The Man’s 101st Bad Ending

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Theresa’s attitude was quite confident.

Rather than coming to seek forgiveness for her sins, it seemed to contain a determination to uncover something from me.

I did not know her true intentions.

But I had a feeling those intentions would be quite absurd.

…At the very least, it was clear she was not here to sincerely apologize to me.

Watching the woman walking quite upright from afar, I quietly thought about what would happen next.

Even as she approached me, stepping through the garden, Theresa’s eyes did not waver in the slightest.

Was she thinking about what to say in her mind?

While waiting for what words she would utter first, Theresa walked up to me and stared intently at the round table.

“Where is the antidote?”

“What antidote are you referring to?”

“Don’t play dumb and tell me quickly. What poison was my brother poisoned with? I’ve never even heard of a poison that even a priest can’t cure.”

Of course. I had never used any poison in the first place.

However, it was true that there were no doctors skilled enough to cure acute pneumonia in reality.

Could the saint have cured it if she were here?

It was not that I had not considered that possibility, but I had never heard of the saint’s holy power being able to heal illnesses.

The eyes looking down at me as I sat were calm.

The darkness was deep and cold, conveying to me that her mind was slowly twisting.

Did she hate me, or resent me?

I did not know which of the two was correct, but one thing was certain – she had come with some sort of resolution.

…But still, she should not have lost her manners.

“You’re talking about an antidote as soon as you arrive. I haven’t heard anything about poison either. Is your brother perhaps unwell?”

“…Don’t ask when you already know. My brother is dying, and you’re well-!”

“How would I know that?”

The voice that flowed from my mouth was colder than even I expected.

But it was the truth.

I may have known the future where her brother would fall ill, but I only learned that it had happened in this turn from the recent contact, didn’t I?

“Are you going to pretend you didn’t know about my brother’s condition now?”

“Putting aside pretenses, this is quite the improper attitude. I received a message that you wanted to apologize, but it seems someone else must have written it?”

“I will apologize. But-”

“You should have apologized first. Instead of coming here and immediately demanding an antidote.”

A sneer inadvertently escaped, twisting the corners of my mouth. My mood had become quite unpleasant.

It may have been because of her face and the past that had surfaced, but my feelings towards my past self who had been swayed by a woman of this caliber were stronger.

I could have discarded her long ago. If I had cast her out a little sooner. I wouldn’t have had such regrets.

I took no action towards Theresa’s surroundings.

I had done nothing to her, yet she had come all the way here, doubting my words.

The misunderstanding could have been cleared. But that desire had disappeared.

Perhaps the moment she came here, her fate had been twisted.

The future that could have changed even slightly if she had sincerely knelt and apologized now began to completely disappear from my mind.

Suddenly, Theresa’s body trembled.

The moment our eyes met, she took a step back, narrowing her eyes as if wary of me.

“I don’t understand why you’re looking at me like that. Are you afraid of me?”

“…If you just give me the antidote, everything will be over. My brother has collapsed like that, how can a person do this?”

“As I said, I don’t know anything about it.”

Theresa’s clenched fist trembled.

Her attempt to suppress her own anger was quite amusing.

Where did that confidence come from? There could be no clear evidence.

Because it was not something I had done.

And poison could not suddenly appear from somewhere.

Naturally, there was no poison that produced effects similar to acute pneumonia.

Even if there was, the illness of Theresa’s brother Arthur was not caused by poison.

Theresa was merely gripped by her own conviction.

Using my words from last time as evidence, she had come all the way here solely based on that one thing.

What a remarkable woman. Despite being so foolish, she had her own beliefs.

Could there be a more terrifying woman in this world?

“I said I wanted to meet your brother because of this Full Moon Festival.”

“What does my brother have to do with the Full Moon Festival…”

“Arthur Violet is one of the executive members of this Full Moon Festival, but perhaps you were unaware?”

At that, as if at a loss for words, Theresa could only glare at me, unable to utter a single word.

Of course, that was not the meaning behind my words.

It was something I had said in the hopes that she would act this way, but it was Theresa who had taken the bait splendidly.

If asked if it was my fault, well. Wasn’t it the fault of the one who fell for it?

“It’s amusing to see you come here and cause a commotion without even being interested in what your family is doing. And you said you would apologize, yet you’re spouting nonsense about an antidote.”

“…That’s-”

“Do you find the Taylor family amusing?”

I retorted in a low voice.

Her actions could be interpreted as sufficiently looking down on this family.

It was as if she had tried to tarnish my honor with this kind of suspicion.

Even though I had no attachment to the family at all, if I had the mind to, I could use it as much as I wanted.

More cruelly than she could imagine.

Wasn’t it a great opportunity? The most prestigious family in this empire had become the most excellent weapon at this moment.

Behind that chilling question of whether she found the Taylor family amusing, I opened my mouth again with an innocent smile.

“I hope that’s not the case.”

“No, no, that’s not it. I didn’t look down on the Taylor family!”

I did not know about the antidote. The Taylor family was not involved either.

Mentioning her brother was simply because I wanted to discuss the Full Moon Festival that she was unaware of.

Unable to utter a single word, Theresa gazed at me intently with a perplexed expression.

“Then the reason you came all the way here. Was it solely to apologize to me? About what happened before.”

“…….”

Growing tired of watching Theresa unable to answer for a long time, I raised the teacup.

The effects of chamomile were quite good.

It calmed the emotions that could be agitated and allowed me to look at Theresa with a solely composed gaze.

The past no longer bothered me much.

Wasn’t it just the past?

The specters that were merely memories could not hinder what I had to do in the future.

As I smiled faintly, Theresa gritted her teeth.

But even so, as if she had nothing to say to me, her closed mouth still did not open.

Should I just stay here quietly?

