Chapter 168

The day of Duke Ruthius’s funeral.

A carriage entering the Ruthius estate stopped before the main castle, now nothing but pillars.

As I dragged my tired body out of the carriage, everyone from the servants to Alex was there to greet me.

A few days ago, I’d contacted the butler and told him to gather all the employees for my arrival, and not a single person was missing.

*’Which one of them is the emperor’s rat?’*

Duke Ruthius never showed his murderous intent toward the emperor, not even at home.

The only times he revealed his true feelings were when I, the butler Frank, and Alex were present. He’d even advised Alex and me several times not to show our emotions.

This was not only a warning to sharpen our blades of revenge in secret but also an implication that one of the employees was the emperor’s informant.

The reason Duke Ruthius never bothered to find the informant was to use them as bait—bait to deceive the emperor by feeding his spy false information.

I, too, planned to leave the informant be. Let the rat snoop around and carry information back to the emperor, oblivious that it was all false.

I feigned surprise, my eyes widening.

“Why is everyone out here? Isn’t today the funeral? Aren’t you busy?”

“The funeral preparations are in order, so please do not worry. Was your business resolved?”

“Yes. There’s a gift from Akron in the carriage. It’s valuable, so have the butler take care of it personally.”

“Understood.”

*Frank is hidden inside the carriage.*

Understanding my meaning, the butler nodded to the coachman and dismissed the employees.

*Clip-clop, clip-clop.* The carriage disappeared toward the stables.

“You’re back?”

Alex asked, wiping away a tear that had escaped from a yawn.

“Are you hurt anywhere?”

“As you can see.”

“Wait, what’s wrong with your lips?”

“My lips?”

“They’re all swollen. Did someone hit you?”

“…W-what are you talking about? Are you still half-asleep?”

I grabbed Alex, who was scrutinizing my face, and slowly walked toward the guesthouse.

“Are the funeral preparations finished?”

“Yeah. I was worried the emperor wouldn’t attend, but thankfully, we heard from him yesterday. He’ll be there to—”

“Deliver the eulogy?”

“Huh? How did you know?”

“Almost everyone in the capital is attending. It’s the perfect opportunity to assert his power and control public sentiment. A good chance to restore the authority that was somewhat weakened by the Guardian, too.”

“At the funeral of the man he killed?”

“The emperor wouldn’t care if it’s a funeral or anything else, as long as he can show off that his power is intact.”

“Hah, that damn power. It’s sickening. Oh, right, the Crown Prince is attending too.”

I already knew Dante would be at the funeral. I was with him just a little while ago.

“I love you, Your Highness.”

“Keep saying it.”

“I love you.”

“More.”

“I love you.”

“Again.”

Dante was truly persistent. He held me tightly, asking to hear the same words over and over again.

He was both endearing and pitiful. The way he looked at me was dazed, as if in a dream, yet sometimes his gaze trembled with anxiety.

His own father had killed the father of the woman he loved. It wasn’t hard to imagine the immense anxiety and guilt he felt toward me.

Instead of telling him the truth, I stayed in his arms and repeated the words he wanted to hear, all the while thinking to myself, *just wait a little longer.*

Even after saying the same thing hundreds of times, it wasn’t the least bit tiresome. Instead, my heart swelled, and the bridge of my nose tingled. I could feel my love for Dante growing with every word.

His tears were lovely. His beautiful smile and feverish gaze made my heart ache. I couldn’t possibly refuse his kisses.

Then I came to my senses and realized it was well past midnight. I had completely forgotten that I needed to rescue the chamberlain.

Unlike my flustered self, Dante was perfectly composed. He reassured me and then rescued the chamberlain with his own hands.

And then he pulled me back into his arms and kissed me. Until the morning sun rose.

“…”

*Did we go too far on the very day we confirmed our feelings for each other?*

I patted my hot, flushed cheeks with the back of my hand to cool them down. Alex gave me a strange look and spoke.

“Are you hot?”

“Mm, a little. How’s Igrid?”

“He was making a fuss about dying, but he’s alive and well. Though, I don’t think his mind is all there.”

“Did anything else happen while I was gone?”

“Nothing else of note. Except for the flock of noblewomen who came by every day, nagging me about when you’d be back.”

“Ah…”

*So that’s why he looks like that. I thought he was just tired from preparing the funeral all by himself.*

“You’ve been through a lot.”

“What did I do? Compared to you, who fought the Dark Knight with your life on the line, I was just relaxing in a safe house. Anyway, you must be exhausted. We need to start getting ready now if we’re going to leave for the Central Temple.”

“I can rest when it’s over.”

“…Yeah. Let’s get this damn thing over with and rest easy.”

Alex patted my shoulder and went into the guesthouse.

I finished my shower and changed into a funeral dress. Zenia placed a black nose veil on my head and said,

“Princess, you’re ready.”

Today is finally the day.

My reflection in the mirror was smiling.

* * *

The Central Temple, where Duke Ruthius’s funeral was to be held, was bustling with people from early morning.

Members of the Guardian guild, mages from the Magic Tower, priests from the Temple, nobles, and even commoners living in the capital.

It was a truly rare sight, as commoners rarely attended the funerals of nobility.

Most of the commoners were there not for Duke Ruthius, but out of gratitude for Astell.

At some point, among the commoners, Astell had gone from being the “Mad Princess” to “our Guild Master.”

The only thing they could do for the woman who risked her life to protect them was to share even a small part of her sorrow.

“Ugh, the smell, really…”

“I don’t know why they let the commoners attend. What could they possibly know about the deceased?”

“I agree. The Ruthius family is so peculiar.”

The nobles disapproved of the commoners’ presence but didn’t complain openly. It was none of their business if someone else’s funeral was brought down a notch.

