Episode 12
Chelsea would be forced to eat the fruit again whenever this happened.
“Your father’s inheritance? How can there be anything left? You don’t even know how much I’ve struggled to raise you…”
When she grew older and realized how unfairly she had been treated, when she demanded the inheritance that should have been left for her, only to be coldly refused — Every time she was disappointed by her uncle’s family, she remembered the sweet fruit and suppressed her heart.
She recalled the bit of affection her uncle had given her.
So, she thought she’d forget everything after leaving the house with only her dowry.
“Would you like to try some fruit? It’s sure to strengthen you”
Chelsea sincerely believed that the fruit was both a token of affection and a remedy for her, so whenever she received fruit from the Larmin estate, she shared it with everyone at the Marquis’s estate.
Especially for the ailing previous Marchioness, she personally cut and fed it to her almost every morning and evening.
Yet, the Marchioness’ health continued to deteriorate.
It seemed that the quantity was insufficient.
The fruit she received from the Larmin estate alone wasn’t enough.
So, Chelsea decided to collect the seeds from the fruit and grow them herself.
However, not long after she planted the seeds in the greenhouse, she witnessed an unbelievable sight.
“Why did they all die?”
She had simply tried planting them together with other fruit trees.
But as soon as the sprouts emerged, all the surrounding trees withered and died.
The air felt chillingly cold, enough to raise goosebumps on her arms, even though she had never adjusted the temperature.
Only then did Chelsea realize the true nature of the ‘fruit’ she had been eating all this time.
It was the ‘cursed seed’ that she had only seen in botany books, which, the moment it sprouts, absorbs the vitality of its surroundings and creates a powerful addictive effect.
She had believed in the fruit as the last remaining affection from her family without a shred of doubt.
How foolish her thoughts had been.
How naive her imagination.
She belatedly realized that not only was she completely addicted to the cursed fruit, but she had also put her in-laws in danger.
Other people were okay since they hadn’t eaten it many times.
But her mother-in-law, who had cherished her like her own daughter…
“It’s all because of me. Because of me, your condition worsened faster than the doctor said… I’m sorry, I’m sorry…”
When the former Marchioness called Chelsea alone just before her death, she confessed her sins through tears and said she would accept any punishment.
However, the emaciated Marchioness simply shook her head quietly.
“It’s alright, my child. I was going to die soon anyway, so I have no regrets. …Do you remember the spirit grass? Grow it. You can do it.”
In place of hiding all the mistakes, the Marchioness left a will asking Chelsea to grow the spirit grass.
The spirit grass was an extremely difficult plant that the former Marchioness had tried to grow her entire life but failed.
Even though it was a plant, it recognized its owner by choosing a person, and only bloomed if given the exact amount of water and sunlight at the precise time.
Following the Marchioness’ will, Chelsea also tried tirelessly to make the spirit grass bloom, but she failed repeatedly.
The continuous failures, her husband’s changes, and the inescapable guilt slowly consumed Chelsea.
She eventually chose to run away from it all.
She vowed to wash away her sins by leaving for a foreign country where she had no ties and dying alone in solitude.
However, what stopped her at the final crossroad of her choice was…
Click.
The greenhouse door opened slightly.
Chelsea, who had been peering inside through the gap, quietly stepped in.
It was the time when the caretaker would be having lunch.
There were no guards to speak of, except for the greenhouse caretaker, thanks to the self-security system.
Therefore, entering the greenhouse itself wasn’t difficult.
‘It’s almost 12 o’clock.’
Chelsea checked the time and headed inside, confirming that the other flowers and trees were growing healthily. Thanks to entrusting the caretaking to the gardener by spending all her remaining dowry to manage them (except the money she took to make her escape), they all seemed very healthy.
Now, if she just checked the plants in the innermost area…
“Marchioness Grayden.”
However, before she could open the innermost door, Chelsea had to stop and turn around at the sound of a clear voice calling her name.
“Have you come to check on the spirit grass?”
How did they know…?
She forced her stiff body to turn and looked in the direction of the voice.
It was a woman she had never seen before. Yet, she felt something familiar about her.
“Today is the last day to give sunlight, isn’t it?”
Chelsea was at a loss for words, her mouth gaping open.
Who was she?
Was she someone sent by the Marquis?
She would need to somehow coax her into pretending she didn’t see her…
“Chelsea.”
However, before she could open her lips, she heard a familiar voice.
“My Lord..”
She thought she had already severed her feelings.
It was a marriage based on a contract, so she repeated to herself that it would be easy to forget, that she wouldn’t want to see him anyway.
However, the moment she saw the Marquis’s face, Chelsea’s heart ached with a longing that felt like it was being squeezed by a vise.
“Did you hate me that much?”
The Marquis asked, taking a careful small step closer.
“Enough to leave everything behind and run away?”
The area around his eyes was reddened.
He could only look at Chelsea with a pained face, unable to get any closer to her.
“That’s why you threw away all the jewelry and gold I gave you and left? Because you couldn’t stand the sight of me?”
“That’s…”
“So this is…”
The Marquis reached out to her but then hesitated and stepped back, as if afraid she might disappear if he touched her.
“You’ve become so thin. Like a fool… Even if you hated me, you should have at least taken enough to take care of yourself. It’s not like the money of a detestable man matters anyway.”
Chelsea looked up at the Marquis’s face quietly.
He had an expression she had never seen before.
The eyes that were always cold, the lips that had uttered harsh words, were trembling pitifully.
The man who had been so indifferent seemed to have completely broken down in front of her.
After watching his face in silence for a moment, Chelsea shook her head quietly.
“I’m sorry, My Lord… It’s not your fault. It’s my mistake. I-I, because of me, everyone, the Marchioness……”
Unable to continue, Chelsea burst into tears.
The guilt of putting her in-laws, who had cherished her despite her shortcomings, in danger surged up. Unable to overcome the overwhelming self-loathing, she crumpled to the ground, and the startled Marquis rushed over to support her.
“Chelsea!”
Even then, only her tears continued to pour out uncontrollably.
She just wanted to lean on him and cry her heart out.
But that was not something she was allowed to do.
“I can’t come back. It’s all because of me. Because of me…”
“No, it’s not your fault.”
Before Chelsea could say anything, the Marquis said firmly.
Chelsea looked up in confusion.
Then, she saw the Marquis’s calm face, as if he knew everything.
“Mother’s passing wasn’t your fault. She knew and had already forgiven you.”
“How… did you…”
“Chelsea, my mother didn’t blame you; rather, she blamed me. She said I was lacking as a husband.”
“…”
“Mother was right. If I had been a more reliable husband… you wouldn’t have suffered so much.”
He held her trembling hand tightly.
“…So it’s all my fault.”
Pulling her by the hand into his arms, the Marquis embraced her and whispered.
“It felt like my soul had been ripped away while you were gone.”
His soft voice echoed in her ears.
“How empty the space you left behind was. If I could get you back, It felt like I’d even sell my soul to the devil. …Without you, it felt like I was a void; I couldn’t feel anything.”
“My Marquis…”
“Chelsea, I can’t be without you.”
Her tearful face was reflected in his deeply sunken eyes.
Something cold and metallic touched her tightly held fingers.
Cheesy ahh regret novel ending
Nomnomnom cheeeeese 😁
Thank you 🤗🤗🤗