The funeral for Grandfather was a modest affair, due in part to Father’s wish to avoid unnecessary gossip during his impending divorce.

The heavy downpour had kept many away, even his grandson Rodney was grounded due to the monsoon.

In the church, a eulogy resonated. Attendance was low, but there was an abundance of priests to assist with the service.

They dressed Grandfather’s corpse in expensive clothes, draping jewels around his neck and arms. They also placed two of his favorite books beside him in the casket.

The farewells ended. The burial was delayed due to the persistent rain.

“How audacious of you to come here…”

Father tossed aside his ostentatious gloves as he spoke.

“I made sure Father’s last moments were peaceful, along with the children.”

“How peculiar. Father passed away the very day you visited.”

“His last will was merely an apology. To whom, I’m not sure.”

The conversation between Mother and Father ceased. Father scoffed at the meaningless discussion and scanned his sons beside Mother.

The brothers met his gaze without flinching. Knowing of Father’s affair and that the woman was Mrs. Bacchus, they loathed him.

“Tsk, everyone’s gone mad.”

Like my brothers, I too despised Father.

“I will grant the divorce, but I’m not giving up custody of the children. Everyone should handle this wisely.”

Father vacated his seat after that, his shamelessness and unchanging nature astonishing. His blatant behavior seemed more suited for a book or a play.

I wondered if Father was aware of this fact.

“Don’t worry, Lise. Neither you nor any of us will fall apart.”

Felicia whispered in my arms, her voice dampened by tears. Seeing Felicia and me embracing, my brothers one by one wedged themselves between us.

Inside the church, the priests sang a final hymn before burying Grandfather’s casket.

Their immaculate voices filled the church.

“…Yes.”

I nestled my head inside my brothers’ chests. As sunlight gradually appeared, the rain stopped completely.

Grandfather was buried beneath a birch tree in the center of the village he had resided in. Digging the grave was a lengthy process due to the saturated soil. Bernard and Swell, who had to dig the grave themselves, were soaked in sweat.

With a final farewell, they lowered Grandfather’s coffin into the earth.

Afterward, a marble gravestone engraved with the Marsen crest was erected. By then, the sun had set, dyeing the sky with hues of dusk.

“Mother!”

Rodney, who had been waiting, arrived in the village. Seeing Grandfather’s tombstone already in place, his face contorted as he fell to his knees.

Perhaps Rodney hadn’t expected this turn of events, his face betraying his bewilderment.

Rodney knelt motionless before the gravestone for a long time. As the wind calmed, villagers gathered around the birch tree to pay their respects to Grandfather.

There were commoners, but familiar faces were scattered among them. Perhaps due to the increased scrutiny, Father refrained from speaking.

“…This is the last will and testament written by the late Earl. Its content matches the document here.”

Near the end of the funeral, a lawyer who had been observing finally spoke.

The lawyer recited the content of the will with stoic detachment. The will Grandfather had written in advance contained only the expected statements.

He left most of his assets to the current head of the Marsen family, Lachis Marsen. The remaining assets were allocated differently.

The criteria were based on gender and age, causing a disparity in the brothers’ inheritance.

“However, for my last granddaughter, Lise Marsen, she will receive an inheritance equal to Rodney Marsen. That is all.”

“…What?”
Listening intently, I was taken aback. The will, which I thought would be without issue, contained unusual provisions. The lawyer’s expression remained unchanged, as if he had anticipated this reaction.

“Count always harbored immense guilt toward Miss Lise Marsen.”

The lawyer looked squarely at me.

“He pitied Miss Lise. Yet, he was sad he couldn’t do anything for her.”

I never expected that Lise would inherit the same amount of estate as Rodney. It was not a trivial sum. Following the inheritance that had passed to my father, Rodney and my shares were the largest. Amounts I couldn’t even dream of.

“Is the will over? There should be more.”

Rodney furrowed his brows at the lawyer’s sealed lips.

“I’m sorry, but this is the last of the count’s will.”

“There has to be more about Lise.”

Wills had the compelling force of being the last words left by the deceased. Now that Grandfather had passed away, my father would easily gain custody of me, proving that I did not share blood with my mother.

The only person who could have stopped this was Grandfather… but he had departed, leaving no testament about custody.

“I apologize, young master, but these are the only legally binding words.”

“If Grandfather truly pitied Lise, he would have left her something other than an estate…!”

“May we verify the handwriting?”

Mother cut off Rodney’s excited words and calmly requested the lawyer.