The moon rose and set.
The sun, too, rose diligently and set diligently.
When several days had passed, Ethan Erentis called the two princes and suggested they go on a picnic to the nearby plains.
The princes quickly sensed that it was a suggestion to leave, not an invitation to go together.
“What will we do?”
Caleb asked bluntly.
Was it the aftermath of ignoring them throughout the journey to the north? Ethan regretted it a little but concluded there was no other way.
From the time he left Tyche until now, he had been exhausted from only caring about Hyacinth. He truly had no energy left. It had been that way until now and would continue to be so.
Seeing the two standing together reminded him of his wedding in his previous life. There was no particular reason. It just seemed like they were standing together and looking at him like that back then.
He remembered the woman approaching him gracefully, wearing a veil. She was walking elegantly, holding her uncle’s hand. Her fingertips seemed slightly red, or maybe not.
The old me wasn’t an idiot, so why did I observe and remember everything in such detail?
…I really was a hopeless fool.
“Duke.”
Only then did Ethan come to his senses and face the two red-haired men looking at him pitifully.
“I think we need to get our household in order.”
“Ah.”
“If that’s the purpose. Well.”
Benjamin and Caleb exchanged glances. They, too, must have vaguely noticed Bridget Erentis’s misdeeds with their own eyes and ears. The secrets the north had buried under thick snow until now.
Of course, the ‘household’ they thought of was Bridget Erentis, while the ‘household’ Ethan thought of included both Bridget and Ethan Erentis.
He hadn’t lied.
“If you want to tidy up, well…”
Caleb muttered slowly,
“Even if we can’t testify, we can turn a blind eye.”
Benjamin said calmly.
Ethan wasn’t particularly surprised by their coldness. The Hener family was always strict when necessary and never tolerated ‘overstepping.’ Especially since they were the ruling family.
…And Bridget Erentis had crossed the line too much and ignored the hierarchy.
“Thank you for your understanding. But I don’t want the ladies to witness the incident.”
“When will you finish it?”
“By evening.”
“Got it. We’ll return after sunset.”
Trust rose from the cool promise. Ethan pondered whether to leave them a gold necklace as an inheritance.
Thus, the next day, the woman left with their party. She would probably have a happy time, liking the northern plains as she did.
He couldn’t predict how Hyacinth would feel about his death. She might feel relieved, or she might have surprisingly complex emotions, but… He wished her happiness in the warm light where he was not visible, wherever and whenever.
It is said that those who commit suicide cannot go to the world beyond.
They say they wander for a lifetime without finding rest. It was a welcome thing. From the beginning, he didn’t deserve rest. If he could at least see if the woman was safe and enjoying perfect happiness, even with a transparent body, it would be a blessing instead.
“You called for me, Your Highness.”
The butler, who appeared just in time, pulled him back to reality. Ethan slowly rubbed his forehead and ordered.
“Yes. I have something to convey to everyone staying in Bremlin.”
“What is it, Your Highness?”
“Everyone should leave the castle for a while. There is no need to inform the dowager Duchess.”
The butler’s eyes sparkled with hope, thinking that the Duke would finally kill that woman.
Since it wasn’t entirely wrong, Ethan let it be. In fact, he had considered dragging Bremlin down to death with him since it was not innocent either…
But the biggest culprit was him, and he wasn’t confident in distinguishing the people who had tormented Hyacinth. He had punished and committed suicide without having time to familiarize himself with their faces.
“Understood, Your Highness.”
The butler bowed neatly and left.
Ethan briefly, very briefly, pondered, ‘Still, that person definitely participated, so maybe I should have just killed him.’
Even though she must have seen people leaving through the window, Bridget Erentis did not leave the room. She waited for Ethan, sitting quietly in the armchair.
After calmly knocking on the door and entering, Ethan stared blankly at the red-haired woman.
“Is it today?”
“Why is your expression always like that?”
“Is today the day you kill me?”
“Yes, it seems so.”
Ethan tied the woman’s arms and the armchair’s armrests tightly with a cloth he had prepared in advance. Surprisingly, or perhaps not surprisingly at all, Bridget Erentis did not resist.
She just silently watched him create his retreat.
“I have no regrets.”
“…”
“If you don’t trust, you don’t know betrayal. If you don’t love, you don’t know heartbreak, and if you’re not happy, you don’t experience unhappiness. I raised you to know nothing. I cherished you in my own way.”
“Ah. I see.”
