Chapter 28: Happily Ever After

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Side Story Chapter 6

The old Duke Fortuna took his last breath.

He went to bed as usual and quietly entered eternal rest without even waking the caretaker. His calm face showed that he had met death peacefully.

Having gone through it once before, Viviana was able to remain composed and take charge of the funeral as the duchess.

She notified the nobles of the death, contacted the cathedral to bring a priest, and bought many white chrysanthemums from the florist. Thanks to the old duke’s early preparations for his own passing, the gravestone was already stored in the castle’s basement.

When Viviana brought out the gravestone to engrave the date of his death, she was a little taken aback.

‘He must have had the inscription carved recently.’

Aside from handing over his ducal duties to Alto, the old man seemed to do nothing but rest. Yet he had already carved his final words into his gravestone. The crumbling stone dust made it clear that it had been done only recently.

The inscription read as follows:

「In the end, nothing went according to my will.」

For someone who had spent his whole life dominating not only his grandson but even his grandson’s wife, it was an unusually humble remark.

‘Considering what he did to Alto, it was far too peaceful a death.’

Using the excuse that Alto would turn into a wolf if his emotions became too intense, Duke Fortuna inflicted horrifying violence on the young Alto. The one adult who was supposed to protect him was the very person committing this merciless abuse. The despair that young Alto must have felt was unimaginable.

‘Even now, Alto still believes it was his fault.’

He still blamed himself, believing it was his own fault for failing to control himself.

‘How is a child supposed to control their instincts?! And yet, he used that as an excuse to inflict merciless violence.’

Part of her wanted to inflict the same violence on Duke Fortuna and make him feel that same pain, but that, too, had become something forever impossible.

“Your Grace?”

“…Aah.”

The stonemason called out in a puzzled tone to the duchess, who was glaring at the gravestone with a fearsome expression. Realising she had inadvertently revealed her true feelings, Viviana gave an awkward smile and then issued her order in a calm voice.

“Engrave the date. Use today’s date.”

“I understand.”

As she watched the hammer strike the chisel, Viviana bit her lip. Ever since she had learned that Duke Fortuna would often tie up and beat Alto, anger always welled up in her whenever she thought of him.

‘Did he really think he could control everything?’

It was fortunate that he realised it was impossible before his death.

Thinking back to the duchess lessons he had made Viviana take, it seemed he believed he would live much longer than he actually did.

‘But from now on, the Duke of Fortuna is Alto.’

The dead could no longer have any influence on the living world.

‘Look from there. Watch Alto and me living happily.’

✦ ✦ ✦

Many people attended the funeral.

There was no way the reclusive old duke had ever been sociable. Most of the people who came to the funeral were there to see the young man in his early twenties who was about to become the new duke.

They watched Alto with sharp, scrutinising eyes.

‘So that man is the young Duke Fortuna.’

‘Judging by his calm expression, he won’t be any easier to deal with than his grandfather.’

‘I heard that his father had abandoned the dukedom and run away, so I thought the son would be a soft-hearted, simple-minded man, but I was wrong.’

Alto maintained a cool, composed expression throughout the funeral. His clean, neatly kept silver hair and deep black suit, as if it had absorbed darkness, made his orderly presence stand out all the more.

‘At least his face is truly beautiful.’

‘If only the duchess’s position were vacant. He may not be particularly wealthy, but the long-standing name and lineage of the Fortuna dukedom are things money cannot buy.’

It was only natural that other nobles coveted the young, handsome duke. Pretending otherwise, the gaze that swept over Alto landed on none other than Viviana.

'Is that the woman the old duke deliberately set up as duchess before he died?'

With her golden hair neatly pinned up and a black veil draped over her, Viviana looked more mature than usual.

‘Her face is quite beautiful too.’

‘Although this funeral is effectively her first public event, she handles everything flawlessly.’

‘That old man surely intended to make a woman he found suitable his granddaughter-in-law.’

In their eyes, the Fortuna ducal house seemed to have no openings to exploit.

Even as countless eyes were upon her, Viviana remained unshaken. Since it was the funeral of the detestable old duke, it was all the easier to keep her emotions in check.

The duke lay in his coffin, surrounded by lilies, looking peacefully as if asleep. Viviana placed a single chrysanthemum on his chest and offered a silent prayer for his soul.

‘May you atone for your sins in the next world.’

✦ ✦ ✦

The mourning rites concluded, and the time for burial came. The coffin lid was closed, and there was a brief bustle as they prepared to move to the cemetery behind the ducal castle.

The mourners dressed in black all offered their condolences to the two of them. Since they had come to make an impression on the pair, it was only natural that the greetings kept pouring in.

