A Stepmother's Märchen - Vol. 1 Ch. 61 - Epilogue 5 - The Ending of a Fairy Tale (6)

[TiaSaintClaire]

I don't understand anything lol I will just wait for the story to go back to the current timeline

 

[NapJ]

Wow that panel with Nora wearing holding Shuli in his arms...just wow, made my heart stop

 

[KurumiToki]

HELP !! I NEED HEEEELLP !!!!

 

[whatever_voyez]

F*ck not the cardinal it's disgusting to simp for that bastar*

 

[Mizuho9000]

Well, I will try to explain what I remember, Shuli is a girl that looks like the girl in the portrait called "Daughter of God" and the marquis died from insanity was her husband and it looks like this was spoken through Nora's point of view re-telling Shuli's past and situation. From the past chapters, you can see the prince looking at the daughter of god and wanting Shuli for himself and it look like it is also the reason why the church wants to kill Shuli because she look like the Reincarnation of the daughter of God.

 

[Deenoodles]

Look I love the current timeline Nora and Shuli so much but og timeline? Them as adults?? THE PANEL OF HIM HOLDING HER??! I simp

 

[Wutchi]

Tl:dr of what is happening: Chapter is primarily told through Nora's POV where he joined special forces under the Emperor's direct command and was tasked to observe Shuli. But even before that during their singular meeting he fell in love with her. Shuli was gruesomely murdered, to the point her body was unrecognizeable, which was a ploy of the church to start crusader wars on pagans. While Nora is the only one left who cares about investigating truth behind the murder (since other officials only do it "for show"), the current Marquis at the time, Jeremy, went half-mad and presumably supported the church as a means for revenge (I think). The whole reason people refer to her as a daughter of God, because she literally became a sacrifice for the church's plans to increase their political and economic influence.

 

[dementedcockroachondrugs]

I still don't fully get why the church killed her :/

 

[SonicWizard]

@cynniminni the church made her a martyr after assassinating her so they could use that as justification to increase influence and go to war.

 

[yohanssi]

the cardinal can root in hell

 

[venusdeletus]

my HEART AHHHHHHH this chapter was so gorgeous and heartwretching!!!! I have hella second ML syndrome so I'm rooting for Jeremy who went crazy over her death, but also I know he doesn't deserve her as much as Nora... and adult Nora is soooo fine omfg I know we all spent at least 5 mins looking at THAT panel I'm done in ya'll. tragic pining is literally my favorite trope. and she's got 3 men pining!!! shuli show them what's up in this life!! get all ur mans and survive in happiness

 

[BelyChoupi]

Oh, now you're afraid because your friend is going to die ? How about you go burning in hell?!

 

[anon259]

I wish people would stop speedreading.

 

[Magentaide]

The artist needs to chill with the art

 

[dewisejagat]

Jeremy’s “half mad searching for his lover” part and Nora’s “If u were my lover” BROKE me

 

[Loonila205]

@Mizuho9000 I think Wutchi's explanation is pretty spot on about the chapter.
Shuli never married in this timeline so the marquis is referring to Jeremy and he's still alive. The portrait in this chapter is of Shuli. The one that the prince was looking at was his deceased mother (previous empress). So it's more accurate to say Shuli looks like the prince's mother (who was never referred as the daughter of God).

 

[Vannie]

This is kinda messed up, it's messing up my emotions!!!

 

[sweeterthanpie]

@sertoots I swear the translations said "Albrecht" before (who is Nora's dad) but now it's "Albington". I can clearly understand who is being executed and who is not now

 

[toebutter]

How are you people not getting what's going on? lol Y'all are overthinking this.

-Shuli is dead.
-Nora cries for his lost, long unrequited love, not knowing who her true murderer is but has questions whether it was simply pagans being "barbaric" or this was a part of some political machination.
-Jeremy is now Marquess Neuschwanstein & has partially lost it due to Shuli's murder. The TL I saw referred to her as a dead woman, not as his lover. Jeremy never showed any romantic feelings for Shuli. Guilt and a form of familiar love, yes, given that she looked after them despite not having any blood relations. But not romantic love. He simply felt guilty that over the years he & his siblings had ppractically tortured her, labelling her a villain not realising sooner that there was a massive misunderstanding that Shuli herself didn't try to correct & instead stuck with the job Johannes left her.
-The Church is using Shuli's death to drive the masses to increase their influence.
-Abbington is to be executed after being found in the crime scene (suspected of being an accomplice to the murder, failing to protect his master, or both)
-@sweeterthanpie Yes, Abbington is the knight. Albrecht is Nora's dad. Always has been that way. Nora's dad is only shown in flashbacks in this chapter. Albrecht did not have any close associations with Shuli in this (past) timeline, other than in their council meetings & setting up Johannes' memorial banquet.

I really wish this was reuploaded to include the missing panels. It simply shows Nora visiting the site where Shuli's remains were found (bloodstained tree). It explains (1) where the hell he is, (2) what he's doing, (3) why he begs for the other to pretend not to see him crying despite him promising himself he wouldn't (a reversal of when he saw Shuli for the first time while she's secretly crying in the balcony during the banquet). In short, he was there to mourn while talking to her. It also just really adds to the feel of the chapter.

 

[toastymmallows]

That panel with adult Nora and Shuli OMFG WOW