We Do Business In Full Auto [EN]: Chapter 38

Full Auto Business 038

038

Deathbed (2)

Swish!

Arriving at the main house, the gloomy sky poured down heavy streams of water.

Typical England.

There were more cloudy days than clear ones, and it rained whenever it felt like it. Rain was said to be a part of everyday life for the English.

Without much fuss, James took out an umbrella and shared it.

“How does it feel to be back after so long? The weather makes it feel real, doesn’t it?”

Lisa took the umbrella without a word.

Looking at the ancient castle, it was a stark reminder, and I began to think about my wife’s lineage.

I still couldn’t believe that my wife was British royalty. Now I understood why the Cottons were so opposed to it. Even if I were a member of the Cotton family, I would have opposed bringing a strange foreigner into the family.

We passed through the grassy garden.

The castle, submerged in the rain, felt like it was emitting a low moan. Perhaps it felt that way because it was so far removed from current styles.

“Is it here?”

This was the place.

Here, on the 4th floor, when we pulled back the curtains, Lisa and I were kneeling and got covered in sewage.

It was common to have all sorts of vegetables and eggs thrown at us. I couldn’t even remember how many days and nights we spent here.

It was now a place of old memories.

Creak.

The doors of the massive castle opened.

Many members of the Cotton family had gathered inside Cotton Castle. Not only family members but also various figures from society had come ahead of Lady Catherine’s passing, and their gazes all turned to us.

Murmur, murmur.

“Is that the foreigner?”

“So I hear.”

“I heard he had a hard time.”

“Tsk, tsk. That damned guy took the royal and spent years in a dilapidated house.”

“He deserves to die.”

“…….”

The feelings of contempt for my wife had almost disappeared.

This must be the power of time. But unlike when I took my wife back to Korea with great fanfare, people were complaining that I had made her suffer terribly. So, here, I was the only one who deserved to die.

‘I deserve to die.’

If I had made her live abroad, I would have been criticized even if she lived an ordinary life, but I made her suffer to death, so how could they not feel that way?

And the 4th floor.

The key figures of the family were gathered in front of Catherine Cotton’s room.

The most impressive person among them was Earl Cain Cotton.

When my wife was excommunicated, Cain Cotton, her younger brother, inherited the title without question.

Cain Cotton was also one of the family members who had strongly opposed the marriage.

His expression was very complex.

“Sister.”

My wife simply nodded at Cain’s words.

It meant that she had cut off all ties with the family.

And Cain Cotton stopped in front of me.

“Brother-in-law. Long time no see.”

“Brother-in-law? What nonsense.”

“Right. Earl Cotton. I’m a foreigner and have nothing to do with you, so would you please step aside? I didn’t really want to come either.”

Cain gritted his teeth and stepped back.

His brother-in-law’s feelings didn’t seem too good. Well, no matter how kind a person is, they wouldn’t feel good if their sister was taken to a distant land and made to suffer. I could understand that much.

Even if we put aside the fact that he opposed the marriage with my wife a long time ago.

Creak.

The massive wooden door had a lion, symbolizing the Cotton family, engraved on it.

The floor was covered with natural marble instead of tiles, and the things hanging on the walls were all works of art.

The works of art that had been passed down through the Cotton family were hanging in the hallway, and an even more incredible sight unfolded as the door opened.

The room was filled with antique pieces, each more antique than the last. Even the bed that my mother-in-law was lying on seemed impossible to date.

On the left wall of the room hung portraits of the past heads of the Cotton family.

As I entered here, I could feel a faint life force.

Lying there was an old woman who looked so ill that it seemed she could die at any moment.

The old woman’s face, with her white hair, was nothing but skin and bones. It was a wonder how she had survived until now.

Lisa stood in front of her mother.

“My daughter…….”

The mother-in-law, breathing heavily, reached out her hand to my wife.

My wife’s eyes turned cold for a moment.

“I heard you were looking for me.”

“Oh……. I really wanted to see you. I haven’t felt good since I excommunicated you.”

Each word felt difficult.

With each word, her life force weakened.

‘She’s about to pass away.’

So, my mother-in-law had been desperately holding on while my wife was coming.

Why?

She had despised her so much and had such bad feelings that she excommunicated her.

Looking at my mother-in-law now, I wondered if she was the same person who had been so mad back then.

There was no venom in her eyes.

‘The impermanence of time.’

A person was facing death.

The woman, who had been so cruel during her life, was looking up at my wife with a regretful expression.

My wife had no answer to her mother’s words.

My mother-in-law turned her gaze to me.

“Son-in-law.”

“Mother-in-law. It’s been a while.”

“I’m entrusting my daughter to you.”

“I’m doing that even without you saying so.”

“Good. Will you show me my granddaughters?”

I looked up at the sky once.

Thinking about the things I used to do, I didn’t want to at all. But what could I do? The old woman in front of me was facing death. She was barely squeezing out her strength.