Even if I stayed still like this, the fact that she would break down remained unchanged.

A woman consumed by her own suspicions and crumbling, hadn’t there been such cases often even in my own life?

Because I had experienced it myself, I knew well that she had crossed that line.

Even if the conversation ended here, I would probably rarely see Theresa again.

Still, I had no intention of ending it here.

My wish in this life was for Theresa to disappear from my sight.

I would not directly kill her, but to not hear that name until I died.

Wasn’t it my desire to no longer have her influence in my life?

So I decided to trample on her.

I had planted the seed of doubt in her, and it had blossomed and reached this point…

There was not a single reason to stop.

As I set down the teacup with a clatter, a gentle smile was etched on my lips.

It was a smile that welled up genuinely from my heart.

The more I imagined the expression Theresa would show in the future, the more I could not suppress this feeling that bloomed under the name of exhilaration.

“You should have apologized as soon as you arrived. Then I might have forgiven you… who knows.”

It sounded regretful, but it was not true.

I had no intention of forgiving her from the start, so Theresa’s steadfast eyes wavered at my words.

Biting her pale lips, all that remained was a blank gaze fixed on me.

“I knew all about your sins. Using the money you received from me to buy jewelry, get dresses made. Including such cute little antics, even the strange increase in the Violet family’s wealth. I knew everything.”

“That was my fault. It was something I told my father and asked of him. It wasn’t my brother’s doing. I’ll apologize. So please…!”

“No, it’s not something you should apologize for. Didn’t I already say I don’t know anything about your brother’s situation?”

As I politely smiled and retorted, her expression was pitiful.

Shaking her head as if it couldn’t be true, she now grasped my hand and began to plead.

Why was she doing this only now, despite having been so confident earlier? Perhaps she had become a bit desperate now.

Coldly brushing off her hand, I continued.

“I had no intention of doing anything about this matter. I thought our relationship would simply end with the broken engagement.”

“Robert, I was wrong. I’ll apologize for my rudeness just now as well. Just give me the antidote. While we’re doing this, my brother… might die. Please, Robert!”

I knew. Arthur would likely die tomorrow or the day after.

He always died around the time the Full Moon Festival began, so there wasn’t much time left.

I felt regret about his death, but reversing what was already determined was something only God could do.

I was not God, so I could not grant her wish.

However… I could further nurture the suspicion she harbored. Clearing my throat for a moment, I muttered softly as if whispering.

“He must be coughing up blood by now, so it’s certain he’s dying. It’s truly unfortunate. With such a severe cough, he won’t even be able to move comfortably. Is he eating properly?”

The eyes that had been looking at me widened, filled with confusion and bewilderment.

It was natural.

In none of the letters she had sent me was there any mention of her brother’s symptoms.

Stuttering, she collapsed to the ground and weakly grasped my hand.

As if asking what those words meant.

Of course, she would never truly understand the meaning of my words in her lifetime.

This was not because I had used poison or deliberately made him contract pneumonia.

Who would believe that I knew the future after dying 100 times?

“Well, he must be having a hard time now, unable to even swallow porridge. With his condition rapidly deteriorating in just a few days, everyone must be busy one way or another. Isn’t that right?”

“…I never informed you of such details.”

What filled her eyes was conviction and desolation.

She must have been convinced that I had done something.

The hand that had been clutching my collar slipped and slid down.

Then she laughed quietly to herself and parted her lips, looking at me.

“It, it was your doing, wasn’t it? Really…?”

“No. I have never done anything.”

“Then how do you know about my brother’s condition? I… never mentioned such things to you. Robert, did you really use poison?”

“If you ask how I know.”

With a small smile, I shrugged and answered.

“Who knows? How do I know?”

Theresa’s body showed no signs of moving.

She merely looked at me blankly, trying to retrace the meaning of my words.

The face of the woman who had been so confident until now was filled with cracks.

Her shattered and broken heart was reflected in her eyes, and the Theresa I had known was nowhere to be found.

I got down from the chair to meet her at eye level.

Kneeling to meet her gaze, I gently and lightly grasped the hand that lay on the ground.

“Theresa, I have no intention of saying anything about your suspicion towards me. And I have no intention of saying anything about you coming here and being rude either.”

“……”

“Because there is no need for that. You seem to be under the illusion that you are something, but you are nothing to me. There is no need for you to apologize or come here begging for forgiveness.”

It was time for me to bid farewell to Theresa Violet in my own way.

Let’s never see each other again, and if we happen to meet in the future. Let’s not even pretend to know each other then.

Theresa merely gazed at me desolately as I gently held her hand like I had done when we were lovers.

She seemed to have a lot to say.

From how I knew about Arthur’s condition to the existence of the antidote.

But I could give nothing to this pitiful woman.

I had done nothing, and knowing there was no doctor who could cure his condition, what could I do for her?

All I could do for this woman was hold her hand like this.

To the woman whose face had turned deathly pale as if she had seen a ghost, I whispered softly.

“I hope you won’t come to me like this next time. Because I know nothing about this matter. I would have given you the antidote if I had it, but unfortunately, I don’t know much about such things.”

“…I was wrong, Robert. Just once, can’t you forgive me just once? Please…”

Thud-

A hollow laugh escaped me at the sight of her now kneeling and rubbing her hands.

She banged her head several times, making a thudding sound. Her clothes were soiled with grass and dirt, not at all resembling a noble.

She merely looked like a madwoman swayed by something.

Thud-

In this quiet garden, there was only one thing I could say to her.

So, lifting Theresa’s shoulders as she banged her head, I smiled gently.

“I believe I’ve said it countless times.”

“……”

“I did nothing. My lady.”

Would Theresa ever realize that all of this was the truth?

I thought she would never know.

Even if she realized, by then, I would already be someone unrelated to her.

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