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Chapter 75 Part 8 – The ending of Rona’s awakening of love. And the people remember the sorrowful night and weep.

「…… Rona-chan!! Where are you!! Please!! Please give me a response!!」

Searching for Rona, Marielle cried as she ran along the riverbank.
She saw Rona’s confession.

「How could such an important thing end without being voiced ……!! Such an ending …… such a sad love …… I will never accept it!! Please!! Answer me!! Rona-chan!!」

But all that came back was the sound of the dark river flowing and the reverberations of the still-smoldering fire.
Marielle continued to call out until her voice was hoarse and the soles of her feet were burned. Not having any strength left, she crumbled down on the shore.

「…… Rona …… -chan ……!!」

The stout-hearted Marielle covered her face with both hands and sobbed.

「You’re such a fool ……!!」

Even though she has only known her for a short period of time, Marielle thought of Rona as her younger sister.
Rona has lived a miserable life and so Marielle wished that she would be happy from now on.
Marielle had planned to teach her many things so that Rona would not be troubled no matter what path she took.
However, no matter what she hoped for, it was no longer possible.
Rona had passed away without being rewarded.

Engulfing the sorrow of the people, the current of the night river flowed rapidly.
The crackling sound of the flames was like a requiem to her deceased younger siblings.

…… And time passed.

◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇

A light rain fell.
Many people came to mourn for Marielle.
She remained unmarried until the end.
When the mayor’s wife passed away, she made a will that Marielle should be the mayor’s second wife. But Marielle did not agree. Not only the mayor, but also his son who had become emotionally attached to Marielle, had pleaded with her, but she stubbornly refused to give in.

「The madam will always be the only mistress of this family that I recognize. Even if she has passed away, that will never change. No one, including myself, can take her place.」

Marielle was the one who recognized the contribution of the mayor’s quiet wife more than anyone else. Marielle was dissatisfied with the fact that a lot of people had unfairly undervalued her simply because of her plain appearance.

Due to Marielle’s words, the reputation of the mayor’s wife has increased after her death.The mayor’s son never forgot that favor for the rest of his life. It was very typical of Marielle to be so dignified.

Until the funeral at the church, Marielle was laid to rest in the living room of her home and there was no shortage of people staying beside her. It wasn’t just a formality, most of the people were truly crying. The small, compact house was decorated throughout with fine black cloth. Everyone prepared it voluntarily. The gentle smell of rosemary filled the air. It was a testament to how much Marielle was adored.

Amongst the many mourners, the three dwarf-like old men with white beard, brown beard, and black beard stood out in particular.

Those three respectable people had swollen red eyes due to crying and they hardly said a word.

With a single glance, it was obvious that they are not sober. Their eyes were dark and swollen with tears. They hardly said a word.

At first glance, they were not sober, their eyes dark and swollen with tears, and they hardly said a word.
They remained silent, stayed by Marielle’s side, and then after a while one of them gently stroked Marielle’s cheek with his clumsy fingers and began to bid her goodbye.

「…… You stupid girl …… How can you leave me with such a gaping hole in my chest …… I would rather be pierced with a spear. In return for this, when I get to the other side, I’m going to hug you so hard that you’ll have a hard time breathing, so brace yourself ……」

The black-bearded Bobby tried to smile, but he couldn’t quite manage to do it.

「When you were a kid, you acted like a boy and always followed us around …… Then, before I realized it, you acted more and more like a girl …… Then you grew bigger and bigger …… and overtook us ……!! In the end, you even passed on before us. …… It’s hard to have to send you off. It’s really hard ……」

Reminiscing about the days in the past, the brown-bearded Bill had a hard time finishing his words.

While the white-bearded Brian –

「…… Thinking back, you and I have always quarreled with each other. But now that I think back about it, it has all become precious, happy memories. …… And yet, and yet ……」

Tears fell on Marielle’s cheeks.

「…… And yet, why …… why are there so many tears spilling out of my eyes ……」

「That line doesn’t suit you.」

「Tears are welling up in the demon’s eyes. This will be a good story to be brought up while drinking.」

Said the black-bearded Bobby and the brown-bearded Bill to make fun of him.
But their faces were also messy with tears.

A thunderclap roared.

The three old warriors hung their heads down for a while, but eventually, they dropped their stiff shoulders, showed their dispirited backs, and walked away.

As if trying to hide the tears of the warriors, a heavy rain fell.

It was not long after that that a lady in black arrived.

The people present in the room made a commotion.
Because even though the veil obscured her face, she was clearly a noblewoman of high rank.

「…… Marielle …… -san ……」

A rosemary fell from her hand when she saw Marielle’s dead body.

Kneeling down on the floor, the woman clung to Marielle’s coffin and wept without being afraid of what other people may think.

