Ch#113
113
“Prepare the funeral according to protocol.”
Varkas spoke in a calm, steady voice after confirming that his father’s heart had completely stopped.
Raina, who had been sobbing while clutching her father’s cooling hand, looked up and glared at him. She seemed to resent her brother for showing no sign of grief.
In contrast, Lucas appeared quite composed. Though his eyes were bloodshot, he seemed to have braced himself, soothing his younger sister with a calm demeanor.
“Stop crying now. Father has gone to a better place.”
However, Raina’s sobbing showed no signs of subsiding.
Eventually, Lucas wrapped his arm around her shoulders and led her outside. Only then did the waiting priests lower the curtains around the bed and begin washing the deceased’s body with water infused with boiled herbs.
Thalia watched the ritualistic scene in silence before tugging on Varkas’s coat, overcome by fatigue.
“Let’s go. There’s no need to stay here any longer.”
A few people cast unkind glances her way, but Thalia paid them no mind.
Varkas, who had been looking down at his father’s cold face, nodded impassively.
“Let us go.”
Without hesitation, he stepped out into the hallway.
Outside the bedchamber, servants had gathered to witness the Grand Duke’s passing. They stood in a line, removing their hats simultaneously to express their condolences.
Thalia observed their expressions closely. Seeing that most of them looked genuinely somber, it seemed the eccentric old man had been a decent lord of the castle. He had likely been a good enough father to Lucas and Raina as well. But Varkas, she suspected, had been the exception.
Stealing a glance at his profile, Thalia spoke up cautiously.
“Earlier… what was that about?”
The man sent her a questioning look. Thalia continued awkwardly.
“The strange things your father said earlier.”
“It was nothing more than the delusions of a dying old man,” Varkas replied firmly as he swept her up into his arms and headed up the stairs.
Thalia stared at him suspiciously.
“Why would he say such nonsense?”
After a brief silence, the man spoke with a calm face.
“Your Highness must have heard the rumors regarding our family.”
“The rumors that the ancient Shearkan clan used demonic powers?”
At her blunt words, Varkas let out a dry laugh and calmly admitted it.
“In truth, individuals with strange powers were occasionally born into the Shearkan clan. My father believed I was one of them.”
Thalia’s eyes widened.
“Is that really true?”
A cynical smile was her only answer.
“What do you think?”
Her expression grew uneasy.
Seeing her face, the traces of a smile vanished from Varkas’s lips.
“Regrettably, I possess no such abilities.”
Before they knew it, they had reached the door to their bedroom.
Varkas pulled the handle and strode into the room.
Thalia shivered at the chilly air. Noticing this, Varkas immediately set her down on the bed and wrapped a blanket around her shoulders.
A moment later, three or four servants rushed into the room to light the fireplace and set down trays of wine and food.
Once the attendants had finished their rounds and withdrawn all at once, Thalia asked again.
“Do you really have no powers at all?”
Varkas, who was hanging his coat on the wall, looked back at her and narrowed his eyes.
Sensing his mood but remaining persistent, Thalia pressed on.
“According to the rumors, Empress Bernadette could read other people’s minds…”
“They are nothing but groundless rumors.”
His tone sharpened.
“She was simply a bit more sensitive to others’ emotions than most.”
Though she flinched at Varkas’s cold gaze, Thalia checked one more time.
“Then really, you can’t see anything?”
He stared intently into her face.
Thalia felt she understood why the dead old man had believed his son possessed some special ability.
His blue eyes, flecked with silver shards, felt like living blades. As she froze, feeling as if those piercing eyes were dissecting every corner of her mind, Varkas suddenly let out a crooked laugh.
“Are you afraid I might look inside you?”
Thalia winced and lowered her gaze.
Approaching the bedside, Varkas gripped her chin and peered closely into her face.
“I’m starting to wonder what you’ve hidden in that head of yours to make you tremble so much.”
“Who’s trembling?!”
Thalia, stung, swatted his hand away. It couldn’t be true, but she broke into a cold sweat at the thought that he might actually be looking into her heart.
Looking down at her with cold eyes, Varkas spoke dryly.
“Your mind is safe, so do not worry about such useless things.”
