Chapter 6
“…(omission)
My dear Charlotte, one day, as I was thinking of those past days, I suddenly had this thought.
I can’t breathe just thinking about you dying, but what about you? Would you be very sad?
It may seem like a pointless worry, but I thought about it for a long time. And I came to this conclusion:
‘I hope you forget all of this again.’
Hmm, is that too sad of a thought? If so, Charlotte,
if that situation ever comes, please think of me and be sad for just 1 minute a day. Just that much. Anything more would hurt me too, seeing you in pain.
Of course, I will do my best to ensure such a terrible thing never comes to us…(end of excerpt)” — Excerpt from a letter from a day Charlotte will never see.
“Sir, will you be accepting all of these gifts as well?”
Charlotte, who had been focusing on her work, looked up at her aide. There was a look of embarrassment on his face.
She signed the final document, then leaned back in her chair. Despite three years having passed, the chair still felt too large, making her back ache.
“What is it this time?”
“It’s silk sent by Baron Illair, a dress from Marquis Berche, various health supplements, and many kinds of jewels and artifacts.”
“I see,” Charlotte said, repeatedly tapping her fountain pen on the desk. Her face, usually expressionless, now had a slight crack.
Had it been the old days, her face would have been one to strike fear. But the aide looking at her now appeared calm, even with a hint of anticipation.
“For the first half of the year, distribute it among the servants of the mansion. Convert the rest into money and donate it to an orphanage.”
“Understood, Your Excellency!”
The aide’s voice noticeably rose. He immediately closed his mouth, startled by his own words, as Charlotte gave a faint smile.
Seeing her smile, the aide cleared his throat awkwardly. He never knew what expression to make when she, usually so serious, smiled occasionally.
“Ahem. Then I will take my leave.”
The aide hurried out of the office, eager to distribute the bonuses fairly among all the servants.
Charlotte remained seated for a while, her back aching from the large chair.
Click.
She opened the drawer she was familiar with. Unlike three years ago, there was now only one letter inside.
She picked it up and sliced open the envelope with practiced fingers. The cool feel of the letter inside contrasted with her sun-warmed hands, bringing her a moment of relief.
Charlotte slowly unfolded the letter, which had been folded in half, and ran her fingers over it.
“What meaning should I live with now, Noctem?”
Today was the last letter. And oddly, it was the last letter he had written, dated July 3rd.
‘Perhaps God gave me this trial so that He could understand your pain.’
Charlotte, pressing down on her pounding heart, opened the folded letter. The familiar handwriting she had seen for three years greeted her first.
“Year 847 of the Empire, July 3rd.
To my beloved wife, Charlotte.
Charlotte! It’s already July 3rd. You probably don’t understand why I am reacting like this, do you?
But you’ll soon find out. Tomorrow, that is.”
“Tomorrow, July 4th? That day, there was nothing but my trial…”
Charlotte furrowed her brow. Despite his position as Duke and the first prince, he surely knew about her trial.
But why did he seem so carefree? She read on, hoping to find an answer.
“Normally, I should keep quiet, but I wanted to write a little, so you won’t be too surprised.
This will help calm my heart.
For July 4th, I received a lot of help from the Huryll Guild and the imperial family. I trusted the words you told me.
His Majesty said I was going too far, but since you said that to me, I made this plan and have high expectations.”
“This makes no sense…”
What had she said that made him send her a summons for trial?
A deep sigh escaped Charlotte.
The more she read, the less she understood.
Her words, his plans, the trial summons — none of it fit together.
Charlotte tried to recall anything she might have said to Noctem, but she couldn’t remember a thing.
“Though I don’t wish to see your tears, tomorrow, I truly wish to see Charlotte’s tears.
I will go to the Huryll Guild one last time today to confirm everything. I hope you won’t be too surprised by His Majesty’s letter.
Oh, it’s time for me to go now.
I’ll be thinking of our future, which is about to begin again.
Your husband, Noctem Afros.”
“…”
The letter ended. Normally, she would have read it over and over, but today, she just stared at her husband’s name.
It was confusing. This was a new feeling for her, who had expected to be affected by the letter’s aftereffects.
Had he hidden something intentionally, worried she might lose meaning in her life?
“If this wasn’t about a trial for sin, what could it possibly be?”
A subtle tension gripped her other hand, which wasn’t holding the letter.
Yes, why did she only now feel the sense of unease? Looking back, there were so many strange things.
No matter that she was Noctem’s wife, his death meant that the family could realistically disappear without any issue.
Yet, she had become the head of the Duke’s family, and no trial had taken place.
Even the Emperor hadn’t shown any sign of displeasure toward her.
“…I guess I’ll have to visit the Huryll Guild.”
It would be impossible to learn the full details from the Emperor. Her last hope was the guild mentioned in the letter.
Charlotte called her aide again and instructed him to gather information about the guild before continuing with her stack of paperwork, which had piled up to her head.
For the three years since Noctem’s death, she had worked relentlessly, determined not to tarnish his name.
Among her many endeavors, she had focused most on projects benefiting the citizens of the Empire, which had earned her the title of “Saint Duchess” from the people.
It was a far cry from the former title of “the villainess who mocked the citizens with money” she once held.