「…… Aaaaahh ……!! …… Aaaaaaaaahhh ……!! …… Aaaah ……!!」

It was a heartrending cry that touched the hearts of those who heard it, like the cries of a puppy seeking its mother.

The noblewoman did not reveal her identity.
She handed over a shocking sum of condolence money and staggered out of the door while the rain was still pouring down.

When she opened the door, the wind blew up her veil and revealed a faint glimpse of her true face.
She was a stunning beauty with brunette hair and hazel-colored eyes.

One of the mourners who happened to witness it was puzzled. The noblewoman bore a striking resemblance to Countess Rosenthal, the king’s favorite concubine, whom he had seen only once from a distance. However, with her face crying like a little girl with her nose turned red, it was hard to believe that she was the same person with the countess that always had a cold expression and was called the poisonous scorpion of the imperial court. Thinking that he must have seen it wrong, he did not tell anyone about it.

The noblewoman gestured with her hand to the waiting coachman that she would be walking for a while. She walked through the rainy streets, not minding that her mourning clothes had become soaking wet. Tears and rain ran down her cheeks.

…… Rona, Countess Rosenthal, had survived.

At that time, Rona, who fell into the water with Matthew along with a vortex of flames, was miraculously nearly unharmed.
When she came to her senses, she was drifting in the river at night, surrounded by countless wreckage.
From the still-burning riverbank, she heard the calls of the people would never forget.
Wendell, the three old warriors, and Marielle were desperately searching for her.
Tears spilled from Rona’s eyes.

She wants to go back to all of them right now.
She wishes to say out loud that she is here.

But she couldn’t.

In the midst of the flames that collapsed, Rona saw it. A black mass with its arms and legs shriveled up. It was Ronnie’s charred and pitifully small corpse.

If she went back to Wendell and the others, she would be happy.
Those happy days would surely heal the painful memories.
That is why Rona could not do it.
She couldn’t let herself forget her younger brothers who died in such a sad way and be happy all by herself.

‘Wendell-sama, Bill-san, Bobby-san, Brian-san, Marielle-san …… goodbye. I will never forget your kindness. Oh, God, please bless Wendell-sama’s life.’

Bidding farewell to the desperate feelings that could have reached her if she had reached out her hand, Rona choked back her sobs and feigned her death.

「…… Ouch!! It hurtss ……」

Distracted by the painful scenes of the past, Countess Rosenthal did not notice that a little girl had bumped into her. The rain had stopped before she knew it. A group of children came into her view. They were neatly dressed, but all of them were dressed in the same set of clothes. She knew immediately that they were the children of the institution. And all of them had swollen, puffy eyes.

An older freckled girl came forward and pulled away the little girl who was rubbing her nose in front of Countess Rosenthal.

「…… I’m so sorry!! You should apologize too, Rona. You were named after director Marielle’s younger sister. So, you should behave accordingly.」

「I’m sorry.」

After being urged, the little girl bowed her head.
Countess Rosenthal was shocked.

She knew from a secret investigation that Marielle had been running an orphanage.
They were the children of the orphanage and were on their way to say their final goodbyes to Marielle.

「You don’t have to worry about it. Rona-chan, is your name the same as the director’s younger sister?」

Trying not to let her trembling voice be noticed, the Countess asked.

「Yes!! She was given the name Rona with the hopes that she will grow up to be a good girl.」

The freckled girl answered in place of the little girl that was puffing up her chest with pride.

「Rona-san is the director’s little sister whom she is proud of. It seems that she passed away in order to protect someone important to her. The director always cried a lot when she recalled her. She said that she sometimes sees Rona-san in her dreams …… Umm, is there something wrong?」

The freckled girl looked at Countess Rosenthal anxiously.
Because Countess Rosenthal had covered her face with both hands and began to sob.

「…… She called me …… her younger sister ……」

Marielle never forgot about her.

「…… Someone like me ……!! Someone as undeserving as me ……!!」

Even though Marielle had only known Rona for such a short period of time, she thought of her as her younger sister.

「…… I also ……!! Marielle-san ……!! …… Marielle …… -san ……!!」

The rest was unspoken.
Marielle’s feelings touched Rona’s heart, which had been wounded by the power struggle.

If anyone from the imperial court had seen the Countess’s face messy with tears under the veil, they would have been shocked. As the Countess Rosenthal that they know is not the kind of woman who would break down in tears with an expression full of grief.

Recalling the touch of Marielle’s hands that had gently tied her hair in the past, Countess Rosenthal stood still and continued to cry. At that moment, her heart reverted back to the state it was when she was a young girl. The memories that shone like sunshine gently enveloped the rain-soaked lady.

…… Afterwards, the orphanage run by Marielle survived thanks to a lady’s donation.
The lady never revealed her name.
The children who received vocational training and education were able to make contributions in their respective paths after graduation.

And then, more time passed.
The night of Countess Rosenthal’s last ball was about to begin.
To end the long, dark night.