With that, he turned away as if he had no intention of continuing the topic.
“Eat your dinner first. If you wish to attend the funeral ceremonies tomorrow, you will need to build up your strength today.”
Varkas offered the advice in a blunt voice, placed the food tray beside the bed, and walked over to the fireplace to stoke the flames.
Thalia watched his back in silence before looking down at the tray.
Perhaps she had grown too accustomed to him feeding her over the past few days; eating with her own hands felt a bit lonely. Shaking off the feeling, she picked up a small piece of bread and forced herself to take a bite.
As her head cooled, her absurd suspicions began to feel embarrassing. There was no way he had telepathy. If he did, there was no way he would have felt pity or a sense of responsibility for her.
If he knew how many years she had been obsessed with him, he would surely have been revolted…
Just as she had sensed, an icy rain poured from the sky on the day the funeral rites began. However, from the second day onward, the weather remained bright and clear.
Thanks to that, the former Grand Duke Shearkan was laid to rest in the cathedral mausoleum east of Kalmore under brilliant sunshine.
Following the private family funeral held in a solemn atmosphere, a steady stream of mourners arrived.
Envoys who had traveled long distances attended the grand funeral mass and stayed at Raedgo Castle for about a week before departing.
The funeral of a Great Lord lasted at least a month, and sometimes as long as three, during which time the castle transformed into a meeting ground for envoys to socialize. Consequently, Thalia had to endure an exhausting ordeal.
Leaning against a railing in traditional Eastern attire, Thalia looked down at the bustling hall with a look of utter weariness.
She had been avoiding the banquets and funeral masses using her health as an excuse, but she couldn’t avoid showing her face to the guests indefinitely.
She reluctantly descended the stairs. Entering the hall with careful steps to hide her limp, she felt hundreds of pairs of eyes converge on her. Her heart sank.
She no longer panicked as she once had, but the weight of people’s gazes was still uncomfortable. This remained true even after she realized that most people didn’t notice the flaws on her body.
She managed to force something resembling a smile onto her stiff face.
“Thank you all for making the long journey. Please, make yourselves at home.”
“Thank you for your kind welcome, Your Highness the Grand Duchess.”
A young man looking up at her with enchanted eyes responded with a heated tone.
Thalia tried her best not to let her discomfort show as she naturally turned away.
At that moment, someone subtly blocked her path.
“The guests have brought special gifts for Your Highness.”
It was Daren Dru Shearkan.
The man, dressed smartly in formal attire, naturally led her toward the banquet hall. It seemed he was intent on dragging her into the social circle of the Eastern nobles when she had intended to flee after a single greeting.
Suppressing the urge to shake off the hand touching her arm, Thalia glided through the crowd of visitors.
Stepping into the lavishly decorated banquet hall, she spotted Lucas and Raina in their mourning clothes.
Only after seeing their somber faces did she remember that this chaotic gathering was, in fact, a funeral event.
Thalia swallowed a cynical laugh and sat at the head of the long dining table.
Raina, seated a short distance away, glared at her with thorns in her eyes the moment she saw her.
Ignoring her, Thalia spoke to Daren in a bored tone.
“You said there were gifts? Bring them here.”
The man let out a bitter smile at her arrogant attitude and signaled to the servants. Soon, an attendant brought over a large chest.
“This is a gift from Baron Basilar.”
Inside the box was a fabric of mysterious colors, clearly crafted by the elves.
Exclamations broke out here and there at the sight of the rare gift, which was worth as much as a small castle. The man who presented the gift also looked triumphant.
However, Thalia felt no inspiration. Since her body had been scarred, she had completely lost interest in adornment.
Staring down at the chest with an indifferent expression, Thalia recited a formal thank-you.
“I appreciate it. I shall treasure it.”
The Baron’s face stiffened slightly, seemingly taken aback by her dry reaction.
She was about to get up, feigning ignorance of his reaction, when the sound of hurried footsteps echoed from outside the hall. It seemed another important guest had arrived from somewhere.
She let out a weary sigh. Just then, the butler’s breathless voice cut through the room.
“Your Highness, an embassy from the Imperial Palace has arrived.”