I picked up Sua and called for Sujeong.

My mother-in-law stroked Sua and Sujeong once. Of course, Sujeong knew to some extent the secret story of our marriage, so she didn’t really welcome the touch.

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

Lastly, my mother-in-law looked at my wife.

“Facing death, I realized that I lived my life wrong. People come empty-handed and leave empty-handed……. I was too obsessed with material things.”

“You know it well.”

“I’ve only now realized that spiritual richness should be prioritized in life……. It’s too late. And you kept bothering my mind.”

“…….”

My wife’s eyes were complicated.

If I had to describe my wife’s expression, it would be something like, ‘So what do you want me to do?’

“What’s already happened can’t be helped.”

“Yes. Still……. Can you forgive this pathetic mother?”

My wife’s eyes shook violently.

Perhaps I was seeing the end of human selfishness.

Just because you ask for forgiveness at the end doesn’t mean that the actions that person did disappear. It wasn’t like she had been constantly asking for forgiveness, and forgiveness right before death? That was just to make herself feel better.

Even so.

My wife closed her eyes for a moment.

Perhaps old memories were flooding back like a burst dam.

My wife opened her eyes and nodded slightly.

“I’ll forgive you.”

“Thank you. Thank you. To you and to this son-in-law. Now I can close my eyes in peace.”

Swoosh.

The strength left my mother-in-law’s hand.

With a much more peaceful expression than before, she stared at my wife and then quietly closed her eyes.

“Mom!”

I could hear the wails of my brother-in-law, Earl Cotton.

Starting with my brother-in-law, everyone who had been watching the passing around her burst into tears.

So, what about my wife now?

There was no change in her expression at all.

Was it that she still couldn’t forgive her mother-in-law?

Soon, my wife turned around.

I held Sua and followed behind my wife, and Sujeong followed behind us.

Our business here was over.

The visit to England, which originated from my mother-in-law’s selfishness, could be said to have achieved its purpose.

“Hey!”

James ran after us.

Tears welled up in his eyes. Catherine wasn’t his biological sister, but even so, they had built up affection over a long period.

“Yes, uncle-in-law.”

“Thank you. Thanks to you, my sister was able to close her eyes in peace.”

“You should thank my wife rather than me.”

“Lisa. Thank you.”

“It’s okay.”

“Will you be able to attend the funeral tomorrow?”

“Well, I don’t know if I really need to go to the funeral.”

“Then stay at our house for at least one more day before you go. There are no flights back to Korea right now, and it would be too much for the children to travel for such a long time.”

I was thinking the same thing.

Sujeong had also said that she wanted to travel around London, and even if we came in first class, it was naturally tiring to fly for so long.

It was right to go back not today but in a couple of days.

The decision here had to be made by my wife.

“Okay.”

“Good. Thank you.”

First floor lobby.

Funeral preparations would begin today, and the funeral would be held from tomorrow.

I wondered if my wife would attend.

I couldn’t ask now. My wife’s expression looked so complicated, and there were so many people that it was difficult to ask directly.

‘I’ve never seen my wife’s expression so hardened in my life.’

My wife always had a gentle smile on her face.

No matter what happened, no matter how difficult things were, she never lost her smile. It was her daily life to have a subtle smile like the Mona Lisa.

But now my wife’s face had turned frighteningly cold. I was worried that her lips, which she was biting tightly, would bleed.

“Aaaaaaah!”

“Huh?”

Someone was screaming and coming down from the second floor.

It was my brother-in-law, Earl Cain, and I wondered what he was so excited about. Tears were streaming down his face, and his face was covered in snot.

What’s wrong with that dirty bastard?

He ran straight towards me, holding a golf club in one hand.

“Oh? Brother-in-law?”

Swoosh!

James quickly pulled my wife and Sujeong back. At the same time, as the golf club flew, I dodged it lightly.

Swoosh! Swoosh!

In the past, I would have been hit by that attack and sprawled on the floor.

But after learning black magic and reaching the 3rd Circle, all my senses had developed overall. Even without using black magic specifically, I could avoid all these attacks.

Snot was flying everywhere.

“Ha……. Dirty bastard.”

“You! My mother died early because of you! She got sick and died because she was worried about my sister! You son of a bitch!”

My brother-in-law was overly excited.

Murmur, murmur.

My brother-in-law had even learned the Cotton family’s swordsmanship to some extent.

A long time ago, the Cotton family started from a famous knight. Perhaps because of that, the men of the Cotton family traditionally learned the family swordsmanship.

What he was holding in his hand was a golf club, but it meant that there was a form to it.

“Did that Korean son-in-law learn martial arts?”

“Maybe.”

The guy who had been swinging the golf club for a while was now panting.

And I landed a counterpunch on the last swing.

Pow!

“Cough!”

“Brother-in-law. Enough.”

“Waaaaah!”

My brother-in-law cried as if the world had collapsed, and people were just watching the scene with complicated expressions.