When the queen stormed out of the dining room, everyone had finished their dinner in silence. Isabella and Matteo did not speak up or try to apologise for the situation. They knew if they uttered any words about this, the deal they struck could blow up in their faces.
Everyone was quick to scoff down their dinner and retire for the evening. All returned to their rooms apart from Victor. It was clear that his wife would not want him in their room, so Victor relocated to one of the many guest rooms of the palace.
Victor hoped that this would be a brief stay and would return to his own bed within a few days, but he was dead wrong. For over two weeks, Clarisse did not speak to him; he was not afforded the satisfaction of hearing her voice. If she were conversing with the servants or advisors, she would halt the conversation and stare blankly into Victor's eyes.
There would be no emotion in them; no anger, no sadness, just blank nothingness. Victor had never seen his wife this upset with him.
He tried multiple times to apologise, but to no avail; his wife would not even spare him a word. At this rate, their marriage was on a slippery slope, leading straight to a place of no return. Victor feared what this would lead to if this were to continue up until his departure.
For a moment, Victor despaired; however, that was soon replaced with grief as a messenger pigeon arrived at Hannover. The person delivering the message had a nervous and out-of-breath expression. He was panting, and sweat was visible. Handing Victor the note, the messenger said, "I am so sorry, Your Majesty."
Victor opened the letter and was informed of some devastating news. He did not hesitate for a moment and began preparing his family to leave, including Clarisse. They may not have been on speaking terms, but she did not dare to challenge him.
Victor's family and an escort of 200 Royal Guard cavalrymen hastily made for the city of Leblanc.
Harys had sent a letter informing Victor of the health of their grandparents. They were both elderly people who had surpassed the average lifespan by a fair margin. It was soon their time to go.
Loraine Cassell had been having health problems for the last few months, so this was not a shock for Victor. However, Lucious had been fit as a fiddle, so it was quite the shock to hear that both of them were at death's door.
Victor and Veronica owed a lot to their grandparents, who were towering pillars of love and support that had helped them blossom. For Veronica, they had fostered her away from the harsh environment that Josephine Cruyff and her twins had created. As for Victor, his grandfather in particular had been a massive help to him in coming up as a ruler. Without his help, Victor probably would have faltered and not made it this far.
It took the party 3 weeks to arrive at Leblanc, but to their dismay, it was too late. Loraine Cassell had passed away a few days after they had begun their journey. A grief-stricken Lucious Cassell followed the love of his life a week and a half later.
Victor was too late; they were already gone. No heartfelt goodbyes, no telling them, "I love you," nothing. All that Victor was on time for was a funeral.
Harys was appointed as Duke Cassell in a small ceremony a couple of days before the funeral by Victor. It was nothing spectacular, just the family all together to congratulate Harys on his appointment.
The funeral itself was quite wholesome; the elderly couple shared a coffin as they entered the Cassell family's crypt. It was a nice surprise to see Harys's mother present at the ceremony. Julia Cassell had been bedridden for many years with an incurable illness; she was unfortunately not strong enough to attend her husband's funeral, but she mustered every ounce of strength so she could attend this one.
Everyone was gathered, a family united. As the head of the Cassell family, it fell upon Harys to lead the ceremony. He was very composed as he delivered his eulogy.
"We are gathered here, not to mourn, but to celebrate the love and the life of my grandparents, Duke Lucious Cassell and Duchess Loraine Cassell. They were childhood sweethearts who had stuck by each other through thick and thin. No matter the quarrels they had, their love truly prevailed."
As Harys continued his eulogy, Victor grabbed his wife's hand. Harys's speech resonated with Victor; no matter the quarrels, their love always prevailed. Victor loved his wife more than he loved anything else, other than his children. He knew that he would always love her, and deep down, Victor knew Clarisse would feel the same.
The loss of his grandparents had reminded Victor that life was short; there was no way that he could depart while feuding with his wife. That night, Victor and Clarisse had a long discussion about their fight.
"I understand you are upset with me leaving, and I will always regret hurting you, but I have to go. My men should not have to go off to a foreign land to fight in a war if their leader can not do the same. One day, there will be no need for me to raise my sabre, and when that day comes, we can grow old together like my grandparents did," Victor passionately said.
Clarisse slowly nodded her head. It pained her to have her husband leave, but she knew that he had a point. Victor's presence was the ultimate morale booster for his men; when he was present on the battlefield, they all fought ferociously.
"Very well, my love. But be warned, if you come home dismembered, disfigured or dead. So help me God, I will beat you with my parasol," She threatened in a joking way. Though she really was not, her fury would be unleashed upon Victor if something happened to him while away on campaign.
Now that he had reconciled with his wife, Victor prepared for war.