The scar on her cheek will remain for the time being, but it should gradually heal, the near-elderly doctor told Teresa.
As Randolph Ulster said, Margot’s glass did not reach the deeper layers of Teresa’s skin. [What the hell?], Teresa was disappointed. Why didn’t it just stay there for the rest of her life anyway? If possible, she wished that Margot Tudor’s ugly flaw would have stayed with her for the rest of her life.
―――Then she could torment the woman for the rest of her life.
Teresa and Margot were childhood friends. If the beautiful Margot was the sun, the gloomy Teresa was just a shade there. She shone brightly enough to take everything away from Teresa just by being there. The boy of her first love. A close friend. A debutante partner. It is hard to know if there was any malice there. But as a result, Margot always took away what Teresa always desired.
Even Linus Tudor met Teresa first.
He came to Adelbaid ten years ago from the neighboring country of Farris. The Tudor family was originally a side family with ancestors in Farris, and since the current Count Tudor had no children, Linus, a relative, was adopted.
He has a sweet face and a soft manner. He spoke with a stylish Farris accent―――Teresa fell in love with him instantly.
But, it was still Margot who was taken away. When her engagement to Linus was announced, Teresa felt her repressed inner self finally shatter. Heartbroken, Teresa married the man her parents had chosen for her, but in truth, she had always loved Linus. She loved him.
So, when he said to her about six months ago, “I really love you” , she was very happy. “I knew it” she said
“As I thought, Linus felt the same way.”
Teresa gazed fascinatedly at her beloved man. He came to see her in secret because he was worried about the condition of her wound. Of course, Teresa was overjoyed and let him through to the library in the back. The owner of the room had been smoking in the library for a while when he came home from work, but now he had already gone to the brothel.
Even after all that happened, Linus Tudor’s love for Teresa did not change. He is smiling kindly as always. Teresa thinks the wound was worth it just for that. Even if the scar would last a lifetime―――
“Did you make sure Kevin had enough to drink today?”
Linus’ voice brought Teresa back to herself. Then she affirmed with a big smile. Kevin. Kevin Jennings. Loyal to the rules and sensitive. A boring husband who has never whispered a single word of love to her.
―――” If Kevin is around”.
In the early period of their relationship, Linus said with a deep sadness in his heart.
――― “It’s hard to visit you if Kevin is around” .
Teresa thought so too. Kevin is in the way. Then clever Linus showed her how to get rid of Kevin from the mansion.
Kevin Jennings is morbidly meticulous and faithful to the rules. Even his daily life has to follow the rules and regulations. So he took advantage of that.
Whenever he came home to the mansion, he would drink a cup of tea in the library. It has to be cold, and after the maid prepares it, it is left for a while without being looked at. There, it is prepared……..
Clear liquid in a small bottle the size of the fingertip. When the lid is opened, a terribly sweet aroma spreads.
Teresa does not know what this is. ”It is a paradise” , Linus laughs.
But her quiet, fastidious husband is becoming more and more emotional, and finally he is going to the brothel every night. Theresa shuddered at the truth.
‘Aah.’ ‘Aah. Now――― now I can see Linus again.
For Teresa, that is all that mattered, everything in the world.
Ah yes, she recalls, and hands over the empty vial. If so, Linus will fill it to the brim again and return it to her. Thanks to this, the sharp-eyed Kevin becomes foolish, and Teresa gets to meet Linus.
“Is that all? Anything else?”
Today, Linus asks the strangest questions. One drop is supposed to be enough, and there’s no point in going to the trouble of having a spare when that was actually true. Linus smiles gently when he tells that to her.
“You didn’t put it in a teapot or jug, did you? Was this cup the only one you used?”
He may have noticed that it had just been filled with tea, and he checks it while picking up the handle.
It mustn’t go into your mouth. Gentle Linus worried her by saying so, and of course, the only tea cup she was using was her husband’s.
So, when she nodded in affirmation, there was a clunk, a hard sound. The ceramic cup shattered on the carpet.
Teresa blinked slowly and looked at Linus.
“―――I never thought you two would do something like that.”
After slamming Kevin’s cup on the floor, Linus chuckled as if nothing had happened.
“If it was ten years ago, an evening party now would be like a gutless plaything, right? I was totally caught off guard. I wonder if it’s all because of the young lady who ran amok at the Grand Merrill-Anne and all. Grail, I think. I’ll have to remind those who are ignorant of their own position very well.”
Then he tilts his head as if troubled.
I was really going to take Kevin’s place, but I don’t think I’ll be able to do it after this scandal. Well, I guess it’s a good thing we got rid of that troublesome person. I was wondering what was going to happen, but I’m really glad you’re Kevin Jennings’ wife.
Linus moved closer to Teresa and gently hugged her waist.
“All thanks to you, Teresa. Thank you.”
It was a beaming smile. Teresa unconsciously smiled back. Linus’ smile deepened. His face came closer to hers as if kissing her. Teresa closed her eyes. And then…
Something was slowly entering Teresa’s stomach.
“Ah…?”
A burning sensation as if being pressed against a hot iron. The burning sensation was followed by a stifling pain, and as she tilted her head and looked down, she saw a small knife with an elaborately carved handle growing out from the stomach. The dress was stained red.
―――What on earth is this?
As she was vaguely thinking about it, he took her hand as if to calm her down, saying, “Here, take my hand” . Linus. Linus’ gentle voice. Teresa’s trembling hand was placed on the handle.
“You were driven into a corner when I broke up with you, and you tried to force to commit double suicide with your hidden dagger. But you failed and committed suicide. I tried to stop you, but I was too late. ―――Honestly, this plot is a little too clichéd, though. But, this is good enough for me. It’s just like…, isn’t it?”
But, she has no idea what Linus is talking about. It’s hot. Hot. It hurts. She can’t speak.
“Sorry, Teresa. I meant what I said when I said I liked you better than Margot. Because you were much, much more miserable, ugly, and pathetic than she was. If nothing else, I would have let you off the hook.”
The world tilts violently. The world, the world tilts―――no.
It is she who is tilting.
Like a pendulum that has lost its support, the body was thrown down on the carpet. There was a thud impact, but she no longer felt any pain. She just stretched out her trembling arms to him, reflexively.
Before one knew it, Linus bent his knees and looked curiously into Teresa’s face. A beautiful face. Bluish silver irises. It was as beautiful as the sea on a moonlit night. He was fascinated by her eyes, as if he were being sucked into them. ―――Teresa noticed for the first time that there were two star-like black spots right next to the pupils.
“But—–”
Linus’ fingers comb through Teresa’s hair. Her body no longer moves. If she only moved her eyes, she would see a small bruise on her wrist. No, not a bruise. This is―――
Tears welled up from the corners of Teresa’s eyes, which were still wide open, and trickled down her cheeks.
=====
When he put his finger on the carotid artery to make sure Teresa Jennings had died, the man stood up and stretched wide. Then, as if remembering, he smiled a terribly kind smile.
“But, if you lose it because it’s trivial, you can make a mistake. ―――Like ten years ago.”