74 - The Bride of the Great Lord is a Warrior from Hell
The Grand Duke's Bride is a Warrior of Hell 74
Though rude, Juan and Roderick had once spoken about a younger sibling like Alisha.
When asked, "What if the Lady was your younger sibling?"
Roderick had replied without hesitation, "She'd be dependable."
That dependable younger sister was utterly listless.
She was stunned, as if in shock and completely dazed.
It seemed she only knew how to return home.
"The Marquisate Messenger is following. He briefly caught up this morning but seems to have fallen behind while dealing with the aftermath. The room is for him. Daisy is gathering the Ludern family members and luggage. They'll be coming at a normal pace, so there will likely be a two or three-day gap."
Alisha nodded at Juan's report.
This time, the nod seemed more thoughtful than before.
"Forgive me, Lady. Is the succession in the North settled?"
Juan cautiously asked Alisha, who showed no sign of speaking.
"Unless there are any further incidents."
Alisha whispered with an uncertain expression.
"I sent Sven to His Majesty, but he won't be able to come immediately. He's likely to be held in Baden under the pretext of protecting his safety in case of any unforeseen circumstances."
The Emperor would keep Reikart in Baden, fearing an accident due to the Reine succession.
"He's thorough."
Alisha thought it was for the best.
She didn't know how she should act if she saw Reikart now, after the inexplicable events that had occurred.
But the thought of not seeing him for a while made her feel desolate.
Juan felt a mix of pity and relief at Alisha's disheveled face and twisted grumbling.
"Is that enough for your meal?"
"Is it enough for you, Sir?"
Alisha returned the concern to the person who was worried about her.
"Fresh horses and spares have been prepared. The horses left here will be taken care of by the following party."
"Shall we go?"
Alisha turned to Juan and asked.
"Let's go."
The two walked into the darkening night.
The sound of hooves was loud.
The dust swirled again.
Alisha had reduced the four-day journey to a day and a half.
Arriving at Reine before noon, Alisha entered the Marquisate on horseback.
The guards at the Marquisate gate, who somehow recognized her dust-covered face, opened the gate and escorted her to the front of the mansion, which helped save time.
The center of the main building, where the Head of the family resided, was quiet.
The family members, except for the direct family, seemed to be waiting in different reception rooms.
"Alisha!"
Felix greeted Alisha, who had arrived almost five days after sending the message, with a surprised expression.
"Felix."
"You came early. Come on, Father is waiting for you. Marsha, give Alisha a damp towel. Let's go in right away after taking off her cloak."
Felix quickly said, calling out to Marsha, who was about to enter the Head of the family's room.
Alisha greeted Felix and naturally took his hand.
They had been apart for over half a year, and they were as friendly as if they had never been estranged before their separation.
With Felix's help, Alisha took off her cloak and was briefly embarrassed to see her dress, which had lost its original cream color and turned ocher.
"It's okay, there's no time. Wear this."
Felix took off his jacket and offered Alisha a damp towel.
Alisha hurriedly wiped her face with the towel Marsha brought, put on the jacket Felix had given her, and headed to the Head of the family's room.
"Come in."
Felix, who opened the door, quietly urged her and stepped back.
Beyond the closing door, she heard him say to call her mother, Harry, and the members of the Council of Elders.
All the windows in the Head of the family's room were curtained to keep out the sunlight.
Perhaps because there was a patient, the room was warm and humid.
Numerous candles lit to replace the sunlight made the luxurious room even more solemn and extravagant.
"Who is it?"
A tired and weary voice echoed from the deep inner chamber of the large room.
"Father."
Alisha approached the curtained bed and whispered urgently.
Even though winter was long gone, the Head of the family's room was decorated as if it were midwinter.
Through the gap in the curtain tied to one side, she could see the Marquis lying in bed.
"Alisha... I was worried I wouldn't see you before I passed, but you came..."
The tired voice was so hoarse it was hard to understand.
The small, whispering voice was weak.
The voice, devoid of energy, didn't sound like her father's.
"Father, don't talk."
Alisha approached the bed and took the hand that reached out to her.
She couldn't believe the sight before her.
The left side of Marquis Rein's body, lying in bed, was already rotting.
Splints had been applied to his left arm and leg, but it didn't seem like they were expecting it to heal.
Yellow pus and blood were pooling at the ankle where the straps holding the splint were tied.
A stench rose from the upper body and waist area covered by the blanket.
The right side of his body was also damaged, though less so than the left.
The back of his right hand, which Alisha carefully held, was covered with wounds as if they had been crushed with a sharp tool.
The Marquis struggled to lift his head and looked at Alisha.
His left eye was bloodshot, and he couldn't open his right eye properly.
He shook his head weakly and opened his mouth.
"Alisha, break up with the Grand Duke..."
The Marquis spoke in a clear tone, unlike his terrible condition.
Alisha paused at the sudden words.
"Even if you need the Grand Duke for now, postpone the annulment, but do not marry Grand Duke Tessen."
The Marquis continued in a voice that seemed to break, looking at Alisha's bewildered face.
"Grand Duke Tessen seems to be keeping what he has to keep as your betrothed and cherishing you... But you must not marry him because he is Grand Duke Tessen."
