Chapter 147
She had expected him to refuse right away.
But to her surprise, the man simply nodded.
“If it will bring you some peace of mind, then it’s best that we go.”
That answer caught her off guard.
Wasn’t he the one who had told her countless times to let Euphen go?
She hadn’t imagined he’d agree so readily to attend the funeral.
As if reading her thoughts, Sillian spoke calmly.
“Isn’t a funeral something for the living?”
Did he mean it didn’t matter anymore since Euphen was already gone?
Lynette gave a faint, bitter smile.
Whatever his reason was, it didn’t matter.
All she wanted was to see the funeral with her own eyes.
‘Will I cry again?’
Even when she thought of Euphen now, tears no longer came.
It was as if she had nothing left to pour out.
“Do we have a way to attend the funeral?”
“…I’m not sure.”
Unless it was held as a state funeral, they wouldn’t be allowed to attend.
‘It won’t be a state funeral, will it?’
He was merely an Imperial Prince.
Not particularly favored by the Emperor, nor someone who had achieved anything remarkable.
There was no reason they would go to such lengths for him.
As Lynette thought quietly, one woman came to mind.
“Wouldn’t Miss Eshar attend the funeral?”
“But now that the Imperial Prince is dead, it’ll be difficult for her to enter the Imperial Castle freely.”
“That’s true.”
“Well, we’ll only know once we’re there. There’s no need to worry ahead of time.”
Sillian replied in a low voice. Then he stood and spoke calmly.
“It would be best to leave today.”
“Today?”
“Yes. If we delay and miss it… you’ll only be more saddened.”
She nodded with a faintly bitter expression.
If he had suggested they wait a little longer, she had been ready to insist they leave anyway, but now there was no need.
It was a relief.
At least it meant he took it seriously, too.
Even if he was doing this because he wanted her heart to find closure, she was grateful that he cared enough to try.
‘Now, there’s really only Sillian left.’
It struck her suddenly.
There was no one else anymore.
No, in truth, ever since leaving the Imperial Castle, Sillian had been the only one by her side.
She just didn’t want to admit it.
Whether Euphen had loved her, missed her, or held any lingering affection, it didn’t matter anymore.
They could no longer meet, nor could he express anything to her again.
And now, he is dead.
The only one who still cared about a worthless woman like Lynette… was this man.
Maybe because he had been there with her at the moment she completely broke down.
Because he had held her through the moment she’d wanted to die.
He had shared his warmth without a word, and let her pour out all her grief.
Lynette let out a short sigh and began to pack.
When her eyes fell on the clothes Sillian had bought for her, a faint ache stirred in her chest.
She remembered that she’d been wearing them when she heard of Euphen’s death.
And how she’d cried until she fainted, again and again.
Holding the clothes tightly, she hesitated for a moment, then carefully folded them and placed them on the bed.
‘It’s better to leave them behind.’
She doubted she could wear them again.
And she didn’t want to carry that sorrow any further.
As she looked around to make sure she hadn’t forgotten anything, there came a knock on the door.
Lynette picked up her bag.
It wasn’t very heavy.
“Have you packed everything?”
“Yes.”
His gaze fell briefly on the bed.
Lynette spoke first, sounding almost apologetic.
“Sorry… you bought those for me.”
“It’s fine.”
“I think… I’d just keep remembering if I brought them.”
“I understand.”
He took the bag from her hands.
Perhaps because they had stayed there quite a while, the innkeeper came to see them off personally, smiling warmly as he handed over the horses’ reins.
“Come again anytime.”
The man said cheerfully.
Lynette gave a faint, dry smile.
‘I’ll never come back here.’
Not just this inn, she never wanted to return to this town again.
She gripped the reins tightly.
The horse began to move slowly, leaving the village behind.
The houses grew sparser, and by the time they reached a place with not a soul in sight, she suddenly remembered about the assassins.
“Sillian.”
“Yes?”
“What if we get attacked again?”
He turned to her briefly, then gave a light shrug.
“I’d like to capture them and take my time getting information… but since that’s not possible, we’ll just have to deal with them and move on.”
He didn’t seem particularly worried.
Perhaps it was because he was an Esper, there was a calm confidence in his tone.
As if someone of his ability could never die so easily.
‘Then why… why did His Highness…’
Lynette bit her lip hard.
With Euphen’s ability, shouldn’t he have been able to escape, even if there had been an accident?
Abilities weren’t omnipotent, but depending on how they were used, they could be powerful enough to survive even dangerous situations.
If he had been killed by assassins, she might have understood.
If someone had discovered that Euphen was an Esper and sent a fitting opponent, that would have made some sense.
But an accident?
She clutched the pendant tightly in her hand.
No matter how she thought about it, there was only one conclusion.
It was all because of this.
“Stop.”
Sillian spoke suddenly.
Lynette flinched and looked up at him.
“I can guess what you’re thinking.”
“…”
“It’s not your fault, Lynette. Does hearing that make you feel better?”
She bit her lip again.
“No, I suppose not. But still, you couldn’t have done anything.”
“So then…”
“You’re thinking that pendant could’ve saved the Imperial Prince, aren’t you?”
The memory flickered faintly… of the moment she had cried uncontrollably and blurted out those very words.
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