The next day.

The funerals of Jeremy and Erphia were held simultaneously.

Everyone in the imperial palace wore black mourning clothes.

Celiya was no exception.

Wearing a black dress, Celiya looked down with an indifferent face at the scene of Jeremy and Erphia’s coffins being placed side by side next to the grave of the emperor who died by her hand.

“Why didn’t the Duke attend the imperial family’s funeral even though he’s in the palace?”

“…There must be a reason for that.”

Behind Celiya’s back, the sound of ministers whispering could be heard.

“Who would have known that the Abelon imperial family, which continued for hundreds of years, would end so futilely? And it’s said to be a murder?”

“It must be divine wrath. Perhaps it’s the price paid for someone without ability coveting the throne.”

“Shh. Everyone be quiet. We’re in the middle of a funeral.”

Celiya looked at Dietrich standing beside her.

Wearing a black uniform and lowering his eyelashes, Dietrich was also the host of this funeral.

He seemed to have no interest in whether people were talking or not.

It was as if he alone was left behind in a different world.

Celiya withdrew her gaze from Dietrich.

As it was the death of imperial family members, a minister sent from the Ministry of Religion recited a prayer.

“Though the flame of life has been extinguished, may the soul be eternally free. May it enjoy the paradise given in God’s embrace where all suffering has disappeared.”

As the minister’s prayer ended, imperial knights, palace ministers, and even palace maids one by one placed the white bouquets they were holding on the coffins of the deceased.

“May you go to a good place.”

“May you be happy there.”

They uttered words they didn’t mean so well.

Celiya also placed the white bouquet she was holding on Erphia’s coffin.

People waited for her next words, curious about what Celiya would say.

The emperor who coveted Celiya was murdered, and soon after, his son who also coveted Celiya was murdered.

Now, rumors circulating in the palace suggested that Celiya might be a witch.

Celiya happened to hear people say that since Dietrich was Celiya’s lover, he might also be murdered because of her.

It was they who coveted her when she was just minding her own business, yet she didn’t understand why they called her a witch instead of them.

Celiya ignored people’s words, but she forcibly attended the funeral as she couldn’t trouble Dietrich, who was in a cooperative relationship with her.

“May you.”

Celiya only said those words. There was nothing else added after.

There were no words like ‘go to a good place’ or ‘be happy’.

Why should she utter words she didn’t mean?

Isn’t it enough that she showed her face at the funeral?

She didn’t understand why she had to give well-wishes to people who tried to harm her.

Celiya turned around as if she had finished what she needed to do.

People whispered.

“Oh my.”

Dietrich silently watched Celiya walking away.

As the host of the funeral, Dietrich had to stay until the end of the ceremony.

He wanted to hold Celiya back right away, but he had no excuse to rightfully keep her in this place that was undoubtedly uncomfortable for her more than anyone else.

Dietrich could only quietly watch until Celiya’s back disappeared from his sight.

Celiya did not return to Dietrich’s mansion.

Instead, she wandered around the palace, listening to what people were saying.

Perhaps because she was wearing a black hat with a veil, almost no one recognized her.

“Will His Grace Duke Gredrik ascend to the throne?”

“It’s uncertain. Perhaps the Swordmaster, Duke Portman, might take the throne.”

“Duke Cervantes is also in the palace now. Wouldn’t the genius magician, who hasn’t shown his face in the palace for years, come to the palace to ascend to the throne?”

Unlike the gloomy funeral atmosphere, the servants’ voices were full of excitement.

Celiya deliberately slowed her steps to eavesdrop on what people were saying.

“Come to think of it, I heard they’ll hold the emperor’s coronation ceremony as soon as the mourning period ends…”

As Celiya was eavesdropping on the palace maids’ conversation, someone bumped into her with a thud.

Because of that, the black hat Celiya was wearing fell to the floor.

Celiya’s silver hair cascaded down her shoulders, revealing her hidden face.

Celiya quickly tried to pick up the hat that had fallen to the floor.

However, someone mercilessly trampled on Celiya’s hat with their shoe.

“Oh, sorry…”

It was a voice that didn’t contain even a speck of apology.

Celiya’s gaze shifted to the owner of the shoe.

Pink hair that reached the waist rippled like waves.

The blue eyes looking at Celiya were full of hostility.

Celiya remembered seeing the woman in front of her before.

Surely, she was the woman who had confessed her love to him in front of Dietrich’s mansion.

