“So pitiful. Since his wife died early, there was no one to take care of him even when he fell ill. I repeatedly said that I should get married, even thinking about Swan, but he wouldn’t listen… Can such a pitiful thing happen? I’m still young!”
Accompanied by sobbing sounds, the one delivering condolences was none other than Madame Duplée. Several people gathered around her, offering comfort, and Hessel stood by her mother, hands clasped, wearing the most distressed expression in the world. It was like a rural play.

“Uncle was a wonderful person, whether you agree or not. Even though our ages are similar, I have always respected him as an excellent adult. Leaving like this, leaving only a naive Swan behind… There’s no way to express this sorrow in words.”

Cedloy had to tightly seal his lips to avoid bursting into bitter laughter. Looking around, most of the people who knew Hessel’s usual behavior had expressions similar to Cedloy’s.

He bypassed the tearful Madame Duplée and Hessel, and entered the interior where Glodon Marquis’s coffin was placed. Some people, quietly mourning while offering flowers, looked at Cedloy and nodded discreetly.

Swan was sitting in an inconspicuous corner, wiping his eyes with his sleeves. His eyes were swollen from crying, and due to not eating anything, he seemed to lack any strength.

“Swan.”

The boy, who was sitting absentmindedly, weakly lifted his head. Seeing Cedloy’s gentle smile, Swan twisted his lips again as if the sorrow was propping up.

“Your Excellency.”

Swan sniffled, wiping his eyes with his sleeves. The black and thin fabric was already stained due to tears.

Watching him, Cedloy felt a pain as if a sharp blade was thinly piercing his chest. When he was around Swan’s age, having lost both parents, he sat blankly in the same way as Swan, crying until exhausted, and when he woke up, he cried again, trembling all over.

Cedloy recalled that young Berbo cried until tired and fell asleep, and when he woke up, he cried again, shaking all over.

It would be better if Swan cried like that… Cedloy thought. If he screamed, cursed, and struggled, the pain might be less than it was now.

Swan, who was silently crying with his chin on his knees, whispered as if to himself.

“What should I do now?”

Cedloy sighed and sat down on one knee in front of the child. He tried to make eye contact, but Swan wasn’t looking at Cedloy. Among the many people passing by, none of them, not even Swan, were looking at Cedloy. The only thing the ten-year-old boy saw was the distant darkness of his own future.

“Duplée aunt said… after the funeral, she would take me with her. And… and she said she would leave the task of organizing Father’s house to my brother.”

“Hessel, the Viscount, said that?”

Swan nodded with a melancholic face. Every time he moved his head, tears gathered under his eyes and dripped like drops.
Madame Duplée and Viscount Hessel’s intentions were clear. After vacating Glodon Marquis’s house, their plan was to seize everything of value. Regardless, since Duplée was Swan’s legal guardian, she would undoubtedly claim to safeguard the deceased Marquis’s estate and pass it on to Swan when he came of age.

However, such a thing would never happen. Cedloy thought. Even young Swan seemed to vaguely sense it.

Moreover, entrusting the mansion’s organization to Viscount Hessel implied that Swan would receive no share. Swan, with a despondent expression, leaned against a pillar. When Cedloy tried to lift the child’s hand, a loud voice echoed from the entrance.

“Swan! What on earth are you doing there?”

It was Madame Duplée. She wrinkled her face with a touch of disdain, glared at Swan with displeasure, and, as the frightened child attempted to stand, she spoke again.

“Your father has passed away, and you should greet the visitors who came to pay their respects. What do you expect to achieve by hiding in a corner, sobbing?”

Tears welled up in Swan’s eyes. Cedloy, unfamiliar with the situation, intervened, frowning at Madame Duplée.

“Madam, he’s just a ten-year-old child. Demanding that he bravely face his father’s death is an excessive request.”

“Marquis of Balteminster, I’m well aware that you are Swan’s guardian. However, as Swan’s legal guardian, I have a sacred duty to raise the child fittingly within our family. While Her Majesty Elmerat doesn’t intervene in how children are educated within the household, I believe it’s an excessive intrusion for you to prevent me from embracing the child while mourning his father’s death.”

“At first glance, Madam’s words seem reasonable. However, if Madam truly cares and thinks about Swan, why did you entrust the arrangement of the deceased Marquis’s estate to your son, Viscount Hessel? Since Swan is the only surviving child of the late Marquis, if you genuinely care about Swan’s future, wouldn’t it be appropriate to bring in a legally authorized notary to manage the Marquis’s estate?”