When My Enemies Began to Regret

Fanora wiped away the fake tears that had been shed and looked at Ronwe’s tombstone with a mocking gaze.

Just as he ignored Fanora’s pain, Ronwe was left alone at the end of his life, shunned even by his family. Fanora considered it as karma.

After Ronwe was buried under the ground, the level of refreshment that filled her heart was different. Fanora no longer felt sad when she remembered the former butler who looked at her like a bug.

“Don’t be so sad, Lady Fanora. I felt hurt every time Lady cried. I’m sure he’s gone to a comfortable place.”

Shortly after that, Fanora, who was touching the tombstone, came to the Ronwe’s wife and offered the consolation. Just before Rowe’s death, she seemed to have lost all affection for him, and when he, who had lived his life as a married couple, died, she also seemed to be feeling guilty.

“Yes, I’m sure he went to a good place…” Fanora spoke with his wife without any guilt, even though she was contributing to his death.

“That’s right, Sir Ronwe was a very nice person while he was alive…”

“Oh my God…!”

“!”

It was then, Ronwe’s wife, who was facing Fanora, noticed someone coming from behind her and suddenly bowed her head.

As the person in front of her greeted the person behind her, Fanora’s gaze naturally turned to the back. Then came the voice of an old woman she had never heard before. “Is your name… Fanora Celsius?”

White hair tied high, wrinkles filled over time, and a voluminous body shape. The Madam, who had a unique gaze and noble posture of looking down at others like the characteristic of high ranking position, appeared in black clothes from head to toe.

Fanora was unconsciously enchanted by the black dress she was wearing. Still, in her eyes, the black clothes used for mourning looked very beautiful.

“Is that right?”

“Th-That’s right.” Fanora belatedly answered after blinking her eyes when she asked again. The Madam who appeared looked straight at her eyes. Then Ronwe’s wife, who was by Fanora’s side, introduced her to Fanora. 

“Lady Fanora, this is… Countess Maquil.”

“!”

Countess Maquil. Fanora was surprised and greeted her politely.

“I greet you for the first time, Countess Iva Maquil.”

The foolish girl, who had only been crying until now, corrected her posture and greeted her. The Countess looked down at Fanora and said, “Ronwe eventually returned to the arms of God. If I had known he would die so soon, I would have come to the capital a day earlier.”

“…”

“I have received several letters from Ronwe. The first letter I received this year said he was ill and in critical condition.”

“…”

“However, Ronwe didn’t ask for my help to cure his illness, nor did he ask me to visit him when he was sick. And from the next letter, he talked about one lady.”

Countess Maquil, who was so dignified and sophisticated and said to have taken over the social world in her youth, continued to speak with an unwavering appearance, proving that her reputation wasn’t a myth.

“Your name is the name written on his letters. Ronwe begged me before he died. Please take care of this lady.”

“Sir Ronwe… you mean?”

“He said Fanora Celsius didn’t receive a single education until today and will soon be thrown into the social world.”

As their conversation continued in a serious direction, Ronwe’s wife, who was next to Fanora, slipped away to look around. Then, only two people stood next to Ronwe’s tombstone.

“At first, I tried to refuse. Because I’ve never had a goddaughter.”

“…”

“…but after reading all the letters from Ronwe, I couldn’t.”

Fanora thought at this moment. 

“You’ve been taking good care of Ronwe, who was sick all this time.”

“Ah, that is because Sir Ronwe has contributed to the Celsius family for the rest of his life…”

Countess Maquil’s expression slowly began to change when she heard Fanora’s answer. Until now, her facial muscles were sternly stiff, but she lit up the corners of her mouth with a sad expression on her face.

“I was tired of the social world. To the point that I decided to spend the rest of my life in a quiet place.”

“…”

“But I guess it’s not time for me to retire yet.”

The Countess looked into her eyes and said politely, “Fanora Celsius. If you allow me, I will help you make your debutante.”

A once-in-a-lifetime debutante. Getting help from a big figure in the social world at that event wasn’t easy. Fanora figured out what was going on for a few seconds. Fortunately, it didn’t take long for an answer to come.

“I’m so happy. It’s an honor, Madam…!”

Thus, in Fanora’s second life, she finally formed a relationship with Madam Maquil.  After the funeral, they promised to meet at Celsius’s mansion a day later.

* * *

The evening after the funeral, Fanora returned to the mansion and moved back and forth in her room to the point of disbelief.

No matter how much she was at a loss compared to her heyday, Madam Maquil was still an influential figure in the social world. Her younger brother was a high priest. Her son graduated from the academy with the highest grade and had a seat in the parliament. Even rumors said his son was close with the second princess…

Fanora was worried that her family might try to stop her from making connections with the Maquil family. In particular, she was wary the most about Hanar Celsius.

Fanora briefly recalled her stepmother. 

