Lutis woke up early in the morning and habitually turned to the side, calling out Aeli’s name with a pale face. However, her eyes that were already tightly closed did not open.

He jumped up from the bed and brought his trembling hand under Aeli’s nose, but,

“……”

Not feeling even a single breath, Lutis froze and couldn’t take any action. It meant that in that moment, he couldn’t even think of shaking her body or putting his ear to her heart.

The tragedy that occurred at such an unexpected moment was more than enough to make even a knight who had held a sword for half his life into a fool.

In fact, it was because he couldn’t accept the fact that the pale face of the dead person he had been familiar with seeing was so terribly similar to Aeli’s appearance.

“Wah, waah!”

When he himself couldn’t even touch Aeli’s body and was frozen,

The child who was nestled in Aeli’s arms, sleeping without knowing the world, burst into tears.

He couldn’t remember how much time had passed, but perhaps the child was not happy that the warmth that had been warming the body had cooled, or perhaps the child was hungry.

Even considering that, it was surprising when thinking about how the child usually waited blankly with large, round eyes until someone came, let alone crying when waking up from sleep.

Perhaps the child instinctively sensed that something was wrong with the mother.

At that crying sound, Lutis finally hurriedly picked up the child who had been nestled in Aeli’s arms and shouted,

“Call the royal physician!”

Lutis later recalled that his voice as he shouted like that sounded like a torn scream.

“It… it seems to be too late to do anything now. Judging from the state of rigor mortis, it has been at least 2 hours since the heart stopped-”

“Then why! Her condition was clearly fine until yesterday. There’s no reason for her to suddenly stop breathing!”

“Because madam’s illness was simply a decline in strength without any special cause or symptom, there has been no clear treatment reported in the academic community.”

“Isn’t that, finding it! Isn’t that what you people should be doing!”

“…I have no excuse. Recently, madam had been showing signs of being particularly tired, so we were doing our best……”

“You’re making excuses for that now…!”

In such cases, it is virtually impossible to predict when and how the condition will worsen and breathing will stop. If you interpret the words of the person who is sweating profusely while adding various technical terms, it was ultimately an excuse.

This medicine at this time. That prescription at that time. Even though all those words were followed to restore Aeli’s health.

Nevertheless, Aeli stopped breathing, and they could not clearly reveal the reason. Lutis became furious, even raising the veins in his neck at the words that were belatedly added, which were all just assumptions.

However, even if he did that, nothing changed.

Lutis turned his head and shouted for the aide waiting outside the room. One of his eye whites had turned red, perhaps from a burst blood vessel.

“Diego!”

“Yes, Your Excellency.”

“Go and contact the magic tower right now!”

“…Understood.”

If a medical cause cannot be found, find another way.

From the time Aeli’s health began to deteriorate, he had already searched far and wide for treatments, but to no avail.

‘Since it happened overnight, the possibility of a curse or magic influence cannot be ruled out.’

But unlike then, when it was simply to find a treatment method. Now, finding the cause of the unnatural death came first.

…Just in case, if a curse or magic is really the cause, a way to revive her might be found.

From that moment on, Lutis did not rest for a moment.

It went without saying that he postponed his work schedule, and he did not allow himself even a moment to look away, including meals and sleep.

He examined Aeli’s condition with the royal physician and magicians. He couldn’t overlook even the small possibility that they might have missed something.

So he exchanged opinions with them several times, but.

“……”

The answer that came back was still cause unknown.

He called several high-ranking magicians to check, but no matter how many times he called, the answer was the same. There was only the word that not even a trace of any magic or curse could be found on Aeli.

“Your Excellency. It has already been a full day.”

After the magician left the residence. Lutis, who had been holed up in the study examining the family’s secret documents, turned his head at the voice.

It was the aide who, like him, had not slept a wink, but unlike himself, a swordmaster, had not learned any special martial arts and could not hide his tired appearance.

The aide continued to speak with a somber face, his eyes darkened underneath.

“The decay is being prevented with cold magic… but if we delay any longer, the body may not be intact when we hold the funeral.”

I think it’s time for you to make a decision now. At the aide’s words, spoken with his eyes firmly lowered, Lutis moved his lips.

“If we call a magician and have them cast a preservation spell,”

“Casting a preservation spell on a person is illegal, isn’t it? Regardless of status, if discovered, not only those involved, including the instigator, but also their families will all be unable to avoid the death penalty, no matter how high-ranking a noble they are.”

“……”

“Madam wouldn’t want that either.”

The aide’s words were not wrong. Lutis was also well aware of that fact.

“……”

I see.