In truth, the nobles were inwardly pleased by Duke Ruthius’s death.

It was because they hoped that if they could just coax Alex, they might be able to get away with not repaying the money they’d borrowed from the Duke.

Alex, who would inherit the family title in place of the late Duke, wasn’t known for his ruthlessness, so it didn’t seem entirely impossible.

This was the real reason why nearly every noble in the capital had attended the funeral.

“The final service for the deceased will begin shortly. We ask all attendees to please take their places.”

The priest’s calm voice, carried by holy power, echoed throughout the area.

Attendees with assigned seats found their places, while those without sat in the remaining spots or stood around the perimeter.

Considering the number of people, the funeral was held not in the chapel, but in the front courtyard of the Central Temple.

A stark white wall. Before it stood a solemn platform, and in the center of the platform rested a polished coffin.

Traditionally, the coffin would remain open until the end of the funeral for attendees to pay their respects by placing flowers beside the deceased.

However, the coffin holding Duke Ruthius was now firmly shut. The reason given was that they couldn’t bear to display his charred remains.

Astell and Alex were seated in the area reserved for the immediate family of the deceased.

Astell’s face was obscured by her nose veil, but she occasionally covered her mouth with a handkerchief. She clearly looked to be holding back tears. A deep sorrow could also be felt from Alex’s pale, stiff expression.

The family butler approached and offered her water, but Astell refused with a shake of her head. Alex wrapped an arm around her as she leaned weakly against him.

“Oh my, she can’t even stomach water.”

“If your father had just died, do you think you could get anything down your throat?”

“Still, she should drink some water. It’s so hot today… I’m worried she might collapse.”

The sorrowful sight of the siblings who had lost their parent cast a somber mood over the crowd.

Even the commoners who had no connection to Duke Ruthius and the nobles hiding their insidious intentions couldn’t help but show pity.

“The Duchess died in childbirth, and now their father has died in an accident… Tsk, tsk, tsk. How pitiful.”

“What good is all that money? What does it matter if they’re the greatest family? They’re so ill-fated.”

“It might have been better if the Duke had more children while he was alive… Now there are truly only the two of them left.”

The attendees pitied the siblings, mentioning the string of unfortunate events that had befallen the Ruthius family.

Seeing the woman who could cut down even the most fearsome monsters with a single stroke appear so fragile, people’s hearts couldn’t help but be swayed.

Just as the courtyard of the Central Temple filled with attendees,

“His Majesty the Emperor and His Highness the Crown Prince have arrived!”

The emperor and Dante appeared. Simultaneously, all attendees either rose from their seats or knelt.

The emperor walked slowly among the attendees. He offered a benevolent smile to the commoners and exchanged light greetings with the nobles.

The deceased was supposed to be the focus of the funeral, yet all eyes were on the emperor. It was as if this were an imperial event hosted by him, not a funeral. It was a terribly disrespectful act, but no one dared to point it out.

Alex bowed his head respectfully to the emperor.

“Your Majesty, thank you for attending.”

“Duke Ruthius was a dear friend of mine; of course, I had to attend. It is a shame things turned out this way. However…”

The emperor trailed off, his gaze fixed on Astell. He seemed to be chiding her for remaining listlessly seated even as he made his entrance.

“Ah… my apologies. My sister is not in a state to be aware of her surroundings right now.”

The emperor hid a sneer.

He already knew that Astell had fled to Akron to avoid the noblewomen. For her to pretend to be so grief-stricken after that… The act was so obvious it wasn’t even funny.

“I heard you abandoned your own father’s funeral preparations to stay in Akron, only returning this morning. It seems I was misinformed.”

Alex replied to the emperor’s sarcastic question with a sorrowful expression.

“So you knew. An S-rank gate opened in Akron, and my sister had to go herself. I tried to stop her, but… she said that no matter how sad she was, she had to do her duty.”

A murmur went through the crowd at Alex’s response. Astell was suddenly cast as a tragic heroine who had to save others even while mourning her father.

Having tried to nitpick only to come up empty-handed, the emperor clenched his jaw.

“I-I see… Ahem, where is my seat?”

“We’ve prepared it over here. Please, be seated.”

“Very well.”

The emperor’s seat was across the aisle from Astell and Alex.

While showing him to his seat, Alex suddenly frowned. For some reason, Dante was getting on his nerves.

His glowing face, his unusually sparkling eyes.

And especially his lips, which were slightly more swollen than usual and gave off a sensual vibe, were strangely unpleasant to look at.

*’…What is this? How strange.’*

As Alex returned to his seat, the funeral began.

First, a brief biography of Duke Ruthius was presented, and then it was time for the rites.

High Priest Closo, dressed in pure white robes, stood before the platform.

“Let us pray for the soul of the departed on his journey to the goddess’s embrace.”

The High Priest’s prayer echoed. His benevolent and powerful voice reached every corner of the courtyard.

The attendees stood reverently, praying for the deceased’s final journey to be peaceful.

The last part was the emperor’s eulogy.

*’They say he and Duke Ruthius were friends in their youth. Their bond must have been truly deep.’*

The attendees murmured as they watched the emperor step forward.

The emperor stood at the platform without any prepared speech. His handsome and charming face was filled with sorrow.

“To Axion Ruthius, a loyal subject of Taikan and my one true friend, I offer my heart.”

The emperor calmly recited the poem he had prepared as a eulogy.

His eyes were moist, but he shed no tears. Though he occasionally paused as if to suppress his emotions, his voice remained strong.

It was the very picture of a monarch who could not easily show his grief, even after losing his only friend.

Just as the attendees were sending the emperor looks of admiration and affection,

the voice of the late Duke Ruthius was heard from somewhere.

“Is that why you killed my wife? Because she rejected Your Majesty’s proposal?”