Severed Yesterday
It was a tale from a distant past.
Or perhaps, it wasn’t that long ago… but it hardly mattered now.
Yesterday was gone.
A cruel scar, forever etched and beyond repair.
“Raiden…!”
It was a day like any other when Margaret clung to me.
A year had already passed since I embraced the role of a wastrel, pushing everyone away after my mother’s passing.
People were beginning to leave my side, one by one.
My father hadn’t shown his face even once since the funeral.
The nobles I had been close with turned their backs on me.
The servants, who had been like family, grew colder with each passing day.
Even Lucy and Ariel, who always greeted me with smiles, now seemed to carry a perpetual sadness in their eyes.
‘Perfect.’
Everything was going according to plan.
Back then, I was consumed by the compulsion to be alone.
As I became increasingly isolated, I felt an indescribable sense of satisfaction.
I had worn them down.
They were tired of me.
This chain of events ultimately culminated in the severance of our ties.
“How long are you going to keep this up…!”
“Get lost.”
“Please… This isn’t who you are…”
Of course, not everyone danced to my tune.
There were always exceptions.
And for me, there were two: Rachel and Margaret.
No matter how cruelly I treated them, they refused to let go.
Instead, as if fueled by sheer stubbornness, they held on even tighter.
“Why have you changed so much…? The you that I loved… you were as warm as a spring flower.”
“Don’t talk nonsense.”
“…You promised you’d stay by my side.”
“How long ago was that? Just get lost, you’re in my way.”
Margaret stubbornly refused to give up on me.
Perhaps it was due to the love we shared in happier times.
Even as she witnessed my transformation, she continued to reach out, convinced that she could help.
“I believe…”
“Nonsense.”
“I believe there’s still warmth left in your heart.”
Her red eyes stared at me with unwavering clarity.
I tried my best to shake her off.
As I walked away, my steps fueled by irritation, I thought to myself:
‘This can’t go on.’
I had to find a way, even a cruel one, to drive Margaret away.
.
.
.
“I heard you were looking for me.”
“Yes, Amelia.”
I had sought out Amelia.
She had been Margaret’s personal maid since childhood.
Having grown up in the strict atmosphere of a noble family, Margaret had found solace and companionship in Amelia.
Their bond ran deep.
I decided to use her.
To completely sever the tenacious ties that bound me to Margaret.
“I have a proposition.”
I proposed a play.
A messy, scandalous drama.
I intended to show Margaret a scene of her beloved fiancé and her most trusted friend entangled in bed together.
To break her unwavering spirit once and for all.
“I refuse.”
“Why?”
“Do you truly not know…?”
Amelia’s brow furrowed as she heard my insane plan.
Her eyes were filled with contempt.
“I would never do anything to harm my lady. Her happiness is my top priority.”
“I’ll give you anything you desire.”
“Ha…! I desire only one thing: for my lady to break free from a monster like you.”
Her words were harsh, but I didn’t rebuke her.
Instead, I smirked, as if I had been expecting this reaction all along.
I knew this would be her response.
With a serpent’s tongue, I whispered into the girl’s ear, weaving a web of manipulation.
“Yes, that’s it. Our desires align perfectly.”
“…What?”
What I desired was a broken engagement.
I wanted Margaret, her spirit crushed, to finally walk away from me.
“I want to be with other women. As for Margaret… well, let’s just say I’ve grown tired of her.”
“You…!”
“Isn’t this the perfect solution? You get to free your precious lady from a monster like me, and I get to rid myself of a nuisance.”
It was a lie, of course.
The thought of being with other women, of being tired of Margaret… such base desires had never crossed my mind.
I was merely afraid.
Afraid that Margaret would end up like my mother.
If she stayed by my side, I feared that she too would be consumed by misfortune.
I didn’t want that.
I wanted Margaret to leave.
‘If I don’t do this, she’ll never give up on me. She’ll cling to me until the very end.’
“…”
“Think about it, Amelia. Surely you don’t want to see the lady you cherish so dearly marry a madman like me and suffer for the rest of her life”
It was a foolish time.
But back then, I truly believed that this self-destructive path was the best course of action.
I wasn’t in my right mind.
Trauma and depression had clouded my judgment, making it impossible for me to think straight.
“Make your choice, Amelia.”
Amelia remained silent for a long time.
But I already knew her answer.
She cared for Margaret as if she were her own sister.
In the end, I knew she would do as I asked.
“…Please… don’t forgive me, my lady.”
Tears streamed down Amelia’s face as she took my hand.
And so, we embarked on a path of irreversible sin.
.
.
.
And so it happened.
Amelia and I put on the perfect show.
Just as Margaret was about to enter her room, we let out a series of suggestive moans.
Making it seem as if we were… intimate.
“Ah… Young Master Lishite…!”
“Hah… hah… You have such a lovely body, Amelia.”
Her beloved fiancé.
Her most trusted friend.
Margaret was forced to listen to the sounds of the two people she trusted most in the world, their voices twisted into a vulgar display of lust.
“Margaret… That bitch, she’s nothing but a nuisance. She doesn’t even know how to move her hips properly.”
“Ah, please…! You mustn’t… insult my lady…”
“Says the one who’s screwing her lady’s fiancé… on her lady’s bed.”
“Such crude… ah…”
Of course, it was all an act. We hadn’t even touched each other.
But it was enough.
Soon, we could hear the sound of muffled sobs coming from behind the door.
Margaret stood there for a while, tears streaming down her face, before she finally stumbled away.
The plan was a success.
Too much of a success.
As her cries faded into the distance, Amelia and I exchanged grim looks.
“…Get up, Amelia.”
Amelia was silently weeping, her sorrow mirroring Margaret’s.
I forced her to her feet.
There was no turning back now.
Perhaps there was a way to fix this… but it wasn’t an option we were willing to consider.
“We need to finish this.”
I left the room without another word.
I had to meet with the person who could ensure that this plan reached its conclusion.
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Uhhhh… So why does he hate her now then? Dumb twist on this one. How dare she think he was trying to hook up with the saintess! Whatever would lead her to think that? MC is annoying
ReplyDeleteit's the author, not the MC
ReplyDelete