Fanora felt that revenge on her family should be the last thing to do. Did she think like that because hurting her own family was a severe sin that even God won’t forgive? There was no such moral reason. 

The reason was that she was still young. If a member of the Celsius family suddenly got injured, Fanora, who had been abused by them, would be suspected. Of course, the mansion would become noisy about it.

How did she get this opportunity…?

“…”

Fanora stopped moving back and forth.

“Let’s bow my head to the Countess to keep my relationship with Madam Maquil.” She eventually decided to plead to her if Hanar tried to interfere with the sudden come of godmother for her. That was all she could think of right now.

“Cecil, where are you?”

“Did you call for me? Lady?”

“I’m going to bed early today, so please help me change my clothes.”

A few minutes later, Fanora’s body was in pain from the exhaustion of the long journeys and the shock of what had happened at the funeral home. So she lay down on the bed early.

However, suddenly, the thought of Ronwe crossed my mind. It felt strange that he helped her only after he was dead. Ronwe and Fanora could have had a rather good ending if the order had changed slightly. However, she had no regrets about the process of revising the contents of her life that had already been written.

* * *

It was 3 p.m. the next day. The Celsius family had a guest come. A middle-aged woman who got out of a carriage opened a parasol to escape the sunny summer sun. She took one or two steps closer to the mansion door, grabbed the doorknob, and knocked politely.

“Who are you?”

Soon the Butler of Celsius opened the door and asked about the purpose of her visit. Then the guest, who had a benevolent smile on her face, answered. “I’ve come to see the first child of the house, so please tell your Master that ‘Iva Maquil’ has come.”

Of course, the first child of this family was a term referring to Fanora Celsius. Suddenly a celebrity like Countess Maquil was looking for the quiet lady of the house. The butler reported it at a bewildered and quick pace.

“Madam, we have a guest outside now.”

“Guest? No one made an appointment for today, so who is coming?”

“T-That, Countess Iva Maquil came to see Lady Fanora…”

The person in charge of overseeing what was happening in the mansion flinched her brows when she heard his report.

“Countess Maquil to that child?”

Hanar Celsius threw away the personnel documents she reviewed and rose from her seat.

“First, let her relax in the parlor on the first floor, and when I’m ready to greet her, take her to the second floor.”

“Yes, Madam.”

Countess Maquil didn’t wait long. Hanar had been welcoming her guests from 3 p.m. onwards, so she was already wearing formal attire. 15 minutes later, after finishing all the preparations, Hanar and Iva were seated next to each other in the parlor room on the second floor.

“Thank you for welcoming me even though it was a sudden visit.”

“What does Madam mean by sudden visits? I’m concerned about Madam Maquil, who has a reputation for courtesy and solemnity. By any chance, had our first daughter made a mistake?” Hanar said with a concerned look.

Then Madam Maquil gently led the conversation. “No, I came here without an appointment, so I will briefly explain my purpose. I want to become the godmother of your daughter, Lady Fanora.”

“!”

“It’s about your daughter, so shouldn’t I tell you about it? And when the time comes, I want to refine that child’s manners by myself before the debutante.”

“Now… the godmother, did you say godmother?”

Who in the world would refuse the education from Countess Maquil? Even Hanar Celcius asked Countess Maquil several times to educate her son on etiquette. However, it had always been rejected, and she gave up on it a few years ago. But now that Madam was going to support that brat?

Fanora was better off when she received Aloken’s proposal. Anyway, Fanora needed to be taken over by another family. Hanar was able to get over it. But this time was a different story. Hanar felt as if Fanora was taking what his son should have.

“If it’s my daughter, she’s very shy. I’m sorry, but I think it will be difficult for her to contact Madam…”

“Don’t worry. I already got permission from her.”

“But that child is really lacking in manners. She couldn’t keep up with her studies from a young age, no matter how good a teacher I put on her. She will definitely make you suffer.”

“I think it is in the hands of the teacher what the learner will accomplish. Rather, if she’s not good enough, she will have to start making up for it.”

Hanar persuaded her not to be Fanora’s godmother, but she was repeatedly rejected. She was speechless for a moment, picking a story to tell, and then pulled out the following words with difficulty. “Fanora is going to be sent to debutante next year. As time runs out, I have already tried to solve her shortcomings with several teachers.”

“…”

“So, how about our son, who has more spare time than her? He’s a very smart child and has a good heart. Of course, he will take good care of his godmother.”

This story, of course, did not interest Countess Maquil at all. “The only person I want to hold my hand in the debutante is Fanora Celsius.” Iva Maquil said it straightforwardly. 

In response, Hanar took a sip of the tea on the table for a moment and finally said, “Then I can’t help it. Since we both want different things, I will decline about Madam wanting to be the godmother of my daughter… thank you, but I refuse it.”