Alisha knew that Marquis Rein's end was near.
The Marquis was using his last strength to leave a will.
Neither before nor now had she ever had a close relationship with her father.
Nevertheless, Alisha had been shedding tears from the moment she approached the bed.
Unbelievably, as soon as she saw her father's seriously injured face, tears poured down her face.
"...What do you mean?"
Alisha said with difficulty in the midst of immeasurable sorrow.
"The Emperor of the Empire has always appointed a new Grand Duke Tessen."
"..."
"The current Emperor has his brother, appointed by the late Emperor, as Grand Duke. The late Emperor and the Emperor before him did the same. The Grand Dukes who were brothers of the Emperor always died before the Emperor, even though they were younger. It has always been like that. The Grand Dukes of the past died young. It will be the same this time. Grand Duke Tessen will surely die before the Emperor. You will not be able to have an heir, and you may disappear like the Grand Duchesses of the past. So, Alisha... this is your father's last request."
The Marquis was crying at some point, as if it was painful to speak.
"Father!"
"Promise me... that you will not marry Reikart Tessen."
The Marquis said in a voice that had run out of strength.
"Wasn't it you who ordered me to marry Grand Duke Tessen!"
Alisha cried and said sharply in a sorrowful voice.
It wasn't her father at this point who had ordered her to marry Grand Duke Tessen.
She knew it, but Alisha was resentful.
"That's right... But wasn't it a dubious match? ...Could it be that you were seduced by the face of a mere... royal? The Grand Duke will die soon. Cough, cough! He may live longer than me, but think wisely."
The Marquis muttered a joke in a situation where he seemed to be on the verge of death.
His coughing seemed not like a cough but like he was spitting out his life, looking painful.
"Father...!"
Alisha was about to go out and call someone.
The Marquis firmly grabbed Alisha's hand as she was about to turn around.
"Alisha, I'm sorry to you. ...I wasn't a good father to you. Not to the other children either. I thought that leaving you alone as you pleased because you were a child who didn't give me your heart was for your sake. It's a pathetic excuse from a father who didn't try. ...I'm sorry I didn't try harder."
"Please stop talking. I'll call a doctor."
Alisha shook her head and said quickly.
"No... I'm fine. Listen. You yourself, and everyone in the world, think that you were accepted into the Rein family because you were the first daughter born in the Rein family in a long time, but even if you were a son, I would not have abandoned you. Being my child doesn't change. Only my indulgent sins exist."
The Marquis brought his hand to his neck and tore something off.
With a snap, a key on a chain was handed to Alisha.
"Take it."
Alisha's eyes shook precariously.
"Father."
Alisha knew what had been handed to her.
It was the key to the Head of the family's office.
It was also the key to open the vault with the Rein Marquis's seal.
"Now, will you bring everyone in?"
The Marquis whispered as he slowly closed his eyes.
"...Yes? Yes."
Alisha decided to think about what she held in her hand later.
She headed straight for the door.
Already in front of the Head of the family's room were the Marquis's wife, Felix, Harry, the members of the Council of Elders, and those who usually attended to the Marquis closely.
Alisha didn't say anything and took everyone inside.
"Father."
Felix and Harry stood side by side next to Alisha.
"...Thank you to everyone... and I'm sorry. Everyone, live well. Marinne..."
The Marquis's wife, who had been crying before entering the room, collapsed as she approached the Marquis, who was calling her.
There was only a terrible silence in the room where one person was lying.
Marquis Valdemar Rein took his last breath.
The Marquis's wife sat down and wept.
Felix approached the fallen Marquis's wife and allowed the head of the Council of Elders to examine the Marquis.
"The Marquis has passed away peacefully."
Soon, weeping spread throughout the room.
Alisha found it difficult to accept the tragedy she had foreseen from the moment she entered the room.
Her father's death was not supposed to happen.
An event that should never have happened unfolded before her eyes as reality.
Tears flowed endlessly in the incomprehensible situation.
Marquis Valdemar Rein's funeral was held quietly.
The Rein Marquis family expressed their gratitude for the letters of condolence and grief for the deceased sent from all over the Empire.
Close friends who had a close relationship with the Marquis came all the way to the distant North in person.
Only members of the Marquis family attended the funeral held the day after the memorial service.
Early summer, the sky was clear.
The funeral, with its dazzling sunshine, was quiet and peaceful.
"......"
Among the group returning to the mansion after the funeral, no one spoke.
The Marquis's wife occasionally wiped away the tears that flowed silently.
According to Marinne, the Marchioness's wishes, the Marquis family decided to wear black dresses and uniforms only until the day of the funeral.
The reason was that the Marquis family had a lot to do.
Alisha knew that Marinne had said that out of consideration for her.
The key to the Marquis's office was still with Alisha.
Neither the Marquis's wife, Felix, who was fulfilling his role as Baronet, nor Harry spoke to Alisha about the Marquis's seal.
The three of them didn't even pay attention to the key.
Among the members who participated in the funeral, only the head of the Council of Elders seemed to want to mention it.
However, overwhelmed by the momentum of the three people who were ostracizing him with indifference, he also remained silent.