Drawing on her three years of experience as the duchess in her previous life, Viviana smoothly brushed aside the greetings and sighed inwardly.

‘This feels even more chaotic than the funeral in my previous life.’

Had she been too overwhelmed back then to take in a situation like this?

‘Back then, it felt like everyone had all rushed to Alto.’

And at that time, the funeral hadn’t gone as smoothly. She clearly remembered being flustered, completely at a loss during her first time handling such a large event.

‘Alto must have been in a difficult spot because I hadn’t prepared well.’

In this life, she was fortunate to be able to play the role of a capable, graceful duchess. It seemed she had fastened the first button correctly.

After exchanging condolences with the mourners, she was about to instruct the servants to move the coffin when she noticed an unusual guest.

‘Huh? Who’s that?’

It was a man with a black hood pulled all the way over his head. He hunched his body as if trying to hide his large frame, which made him look all the more suspicious.

He had surely come to pay his respects, yet he lingered at the corner as if hesitating, then quietly slipped away.

The moment she saw him, an instinctive thought struck her: she couldn’t let him get away. Viviana grabbed Alto’s arm.

"Alto, we must catch that man."

“That man?”

"There! That man who’s leaving right now."

“Understood.”

This sort of thing should normally be left to the subordinates, but for some reason, it didn’t feel right to do so.

Alto, who never questioned anything his wife said, immediately excused himself from the guest he was attending to and headed straight in that direction.

The man, who had been leaving without noticing Alto approaching, glanced back as if reluctant and then jumped in shock when he saw Alto so close. In the process, his hood slipped down slightly.

The hair that showed beyond the hood was a vivid silver.

‘If it’s silver hair…’ 

Alto, looking flustered, froze in place. To keep the attention of the mourners from drifting toward them, Viviana spoke loudly.

"The hearse is supposed to come in through that entrance. Everyone, please go this way. Follow me."

She hurriedly led the guests toward the other entrance. Her hands were clenched, palms slick with sweat, and she bit down hard on her trembling lips.

‘…It’s him, isn’t it?’

A silver-haired man who appeared at the old duke’s funeral.

It could only be Alto’s father.

✦ ✦ ✦

Once the coffin was laid to rest, the mourners who had followed it to the cemetery scattered their remaining flowers over it, and the funeral came to an end.

With some distant guests staying in the mansion’s guest rooms, the Fortuna estate was lively and bustling for the first time in a long while.

Since Alto was absent from the evening banquet, Viviana received the guests in his stead, her expression solemn.

"It seems that the Duke is only now feeling the weight of parting from the grandfather who cared for him since childhood. He will be spending today quietly in his room."

"I understand. That is only natural."

"Since childhood, he had only the late duke as family."

The guests, believing that the late duke had cherished his only grandson, didn’t particularly doubt Viviana’s explanation. To hide her expression, Viviana lifted her teacup and swallowed a sigh. Her heart, too, was unsettled.

‘Why did Alto’s father suddenly appear? Nothing like this happened in my past life… Could it be that he secretly came even back then, and I’m only noticing it now?’

In her past life, she hadn’t been able to observe the funeral as calmly as she could now, so she might not have noticed. Thinking that made her head throb.

‘Ah, then I shouldn’t have stopped him.’

She wondered if she had only caused trouble by holding him back for no reason.

Viviana’s face darkened with worry. Given the circumstances, no one paid any attention to her expression.

✦ ✦ ✦

After the banquet, Viviana dragged her tired body into the bedroom and rubbed her eyes with the backs of her hands.

‘Ah, my eyes feel so heavy.’

She was so tired that her vision blurred. She had thought it would be easy since she’d done it once before, but work was work, and it still left her exhausted.

‘Still, by tomorrow, all the guests will have left.’

Then all that would be left would be rest, so it should be fine.

With that thought, Viviana burrowed into the bed and quickly fell asleep. However, she woke in the stillness of the night, long before dawn.

A large hand gently brushed through her hair. The warmth of the touch made her eyes flutter open. In this world, there was only one person whose hands could treat her so tenderly.

“…Alto?”

“Please sleep a little more.”

“What about your father? Did you have him stay in a guest room?”

“He has passed.” [1] 

“What?”

For a moment, Viviana’s eyes flew open, thinking he had died. Realising his words could be misunderstood, Alto gently closed her eyes again.

“I mean, he returned to where he usually stays. I heard he’s living as a gamekeeper at a hunting ground.”

“Ah…”

Viviana imagined him for a moment. But since she hadn’t even properly seen his face, the vague image that came to mind was entirely Alto.

Alto, standing under the moonlight, the same colour as his hair, holding a large hunting rifle.

“A gamekeeper... That does suit him.”

“Does it?”

