Chapter 809: Chapter 257: When the Soul-Continuing Incense Burns Out, I Shall Leave_2
The smile on her face never faded as she said, “I’m really happy. That you could come to see me off at the end of my life.”
Leonard Churchill listened, feeling increasingly uneasy, and said with difficulty, “Miss Anne, these years must have been hard for you…”
Vera Williams did not shy away from the topic and reflected, “Well… it was a bit tough before. But later… later, I came to understand.”
Thinking back to all those days and nights, it truly felt so sad at the time.
Yet, it was precisely those longings that sheltered her from the storm and helped her endure countless difficult days.
Now, looking back, those experiences had become a substantial part of her life.
In life, there are regrets in everything, but everything is also worthwhile.
It was as if she was experiencing a final burst of clarity, her thoughts now incredibly lucid.
Vera Williams chose not to dwell on this topic any longer and instead said, “Leonard, don’t be sad for me, I don’t want to see you upset. Because my life has been very fulfilling. To be lucky twice in life is wonderful. Once is to meet the one you love, and once is to grow old. Fate has been kind to me, and I have experienced both.”
After saying such a lengthy statement, the elderly seemed a bit winded.
Leonard took her aged hand in his, cradling that last bit of heartfelt beauty that was about to leave this world.
When he knew, just as before, that he couldn’t hold onto anything.
But in the moment their hands touched, their two familiar souls seemed to resonate with an intimate harmony.
Age seemed not to be a barrier at all.
Vera Williams, however, chuckled at herself and asked, “Does my hand feel as old as tree bark?”
Leonard shook his head, remained silent.
Vera Williams, at life’s end, certainly did not care about appearances anymore; she only cared about Leonard.
Looking at her, as if sensing something.
Vera Williams knew her time was short and wanted to say everything she had to say, reassuring him once again, “Leonard, don’t you think our meeting was magical? That magical ‘Stamp’ allowed us to meet across a century…”
Just as the ‘Great Sword’ she left behind gave her something to cling to.
That thought supported her through countless days of sorrow and despair.
Now, Vera Williams left Leonard with a thought, slowly saying, “Don’t be sad, don’t grieve. If one day, you truly remember me, you can come to the River of Time to see me. I’ll still be there.”
Hearing this, Leonard’s pupils abruptly constricted as if he saw a beam of light piercing through the heavy clouds.
That’s right, the Time Rule!
Time can be traversed!
Vera Williams continued in a very faint voice, “If the ‘Stamp’ can bring us together, then maybe one day in the future, you could return to the past to see me? Not the current me, but the eighteen-year-old me. I think Miss Anne at that youthful age will still be very, very much looking forward to meeting Mr. Leonard Churchill.”
As she spoke, her words carried a deep significance, “When I look back now, my life is like a storybook, already spectacular enough… I would also like Mr. Leonard Churchill to have the chance to read it again. To read about the beautiful times we shared together…”
Leonard, reflecting on her words, felt his mind enter a state of vacancy.
It was a sudden realization, as if a cognitive barrier had been breached.
For a moment, the secret of time seemed to unveil itself before his eyes, and he truly touched it.
But before he could ponder further, the voice beside his ear grew weaker and weaker.
“I had so much to say, but alas, my time is running short.”
Vera Williams said, and it seemed as if she struggled to open her eyes, just like an old person dozing off.
She tried hard to take one last look at her beloved in the final moments of her life.
It was just the same as memory.
In that moment of twilight reverie, she felt as if she had returned to the first time she saw that face.
Vera Williams, looking at Leonard, wore a smile on her aged face that was incredibly happy and tender.
“Oh, over the years… I wrote some letters to you. But the ‘Stamp’ couldn’t send them out. I considered burning them, but I couldn’t bear to… I thought I’d leave them for you. If you want to read them, then read them…”Update by n0vgo.c0
Her voice was growing fainter.
Leonard listened, feeling as if his soul were being extracted, all his thoughts crashing against his spirit like a tidal surge.
Just then, he heard the elderly woman’s murmur, uttering her final words of farewell, “Mr. Leonard Churchill, goodbye… As the incense of the soul-extending candle dies out, I must go.”
Leonard found the hand he was holding trying to grasp his own with effort, but growing weaker.
He hurriedly grasped it.
But found he couldn’t hold on.
Silly girl, don’t go!
As he watched those clear eyes slowly losing their vitality, Leonard was already covered in tears, and he gently said one last time, “Miss Anne, I like you!”
Listened to this, Vera Williams smiled.
As he spoke, Leonard leaned down and kissed the girl on the forehead.
At that moment, the incense in the corner ceased abruptly.
In the final moment before death, Vera Williams wanted to say something more, but she couldn’t speak anymore.
But her lips maintained a happy smile until the end.
In the last second before she closed her eyes, she looked at Leonard’s eyes, which were still so tender, so… full of love.
But the very next moment, her body emitted a glow.
The elegant and proud Miss Anne, in Leonard’s kiss, disintegrated into a sky full of pink rose petals.
Like a rose at the end of its blooming season, ultimately scattering in the wind.