Lutis closed the book he was holding in his hand and bowed his head deeply. He opened his mouth, closing his eyes tightly.

“Inform Mason and the noble families staying in the capital of the news of her passing.”

“……”

“…To prepare for the funeral.”

In the end, I couldn’t find a way to save you.

Even at this moment, I wanted to tear my mouth apart for uttering those words.

The day had dawned.

At the crack of dawn, when the death notices were being busily delivered, there was a lot of fog and the day was chilly, so I thought it would rain.

Contrary to expectations, by the time the nobles who received the notices arrived one after another, a clear and refreshing sky without a single cloud greeted him.

Perhaps it was because the sun was good, but except for the fact that she was lying in a coffin, Aeli looked as if she was just in a deep sleep.

‘It’s just… like she’s taking a nap.’

But they say she’s dead.

Well. It was hard to understand. It didn’t seem much different from the face that had closed its eyes, laying on his lap under the old tree when he stayed at the Mason residence sometime before.

Even the pure white shroud she was wearing. Perhaps because it was decorated with lace and jewels to match her taste for extravagance, it reminded him of the wedding dress she had worn just two years ago.

Murmur murmur.

“……”

Lutis looked at the place that was solemn and yet had a bit of bustle, befitting a funeral.

Then he rolled his harshly dried eyes and fixed his gaze straight ahead.

They were all dressed in black clothes made of luxurious fabric, handing white flowers to his wife.

Observing blankly, although they were mourning with expressionless faces, none of them looked truly sad.

Is that why? It felt like watching a well-orchestrated play.

“……”

Strangely, no tears came out.

Someone in history had lost their lover and shed tears day and night for three days, creating a river with them.

Another had completely stopped eating and drinking, eventually collapsing and passing away, while yet another had taken their own life to follow their lover.

But Lutis’ eyes were simply dry.

“Your Grace.”

…Actually, did I not love you as much as I thought?

At that moment, feeling unbearably disgusted with himself, Lutis covered his mouth with one hand. He felt the murmuring sound getting louder.

It was when Lutis was trying hard to calm his churning stomach.

“Your Grace!”

At the sound calling him, Lutis finally moved his eyes that he had fixed ahead to the side, a beat late, to find the source of the sound.

“Your Grace. It’s time to close the coffin now.”

“……”

“…Won’t you give a flower to the Duchess?”

The knight commander, also dressed in black, said politely.

Lutis, who had barely lowered his hand covering his mouth, slowly nodded his head.

“…Ah, right.”

…That’s right. Lutis, who answered softly, took slow steps without blinking an eye.

Standing in front of Aeli’s coffin like that.

“……”

Lutis picked up the red corsage he had been wearing on his chest and carefully pinned it on Aeli’s left chest.

Since he was the last one to give a flower to Aeli, he should step back now.

Then,

“…Your Grace?”

“……”

Then she will be buried in the ground forever. She will become a face he can never see again.

The knight commander asked in confusion at Lutis who was standing as if rooted to the spot. But somehow Lutis couldn’t step back.

So he blankly gazed at Aeli, who was buried among the white flowers with the red flower he had pinned on her chest.

The fact that all of this happened in just over a day.

He couldn’t believe it. It didn’t feel real, so he just, how should I put it.

He thought that at any moment she would open her eyes wide, get up and laugh, saying it was a joke.

“Maybe the Duke didn’t hear what was just said?”

“He must be in no state of mind to listen.”

“Even so, with so many eyes watching like this……”

“Judging by his appearance, it’s clear how Ratliff will fare for a while.”

“He has more than a few businesses under him, but I worry if he can manage them properly like that.”

“Well, they’ll take care of it themselves, won’t they? If he can’t manage the businesses properly, it’s our gain.”

Perhaps after today passes, not only the capital but the entire empire will be busy gossiping about your death for a while.

Even those who are busy whispering while looking at me in a daze like this will exclaim that the Duke is out of his mind. Regardless of the truth, such things won’t matter much to them.

In fact, it wouldn’t be far from the truth, so whatever it was, it was outside of Lutis’ interest.

Therefore, Lutis simply opened his mouth with a faint smile. His stomach was churning like crazy, but he had to endure it.

It would be an emotion he would have to get used to from now on.

“…Sleep well, Aeli.”

He was convinced that it was a terrible farewell for the effort he made. But it seemed that no matter what he said, there would be no meaningful change in this sentiment.

Lutis, who reached out his hand one last time to stroke Aeli’s cheek, stepped back heavily.

It was right then that a sound that shouldn’t have been heard crept into his ears.

“What’s the big deal about losing one main wife… The Duke is still young, so he might bring in a new wife.”