Chapter 59 Realizing Too Late - Side William -
I received that letter when I was preparing for the heavy tax season at the royal estate.
It's been over a year since the governor and accountant's embezzlement was exposed. We've lost many bureaucrats, and we still can't grasp the current situation. Doing tax procedures in this situation feels like walking on thin ice.
The sender of the letter was 'Adelia'. What a detestable name. She not only seduced my promising son and eloped with him but also got him involved in some shady business, unbefitting of a noble. And to top it off, Arthur lost his life in the middle of that business.
When the embezzlement was exposed and we hastily appointed Robert as the new governor, Robert suggested to me that we should pardon Arthur.
"Father, Arthur is better with numbers than I am. Why not make him an accountant? He'll probably solve this problem faster than I can. It's been 8 years already. Don't you think it's about time we forgave Arthur?"
It's indeed been 8 years. In the meantime, the 2 of them have even had a daughter. Instead of doing business for a living, it would be better for her sake if he worked for the territory.
However, I hesitated to send a letter to let Arthur return. If Arthur comes back, that woman will also come to Grandchester territory. I want to see Arthur and my grandchild, but I don't want to see that woman.
Adelia was indeed a beautiful woman. She had an otherworldly beauty that you wouldn't expect from a commoner, and people around her would fawn over her. With that kind of beauty, she could have married into a wealthy merchant family or become a noble's mistress. But she was stubbornly helping her father with his business.
In reality, there were many high-ranking nobles who wanted to make her their mistress, but she turned them all down. She's a proud and arrogant woman with a commoner's mentality.
The reason that woman and my father came to the Grandchester territory was for the grain trade, known as rice and soybeans. Although both are produced in other countries, they are suitable for storage, and we've been purchasing them for several years now. That woman was teaching our bureaucrats in Grandchester how to cook delicious rice, but it seemed like they were more interested in her appearance than in listening to her seriously.
Before I knew it, Arthur and that woman had become lovers. Robert also showed interest, but it was clear that he wasn't serious, especially since he's been pining for Lady Rebecca from the Orson family for years.
To be honest, I didn't strongly oppose Arthur and that woman's relationship. It was quite pleasant to see my son being charmed by a beautiful woman who was sought after by many nobles.
However, a problem arose. The 2 of them declared that they wanted to get "formally married". If he just wanted to make her a mistress, it wouldn't be a problem. It's not uncommon for nobles to have mistresses before marriage, and it's not a big deal.
But if they were to get formally married, it would be a different story. A noble's marriage is a union between families, and it requires the church's approval, which would be recorded in the national noble registry. In other words, it would mean accepting a commoner into the Grandchester family, which is unacceptable.
I opposed their marriage and, together with my father, banished that woman from our territory. I thought Arthur would give up, but a few days later, I was shocked to find out that he had left home to chase after her.
Arthur gave up his knight's title, handed over the land he received as a gift for his magic awakening to Robert, and chose to live as a commoner. And that woman, not wanting to involve her family, abandoned her home. The 2 of them got formally married in a church as commoners and eventually settled down in a town near the national border, where they made a living through small trade.
I was enraged. Arthur, the son with the most excellent brain among my children, had chosen that woman over me and Grandchester. And to make matters worse, she had seduced my son and made him abandon his noble status. I detested that woman intensely.
A few years later, a ruthless letter arrived, as if to mock my frustration.
----
Arthur died in a carriage accident
----
God was merciless.
I didn't attend Arthur's funeral. I ordered my sons not to attend the funeral of a man who had abandoned his family. I couldn't accept Arthur's death, and my swirling grief turned into hatred towards that woman.
And then, half a year later, this letter arrived. She's probably after my money. It's not easy to raise a daughter on her own, after all. Why not take the daughter in, then? If she's beautiful, it'll be easier for her to find a new husband. If she wants to be a noble's mistress, I can introduce her to someone discreetly.
However, when I opened the letter, I was shocked by its contents.
----
To Marquis Grandchester
Please forgive me for sending this sudden and impolite letter.
I am already on my deathbed and will likely pass away in a few days.
But before I die, there is something I must tell you.
My husband's death was not an accident.
A merchant named Chizen, who was jealous of Arthur's business, paid bandits to attack him.
I heard this from Baron Raska, who wants to make me his mistress.
Baron Raska said he would protect me and my daughter from the evil merchant, but he might be in cahoots with him.
I apologize for my impertinent request.
Please, after I die, can you protect Sara from Baron Raska's clutches?
I know it may seem foolish, but Sara was born a beautiful daughter.
Baron Raska intends to take Sara in and make her his mistress when she grows up.
For a commoner's daughter, becoming a noble's concubine might be a stroke of good luck. However, if it's someone who might be her parent's enemy, it's too pitiful for the daughter.