When Celiya said nothing, the woman raised the corner of her mouth and completely ruined the hat by pressing it with her heel.

Celiya’s eyes lowered as she looked down at this.

“It fell on the floor anyway, right? No need to be too upset about it.”

The woman who spoke in a cheerful voice smiled, narrowing her eyes.

Celiya thought that the woman’s artificial smile resembled Ileon’s quite a bit.

“What are you doing?”

At Celiya’s informal speech, the smile disappeared from the woman’s face.

“You, do you know who I am?”

Celiya looked straight at the woman and said.

“I don’t know who you are, but I can tell your personality is dirty.”

“!”

The enraged woman raised one hand. Celiya strongly grabbed the hand that was about to strike her.

“How dare you! Do you know who I am!”

“Whoever you are, it’s none of my business.”

Celiya calmly replied.

“Is that so? Your foolishness seems to be inviting your own demise.”

The woman spoke in a voice full of mockery.

“Because you dared to mess with me without knowing who I am.”

“Mess with you? You’re the one who picked a fight with me when I was minding my own business.”

“You orphan from the streets, how dare you speak to me, a noble lady, like this!”

The woman tried to mercilessly slap Celiya’s cheek with her other hand that Celiya hadn’t grabbed.

However, that hand was caught by someone before it could reach Celiya’s cheek.

“Who dares!”

The woman turned around at the hand that gripped her roughly.

Long silver hair close to gray, eyes shining with clear light.

“Oh, elder brother?”

The woman exclaimed in surprise. The person who had grabbed her wrist was none other than Ileon.

“Reina. You shouldn’t bully innocent people.”

At Ileon’s gentle voice, Reina bit her lower lip and shouted.

“Elder brother! This lowly thing first…!”

“Reina.”

Ileon softly called his younger sister’s name with a gentle face.

“There’s a limit to how much I can overlook your tyranny.”

“Elder brother!”

“I saw everything from the beginning. Wasn’t it you who first picked a fight with Lady Celiya who was minding her own business?”

Reina breathed heavily.

“Why don’t you go back to the palace now? Your elder brother has some things to discuss with Lady Celiya.”

“…”

Reina glared at Celiya with eyes that looked like they could kill her right then and there.

“Go on.”

At Ileon’s urging, Reina trampled on the black hat one last time before leaving the place.

Instead of giving her attention to Ileon, Celiya was looking down at the hat that had been completely ruined by trampling.

“Lady Celiya. Shall we have a conversation in a quiet place?”

“Why should I have a conversation with you?”

At Celiya’s wary tone, Ileon lowered his voice and said.

“Because you must? I know a lot of things that you don’t know.”

Ileon smiled brightly towards Celiya.

Unlike his usual attire of wearing white clothes with a very large fit, Ileon was wearing a black formal uniform, perhaps because it was a funeral.

Celiya thought that the black clothes suited him much better than the white clothes that were the opposite of his dark inner self.

“Do you like this outfit?”

Ileon asked in a plain voice as Celiya kept her gaze on his clothes.

“No. I just thought it suited you well, Duke.”

At Celiya’s answer, Ileon smiled, crinkling his eyes, and suggested.

“There are many watching eyes here, so shall we go to my palace?”

“I don’t want to.”

“You’ll regret it.”

“I think I’ll regret it more if I go to your palace.”

“Why?”

“Because you’re not a good person, Duke.”

Ileon tilted his head. Following his head movement, his long silver hair close to gray cascaded down over his black uniform.

Ileon whispered softly into Celiya’s ear as if telling a secret.

“I ruined the crown prince’s face instead of your beautiful face, didn’t I? Shouldn’t that make me a good person to Lady Celiya?”

Celiya stepped back from Ileon and said.

“The very thought of ruining someone else’s face means you’re not a good person.”

After finishing her words, Celiya turned her back on Ileon. As if there was no more value in talking to him.

Ileon embraced Celiya’s shoulders from behind as she tried to move away from him.

When the surprised Celiya tried to push him away, Ileon said in a voice tinged with laughter at her head.

“Tomorrow, you’ll see something very interesting.”

After saying those words, Ileon slowly released his arms.

Celiya shook her head at Ileon and moved away from him.

It wasn’t until the next day that Celiya could understand the meaning of Ileon’s words.

Imperial Year 323, November 15th.

The very next day after the imperial family’s funeral, a new emperor of Abelon was proclaimed.

The new emperor was Ileon Gredrik.