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Chapter 18
The Second Funeral (3)
While the Marquis and Lowell moved to bury Bledin’s coffin deep within the family grave, Berenice, supporting the tear-streaked Marchioness who was exhausted from crying, stepped out of the tomb and stared blankly at the blue sky.
Today, there wasn’t even a cloud in sight.
The sky seemed somewhat cold, likely because of the icy winter wind brushing across her cheeks.
“Mother, are you alright?”
“…Yes.”
The Marchioness’s eyes were swollen and red from the relentless flow of tears.
Berenice lingered for a moment, taking in her mother’s appearance, then rose to her feet.
“I checked the map before coming. There’s a stream nearby. I’ll soak a handkerchief.”
“Nia, it’s dangerous…”
“This area is regularly maintained by the knights of the estate. There shouldn’t be any thieves or wild animals, so don’t worry.”
“…Be quick.”
“Just wait a moment.”
She wasn’t lying about checking the map.
Berenice needed to pinpoint the location of the small goddess statue, and using the excuse of wanting to know the location of the family tomb she had never visited, she had been able to look at the map in advance.
‘Since coming back, my memory seems sharper.’
She could remember every detail from her journal perfectly.
Moreover, her senses had grown so sharp that she could see, hear, and feel things she couldn’t before.
Was it a gift from the gods?
Still, Berenice knew she couldn’t rely on it entirely.
There was no guarantee this ability would remain with her, and even if it was a gift from the gods, she was still a human using it.
Surely, there were flaws she hadn’t yet discovered.
So she vowed not to blindly trust her improved memory and heightened senses.
With that in mind, Berenice quickened her pace.
The goddess statue and the stream were farther apart than she expected, so she needed to hurry to return before her mother grew worried.
Following her memory toward the statue, Berenice soon discovered a small goddess carved from stone.
As she had guessed from the description of it being “small,” the statue was only about knee-height, unlike the massive statue in the temple.
Despite being in a dense forest, the statue stood in a spot where sunlight fell clearly, gazing down at its base just like the one in the temple.
Who placed it there and why was unknown, but according to Bledin’s journal, it existed long before the Wiltierra family tomb was established—so it must be very old.
“It was buried at the goddess’s feet, right?”
Carefully examining the statue, which had withstood wind and rain without cracks or worn edges, Berenice realized time was short. She hurried forward and knelt before the statue.
Digging into the frozen ground in winter was difficult, even with tools.
And the only tool Berenice had was a small paper knife.
Pretending to be ill, she couldn’t leave the room and had to take it without anyone noticing—so she had no choice.
For a moment, she had wondered if she could sneak a fork or spoon too, but having eaten alone in her room for some time, it was impossible to take them unnoticed.
“Why did my brother bury it in the ground?”
Had her respect for her eldest brother slightly, really just slightly, waned from repeatedly reading the journal?
Or was it to shake off the lingering sorrow from their recent farewell?
Complaints about Bledin naturally slipped out.
After a long while of digging, Berenice’s black mourning sleeves were covered in dirt, but she finally succeeded in uncovering a small box.
She let out a short sigh as she inspected the box, meticulously sealed with wax to protect the contents from moisture. Quickly, she scraped the wax away with the dirt-covered paper knife.
Though she appreciated her brother’s careful preparation, she felt slightly annoyed due to her urgency.
…Actually, she wasn’t sure.
She had clearly been thinking something, but the moment she saw the contents, she forgot what it had been.
Inside the box, a tiny leather pouch held a small silver coin and one sapphire cufflink—one half of the pair she had gifted Bledin long ago.
When she had lost one of the pair, Bledin promised to cherish the remaining one forever, feeling sorry for her tears.
Since then, she hadn’t seen the remaining cufflink and assumed it was lost too…
“Bledin…”
Her vision blurred, hot tears streaming down her cheeks.
Why did tears come now, when none had fallen during their farewell?
Though grateful for the miracle of traveling back in time, Berenice had wondered why she was given this chance.
If anyone deserved it, shouldn’t it have been Bledin?
But at this moment, she realized.
She had been afraid.
She had held back tears so far because acknowledging them meant acknowledging her fear.
Now, seeing the cufflink Bledin had hidden, she could face the fear she had been avoiding.
“Brother…”
Could I do it?
Could I keep the vow I made to my deceased brother?
What if I fail again, lose my family, or see the estate burn?
Her tears left round stains on the frozen ground and her black dress, yet she remained kneeling like a statue, staring at the cufflink, unable even to think of stopping.
“Hmm…”
It was then.
Someone emerged from the bushes and, seeing Berenice crying, stopped.
Startled by the unexpected sight and revelation, Berenice slowly lifted her head.
Her tear-filled eyes made the figure before her blurry.
“Why are you crying here alone?”
“…Ah.”
Blinking rapidly to wipe her tears, Berenice recognized the speaker and made a sound she normally wouldn’t.
“Your Highness? How did you… get here?”
Kaiden stood before the crying Berenice, unusually flustered.
Even though the Marquis had shed tears at the second funeral, Berenice had not—this had caught his attention.
Even he, with little emotional fluctuation, had cried at his brother’s funeral…
He had followed her with a vague excuse, sensing something unusual, but had never expected to find her crying alone.
‘…Still crying.’
Judging by the disturbed earth in front of the small statue, there really was something buried there.
‘Even I can’t scold someone crying like that.’
If his aide, As, were present, he would scold Kaiden for showing compassion over someone else’s tears, but he wasn’t. Kaiden could afford to be unusually lenient with himself at times.
“Um… first… I shouldn’t tell her to stop crying… Wait, why is she still crying?”
Hearing his voice, Berenice recalled his earlier words wishing Bledin peace, and tears welled up again—but Kaiden, unaware of her circumstances, had to awkwardly collect his words.
A woman in pure white, dressed in black mourning, silently shedding tears…
Kaiden was curious about what she was holding, but stopping her crying came first.
“Berenice Wiltierra… no, I only said your name, but why…!”
It reminded him of how he had called Bledin’s name moments ago…
Still unaware of the situation, Kaiden knelt on one knee, cautiously meeting her gaze.
“I won’t ask why you’re crying… just calm down.”
The best he could offer was a simple “calm down.”
Having never comforted someone crying for a lifetime, it was truly his best effort.
After studying Berenice’s wet amber eyes and red, swollen eyelids for a moment, Kaiden carefully cupped her cheeks and awkwardly wiped her tears with his thumbs.
“I know how painful the death of a sibling can be.”
“….”
“Crying for him is a fine way to mourn, but I would choose another way.”
“…What way?”
His careful wiping of the last tears seemed satisfying. Kaiden withdrew his hands.
“It’s a secret.”
“….”
“You look like you want to hit me.”
Berenice’s tears finally stopped.
Seeing the irritation in her now-cleared amber eyes gave Kaiden a strangely pleasant feeling. He straightened his knees and extended his hand toward her.
“There’s no guarantee my way will suit you either.”
“Do you mean I should find my own way?”
Berenice took Kaiden’s hand with her empty one and rose. He smiled faintly and nodded.
“Smarter than you look.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment, since I don’t want to argue with Your Highness.”
“Think for yourself. All done crying now?”
“…Sorry for showing such weakness.”
“You weren’t really weak, so don’t worry. But since you apologized, satisfy one curiosity of mine.”
Something didn’t feel right.
Seeing Kaiden’s broad grin, Berenice instinctively stepped back.
“I suppose it’s the thing you dug up… What are you holding in your hand?”