There's no need for the Grandchester family to take me in. Please, I beg of you, let her live happily as an adopted daughter in an ordinary family.
I loved Arthur, and my daughter Sara was truly happy when she was born.
However, I'm deeply sorry for causing His Excellency the Marquis and the Grandchester family sorrow because of that.
As I stand before death, I humbly beg of you to grant my heartfelt wish.
Adelia
----
What's going on? Arthur wasn't in an accident, but was murdered?!
I need to hear the details directly from Adelia. I rushed to the town near the national border on horseback.
When I visited the address on the letter, I found a small, combined store and residence. However, it was clear that the store had been closed for some time, and the garden was overgrown.
When I knocked on the door, a young girl came out. She's probably Sara. Although she's thin, she has a surprisingly refined face, and I can tell she'll grow up to be beautiful in a few years.
"I'm William Grandchester. Is Ms. Adelia at home?"
"Welcome. I'm Sara. My mother is sleeping."
Despite her young age, she seems to have been well-trained.
"It's not right to make a child like you receive guests. Is Ms. Adelia in poor health?"
"No, she was very ill a few days ago, but she's fine now. She's not in pain at all, I think. My mother won't wake up anymore."
I finally noticed that Sara's eyes were empty.
"What do you mean she won't wake up anymore?"
"That's right. My mother has fallen into a long sleep. I'll sleep with her soon too."
It seems I was too late.
Even as a child, Sara understood the concept of "death," but she didn't know the word for it. That's because when her father passed away, her mother only told her, "Father has gone to a long sleep."
"Wait. You're still young, you can't go to a long sleep like that."
"No, if I just sleep without eating anything, I'll be able to sleep like Mother and Father."
I was terrified by the child's words and hastily stopped Sara. If I hadn't, she would have really gone to sleep with her parents, and it seemed like she would disappear right before my eyes.
"Can't you let me meet Ms. Adelia?"
"My mother doesn't want to be seen sleeping by a man she doesn't know."
"No, I'm not a stranger. I'm your grandfather. I'm like a father to Ms. Adelia."
If it were in the past, I might have thought it was ridiculous to call myself her father-in-law. But my reason told me that I shouldn't keep belittling the deceased woman.
"Huh?"
"You're my son's father. Arthur is my son."
"Uh, so that means you're a relative, right?"
"That's right."
"I understand. Then please go see my mother."
And so I entered Adelia's bedroom, where I faced the remains of my son's wife, who had lost her former beauty and was now nothing but skin and bones. Her once-luxurious platinum hair had lost its luster, and her beautiful gem-like eyes, which would never open again, were closed.
At that moment, I deeply regretted not forgiving the 2 of them. If I had gone to meet Arthur before he died, if I had forgiven them from the start, it would have been better. If only they had lived, that would have been enough. But because of my stupid pride as a noble, I ended up letting them die in vain.
And so I decided to take Sara in and raise her at my estate, and I held a funeral for Arthur and Adelia in Grandchester. Arthur, who had died in a distant land, was cremated, and only his ashes and bones were returned to Adelia's hands. I buried Adelia's remains in the graveyard along with Arthur's bones. I kept the ashes with me, but I would have to give them to Sara someday.
After that, I reinstated Arthur as a knight and registered him as a noble, with Adelia as his wife. My eldest son Edward and his wife Elizabeth opposed this, but I didn't care and went ahead with the procedure. Seeing my eldest son and his wife oppose me was unpleasant, reminiscent of my own foolish self who had opposed the 2 of them in the past.
And then, I secretly began investigating the cause of Arthur's death. I will not forgive those who drove my son and daughter-in-law to their deaths.
However, contrary to my thoughts, my actions were still going around in circles.
When I reinstated Arthur as a noble, I had forgotten that his daughter was no longer a noble but a commoner. As my grandchild, Sara wouldn't be blamed for acting like a noble while I'm still a Marquis, but once Edward inherits the title, Sara will have to live as a commoner.
Moreover, I hadn't deeply considered how my eldest son and his children would treat her in her precarious position.
And so, Sara was repeatedly hurt at the Grandchester estate in the capital. As a result, her memories from her past life awakened, but it's not something to be simply happy about.
The hurt Sara had already made up her mind to leave Grandchester.
Why do I always realize the importance of things only after it's too late?
And at times like these, I inevitably think of my wife who passed away 15 years ago. If my wife were still alive, perhaps Sara wouldn't have been hurt, and maybe even Arthur's elopement could have been stopped. I end up thinking about such things.
How weak a creature a man is.
"Norah... I miss you."
I spoke to the delicate portrait of my wife on my desk. Her smile, framed in a small picture, seemed to be saying, "You're such a troublesome person, Will."
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