Guidelines for the Perfect Goodbye - Chapter 249

Fatalists say this: the eternal truths are unshakable, and the direction of the stars is predetermined, so too is the fate of each individual.

The body is but a single vessel, and our souls are the rowers navigating its set course.

Fear not the loss of direction, nor the drift into uncertainty. Fear not the shipwreck, nor the depths that may claim you. Do not presume to chart a new course, nor vainly strive to defy nature’s flow, resisting the current’s immutable pull.

All is destiny. Both life and death are predetermined.

What must come to pass will surely unfold. Such is the decree of the heavens.

Do not resist fate. Embrace it.

Even if it leads you into the waves of sorrow, or the bitter winds of misfortune.

***

Cecilia scoffed at the words of the fatalists.

‘What a textbook example of defeatist thinking.’

If everyone thought like that, they wouldn’t even leave their opinions in writing.

What progress can there be in a life that only conforms? If everyone lived with such thoughts, no one would have bothered to invent something as trivial as the written word.

The act of recording oneself demonstrates human will—the determination to engrave one’s experiences deeply. If even that is reduced to mere destiny, then it isn’t worth discussing further.

An eternal Möbius strip. To refute the paradox is to be consumed by one’s own nonsense.

Ultimately, Cecilia did not believe in fate. Fate could change.

In a very narrow sense, at least as far as her own life was concerned, this change was certain.

Cecilia had turned Diana, a stranger whose true name she hadn’t even known in her past life, into her ally in this one. She had driven out the nanny who had tormented her, saved her younger brother from the dangers of poisoning, and even achieved her goal of breaking off her engagement.

Like with Diana, she had also gained the cooperation of Nigel Rosencrantz, a man who in her past life wouldn’t have spared her a glance.

She didn’t deny that traces of the past lingered in this process—the benefits of partnering with Nigel were undeniable. Even so, he was a difficult man, and the situation was precarious.

Yet, she had made him her pretend lover. At least outwardly, she had him within her grasp.

The man who had once despised her the most now stood on her side. The present had overtaken the past.

Finally, the change had become palpable.

Everything was different. Everything…

“Cecilia has committed an unforgivable sin. She must repent in a monastery.”

No, Cecilia thought. I was naive. There are things that never change, no matter how much time rewinds.

“It hurts to send my sister so far away… But if we don’t, Margaret and I will also be branded as immoral sisters.”

“Immoral? Nonsense. No one sees you two on the same level as her. You and Cecilia are different from birth.”

“No, I can already feel it. He didn’t suddenly change because of me alone.”

“He…?”

“…It’s nothing.”

Cecilia stood silently in the corridor, eavesdropping on Bernarda and Caroline’s conversation. Droplets of water fell from the ends of her hair.

Caroline seemed to believe Cecilia was locked in her room, unable to take even a single step outside. That was only half true.

Cecilia was mostly confined to her room. She couldn’t leave the estate at all.

However, the door opened once a day. Living without bathing wasn’t an option, and in this small townhouse, none of the rooms were equipped with a private bathroom.

“Should I stomp around to make some noise?”

Mary huffed, suggesting they draw attention.

“No, stay quiet.”

Cecilia lingered briefly in the corridor. She could hear Bernarda trying to calm Caroline’s temper.

“That’s not for us to decide. First, let’s go back and hear your father’s opinion.”

“Father will surely say the same. A daughter who’s a burden to the family is better off not staying in the Coffret Manor.”

Caroline’s sharp voice was followed by a younger girl’s eager contribution.

“Sister is right. If we leave her be, she’ll become so… arrogant… and presum… uhh, what’s the word?”

“Presumptuous.”

“Right, presumptuous!”

Mary muttered quietly in anger.

“Young Miss! What those two are saying is inappropriate!”

Even so, she couldn’t bring herself to say Cecilia was entirely without fault. However, deciding Cecilia’s fate was the prerogative of the family head. Caroline’s words were certainly overstepping.

“Shush. Let’s just go back.”

Cecilia led Mary away, turning to leave.

However, a maid stationed near the room stepped forward, blocking Mary’s path.