“Do you think so? There were times when I let my frustrations get the better of me and spoke harshly to her. She did nothing wrong… yet I still took my anger out on her.”
“When people live together for a long time, there will be moments of thoughtless words, even for the kindest of souls. But if there were also many words of love, then those moments of weakness are forgiven.”
“Do you think Amanda has forgiven me?”
“Yes. I truly believe so.”
“…I see. You truly believe that…”
From that day forward, the duke began to share stories about his late wife, Amanda.
One afternoon, as they spoke, he suddenly asked—
“Why did you not marry the man you loved?”
Cornelia did not hesitate.
For the first time, she told her story openly, concealing nothing.
There was no reason to hide it anymore.
She had already been branded “The Widow Who Sends Husbands to Their Graves.” Pretending otherwise would change nothing.
When she finished, the duke muttered,
“How terribly cruel…”
Just hearing someone say that felt like a small form of salvation.
“Count Baritone… What a heartless request he made. Surely you must have resented him?”
The duke’s question made Cornelia shake her head.
“It’s true… there were days in the beginning when I hated him. But as time passed, he began apologizing to me. He was terrified of dying, of being alone in his final days. He clung to whatever hope he could find and made that outrageous request of my family. He begged for forgiveness, saying he would soon be gone anyway.”
“An apology changes nothing. It was too late.”
“Perhaps… but over time, he began apologizing for something else. Every morning, when he awoke, he would say, ‘I’m sorry for living another day.’”
Cornelia chuckled lightly at the memory.
“Every day, he would wake up, look at me, and say, ‘I’ve lived another day. I’m sorry.’ Eventually, I couldn’t help but laugh. I told him, ‘Please don’t apologize for living. Don’t think about it anymore—just live as long as you can.’”
As Cornelia spoke, laughing softly, the duke’s eyes widened in surprise.
“You… you don’t resent him? The man who ruined your chance at happiness?”
“No. In the end, Count Baritone was a kind man. In a way… perhaps I loved him as one might love a father.”
The duke seemed startled by her words.
“And yet… surely you must have hated Marquis Brandt? I knew him well—he was a difficult, insufferable man. He made many enemies in society and was even crueler to women.”
“Yes. At first, he despised everything I did and would constantly yell at me.”
“That sounds about right,” the duke said with a knowing nod.
“But… Marquis Brandt was afraid.”
“Afraid? That arrogant man?”
“Yes. He believed that because he had wronged so many people in life, he was destined for Hell.”
“Ha! At least he was aware of his sins. But regretting them now is pointless.”
“No… I told him that it wasn’t too late.”
“Not too late?”
Cornelia nodded.
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