‘It must be because Noctem’s death deviated from the original story.’
Charlotte finished signing the report on the Empire’s free healthcare initiative.
Exhausted, she moved from her office to the adjoining bedroom.
It was the bedroom Noctem had used.
Without assistance from her maid, Charlotte prepared herself for bed and brought the letter she had read earlier to read it slowly once more.
“The last thing I’ll do today is confirm something with the Huryll Guild.”
“That thing was for me, wasn’t it? I must have led you to your death.”
In the dark of the night, Charlotte’s voice, tinged with tears, echoed through the empty room.
“How I wish I could go back to the past… then I could have told you I loved you before getting on that carriage.”
But it was all just a fleeting dream. As she faintly smiled, a tear clung to her eye and trickled down her cheek.
‘I could cry enough to melt the eyes you longed to see…’
Ignoring her tear-streaked face, Charlotte closed her eyes. Perhaps from crying too much, her head spun.
‘I just need to read it one more time before I sleep, but…’
Her resolve proved futile as her head slowly dropped down.
Mmm.
Her whole body ached. It felt as though she had been struck by someone, her body refusing to cooperate. Even her head was ringing, making it difficult to discern if she was in reality or a dream.
Could she open her eyes? She furrowed her brow.
‘Have I overworked myself lately?’
After all, she hadn’t been able to sleep more than three hours a day ever since the letters had noticeably stopped arriving. When she tried to move and rise, a thud sounded nearby.
There couldn’t be a sound like that in her bedroom. The Duke’s residence was protected by magic Noctem had painstakingly set up.
‘Then, this must be a dream.’
Charlotte thought in her dazed state. The one who had made the loud noise walked toward her with a steady pace.
“…Are you okay, Lady?”
Tap, tap. The man gently tapped her shoulder. Charlotte paid more attention to the voice than to the man trying to wake her up.
It was a low, rough, unfamiliar voice, but one she knew very well.
It was a voice she longed for.
As soon as she realized who the man was, her stiffened body relaxed, and her eyes snapped open.
No way.
“Darling!”
It was Noctem. Truly, Noctem was standing before her!
Instinctively, tears welled up. She clutched at him, afraid he would disappear.
“Why, how could you appear in my dream now? How long I’ve waited…”
It was far too late. He had only just appeared three years after his passing.
He said something, but Charlotte couldn’t focus on his words as she felt his presence so vividly. In the dream, he seemed so strange—like his hair didn’t flutter despite being in uniform.
“Did you cut your hair short in the dream because I said I didn’t like long hair? I… oh, Noctem. This can’t be.”
Seeing his hair cut short pained her. When she lowered her head slightly, she noticed the weapon strapped to his waist.
“Why are you carrying a sword? I’m sorry, for making you wear such a dangerous weapon.”
Was this because of something I once said to you?
‘I hate your long hair. I don’t like your beautiful face that’s more beautiful than any woman’s. I don’t want you to learn magic, to stay home because of it. Your kind personality too. I hate all of it.’
Tears flowed freely down her face. Why had she said those things that led him to appear like this in her dream?
Why had she treated him so coldly and made him suffer till the end?
“I… I wanted to tell you I’m sorry for telling you not to take the carriage…”
Her words came out in a jumble. It was as if she was making excuses, but instead of getting angry at her, he gently patted her.
“If only you were alive…”
If that were the case, she would have felt like she had the whole world. She cried for a long time. He continued to silently comfort her, and Charlotte, feeling the warmth of his presence, soon fainted.
Was it because only one letter remained, or was it the guild?
Charlotte, having dreamed of meeting Noctem, fell into another dream.
This time, she dreamed of becoming the villainess who tormented the male lead, Noctem, horribly.
‘How dare these lowly beings lay a hand on me?! Get out of here, right now!’
‘Who do you think you are, my sister?! If you were born with such vile blood, you should live quietly in a corner. How could someone like you be my sibling? It’s truly horrifying!’
‘How dare I offer charity and you can’t even accept it quietly? Ha! This is why commoners are no good! Insects like you!’
‘Duke Noctem Afros! I will marry him, no matter what. I will never marry anyone else!’
The dream was so vivid that Charlotte wondered if she had temporarily possessed the role of a villainess.
But just at that moment,
“…Charlotte!”
Someone urgently called her name. In an instant, it was as though she had been pulled up from the depths of sleep, and Charlotte’s eyes snapped open.
What she saw was not the familiar Duke’s bedroom, but a strange ceiling.
‘Am I still dreaming?’
Charlotte stared at the ornate ceiling with a dazed look on her face.
The dream that had tormented her had long since scattered.
At that moment, to confirm that it was indeed a dream, a voice came from the side.
“I couldn’t see you, so I came looking and almost had a heart attack, Charlotte.”
It was none other than Adrian Berche.
“…What?”
Seeing his face after nearly a month made him look younger. Had he been taking care of his skin?
‘Wait, no. That can’t be right.’
Adrian couldn’t possibly be here, and there was no way she had collapsed in the garden and entered some strange space.
She had definitely been in the Duke’s bedroom.
Moreover, Adrian was currently away on an assignment abroad by order of the Emperor.
