Ancient Imperial Calendar Year 1803
Seliarnevre arranged a worthy funeral for Richard Kislavein, who lost his life while trying to protect his masters, with her own money.
The funeral was attended by Seliarnevre, Ricardo, Richard's family, friends, and the Kislavein warriors who had come to bid farewell to their fallen comrades.
Richard's body lay in a coffin placed upon a huge black marble plinth.
As befitting warriors of the Dynasty, he lay in heavy armor, his hands clasped on his sword across his chest.
The funeral ceremony began when the commander-in-chief of the palace guards, Henryk Kislavein, stepped forward and gave the first speech.
"Richard Kislavein, loyal warrior of the Kislavein Dynasty, guard of Lord IV Orsman's wife Seliarnevre and his son Ricardo, fulfilled his duty and died with honor while protecting his masters. His spirit will stand proudly beside his ancestors."
This time, the word passed to Seliarnevre, the one for whose protection he had sacrificed his life.
"Richard was not the strongest warrior of our Dynasty, but he was one of the bravest. My son and I will never forget him. We will repay our debt to him by always being there for his family whenever they need help."
When Seliarnevre finished speaking, Ricardo grabbed his mother's skirt and pulled it.
Seliarnevre looked at her son and, seeing Ricardo's desire to speak, stepped back and left the floor to her son.
"There are many things I want to say, but I feel like my tongue is knotted. I had many things to learn from him, there were things I wanted to do with him, but because of those dishonorable people, none of them will happen anymore. I, Ricardo, son of the Dynasty Lord IV Orsman Kislavein, swear that I will kill everyone who organized this assassination in the most horrible and brutal way."
Everyone was horrified. How could an eight-year-old child say such things?
Even though the blood of Kislavein flowed in his veins, this much froze people's blood. One of the people at the funeral said,
"This child will grow up to be a fierce warrior. I will look forward to that day."
But not everyone was afraid; one person was very impressed. A little girl, probably Ricardo's age, turned to her brother and said,
"Wow, this kid is so cool."
The girl's brother was also impressed. When he looked at his sister, he saw that the sadness on her face had changed to an expression of admiration.
His sister, who until a moment ago had been about to cry over their grandfather's death, had lost her sadness and instead had a cheerful face.
"Brother, yes, he is cool, but why are you laughing? We are at our grandfather's funeral."
The little girl was aware of where she was, but this feeling inside her was something very different; she had never felt this way before.
"I'm sorry, brother, but I don't know. When I look at him, I feel like smiling."
Her brother shivered for some reason; he felt uneasy. Probably what every older brother will experience sooner or later had happened to him too.
"Did she fall in love with him just because he swore revenge for my grandfather? I don't know what to think. I'm so tired."
The funeral continued with the speeches of others in turn. Comrades-in-arms and family members gave their speeches one by one.
When everyone had finished speaking, it was time for the burial.
The Kislavein warriors took Richard's coffin from the black marble plinth and carried it to the Martyrs' Cemetery.
There, he was buried next to his grandfather, who had died in war just like him.
After the funeral, Ricardo and Seliarnevre went to Richard's son Eduardo and his grandchildren Marco and Marilin.
Their aim was to fulfill the promises they had made in their speeches.
Eduardo and his children Marco and Marilin, seeing Ricardo and Seliarnevre, knelt and bowed.
"My Lady, my Young Lord."
Seliarnevre signaled them to stand up and began to speak in a respectful tone.
"Please, don't do this. Today is your day of mourning."
Eduardo stood up, bowed his head, and without changing his respectful tone, answered his Lady.
"No, my Lady. You are the Lady of the Dynasty, and we are the warriors who can be replaced. May our lives be sacrificed for you. My father would never have regretted what he did. There is no need to be sad."
Ricardo intervened. He seemed a little angry, but he could not change his tone. He was one of the candidates for the Heir of this Dynasty.
"We owe our lives to your father, Warrior Eduardo. You don't have to compose yourself. Whenever you need help, we will always be there for you."
Eduardo was very impressed by the Young Lord's words, but the sadness inside him suppressed his admiration.
When he felt he could no longer stand, he asked for permission to leave the cemetery.
He quickly retreated to his room, lost his balance, and fell to the ground. Tears began to flow from his eyes. He clenched his teeth and suppressed his voice.
"Haa... haa... Dad, what am I going to do now? After Mom, I was so attached to you. I know I shouldn't say this, but I wish they had died instead of you."
The children, who had been listening behind the door, entered the room.
Eduardo wiped his tears, stood up, turned around, and looked at his children, who looked like they were about to cry.
Weakness was not an option in this Dynasty. He narrowed his eyes, frowned, and took a hard step forward.
The children stepped back in fear. Eduardo began to speak in a harsh tone.
"Don't even think about crying. We are the Kislavein Dynasty. We do not cry. We live and die for our Lord. Today your grandfather, tomorrow me. Do you understand?"
The children were breathless with fear and didn't know what to say.
When Eduardo left the room and closed the door, the children's legs gave way, and they cried silently.
That was the last cry for both of them. Sometime later, Eduardo was appointed as Ricardo's guard and master in place of his father.
From that time on, Ricardo grew up and trained together with his former master Richard's grandchildren, and close friendships were forged between them.