Itâs crazy. Why did this happen? Am I dreaming?
I finally put everything behind and decided to quietly live for myself, but ended up here? No, it would be better if itâs a dream.
If I really went back on time, wouldnât it be a lot worse?
Itâs a shame to start over now.
âHaâ¦â A sigh of grief flowed out of my mouth. It sounded small without me knowing, but it seemed to be heard by Count Muller, who was standing behind me, the brother of my husband and the uncle of the children.
âYou must be bored.â
âBut isnât it alright to endure this much? You have taken over the goose that lays the golden eggs.â
A blatant sarcasm mixed with a look of melancholy.
âIs that all you have to say?â
âWhat?â
âIt seems that these are the only feelings expressed at your brotherâs funeral. You can go back. Iâm a very busy person. I canât accept your comments.â
Instead of answering back, âWhat did you just say?â or âWhat kind of rude thing are you saying?â Count Muller just stared at me with a shaky look that seemed to indicate that he couldnât speak because he was so speechless.
At this time of the year, I was just a child who was full of fear without even knowing what to do, but when I suddenly came out, I put on a fierce look. Ignoring the pathetic gaze that didnât leave me, I again searched through my complicated mind.
Itâs a serious problem if I am really in the past.
I mean, I have to repeat the last 7 years. I donât want to repeat all the troubles I faced.
The memorial service was over while I was chewing on my thoughts alone. The burial ceremony was about to begin.
Therefore, I waited for a while until the priest who was in charge of the funeral Mass had finished praying, and then I stepped closer to the platform. The eyes of the people who followed my movements seemed to be stingy, but I only felt numb.
âLady Neuwanstein?â
âExcuse me, sir, I would like to politely plead to everyone who gathered here, I would like to be with my husband for a while. I hope you understand.â
The commotion spread. While the mourners were coughing or frowning, I turned to look toward the children. To be precise, at Jeremy.
His face was still blank, but for me, who had been with him for nearly ten years, I could clearly see that he was angry with me.
The dark, cold green eyes are telling me clearly. What are you doing?
Ah, Iâm the bad guy anyway. Let him stare, Iâll just ignore it.
In the quiet chapel, which got empty as I had asked, only the subtle scent of incense was hovering. The coffin was covered with a symbol of Neuwanstein-a lion-shaped badge.
I stared at it for a moment and quietly fell down by the coffin, âLong time no see, Yohen.â
Whispering and touching the lid of the coffin, the touch felt vivid. If this is really a dream, then itâs very realistic.
Originally, at this point in the past, I didnât ask the mourners for time, nor did I sit alone and talk to the deceased. The little friction with Count Mueller earlier also didnât occur.
At that time, I was so scared and confused that I was eagerly praying inside that I could hide from peopleâs eyes after the funeral.
How much tears did it take for that silly and careful composing girl to turn into a vicious witch in Neuwanstein?
Looking back now, there have been many mistakes and accidents. Iâm so proud of myself for overcoming it all.
âWill you believe me if I told you I kept my promise? Can you believe how dazzling your children grew to be and how cold they were?â
I know that the dead canât talk but Iâm not waiting for an answer.
The image of the Holy Father and the Virgin Mary standing proudly on the left and right sides of the altar and looking down made them look as if they were laughing at me.
âWhere did something go wrong? I donât want to blame anyone. It was my husband who made me promise, but it was me who did everything terrible to keep the promise.â
I ran like a burning tank without even thinking of looking back or looking around. In order to let peopleâs rumors about me spread one, misunderstandings and contradictions piled up.
Itâs justâ¦
âBut I canât do it twice. I donât want to live like a villain, Iâm too tired of it.â
â¦â¦ I didnât know that it would be so painful when I wasnât shown gratitude for my hard work.
What kind of gratitude did I hope for from the children? A thanks? Respect? Affection?
âDo you know? I really wanted to see Jeremyâs wedding.â
As I bowed my head, the long pink hair that flowed over the tube was disorganized. The feeling of tears flowing down my cheeks was too vivid for me to dream of.
If I really traveled back to the past, doesnât that mean that God is asking me to make a different choice? Otherwise, this phenomenon can not be explained.
I donât know how long Iâve been doing that, lying alone on the coffin and shivering for a long time. But finally, I slowly lifted myself up.
This is good-bye, Yohen, may this be our last goodbyeâ¦â¦â¦
As soon as I turned away, I almost screamed as I faced the person I had least expected.
My heart began to beast like a rabbit in front of a beast.
How long has he been in here?
The boy standing about six steps away from me was none other than Jeremy. Heâs not the healthy 21-year-old man who is familiar to me, but a young-looking Jeremy who is still standing on the border between a boy and a young man.
As the image of the boy in front of me and the young man in my memory overlapped, a strange feeling that I couldnât express came up.
âJeremy? Why did you come in?â I quickly wiped away my tears with the back of my hand and asked. Jeremy didnât answer. Silently across my wet face dark green pupil, as if across a confusion of light looking at you.
I felt like a confused light flashed across his dark green eyes, sweeping my wet face without saying a word.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om