I Don't Need the Grand Duke's Regret - Chapter 154
As the door closed, Mirabel rubbed her eyes wearily.
She had been thrown into a whirlwind after unexpectedly arriving at the palace. After calming Charles down, who had been whining about not wanting to take the carriage, she felt utterly drained.
But despite her exhaustion, she couldn’t forget the reason why she had come to the palace. As a royal from a foreign land, she had come to pay her respects, and that meant visiting the temple where the Emperor was enshrined first.
After checking her appearance in the mirror, she called for Sophie.
* * *
The air in the palace’s temple was cool, a stark contrast to the spring warmth outside. Though it was above ground, the atmosphere felt damp and chilling, almost like being in a basement.
“This way.”
Following the priest, Mirabel walked deep into the temple. When the stone doors opened, she inhaled deeply.
At the center of the vast prayer hall, a long coffin was laid. It was the Emperor’s coffin.
“This is Princess Mirabel Etienette of Segolinde.”
The priest spoke to the nobles who were praying before the coffin. As soon as the priest spoke, the kneeling figures rose and moved aside.
When the prayer hall was cleared, Mirabel approached the Emperor’s coffin with a solemn expression. She walked across the sunlight streaming through the window and gracefully bowed in front of the coffin, showing her respect.
After a short moment of silent prayer, she straightened up. As other mourners had done, she picked a white lily from the display beside the coffin.
Though the official funeral would be held in a week, key figures would individually offer flowers to the Emperor beforehand.
In the Arcangelo Empire, the Emperor’s funeral was more of a ceremonial event held before the coronation of the next Emperor. As such, there was no separate time allocated for mourning.
Of course, attending the funeral itself wasn’t considered a diplomatic faux pas.
But Mirabel, as a princess of Segolinde, wanted to show the utmost respect. Since she was already at the palace, she intended to finalize the peace agreement with the Empire before leaving. There was no harm in showing goodwill toward the Empire.
‘To use such precious lilies here…’
Mirabel thought as she gazed at the glowing white flower.
Normally, roses or chrysanthemums were used for funerary flowers, as lilies had become too expensive. This use of lilies to adorn the coffin was a luxury that few could afford.
‘Sarah was surrounded by lilies.’
Mirabel absentmindedly thought of Sarah’s coffin that was decorated with lilies. Though Sarah had been mistakenly thought to be the princess’s body thus her coffin was decorated that way, upon reflection, it hadn’t been an unkind treatment. Sarah had liked lilies, after all.
She shook off the thought and gently placed the white lily next to the Emperor’s pale face.
As she looked at the middle-aged man lying there, surrounded by lilies, she tilted her head in confusion.
‘Why is he like that?’
Mirabel’s gaze shifted to the Emperor’s hands, which were neatly folded at his chest. The rigor mortis had set in, stiffening his hands, and she turned her head away as her discomfort grew.
“Sophie, come over here and take a look at this.”
“Why, Your Highness?”
Sophie, who had been waiting at the entrance of the prayer hall, was about to approach Mirabel.
“Ah, you’ve finally arrived!”
A middle-aged man, adorned with an array of jewelry, entered the room, flanked by knights. It was Durante.
He walked out from among the knights wearing the seal of the Adalberto family, a white goat’s head engraved on the emblem, and smiled broadly.
As soon as their eyes met, Durante exaggeratedly waved his hand through the air and offered his greeting in an overly familiar tone.
“I’ve been eagerly awaiting your arrival, Your Highness. It is a pleasure to meet you. I am Count Durante Adalberto.”
Mirabel’s expression stiffened at his greeting. She had expected to meet him at the palace, but she hadn’t anticipated encountering him so soon.
She tightened her grip on her skirt and glared at him. The man who had struck her cheek so casually before was now standing there smiling warmly.
When Mirabel didn’t return the greeting, Durante gave a sheepish smile and spoke up.
“I heard you just arrived, so I hurried here to meet you. I’ve been looking forward to it.”
“Why?”
Mirabel coldly shot back, her eyes narrowing in suspicion. Durante, taken aback by her coldness, slowly lifted his gaze.
As their eyes locked, Durante’s eyes widened in shock.
“Oh, dear.”
He furrowed his brow and stood up straight.
For a moment, Mirabel’s chest dropped with dread, but true to her expectations, he did not recognize her. He was, after all, the typical, arrogant type.
Standing properly, Durante spoke in a slightly flustered tone.
“It seems that you don’t know much about me yet, Your Highness. Let me reintroduce myself.”
It was a boastful comment, assuming everyone recognized his name. Mirabel responded indifferently.
“No need. I didn’t come here to listen to the Count’s introduction.”
“Haha, of course. But Your Highness, I am no ordinary noble. I am an elder of the nobility council and the Grand Duke’s godfather.”
Durante subtly placed his hand to his lips and grinned broadly.
He made sure to emphasize that he was a powerful figure, almost as influential as royalty from a small kingdom. Mirabel remained indifferent to his display.
“By leading armed knights to the temple, I can see you are not your average noble. I believe that’s enough pleasantries for now. Let’s go, Sophie.”
“Yes, Princess.”
“Wait a moment! There’s something I must tell you.”
“What is it?”
“It’s about ‘The Breath of the Fairy.’”
At the mention of the phrase, Mirabel’s eyes widened in surprise. Watching her expression change, Durante’s smile deepened.
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