Grandfather’s funeral was held modestly. It was Father’s wish to avoid unnecessary rumors as the divorce was imminent.

Due to the heavy rain pouring down like reeds, few people came to pay respects to Grandfather. Even Rodney, his grandson, was stuck due to the monsoon rains.

A memorial song echoed inside the cathedral. Though attendance was low, there were many priests assisting with the funeral.

They dressed Grandfather’s body in expensive clothes and adorned his neck and arms with jewels. They also placed two books he liked in life into the coffin for comfort.

The farewells were over. The burial was delayed due to the heavy rain.

“You’re quite shameless to think of coming here…”

Father said, tossing aside his cumbersome gloves.

“The children and I were with Father at the end. He passed peacefully in the end.”

“Isn’t it curious? Father drew his last breath on the very day you visited.”

“Father’s last words were only of apology. Though to whom, I don’t know.”

The conversation between Mother and Father didn’t continue. Father let out a hollow laugh at the pointless exchange and looked over the siblings beside Mother.

The siblings didn’t avoid his gaze, but withstood it. Knowing of Father’s affair, and that it was with Lady Bakus, the siblings despised him.

“Tsk, everyone’s going mad.”

Like my siblings, I too despised Father.

“I’ll grant the divorce, but I haven’t given up custody of the children yet. So you’ll all need to act wisely.”

With those final words, Father left. His shamelessness and unchanged personality were truly astonishing. His blatant behavior seemed more fitting for a book or play than a real person.

I wondered if Father himself was aware of this fact.

“Don’t worry, Lize. Neither you nor we will ever be separated.”

Felicia whispered, embracing me. Her voice was damp with tears. Seeing Felicia and me together, the siblings gradually wedged themselves between us.

Inside the cathedral, the priests sang a final memorial song before burying Grandfather’s coffin.

The unblemished voices of the priests filled the cathedral.

“…Mm.”

I buried my face in my siblings’ chests. As the sun slowly emerged, the rain stopped completely.

Grandfather was buried under a willow tree in the center of the village where he had stayed. The wet ground was quite heavy, so digging took a long time. As a result, Bernard and Swel, who had to dig the ground themselves, were drenched in sweat.

They dug deep and placed Grandfather’s coffin in the ground with farewell words.

Afterwards, they erected a marble tombstone engraved with the Marsen crest. Just completing that task took until dusk, with the sky turning red with sunset.

“Mother!”

Rodney, who had been waiting, arrived in the village. Seeing Grandfather’s tombstone already in the ground, his face contorted and he collapsed.

Even Rodney seemed unprepared for this situation, visibly flustered.

Rodney knelt before the tombstone, motionless for a long while. As the wind calmed, villagers gathered at the willow tree to pay respects to Grandfather.

There were commoners, but also some familiar faces. Perhaps due to the many watching eyes, Father restrained his words.

“…This is the will written by the Count in his lifetime. The contents of the will are as written here.”

The lawyer who had been observing the situation spoke up as the funeral was ending.

The lawyer recited the contents of the will impassively. Grandfather’s pre-written will contained only expected words.

Grandfather left most of his assets to the current head of the Marsen family, Count Lachis Marsen. The remaining assets were distributed unequally.

The criteria were gender and age, resulting in differences in inheritance among the siblings.

“However, the youngest granddaughter, Lize Marsen, shall receive equal assets to Rodney Marsen. That is all.”

“…Pardon?”

I started, having been listening attentively. There was an odd detail in the will that I thought would be problem-free. The lawyer showed no change in expression, as if anticipating this reaction.

“The Count always felt great guilt towards young lady Lize Marsen.”

The lawyer looked directly at me.

“He pitied you, young lady. But he grieved that he could do nothing for you.”

I hadn’t expected to inherit assets equal to Rodney’s. It was by no means a small amount. After Father’s inheritance, Rodney’s and mine were the largest. It was an amount I could never have dreamed of normally.

“Is this the end of the will? There must be more to say.”

Rodney frowned at the lawyer’s closed lips.

