I've Tried Going Back to Life After Dying - Chapter 30

“Ah, Atrey…”

Of course, the current Atrey had no idea that he was Hildegard’s husband before Clifford went back in time to her death.

To him, she was probably just the daughter of a marquis attending the same academy.

Even for Hildegard, in her previous life, she would have already been engaged to Clifford by now.

Clifford had attended this very soirée with her back then.

Unaware of any of this, Atrey began walking toward the servers.

“Atrey,”

“Are you thirsty? I’ll get you a drink. Champagne? Or fruit water?”

Atrey smiled as he asked Hildegard. Over his shoulder, she could see the servers and beside them, Clifford.

She almost called out for him to wait but stopped herself.

Why should she hesitate? Her marriage to Clifford had been in her past life.

As Atrey strode forward, Hildegard gathered her courage.

She would live this life with Atrey. That decision wasn’t just impulse, nor was it because Atrey had pushed her into it. It was because she trusted him.

Some of that trust came from the memories she had built in her past life, but ever since her return from death, Atrey had left an even deeper impression on her.

Hastily, Hildegard reached out and placed her hand on Atrey’s arm. He looked momentarily surprised but then broke into a smile, an unusual reaction for him.

Atrey covered her hand with his own, as if afraid she might pull away, gently enveloping her small fingers.

“Let’s go together.”

Even though they were just fetching drinks, Atrey spoke as if they were setting off on a journey, leading her toward the servers.

As they approached, Clifford came into view beside them. In this life, she had never met him.

Yet, despite that, her heart fluttered nervously, and she unconsciously tightened her grip on Atrey’s arm.

“What would you like?”

“Champagne.”

“Alcohol—are you sure?”

At past soirées, she had always shared champagne with you on the terrace.

That memory felt so distant now. She found it amusing that Atrey, who didn’t know any better, was worried about her choice.

The Atrey from before would have known she could hold her liquor.

After accepting the champagne from the server, Atrey handed it to Hildegard before taking one for himself.

“A toast.”

Without specifying to what, he raised his glass slightly. The amber champagne overlapped with the hue of his eyes.

Champagne gold had been her husband’s color. Even in this life, it was still Atrey’s.

A mere coincidence, yet it felt like divine choice.

Hildegard lifted her glass as well and spoke the words that felt like a vow to herself.

“To our future together.”

Atrey froze, staring at her.

“Atrey?”

“…N-no, it’s just…”

He glanced away briefly, exhaling softly, but quickly regained his usual composure.

“To our future.”

With that, he took a sip.

She hadn’t considered that Clifford might be watching.

In this life, he was just a passerby. At most, he might have seen them around the academy nothing more.

They had never spoken, let alone introduced themselves.

The ball ended without incident.

“Sister, how was it?”

When Hildegard returned, Lauren was still awake.

“Couldn’t sleep?”

After changing out of her ballgown into her nightclothes, she visited Lauren’s corner room, where he lay in bed, eyes open.

“Yeah. I was thinking about Atrey’s feelings.”

Looking back, if Lauren hadn’t pushed her, tonight might have ended with her and Atrey remaining just close cousins.

Having lived through a past life with its share of experiences, she realized that life was full of such moments.

If not for that one event, that tiny shift in her heart, the future could have been entirely different. Such things happened from time to time.

For instance, if she had simply succumbed to exhaustion on the night of Clifford’s funeral and slept without a second thought, she might have woken the next morning in the familiar bed of the lady’s chambers.

Reuniting with Lauren like this would have remained a dream.

Becoming the family’s matriarch and choosing Atrey as her husband would have been impossible.

“Maybe this is a dream.”

“Sister?”

“I’d do anything to make your dreams come true. And I’m not alone, Atrey will help too.”

“Sister…”

She took Lauren’s hand. Even in summer, his fingers were cool to the touch but unlike at his deathbed, they weren’t skeletal.

There was still time.

“Father is looking for a scholar. Someone to teach you.”

She wanted Lauren to fulfill as many dreams as possible, to find even one joyful thing each day. That was her wish.

Clifford’s death had come too soon. In the end, Hildegard had followed just three days later.

“Even if life can be repeated, each one is lived only once. I want us both to look back on our final day and feel satisfied.”

Unable to hold back, she pressed her ear to Lauren’s chest.

Thump. Thump.

The strong heartbeat brought tears to her eyes.

“Lauren, I love you.”

Though she was a debutante now, Lauren gently stroked his sister’s head as she clung to him.