Chapter 8 – Part 2

“Thank you; if you hadn’t come with me, I would have been beaten by that woman, and I would have been very upset and frustrated.”

“I don’t think you would have gotten hit even if I hadn’t been there; you’re quite athletic and strong.”

She chuckled with a relieved smile, realizing that hitting back wasn’t wrong.

“But what did you want to say?”

Ruby had originally planned to meet with Arlen alone, but Leton insisted that he had something to tell her.

“There are some things the Marquis left for you.”

“Is that ……? Oh…….”

She suddenly remembered what Eli had said in the carriage.

“You mean he knew this was going to happen and prepared for it?”

“I don’t think so.”

If it were Eli, Leton know very well he wouldn’t leave Ruby alone and would leave no matter what happened.

“It seems like he prepared just in case. As you know, he was supposed to come down from the position of Marquis Grit soon.”

Ruby nodded. She knew that, too.

“He said that if he were to die, he wanted to be transferred to the temple, not the Marquisate of Grit. Of course, the temple talk was over, but that doesn’t mean he’s going to die …….”

Coincidentally, the paperwork on top of the pile was about where Eli would be buried after he died, so Leton quickly added.

“You mean not in the marquisate?”

“No. He doesn’t like that.”

Ruby smirked because it was so typical of him.

“Well, that’s very like Eli.”

Catching the meaning of the laugh, Leton chimed in.

“Yeah.”

Seeing that Eli’s words brought a slight smile to her face, Leton finished.

“And this is about the estate. The papers say that all of the Marquis’s property will go to you.”

“All…… of it?”

“Yes.”

Ruby was surprised when she saw the property documents. It was just a bundle of papers, but judging by them, the scale of his property exceeded that of most noble families.

“And this…….”

Leton handed over the final document. Ruby’s face hardened at the sight of it.

“……What is this, this?”

“As you can see… it’s a divorce document.”

“So, what does that mean?”

“If the Marquis were to pass away, his wife would inherit all of his property, and then naturally, the marriage would be annulled to facilitate any future remarriage for the Lady.”

Leton explained cautiously, observing Ruby’s reaction.

“Really… he’s acting on his own. Even if Eli dies and we get divorced, it’s not like I can remarry. Isn’t that right?”

Ruby laughed as if she found it ridiculous. Not because she was actually considering remarriage, but because his thoughts amused her. He was always doing as he pleased, even when she held on tight and didn’t let go… He was always going his own way.

“Who would have thought anyone would act like this? Honestly…”

Ruby lowered her gaze, trying not to let Leton see the tears that were welling up in her eyes.

Leton pretended not to notice her tears as he continued.

“He had also made arrangements for you to remarry. He made sure that His Majesty would testify to your separation, citing the issue of the previous Lady’s marital status.”

Of course, the Emperor was still unaware of the situation. However, even if he found out later, he was indeed someone who would honor Eli’s wishes, as they were written in his will.

“Really… he’s so sure about unnecessary things.”

Ruby replied, handing the papers back to Leton as if she didn’t want to look at them anymore.

She didn’t say another word until they reached the temple, seemingly uninterested in anything he had to say.

* * *

When Ruby returned, the temple was in a different mood.

“Something must have happened.”

It felt untidy enough for Leton to sense it.

“My Lady.”

Jerron, who had been guarding outside, ran up to Ruby.

“The priest in charge of this place has arrived, and he’s in your room now, seeing the Marquis.”

As soon as she heard the words, Ruby ran toward the room.

When she got to the room, she couldn’t slow down her steps, even for a moment, because she thought Eli would be up.

“I’ve been waiting for you, My Lady.”

Cedric, who had been closing his eyes the whole time, opened them just before Ruby opened the door, as if he knew she would come.

“It’s been a long time, Priest. Eli is…….”

Ruby hurriedly gave Cedric a polite greeting, but kept her eyes on Eli.

But he looked asleep, as he always did these days. Not the slightest movement.

“What happened……”

Ruby, who had believed Eli would wake up once the priest returned, couldn’t hide her disappointment.