“I’m sorry, but this is the Count’s final will.”

“That can’t be. There must be more regarding Lize.”

A will, as a deceased person’s final words, carried powerful effect. Now that Grandfather had passed, Father would easily gain custody of me by proving I’m not blood-related to Mother.

The only one who could have prevented this was Grandfather… But he was gone. Without leaving a single word about custody.

“I’m sorry, young master, but these are the only words with legal effect.”

“If Grandfather truly pitied Lize, he would have left something other than assets…!”

“May we verify the handwriting?”

Mother calmly interrupted the agitated Rodney and requested the lawyer.

The lawyer said there was no problem and showed us the will he was holding.

Grandfather’s handwriting had several distinct features that anyone who had seen it once could recognize immediately. I memorized that handwriting carefully, then hurriedly examined the will.

“…”

“…”

The writing in the will was indeed Grandfather’s. Looking at the will with blurry eyes, I noticed the date written at the bottom.

The will was dated about five months ago.

“…Was this final will really written on this date?”

When I asked, the lawyer looked at me intently. My siblings also seemed to sense something odd and looked to the lawyer, seeking the truth.

“The final will was written exactly four days ago, but as it was dictated to me rather than in the Count’s own hand, it has no legal effect. By law, only wills written in one’s own hand are valid, young lady.”

We had been blindsided.

I looked at Father’s face as the lawyer spoke as if this didn’t concern him. Father’s expression was inappropriately relaxed for the situation. Come to think of it, Father hadn’t shown any displeasure about my inheritance.

…Could it be.

I don’t know how he persuaded the lawyer, but let’s set that aside. How did he predict Grandfather’s death?

“This can’t be. This is…!”

“That’s right. Only handwritten wills are valid? So even if one is too weak to hold a pen, they must write it themselves?”

While my siblings protested to the lawyer, I felt a chill worse than ever before.

A commotion broke out in front of Grandfather’s tombstone. The people still lingering gave us strange looks as they whispered among themselves. As I scanned their faces one by one, I noticed something odd.

Father’s men were among those mourning Grandfather’s funeral. Ah, so it’s Father who will take my life later, not Yurik.

“There are many watching. It’s already decided. Stop arguing and accept it.”

Father approached Mother.

“Lize wants to come with us.”

“How can that be up to you? Go ahead and try. But be careful. You might lose your blood children trying to keep a child that’s not yours.”

Mother gritted her teeth, looking furious. Rodney and the other siblings looked ready to kick Father at any moment. But now was not the time.
Showing unnecessary emotions would only lead to hurt and loss.

‘I don’t want to bring unhappiness to my loved ones because of me.’

“Mother, let’s go home now.”

I tugged at Mother’s skirt.

“Lize.”

“Grandfather has passed away…”

“…”

“I don’t want to fight.”

Everyone’s tense shoulders relaxed at the mention of Grandfather. Father openly sneered, seemingly surprised at my easy compliance.

“You’ve made a wise choice, Lize. Your grandfather seemed quite fond of you, so we should let him rest in peace.”

“…”

I turned my back, ignoring Father’s words.

“By the way, I wonder how that insolent boy is doing? His lady seems quite worried.”

Father continued speaking, unfazed. That insolent boy referred to Roger.

‘…Wait. What day is it today?’

I suddenly remembered an appointment. I had forgotten I was supposed to meet Roger at the Rossfork fountain. Unfortunately, today was the day of the appointment, and the sky was dark.

“Why are you asking Lize that? Silke would be with Roger.”

Mother responded to Father’s words.

We needed to stop by the Bakus mansion before returning to the Marsen mansion.

“What do you mean? She’s currently staying with me at the Marsen mansion.”

“…She’s at the Marsen mansion?”

I turned to look at Father’s face. His confident expression proved he wasn’t lying.

“Hm? Isabel. Didn’t you take that insolent boy?”

As far as I knew, Roger’s father was staying in the capital before traveling to a distant continent. It wasn’t somewhere Roger could go alone.

Then where was Roger…?

Where could he be?