In front of Liana Dexsin, who had once again come to her senses, stood her sister's coffin.
Her younger sister, who had passed away twelve days ago.
She looked around. It was the largest hall imaginable for such an event. Even looking up, it was difficult to see the ceiling.
Since it was the funeral of the supreme astrologer's daughter, the splendour was naturally unmatched anywhere else and could only be compared to the funeral of a member of the imperial family.
Nevertheless. What the hell did all this pomp and circumstance matter? Liana Dexsin couldn't care less.
Meanwhile, the funeral ceremony was coming to an end. The nobles were leaving one by one. There were also people who quietly approached Liana, who was still sitting bent over the coffin, to offer their condolences once again. However, the young woman did not respond and did not say a word during the entire ceremony.
— Liana.
The only thing she could hear was her father's voice.
After the ceremony ended, the head of the order approached her and touched her shoulder lightly. Liana did not respond. In the end, the man just sighed heavily, and the servants helped him leave the room, supporting him by the arms.
Even when Liana was left almost alone in the hall, she still refused to accept reality.
She didn't understand anything. The coffin lid was covered with the Dehsin family flag, and her younger sister's face...
It was not visible in the closed coffin. After that terrible accident, her younger sister's body had been so badly mutilated that only shreds remained. It was obvious that burying such a body in an open coffin would be unacceptable even from an ethical point of view.
Thus, she did not even have the opportunity to see her sister's face one last time.
Is this a dream?
However, tears flowed even before the successor to the supreme astrologer checked once again whether it was a dream or reality. The image of her younger sister, which was firmly imprinted in her memory, and which she would never be able to see again.
Ah.
Gardenia.
Liana Dexsin collapsed in front of the coffin and cried so hard that she almost lost consciousness.
Until now, she hadn't shed a single tear, as she couldn't even react normally. But now... At this funeral, it was as if the terrible realisation had finally sunk in.
The heiress to the order, who was usually reserved and prudent, now didn't care about anything. She didn't need to worry about whether people were whispering around her or not.
At some point, Liana came to her senses when she heard a voice behind her.
— My lady...
After the funeral, her aide Orson, who had always been by her side, addressed her. The young man scratched his chin shyly, not knowing how exactly to address her. Of course, he too was very upset about the death of the youngest lady of the Dehsin family. And yet...
Even if you have experienced the death of a loved one, it does not mean that you should completely forget about yourself.
Thus, Orson was really very worried about his mistress, who, because of all these experiences, could really seriously undermine her health.
— My lady, why don't you rest at least a little? You haven't had a proper rest for more than ten days...
— ...
— My lady?
— I want you to leave me alone.
This short sentence was the first thing the woman had said during the entire funeral.
Regardless of how tired and exhausted she was, these words had a powerful impact.
Orson even shuddered involuntarily. He realised that there was no point in trying to change his mistress's mind right now. And so he had to back down.
— My lady... I will wait for you outside.
— .....
— Please don't stay too long.
Those were the last words the servant said before leaving the hall.
Liana's gaze returned to the closed coffin in which her younger sister lay.
A sister whom the family could not even bury with dignity, dressing her in her best clothes and placing flowers beside her so that even in death she would go to the other world as beautiful as she had been in life. Instead... They were forced to bury only her disfigured remains, which could not even be shown to people.
«That woman...»
Liana Dexsin saw it clearly at that moment.
Instead of crying and mourning like many at the funeral, the princess of the north stared at her younger sister's coffin with a completely blank expression. There was not a shred of sympathy or even any emotion towards the deceased. It was as if... All of this was completely insignificant.
This scene still haunted Liana Dexsin.
The anger that she thought was buried deep beneath an avalanche of endless grief flared up again. As if her chest was about to burst with rage, Liana placed her hand on her left side and pressed down on it.
«Gardenia... If only I had been able to take care of you properly, this nightmare would never have happened...»
In the end, Liana blamed herself most of all for what had happened. She had failed to take care of her sister, who was so innocent and fragile that she could easily have fallen into the hands of villains. If only Liana hadn't let her go on that journey alone, such a disaster would never have happened...
— Lady Dexsin.
Just as Liana's self-recrimination reached its peak, she suddenly heard a voice behind her.
It was a little unexpected, as the woman thought she was alone in the hall.
But...
She leaned back with misty eyes. A man of unassuming appearance, dressed in a black robe adorned with an amber brooch, the symbol of the imperial dynasty, looked down at her. Gregory Ardelio, Chancellor of the Empire and the Emperor's right-hand man.
— You look as if you have a lot of courage. So much that I cannot even imagine what a person like you might feel when faced with such a tragedy.
Liana clenched her hands on the lid of the coffin. Then she stood up, leaning on the coffin. Her black funeral clothes seemed incredibly heavy.
— Chancellor Ardelio, — she said coldly.
Her emerald-green eyes stared at the high-ranking official. Despite her cold gaze, Gregory Ardelio seemed to feel nothing. He continued to speak with a calm expression on his face:
— Lady Dexsin. I have come to offer my condolences on behalf of the imperial family.
— ...I am very grateful for your kindness, Chancellor.
— Not at all. After all, the imperial palace and the astrological order have been closely connected for many years. Therefore, of course, we could not miss this event.
Although the chancellor said so, it was a little unusual that he had come here instead of one of the members of the imperial family. This was because the emperor was still seriously ill at the time, the crown princess had passed away, and the empress herself was in mourning for her late daughter. So, in the end, the imperial court had no choice but to send the chancellor.
Liana Dexsin understood this well, so she said nothing.
Instead...
— Chancellor. I would like to thank you for your attention. If that is all, then I dare not keep you any longer.
Liana bowed politely to the chancellor, who held a very respected position at court. However, when she raised her head, the official's gaze was still fixed on her.
— That's not quite right.
— ...What?
— Lady Dexsin, could we discuss something?
— Discuss?
Liana Dexsin frowned.
— The death of Lady Dexsin is truly a tragic event for your family. But... Are you really willing to just let it go?
— ...Chancellor.
Liana slowly stopped. A heavy silence hung between them.
— I'm sorry, but I'm not in the mood for idle chatter right now.
'.......'
— What exactly do you want from me?
Despite her harsh words, Gregory Ardelio's expression did not waver.
— It's just to protect your rights.
— I asked you what you want.
— Don't worry. It's not that complicated.
The official's thin lips curved into a smile.
— Lady Dexsin, I only want to help you avenge your sister's unjust death.
Liana listened to him and smiled coldly.
— Why would the Grand Chancellor suddenly offer me such a thing? Where exactly should I see the catch?
— There is no catch. It will be a profitable deal for everyone, — a slight smile flitted across the man's lips. — In the end, it is our common desire, is it not? The Northern Devil owes us all too much.
'......'
After these words, the previously neutral expression on the face of the heiress of the order faltered for the first time.