At the sound of her murmuring as if in a trance, Alto let out a faint chuckle.

Viviana continued, her words like the chirping of a little bird.

“So he just came to pay his respects today? He could have stayed a little longer. I really dislike him, but he is your father, after all.”

“He probably disliked Grandfather just as much.”

“But even so…”

Perhaps because Alto was gently patting her head, her eyes kept drifting closed. Eventually, a tiny, almost murmured voice escaped her lips. As if tenderly guiding her toward sleep, Alto spoke in a gentle voice.

“Go to sleep now.”

“Okay...”

‘Ah, I don’t think I should fall asleep like this.’

But he would have told her if anything happened. After all, they had promised to tell each other everything without hiding anything.

Feeling reassured, Viviana willingly sank into the valley of sleep.

✦ ✦ ✦

Alto twirled a strand of Viviana’s hair around his finger as he looked down at her face. Her sleeping expression was unbearably lovely, but the fatigue from the funeral was clearly visible under her eyes.

‘Poor thing.’

Alto had the stamina to go several days without sleep, but Viviana did not.

‘And yet you still managed everything so perfectly.’

Everyone in the family admired Viviana’s graceful, effortless manner, as if she had been born a duchess. But rather than feeling proud, Alto felt more guilt than pride for making her endure so much hardship.

If he could, he would give her nothing but happiness and keep her in a comfortable cage, hidden from everyone, where only he could see her.

But he also knew that the moment he revealed such possessiveness, their relationship could fall apart. So Alto always restrained himself, enduring quietly to remain at her side in the way she wanted.

‘I wonder if you know how I feel.’

Alto’s crimson eyes darkened. In his mind, he recalled the man he had just met: his father.

After Alto dismissed all the attendants, the first words his father spoke were none other than this:

“I’ll teach you how to prevent a child from being conceived.”

“...A child, you say?”

A child with Viviana. It was something he had never truly considered, not even during the indulgent days he had spent with her.

As Alto tried to imagine a child whose face he couldn’t even picture, his father crossed his arms and, in a cold voice, cut off the thought.

“You wouldn’t want to have a child as unhappy as you, would you?” 

“Unhappy.”

A hollow laugh escaped Alto at the tone that declared, without a shred of doubt, that he was unhappy. Alto sneered in his characteristically matter-of-fact manner.

“After all these years, you show up only to curse me. I’m not sure what expression I ought to wear.”

“Then what? Do you actually believe your wife truly loves you?”

“...”

‘Yes, she truly loves me.’

He kept his answer to himself. The man before him had run away, shocked, after his wife had rejected their marital relationship and taken her own life. To flaunt happiness in front of him would be foolish, even if he were his biological father.

The man, interpreting Alto’s silence however he pleased, swept back his silver hair and spoke in a weary tone.

“A werewolf grows stronger on the full moon. If you avoid coupling during then, no child will be conceived.”

“For now, thank you for the information.”

Their child would most likely inherit Alto’s traits as a werewolf. Deciding to have such a child wasn’t something Alto could do alone. Until Viviana had time to sort out her thoughts and make up her mind, that information would prove useful.

At Alto’s reply, his father let out a sigh of relief. It was clear that he assumed Alto was unhappy like himself and felt a sense of kinship with him.

“She’s a lovely young lady. Let her go before she withers away like a fading flower. Of course, the wolf’s nature won’t allow that…”

“Father, have you never thought about it this way?”

‘Let her go.’ Those words grated on Alto so much that, without realising it, he cut him off.

“In this whole world, surely there must be at least one person who would love me even if I were a beast, right?”

His father let out a hollow laugh.

“That’s nothing but a foolish idea.”

“I see. You share the same view as Grandfather.”

To Alto, his father looked like someone who had convinced himself that Alto had to be unhappy. Because, otherwise, his own life would seem far too miserable.

So Alto made no effort to stop his father. He didn’t want anyone near who might harm Viviana. Not even his own father.

Alto pressed a kiss to the ends of her wavy hair.

‘That’s right, she herself is a miracle.’

A woman who, even after seeing his ugly nature, embraced him tenderly, saying she loved him.

His one and only mate.

“I love you, Viviana.”

—Side Stories Complete.

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Translator's Corner:

The first side story volume is finally finished! Thank you for your patience, everyone, and I hope you all enjoyed it~

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[1] The term used was "돌아가셨습니다" (doragashyeotseuminida), where "돌아가다" means "to return/go back" or "to pass away/die." In this sentence, the way Alto said it made Viviana think he meant his father "passed away." So I have translated it into English as "he has passed" to try to retain that double-meaning in the original! My other idea was: "he's gone." But I think that has less of a double-meaning impact.

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