that Rosa might come crying to me, saying, “How could you?” and clinging to me again.
When she overheard my true feelings, I was briefly flustered, but now I felt, “This is for the best.”
“I suppose I’ll try to smooth things over with her tomorrow.”
Knowing Rosa, she was probably worrying about being abandoned by me. I had no intention of apologizing to her, but if I told her something like, “You’re the only wife I have,” I was sure she would forgive me quickly.
Feeling calm, I drifted off to sleep.
* * *
The next morning, Rosa didn’t appear at breakfast.
When I asked John, he said, “The lady isn’t feeling well.”
“Hah… honestly.”
Now she was faking illness to get my attention. Even though I had told her last night how much I hated that behavior, it seemed the message hadn’t gotten through.
After I finished my meal, John brought over a stack of documents.
“Sir, these are from the lady.”
“What is this?”
When I looked through the papers, I realized it was the work Rosa had been handling.
“She asked me to give this to you,” John said.
“Yes, this is your work, sir.”
Taking the documents from John, I felt a wave of irritation at what I saw as childish defiance from Rosa.
“She hasn’t learned a thing!”
I had spoiled Rosa too much. From now on, I decided to clearly express my thoughts and discipline her more strictly.
I knocked on Rosa’s bedroom door, but there was no answer. When I tried to open it, I found it locked. Her bedroom door had always been left open so I could come in whenever I pleased, so this must have been another one of her childish acts of defiance.
“Rosa! What do you think you’re doing?!”
After calling her name several times, I finally heard a response from inside.
“What do you mean?”
Her refusal to open the door or even show her face made me angry.
I pressed her about not coming to breakfast and pushing her work onto me, but her response was completely unexpected.
“…Davis, that’s your work.”
For a moment, I couldn’t comprehend what she was saying. I checked the documents in my hand, and sure enough, it was work Rosa had been handling.
From the other side of the door came a voice filled with disbelief.
“Davis, did you forget that you asked me to take care of this? I confirmed it with you every day.”
Every day?
That’s right. Rosa had been persistently checking in about the work every single day. I knew she was working hard, but it had become so annoying that I couldn’t bear it anymore. That’s why I vented to my friend after having a bit too much to drink.
But now that I looked closely, the documents were about estate management—this wasn’t the kind of work a countess should be handling.
I rushed to my study to check the records.
Indeed, up until a year ago, I had been the one responsible for this work. It was extremely complex and time-consuming.
How had I ended up passing such important work to Rosa?
I hurriedly called John to ask how Rosa had ended up with this responsibility.
“About a year ago, when you fell ill, sir. You asked the lady to handle it ‘just for a little while.’”
“I did? I asked Rosa?”
Now that he mentioned it, I vaguely remembered something like that.
“Why didn’t anyone remind me?”
John seemed flustered by my outburst.
“The lady did, every day, sir.”
—What should we do about today’s work? What about tomorrow’s?
“How was I supposed to understand from that?!”
“Er… I see…”
Even as I said it, I realized the truth. Neither Rosa nor John ever imagined that I had completely forgotten I’d assigned the work to her. That’s why she reported back to me every day, asking for instructions on the tasks she was handling on my behalf.
Thanks to Rosa taking on this difficult, time-consuming work, I had more free time to focus on socializing.
I had assumed that the sudden increase in my free time was due to me becoming more efficient at my work, and I had looked down on Rosa, who seemed to struggle, staying up late every night to finish her tasks.
Seeing her always looking unwell, I hadn’t intended to burden her further, so I had distanced myself from her bedroom as well.
“It’s all my fault…”
I wanted to apologize to her immediately, but John stopped me.
“Sir, this work is urgent. You need to finish it now.”
He was right. I had to complete the tasks I had left in Rosa’s hands today.
As I looked over the documents, I told myself, “As soon as this is done, I’ll apologize to Rosa.” But the work took me late into the night.
It was too late to see her now. I’ll talk to her tomorrow, I thought. But as I got caught up in more work, a week slipped by.
When I finally had a break from work and headed to Rosa’s room, I was greeted by her in a bright red dress.
I was surprised—had she always owned such a bold-colored dress?
“Davis, what’s the matter?”
Rosa’s complexion looked good, and her expression was lively.
“Rosa, I need to talk to you.”
Normally, Rosa would have eagerly made time for me, but this time, she looked somewhat troubled.
“Oh, really? I’m about to head to a tea party.”
With a quick “Sorry,” Rosa casually moved to close the door.
“W-wait! This is important!”
“I’m invited to the duchess’s tea party. I can’t skip it.”
