Chapter 75

"Ugh... uh..."

"Sadie, you're crying too much."

"Because... because Eliza is really, really beautiful..."

Next to me, where I was crying like a child, Rufus gently wiped away my tears.

Yes, today was Eliza and Norman's wedding.

I attended with Rufus and Neil, and although the ceremony has ended and we are now in the middle of the reception, my tears still won't stop. My makeup is long gone, and I must look terrible.

"But I understand how you feel. I was on the verge of crying too."

Neil smiled with a slight frown and placed his hand on my shoulder.

The two of them, dressed in pure white formal attire, looked wonderful and happy, and thinking about everything that has happened, my heart is full.

Back then, I never imagined such a happy future would come.

"And everyone here is so kind, which makes it even harder..."

This was the first time I had been in a crowded place since I woke up, but unlike the piercing gazes of the past, everyone here was concerned for me and spoke to me kindly.

Of course, that made me happy, but it also made me realize that everything was truly returning to normal, and I felt an overwhelming sense of relief.

── It has been half a year since I woke up.

Gerald is reportedly living a peaceful and quiet life, still without his memory.

Not just me, but everyone else seemed relieved as well.

During these six months, many things have happened, but the biggest event was the execution of the sentences for Tabitha and Mabel.

Tabitha is now in a prison with conditions no better than Naprov, where she is forced to do heavy labor without pay from morning till night, has no entertainment, and endures the cold every day. She will spend the rest of her life there, only leaving when she dies.

The day before Tabitha was transferred to the prison, I visited her at the detention facility in the capital.

"…Did you come to mock me?"

She seemed much calmer than the last time I saw her, perhaps having already accepted her future.

"Yes."

When I answered, Tabitha laughed in a disappointed way, saying, "You're a terrible liar."

"I realized how good a person you were over those ten years."

While Tabitha was doing as she pleased, my parents and Rufus never gave up on Sadie Arkwright because of the person I was.

Feeling a mix of sadness and sorrow, I took out a letter and passed it through the gap in the cell.

"What's that?"

"A letter from Lord Lloyd Brick, addressed to you."

The moment I said this, the smile on Tabitha's face disappeared.

── When the incident became public, Lord Lloyd learned about it.

Lord Lloyd didn't know the original me; he only knew Sadie Arkwright as created by Tabitha.

Despite this, he had a good impression of me.

"Miss Sadie always praised me."

"She said I was a hard worker who had achieved my current position through my own efforts, regardless of my environment."

Even in a country where ability is valued over status, it is rare for a civilian to hold a position like his in the civil service.

He often faced harsh words from others, and he said he was saved many times by Tabitha's words.

That's why he was deeply saddened when he learned of Tabitha's crimes.

He regretted not being able to speak to her one last time, which is why he asked me to deliver this letter. I don't know what it contains.

Lord Lloyd is an honest person, so it might contain words of reproach for her actions. But I also felt that it might contain the words she wanted to hear.

"…You really are a soft-hearted person…"

As she whispered this, her voice trembled, and she hugged the letter as if it were a treasure.

Of course, it's understandable that I would be seen as soft-hearted, and I think most people wouldn't understand my actions.

── But the ten years I lived as Tabitha were too long.

I came to understand the pain, sorrow, and unfairness she must have felt, as well as the malice and contempt directed at her.

If I had been born in her position, I would have lived a life filled with such things. Comparing myself to the fortunate life I was born into, I couldn't help but feel pity.

Of course, I haven't forgiven Tabitha, and I never will.

But she will spend the rest of her life paying for her crimes.

It will be a long and painful process, one I can't even imagine. I began to think that it would be okay for her to have something to hold onto during that time.

And I believe I can think this way because I have overcome my past and am surrounded by people I love, feeling happy.

"…Goodbye."

As I left, I thought I heard her sobs and an apology from behind me.

On the other hand, Mabel was sentenced to beheading.

My parents and Rufus advised me not to go to the execution, but I wanted to see it through to the end, so I went to the square where the execution would take place.

"We'll go too. This is really the end."

Eliza and Neil felt the same way, and the four of us attended Mabel's execution together.

The large square in the center of the capital was overflowing with people who had come to watch the execution, as it was a major event that had shaken the nation.

"…She's here."

When Eliza spoke, I looked up to see Mabel, who looked much older and more haggard than the last time I saw her three years ago.

"No, stop! I don't want to die, no! No, aaaaah! Help me!"

Mabel, perhaps realizing the fear of death at the last moment, struggled and cried uncontrollably, resisting until the end.

I've heard that the number of people she killed is in the dozens.

They must have resisted and pleaded for their lives just as she did. Considering what Mabel had done, beheading might even be too lenient.

Eventually, her resistance was in vain, and the execution was carried out without incident.

"……"

The moment Mabel's screams stopped, tears began to stream down Eliza's cheeks.

"…This is really the end, isn't it?"

"Yes. It feels anticlimactic, but maybe this is how it should be."

Even if Mabel paid for her crimes with her life, the time and things we lost can never be returned.

But thinking that the things that tormented us are gone, I felt a sense of relief.

"…Sadie? Is something wrong?"

"Ah, sorry. I was just thinking about something."

I forced a smile, not wanting to think about unnecessary things on such a special day, as Neil tilted his head in concern.

"Hehe, Sadie, you're still crying."

Meanwhile, Eliza and Norman, who had been greeting the guests, came over to us.

They smiled warmly and hugged me, whose eyes were surely swollen from crying.

"Really, really congratulations!"

"Thank you, Sadie. It's all thanks to you."

"Yes, it's all thanks to you."

My tears, which had finally stopped, started to overflow again at their words.

"No, I've been helped so much, so much, by everyone..."

Right after my body was taken, it was they who encouraged and supported me, the young me who cried every night.

I can't express how much I was saved by their presence.

"Of course, I love Neil too."

When I hugged Neil tightly, he said, "We're not kids, it's embarrassing to hug like this," but tears were welling up in his eyes.

Rufus looked at us with a very gentle gaze.