“Cant…… can’t you fix my husband?”

Ruby’s imagination took a brief turn for the worst as she watched Cedric stare at her.

“You two are really strange.”

However, Cedric said something completely unexpected.

He turned his gaze from Ruby to Eli.

“Everyone, please leave. It should be just me, the Marchioness, and the Marquis in this room. Danny, don’t let anyone else in.”

Cedric ordered.

He meant no disturbance until they had finished their business in the room and came out on their own.

“Yes, Priest.”

Danny motioned for Gardner to come out. Seeing Ruby nodding as if it were okay, he left the room without saying a word.

Once the door closed, the three of them were alone in the room, including Eli, who was lying on his back.

“It seems the Lady has died before.”

Cedric spoke suddenly. It was a statement of certainty, without any questions.

“The Marquis, on the other hand…. seems like he came back without dying in his previous life.”

“How……”

Ruby muttered in surprise.

“I think I need to find out if I can save the Marquis or not, but do you mind if I take a moment?”

“……How can I help you?”

“You can take the Marquis’ hand and hold it with mine. I’ll hold your other hand.”

Cedric said, and Ruby and Cedric each held one of Eli’s feeble hands, while their remaining hands held each other’s.

When Cedric told her to just be still, Ruby took his hand, closed her eyes, and envisioned Eli coming back and smiling again.

All the while, Cedric literally held their hands and didn’t move an inch.

It wasn’t until hours later that Cedric opened his eyes and let go of their hands.

After hours of holding hands, neither Ruby nor Eli broke a sweat. Ruby’s hand holding Eli, on the other hand, was slightly sweaty.

Although she was surprised by that fact, she did not ask unnecessary questions and waited for Cedric to say something.

“It took a lot of twists and turns to get to this point.”

Ruby’s heart fluttered at the words.

“Was ……I not supposed to be in a relationship with my husband?”

Ruby, who thinks that they might be in a bad relationship or that they were destined to ruin each other’s lives, asked back.

Cedric smiled and shook his head as if he had heard something interesting.

“No, no. That’s not what I meant. Um…….”

Cedric struggled to choose his words.

“It means that your carriage accident was so sudden. I guess you could say it was literally unexpected bad luck that you shouldn’t have had.”

“…….”

“He ended up living less than his original lifespan… … .”

Cedric spoke up and gave Eli a look.

“I used him as a medium to turn back time, and while I gave him the blessings to do so, it seems to have affected his life as well.”

“Then……”

‘Does that mean my husband will never wake up? ’ Ruby had to take a breath before she could ask that.

“You can take my life instead. As long as Eli wakes up, I’m……”

Cedric gave her a quizzical look at the words she’d managed to stumble out.

“I’m pretty sure you’re the first …… to bring up the practice of black magic to a priest.”

“I’m sorry, I meant……”

“I know what you meant.”

At Ruby’s flustered attempt to correct him, Cedric gave her a benevolent smile and shook his head as if she didn’t need to explain.

“Anyway… the aftermath is all mine to deal with.”

Cedric muttered, staring off into thin air without looking at her. His voice was a sigh.

“What?”

“Oh, no. I mean, the Marquis can wake up without sacrificing your life.”

Cedric looked up from his mumbling and smiled softly at Ruby.

“……really?”

“Yes. Turning back time is a blessing and it should not mess up anyone’s life.”

“Ha……. Thank you, Priest.”

Ruby closed her eyes, overwhelmed.

“You should be more grateful to the Marquis for keeping you alive.”

If Eli hadn’t been alive, even that wouldn’t have been possible.

“I will be at the Marquis’ side tonight, and you may visit the temple tomorrow, and this is my blessing to you.”

Cedric said, placing his hands on top of her head.

“I will see you tomorrow, then.”

Ruby thanked him and walked out of the room, thinking that the blessing would soothe her weary heart.

TL NOTE: More advanced chapter of this story is already up to the site. Visit dusk blossoms for more advanced chapters and stories