It was as if lightning had struck Sebastian where he stood. He went rigid, unable to move.
Declared dead?
He grabbed his friend by the arm. “You must be mistaken! What do you mean, declared dead?!”
His friend blinked in surprise. “There’s no mistake. Look, here’s the obituary.”
“Your Grace, the Duchess was officially declared deceased three days ago at Vermilion Ridge. Because she wasn’t a native of the area, the paperwork had to go through extra steps.
“”
“The person who handled the declaration was none other than Her Highness, Princess Emily, the Empress’s adopted daughter. Her word is not to be questioned.”
“But what surprises me is–why didn’t you know about this?”
Dead…
Sebastian’s legs buckled, and he sank to the ground.
It took a long moment for Eleonora’s father to come to his senses.
So all this time–when they couldn’t find her–it was because she had already…
Was she murdered?
ir! Was
s my d
Mother lunged forward and grabbed Sebastian’s friend. murdered? Have they caught the killer?”
Whe
The officer shook his head. “They say she was gravely ill.
the princess found her, she was already at death’s door. She only mentioned that someone would come inform the family in a few
days. And now, here you are.”
Gravely ill?
A thunderclap echoed through Mother’s mind.
Ill…
Suddenly, she remembered–on the day Eleonora left, she had smiled faintly and asked: “If I died from illness, would any of you miss me?”
Ah…
So she had already known she was dying…
Chapter 8
But why hadn’t she seen it?
What had she said back then?
“With your complexion looking so healthy, how could you be sick? Don’t say such ominous things!”
Mother collapsed to the floor, a wave of despair washing over her.
But no tears came.
She just sat there, vacant and hollow–eyed.
After a while, she stood and looked calmly at the officer. “Sir, how can I meet the princess? I’d like
to see her.”
“I’m afraid I don’t know. But the princess mentioned she would be in touch within three days.”
Mother stood in a daze. Father wasn’t doing much better.
Sebastian composed himself just enough to escort his in–laws home.
Then he returned alone to the main hall of his own house, sitting stiffly, staring at a teacup oi.
table.
His hands were still trembling.
He couldn’t accept it.
How could someone as strong and good as Eleonora have died of illness?
Illness always had symptoms–but Eleonora hadn’t shown any…
Wait.
He suddenly remembered the nosebleeds… the fainting….
He had thought she was faking it, A ploy. A trick to keep him from caring for Ophelia.
But now he knew… she had truly been dying.
Sebastian smashed the porcelain cup in front of him.
In that moment, he wanted nothing more than to end his own life.
Chapter 8
Why?
Why had he only realized something was wrong now?
Gravely ill…
For someone to die so quickly, she must’ve been suffering for a long time.
So why hadn’t he noticed?
He clutched his face, memories flashing before his eyes.
He remembered–half a month ago, Eleonora had asked for comfrey to treat her illness.
But he and her parents had thought she was faking it.
They had paid a high price to give the comfrey to Ophelia instead…
Which meant Eleonora’s countdown had already begun back then.
Sebastian’s teeth chattered uncontrollably.
No wonder…
No wonder she gave everything to Ophelia.
She hadn’t done it out of generosity-
She had known she was dying.
She didn’t need those things anymore…
“Ahhh!” Sebastian let out a roar, his face soaked in tears.
Chapter 9
Three muddled days passed as Sebastian drank nonstop at home. Alexa was scared but didn’t dare go near him.
Though she was just a child, she understood–something terrible had happened in their family. And it had something to do with her mother.
But Alexa didn’t want to believe it. She hadn’t even gotten the chance to tell her that she had won first place…
She wanted to cry but couldn’t shed a single tear. She could only stand by and watch Sebastian drown himself in alcohol.
After Sebastian downed his final drink, a servant cautiously approached him.
“Your Grace… someone’s here to see you. They asked for you by name.”
Sebastian’s hand paused mid–air, then he kept drinking.
The servant glanced nervously toward the door.
“Your Grace, the visitor said they came on orders from the princess.”
Sebastian’s head snapped up. Without another word, he dropped the glass and staggered o
Sure enough, outside the estate, a luxurious carriage was waiting. Beside it stood a royal chamberlain.
“I greet His Grace,” the chamberlain said.
“I come by order of Her Highness, to oversee the Duchess’s final affairs.”
“By the princess’s command, the Duchess left behind a will, which requires all relevant parties to be present.”
The moment Sebastian heard Eleonora’s name, the alcohol in his system seemed to vanish halfway.
A will?
He didn’t waste another second and immediately sent word to the Nocturne family. He even included Ophelia, who had just recovered from a cold.
Once they arrived at the estate, the group stood in silence.
The princess opened the carriage door and glanced coldly at them,
Chapter 9
success story de Vincent – fluid and captivating
These past few days, she had reviewed Eleonora’s belongings again and again.
On her deathbed, Eleonora had given her a small note containing just one sentence: “I’ve prepared everything. After I’m gone, please handle it all for me.”
On the back of the note, she had written a request for the princess to investigate Ophelia.
Inside another small box was a full record of Ophelia’s past.
Emily had originally been traveling through Vermilion Ridge. She hadn’t intended to get involved- so long as Eleonora was well, her silent blessings would suffice.
She had assumed the message her raven returned with was a joyful announcement. She never imagined it would be news of Eleonora’s death.
Princess Emily wiped her reddened eyes and composed herself before stepping down from the carriage with the help of her maid.
She glanced at the people gathered.
The woman holding onto Mr. and Mrs. Nocturne–that was Ophelia.
A flash of ice passed through Emily’s eyes as she nodded to the chamberlain.
He stepped forward and opened the box Eleonora had left behind.
Mother’s eyes lit up when she saw Emily.
“You’re… Ellie’s childhood friend, aren’t you? It’s been so many years–you’ve grown up so beautifully.”
Sebastian froze and turned to the princess. No wonder she had looked so familiar–she was Eleonora’s childhood friend, Princess Emily.
Back when he had courted Eleonora, the one most firmly against him had been Emily. She had openly said that he could never make Eleonora happy.
And now, her words had come true/Thinking of it, Sebastian felt a deep shame.
But Emily ignored Mother’s attempt at kindness. Her gaze remained fixed on the people before her.
Each one of them had played a role in Eleonora’s death. How could she not hate them?
“Today, I am here to oversee all matters regarding Ellie.”
“Before her passing, Eleonora entrusted all her shops and lands to me.”
C
