147.

Elze’s usual grace was nowhere to be seen.

She bared her teeth and growled at Dante.

“Did you think that by dying like that, I’d forgive you?”

“…”

“Did you think I’d be happy to see you acting all noble, carrying everything on your own?!”

The sight of Dante infuriated her to the point of madness. His usual arrogant and composed demeanor was gone. His once-handsome face was caked with dried blood and bruises, his body restrained by chains like a prisoner.

And that emaciated frame of his…

Elze bit her lip until it nearly bled.

“At least you could’ve stayed in one piece.”

“…Elze.”

“Does it make you feel better, flipping my insides upside down like this?!”

Unable to contain her rising emotions, Elze shook him violently by the collar.

As she gripped him tightly, Dante simply gazed up at her.

Those desperate crimson eyes.

His lips, trembling as if even forming a single word was too daunting.

She hated him for it, yet at the same time, her heart ached unbearably.

And despite it all, she still found him infuriatingly endearing.

“…Ugh.”

A guttural sound rose from the back of Elze’s throat like the growl of a wounded beast.

Her grip on his collar loosened.

Thud.

She collapsed to her knees, unable to stand any longer.

“You… terrible…”

Tears spilled from her small face, streaming uncontrollably.

She rested her forehead against his chest, her voice trembling with suppressed emotion.

“I hate you… so much.”

“I know.”

A voice, hoarse and raw, answered her.

The resentment that had piled up endlessly.

The grievances she had never once expressed.

For the first time, that man was listening to them.

Her sobs burst forth again, breaking through her lips.

“Hic… sob… sob…”

This wasn’t what she had wanted.

She hadn’t wanted to see Dante in such a pitiful state.

She hadn’t wanted him to choose death without hesitation, claiming to free her from this wretched cycle.

Through tear-filled amber eyes, she looked up at him.

“All I ever wanted… was to be loved by you.”

“…”

Dante couldn’t bring himself to respond.

He simply looked down at her, his face contorted with regret.

Elze spoke again, her voice quivering.

“Even if you didn’t love me… at the very least.”

A tear slid down her pale cheek once more.

“You could’ve respected the love I had for you… just a little.”

These were feelings she had buried deep within her, spoken only now after summoning every ounce of courage she had.

Faced with that truth, Dante remained silent for a long time.

And then.

“…I’m sorry.”

His voice, no longer confident and assured, came out in a trembling whisper.

Filled with fear and guilt, it was pathetically weak.

Elze’s gaze wavered.

‘That’s all I wanted…’

She had always wanted to hear those words.

For Dante to admit his faults and seek her forgiveness.

But she had never believed it would happen.

That was why she had left him.

Rather than endure his cold indifference any longer, she had wanted to abandon him first.

Yet even in the moment she let go of his hand.

Even when she convinced herself she had trampled all her feelings for him.

There had been one lingering hope she couldn’t cast aside.

‘The truth is, I…’

Elze shut her eyes tightly.

‘I wanted to be happy with Dante.’

After a moment, she exhaled slowly, her emotions somewhat calmed.

When she opened her eyes again, her gaze, which had wavered like a stormy sea, was now tranquil and steady.

“I’ll decide how you atone.”

She declared firmly to Dante, whose face looked as though he were awaiting a death sentence.

“Live. Stay by my side… and atone.”

“…What?”

Dante’s eyes widened in surprise at her unexpected words.

The despair that had filled his crimson eyes gave way to a faint glimmer.

Hope.

Elze steadied herself, forcing calm into her voice as she continued.

“I haven’t forgiven you yet.”

“Elze.”

“I might lash out or lose control of my emotions. It’ll be difficult. Really difficult.”

Taking a deep breath, she concluded.

“If you’re truly okay with that… come with me. Let’s go home.”

Dante stared at her blankly for a long moment.

And then.

He struggled to form words.

“Is that… really okay?”

“Yes.”

Elze nodded quietly.

At that moment.

Drop.

A single tear slid down Dante’s face.

A single tear fell from Dante’s crimson eyes.

In a trembling voice, he asked again.

“You’ll… stay by my side?”

“Yes.”

There wasn’t an ounce of hesitation in Elze’s reply.

For once, Dante was at a loss for words.

