Lea Hamilton’s funeral was to be held at the largest church in Rebon, the capital of Lubeck.

Lea arrived at the church two hours before the ceremony was set to begin.

She had some trouble shaking off Pauline outside the church. She couldn’t let anyone see her sorrow.

‘Don’t tremble, face reality.’

Lea clasped her hands covered in black lace gloves. Is there anyone else in the world who would be watching their own funeral as another person?

A slight tremor rose from her toes, as if an earthquake had struck the ground. It was surely the beginning of despair before facing an incredible sight.

‘You must be strong. You’re still alive.’

Lea encouraged herself endlessly, as if reciting a mantra. Soon, as if she had steeled herself, she entered the church without further hesitation.

The scene was no different from any other chapel. A majestic and holy cross, with colorful light pouring in through the stained glass windows behind it.

But Lea’s eyes could only see the coffin where her corpse lay.

Lea walked straight towards the coffin without stopping. Finally facing reality.

“Oh, God!”

Although Lea usually believed in science rather than God, upon seeing her own corpse, she found herself involuntarily calling out to the divine.

A coffin full of white lilies. Inside lay her sleeping self, barely twenty years old.

‘How can it be this wretched?’

Although people had tried to make her presentable, it was still horrific, to the point where her face was unrecognizable. Lea couldn’t even manage a sad expression. She could only silently shed tears.

‘I’m sorry, I killed you. Lea Hamilton.’

Who knew the price for loving a man could be so harsh?

“I promise, I will bring the one who killed you and Father…”

Lea couldn’t continue speaking as her emotions overwhelmed her. But now was not the time to writhe in despair. She didn’t even have the right to do so.

“I will definitely bring Allen to the gates of hell. Just to that point.”

She had heard that humans tremble in extreme fear before entering the gates of hell. Unable to die, live, or turn back, they must endure excruciating pain.

“I will gladly become Allen MacDowell’s hell.”

Lea wiped away her tears with her hand. It was too early to wail. The makeup she had carefully applied for today must not be ruined.

“When it’s all over, I’ll follow you soon. Goodbye, Lea Hamilton.”

Lea bid farewell to herself in a calm tone.

Then she examined the corpse. She needed to find the necklace her father had given her. But the necklace was nowhere to be seen.

‘Why isn’t it here? Was it lost?’

Just then, an elderly priest appeared inside the church. He seemed to be the bishop in charge of the funeral.

“Your Grace, were there no personal effects with the body?” Lea asked abruptly.

“Ah, the personal effects were likely collected separately by the people from the Courtois duchy who discovered the body. They would need to be handed over to the bereaved family, after all.”

‘The Courtois duchy?’

Things had become awkward.

* * *

It was soon time for the funeral to begin. The person to play the funeral march had already arrived, but Lea was the only mourner present.

“Are there no other mourners yet?”

The bishop, seemingly perplexed, approached Lea and asked. The empty venue must have been strange to him.

“I alone am enough.”

“Pardon?”

“You may begin the funeral.”

“But the seats are still… I understand.”

The bishop, who had been looking around the venue, quickly acquiesced, seeming to realize that no more mourners would be coming.

‘I know, Allen MacDowell will definitely come.’

Lea prayed with her hands clasped together.

Praying that Allen would surely come…

Finally, the bishop in charge of the funeral began to pray for the unfortunate Lea who had left the world too soon.

Just as his heartfelt prayer reached its climax, as Lea had expected, there was a presence felt from the direction of the door.

He had finally arrived.

“Lea!”

Despite the agitated voice, his footsteps were calm.

The bishop paused his prayer and turned his gaze towards the door, but Lea was still in prayer.

Knowing too well who had arrived, she tried to remain composed rather than panic.

“Who might you be?”

The bishop asked politely, but his voice betrayed discomfort at the stranger who wasn’t observing proper etiquette.

After all, it would be proper for a mourner to quietly take a seat and observe the funeral.

Lea adjusted her black veil, then stood up to prepare to face him.

And finally, she saw him.

The man with shining golden hair and striking features.

Also, her wrong choice, steeped in indelible sin.

“Mr. Allen MacDowell?”

“Yes, I am Allen MacDowell, but?”

“I am Grace Bizac.”

He must be racking his brains right now.

Who could this woman be?

Lea didn’t have such a friend.

Lea could hear Allen rapidly cycling through his memory circuits.

He was a man who knew everything about what Lea liked and disliked, and what accessories and dresses she wore on each day of the week.

“How are you… friends with Lea?”

“Friends… no.”

“Then who are you?”

“Long ago, my family and the Hamilton Trading Company had a connection, so I couldn’t help but come.”

“Ah, I see. Thank you.”

Only then did relief flood Allen’s face.

Lea slightly bowed her head, expressing her condolences to him.

Soon, as she stepped aside from the path she had been blocking, Allen staggered towards the coffin.

“Lea.”

Allen lifted the thin cloth covering the corpse.

In contrast to his trembling hand, his eyes were full of the desire to confirm.

The final confirmation needed on the path to becoming the new owner of the Hamilton Trading Company.

“How could this happen…!”

The corpse lying there in a wedding dress was undoubtedly Lea Hamilton.

Allen pretended to be overcome with grief and sat down, shedding mournful tears.

“You should have listened to me. Why did you act so recklessly…!”

The veins on Allen’s hand, gripping the coffin, bulged.

He sobbed, shaking his shoulders as if unable to bear his fiancée’s miserable end.

Lea, who had been waiting for this moment, approached Allen and patted his shoulder to comfort him.

“I don’t know what words of comfort I should offer.”

Lea was surprised that she could comfort her murderer in such a dignified tone.

‘You are now Grace Bizac.’

She kept reminding herself internally to avoid making mistakes in front of Allen.