“But…”
As I persisted, Rosa calmly replied, “I can’t do it today. From now on, make an appointment beforehand.”
Her words struck a chord. I had said the exact same thing to her once when she wanted to talk, but I had found it too troublesome to listen at the time. I had told her, “From now on, make an appointment before coming to talk.”
When I said that, Rosa had looked so sad, but she left quietly with an “Okay.”
Now, hearing the same words from her, I didn’t feel sad—I felt anger rising inside me.
“We’re married! Why can’t you make time for me?!”
Rosa stood there with her mouth slightly open, looking puzzled.
“Then why didn’t you make time for me before?”
Her words didn’t sound accusatory; they were more like a genuine question, as if she was simply curious.
“That’s…”
I was at a loss for words, and Rosa gave me a radiant, bewitching smile. I couldn’t help but be captivated by her beauty.
“Davis, I understand. This is the kind of marriage you wanted. A breezy, balanced relationship, right? But I…”
Rosa sighed softly, her allure drawing my eyes to her. Had she always been this mesmerizing?
“Rosa…”
“Without even knowing, foolishly, I’ve been loving you with all my heart. I’m truly sorry for clinging to you for so long.”
I realized with a jolt that the look in Rosa’s eyes was no longer filled with the fiery passion that used to overwhelm me. The absence of that intensity hit me harder than I expected.
“Rosa?”
The Rosa who had once loved me so excessively now brushed my hand away, as if my touch was bothersome.
“I’m going to the tea party now.”
She turned to leave without looking back.
“W-wait!”
When I called after her, she turned around, her red dress elegantly fanning out with her movement.
“Davis, your way of loving is the right one. After all, I’m much happier now than I ever was when I was chasing after you. From now on, let’s live at a comfortable distance from each other.”
Rosa’s smile was just like the one she had worn on our wedding day when I had promised, “I’ll cherish you forever.”
I watched her walk away, feeling disbelief wash over me.
After standing there for a while, I reassured myself, “She must have been in a hurry. That’s all it is.”
And so, that night, I went to Rosa’s bedroom. The door, which had always been open to me, was now locked.
“Rosa.”
After calling her name several times, she finally opened the door.
“What brings you here at this hour?”
Rosa stood there wearing a loose-fitting robe with a deep neckline. Seeing her like this, I was pleased, thinking she had been waiting for me.
Noticing my gaze, Rosa’s cheeks flushed.
“Surprised, aren’t you? It’s different from what I usually wear.”
It was true—Rosa had always preferred more modest outfits. But now, she looked far more captivating than before.
“Yes, but you look beautiful.”
I could hardly resist the urge to embrace her as she smiled at me, mischievously.
“The truth is, I’ve always liked this kind of clothing. But since you said you liked women with a more modest style, I forced myself to wear clothes like that, just to please you.”
“How foolish of me,” Rosa sighed.
“Davis, don’t worry. I don’t want to be liked by you anymore.”
Hearing her say that with such a serene expression left my mind blank.
“Oh, but let’s still share the bedroom once a month. That’s a countess’s duty, after all.”
“Once a month, only?”
“Did you want more? But you were the one who decided on that.”
That’s right. I had told her that visiting her bedroom felt like a burden, using my work as an excuse to justify it.
“You didn’t even come on the appointed days, and I would wait for you all night, not sleeping a wink… I really was such an annoying woman, wasn’t I?”
“Rosa… I… I treated you so terribly…”
“It’s fine, Davis.”
Rosa smiled with the kindness of a goddess.
“If anyone should apologize, it’s me. Your way of loving is the right way.”
Rosa gave a small yawn, then with a radiant smile, said, “Good night,” and closed the door. A moment later, I heard the sound of the lock clicking into place.
It was the sound of a lock being placed on Rosa’s heart. A lock that would never open for me again.
Since then, Rosa had embraced a healthy lifestyle, growing more beautiful each day. She was doing an excellent job as the countess.
At the soirée we attended together, I watched from the balcony as a circle of noblewomen gathered around her, their conversation lively and full of joy. My flawless wife was at the center of it all, and I could only stand there watching.
Beside me was an old friend.
“That’s quite the lovely wife you have,” he sighed. “I’m envious.”
“No… you’re wrong… My love was all wrong…”
All I wanted was to regain Rosa’s love, a love I could never have again. But it was gone. I had wanted it to be this way, and Rosa, who had once loved me so deeply, had granted that wish.
Now, all I could do was stare longingly at Rosa, the ‘ideal wife’ she had become for my sake, with eyes full of regret and desire.
[The End]
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