“This is… I mean…”

He stammered for a moment before biting down on his lip.

Any attempt to steady himself proved futile, and he burst into tears like a child.

Seeing his tears, Elze felt something deep within her chest begin to thaw, the bitterness slowly melting away.

* * *

Dante, who had been confined for so long, was in no condition to walk unaided. Elze supported him herself.

“I can walk on my own.”

Even in such a state, Dante tried to maintain his pride, but Elze silenced him coldly.

“Just stay quiet and behave.”

“…”

Dante obediently fell silent.

Not long after.

“Lady, we’ll assist the marquess.”

“Indeed, you must be exhausted yourself,” Lucian and Benedict offered, stepping forward to help.

“It’s fine,” Elze refused.

In truth, she didn’t want to be apart from Dante, not even for a moment.

And so, the three of them exited the underground chamber together.

As they opened the door, white flakes gently fell from the ashen sky.

It was snowing.

‘Ah.’

The realization struck her—time, which had been frozen for so long, was moving forward again.

Elze gazed at the sky, taking a deep breath of the cold air. It felt as though her lungs were being thoroughly cleansed, leaving her with a faint sense of relief.

At that moment, the duke’s servants came rushing toward them from a distance.

“Your Grace!”

“Oh my, who are these…?”

The flustered servants surrounded Lucian, bombarding him with questions.

Lucian frowned slightly as he answered.

“Escort them to the guest rooms. See to it that they are treated with the utmost care.”

“Pardon?”

The servants looked confused, but Lucian offered no further explanation.

Instead, he turned his complex gaze to Elze, who stood beside Dante.

Dong—Dong—Dong—

The chimes of a clock echoed.

It was three in the afternoon.

Elze suddenly became aware of the date.

‘December 28, 1820.’

But now, time would continue to flow.

The 28th would pass into the 29th, and soon a new year would arrive.

She, who had been eternally trapped at twenty-five, would turn twenty-six, then twenty-seven…

Someday, with snow-white hair and a face lined with wrinkles, she might find herself surrounded by grandchildren.

And perhaps she would say that her life, for all its twists and turns, hadn’t been too bad.

And beside her…

‘Will this man still be here?’

Elze glanced at Dante out of the corner of her eye.

How long would the tangled threads of their love and resentment hold them together?

Would they continue to hurt each other, inflicting fresh wounds?

Would she, in the end, be unable to forgive him?

She didn’t know yet.

‘But still.’

Amid the chaos of love and hate, one thing was clear.

She didn’t want to let go of the hand she was holding.

If possible, she wanted to stay with him forever.

At that moment, Dante looked down at Elze.

A man who had lived his entire life without knowing fear, now spoke with a subdued gaze.

“Will you truly stay by my side? …Is that okay?”

But Elze did not waver.

“I was the one who told you to come home with me, to atone by staying by my side.”

She replied firmly, then added playfully.

“You’re going to spend your life groveling at my feet. Got it?”

At her words, a faint smile tugged at Dante’s lips.

“As much as you want.”

With that, the conversation ended.

For the first time, the two walked forward, side by side, seeing eye to eye.

The sound of their footsteps crunching in the snow was light and cheerful.

The woman who was no longer this world’s villainess smiled with relief.

It was a pure, unclouded smile.

—The End—

Tl/N: And here we are at the end of the main story! God, it’s been a journey. Want me to rate this novel? Honestly, I’m disappointed with Marguerite’s ending, but I’ll leave it at that.
I wanted to talk to you all about something. This novel was originally supposed to end in mid-March according to my old schedule, but it got dragged out a lot, and I’m really sorry about that. The full year of 2024 was hectic for me—it was my university’s final year. I got so sick that I couldn’t translate or even focus on my exams, and unfortunately, I failed one of them. On top of that, I ran out of money… It was a lot to handle. I tried my best to provide quality translations, but all these ups and downs really took a toll on me.
Okay, enough of the depressing talk. I want to thank you, my dear readers, for supporting me and helping me hold it together. If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have had the courage to keep going. Honestly, I would’ve dropped this project after moving away from Salmon. So, thank you all! I truly hope you enjoyed this novel, and I hope you have a blessed Christmas and a happy, loving New Year.
Here’s to brighter days ahead! 💖