Grace’s body was exceptionally small and delicate, but otherwise flawlessly beautiful.

With shining golden hair, fair skin, and violet eyes tinged with blue that sparkled like jewels.

Not only that, her breathing was as gentle as a soft breeze.

Enough to captivate even another woman.

Allen, playing the role of a fiancé who had finally composed himself, turned to Lea.

“Thank you for watching over my fiancée’s final journey.”

“It’s nothing. It’s truly unfortunate.”

“No, you’ve done what I couldn’t. I searched high and low for Lea’s whereabouts, but in the end, I couldn’t prevent this tragedy.”

Allen briefly explained to Lea why she had fled and what the situation was like for the Hamilton Trading Company back in their homeland.

“Even though I tried to persuade Lea and her father until the end, the merchant insisted that anything that could make money should be sold, ignoring my words.”

“Oh my…!”

Lea realized painfully that she herself was the arrogant human who had mistakenly thought she knew a person completely.

‘In the end, I didn’t know anything about Allen at all.’

“It was something that conflicted with my beliefs and morals, so I took courage. Still, I never dreamed that Lea would abandon even me and flee like that.”

He continued to shed tears even as he spoke.

Lea took out a handkerchief from her small handbag and handed it to him. She felt the urge to strangle Allen right then and there, but she bit her lip and held back.

“Save your tears.”

Lea’s voice cracked without her realizing it. She was disgusted by him spewing lies and pretense in front of her.

“If it were me… I think I wouldn’t like it. I would hope that the man I loved wouldn’t be sad for too long because of me.”

“I see. Thank you for your comfort.”

“I’m sure Miss Hamilton who passed away will fully understand your feelings, sir.”

“But I feel that I will regret for the rest of my life not trying harder to persuade Lea that day.”

Allen continued speaking while wiping his tears with the handkerchief Lea had given him.

“Lea was very stubborn and rarely listened to me.”

Lea looked at Allen pitifully before turning away.

Then he gently caught Lea again in a soft tone.

“Miss Bizac, I’m sorry, but I’d like to know about Lea’s final moments. When could you spare me some time?”

“Pardon?”

Just as Lea turned to answer, another man’s voice quietly echoed in the chapel.

“Grace.”

Lea’s gaze followed the voice, as if responding to a stimulus instinctively.

A man in a black uniform walked towards Lea and Allen.

With a tall and sturdy build that more than filled the narrow aisle, the man clad entirely in black exuded an icy cold face yet a fiery aura.

His black eyes, which overwhelmed anyone at a glance, intimidated everyone.

Above all, the man exuding masculinity looked absolutely stronger than Allen.

“Duke Courtois.”

As Lea brightened and approached him, he naturally wrapped his arm around her shoulder.

“!?”

Lea inadvertently flinched at his action.

‘Why is this man doing this? He’s doing something he doesn’t usually do.’

“Miss Hamilton’s fiancé has finally arrived.”

Lea tilted her head up gently and whispered to him.

Allen tried to analyze Lea and Terran as he watched them.

He probably thinks they’re lovers.

“It’s fortunate that the chief mourner has arrived. I was worried she might be buried in a public cemetery as an unidentified body.”

His words carried a rebuke towards Allen for appearing late.

“He grieved deeply.”

“Then, have we done all we needed to do, Grace?”

“Yes.”

It was then that Allen, who had been silently observing the situation, approached Lea.

“Miss Bizac, please introduce me to the person beside you. I’d like to express my gratitude.”

“This is Duke Terran Courtois.”

“Excuse me…? Ah, the famous Duke Terran Courtois. I am Allen MacDowell. Thank you for conducting my fiancée’s funeral. I will surely repay this kindness.”

Allen seemed more surprised to actually meet Terran, whom he had only heard rumors about, than by the fact that his fiancée had died.

However, Terran looked at him with an unimpressed face before turning his gaze to his own fiancée.

“Let’s go.”

Terran turned around with his arm around Grace’s shoulder.

However, Allen was not quick to let the two go.

“Excuse me, could you tell me one more thing?”

He stepped forward and asked her, not Terran.

“What would you like to know?”

“Was there nothing left behind by Lea? Um, like a necklace…?”

“A necklace?”

“Ah… no. I’ll look into it myself.”

Allen quickly cleared the way he had been blocking in response to Lea’s puzzled reaction.

“Is it an important necklace?”

Lea was curious how Allen would answer.

“It’s an heirloom passed down through the trading company, so I wanted to preserve at least that.”

“Such a necklace must hold the history and secrets of the trading company. But I know nothing about it.”

Lea spoke to Allen while directing her gaze towards Terran. The person who had the necklace was likely someone else.

“I… see.”

Lea turned to Allen with an apologetic face and quietly suppressed the anger filling her chest.

“Your fiancée will be buried in the church cemetery here.”

“Duke Courtois, I can’t leave Lea in a foreign land.”

“Wouldn’t that be better than being abandoned in her homeland?”

Terran soon spoke to Allen in a calm tone.

“What do you mean by that?”

Allen was greatly surprised, as if Terran had seen through his true intentions.

“You already know what I mean without needing an explanation.”

“But I could request to have the body returned to Galdensia.”

Grace, who had been listening to the conversation between the two, interjected.

“Don’t you want your beloved fiancée to rest in peace?”

As long as Allen didn’t insist, the deceased Lea’s body would at least be safe.

At those words, Allen closed his mouth.

Allen wanted to dispose of Lea’s body in Galdensia for a perfect cover-up.

But now that he had confirmed her death, there was no need to insist.

‘The dead tell no tales.’

Just then, a mournful funeral march echoed through the church.

Lea’s gaze naturally moved from the coffin to Allen.

‘This requiem is for you, you bastard!’