Ethan responded calmly. Since he would soon die and end this life, there was no reason to be agitated by whatever that woman said.
“Do you love Hyacinth Hener?”
“…”
“Loving that woman won’t bring her happiness to you. Rather, your unhappiness will go to her.”
“I know.”
I know better than anyone.
That happiness, I almost grasped it. And I took it away. I took it away with my own hands, but you can’t say you have no responsibility at all.
Ethan laughed briefly and cut off the conversation with a single word. He poured oil all over the dowager Duchess’s bedroom and finally doused the woman as well, causing her elegant lips to move again.
Oh. Are you afraid of death?
Ethan lightly sneered. If the woman begged for her life, he was confident he would laugh holding his belly. It would be the funniest and most entertaining moment of his life. Enjoying such a delightful moment, even right before death, seemed okay.
But Bridget Erentis was Bridget Erentis until the very end.
She ultimately betrayed Ethan’s expectations.
“The seal…”
“I’m not curious.”
“What?”
“Let it be ruined.”
As the woman tried to shout something, Ethan grew annoyed again. So, he made a wad of cloth and stuffed it into her mouth. Even after being gagged, her will to say something was quite intense.
That’s why he hated her.
That Bridget Erentis was the only one in Bremlin who realized his decision. How much of his life had he wasted…
Among the people of Bremlin, the only one who noticed his resolve was Bridget Erentis. It made him painfully realize how pointlessly he had lived his life.
Ethan clicked the door shut and threw the embers. The fire, soaked in oil, began to devour the door and walls. Leaving the fire to spread on its own, he climbed the stairs with a light step.
He had already chosen the places that deserved to be burned and meticulously doused them with oil. For instance, the reception room where he heard the news of the pregnancy. The bedrooms where the doctor, the head butler, and the head maid stayed.
As a result of walking with the heat at his back, Ethan arrived at the very room where Hyacinth had jumped. He broke the lock and opened the door to see the familiar windowsill.
He had braced himself for a seizure at the sight, but he managed to maintain his composure better than expected. He took the oil can he had brought and smeared oil around the room again. Finally, he poured oil on his own body and looked down.
The scenery that Hyacinth must have seen in her final moments.
The scenery that he would see until his last moment as he burned to death.
Come to think of it, Hyacinth died in winter. The summer scenery now wasn’t all that bad, but it saddened him to think she must have died seeing something truly grotesque.
He thought he heard a sorrowful cry from somewhere.
Ethan slowly closed his eyes.
* * *
Just as the carriage was about to leave Bremlin, Hyacinth sensed a strange feeling of incongruity. Her intuition was warning her. If she continued like this, something ominous would happen.
Hyacinth quietly clenched her hand into a fist. Her palm still stung from the intense beating she had given the man a few days ago. She didn’t regret it. She had been that angry.
If she hadn’t thrown herself to curse the man, she would have run at him, slapped his face, and pulled out all his hair. The resentment she couldn’t release then, she was now resolving.
…It’s dangerous.
She didn’t know what was dangerous, but something dangerous was happening. Her intuition warned her again. So, without hesitation, Hyacinth kicked the seat between Benjamin and Caleb. She kicked it so hard that it broke with a loud noise.
“Whoa! Are you crazy?”
“Hyce?”
“Stop the carriage.”
Her tone was almost commanding. Caleb tried to oppose her words, but Benjamin stopped him.
“But brother—!”
“Hyce comes first.”
With a short dismissal, Benjamin knocked on the carriage wall a few times. The carriage, which had been running smoothly, screeched to a halt.
“No. Don’t stop, turn around. I want to go back to Bremlin.”
“…”
“…”
“I want to go back.”
This time, even Benjamin hesitated.
Well, then there’s no choice. Hyacinth gathered the hem of her bliaut and tried to open the carriage door. If she couldn’t go back by carriage, she would walk back herself.
“Hyce—!”
Caleb’s sharp scream.
At the same time, Benjamin sighed. He gestured for her to sit down and knocked on the carriage door again in a different rhythm. Almost simultaneously with Hyacinth sitting down, the carriage turned around.
Not to the plains, but back to Bremlin.
To that white stone castle, the backdrop of the tragedy.
So when they arrived in Bremlin, they faced a reality that was slightly off.
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its so heartbreaking to see them reach this point. and bridget saying, “loving her won’t bring her happiness to you but rather bring your unhappiness to her,” knowing that she indirectly played a part in it must have hurt 😭
and go hyacinth!!!! save him (pls)