MCFH | Chapter 004

Chapter 4

Even now, I wonder.

If, instead of sending polite letters, I had boarded a ship to see you right away, would things have turned out differently?

“What… is this?”

“As you can see, it’s a death notice from the royal family.”

It took at least five days for a letter to reach there. Another five days, at least, for a reply to come back.

I planned to wait exactly two weeks. If no reply came by then, I was prepared to take leave, even knowing it was a breach of etiquette, and rush to the Venzel Kingdom to see Fay.

Until Marquis Elias Igniel, my father, summoned me unexpectedly, I had no doubt today would be just another ordinary day.

That is, until he handed me a jet-black envelope stamped with the royal seal.

Why had he called me, and not my brother, the heir to the marquisate? Dante tried to suppress the ominous feeling spreading through him.

“Whose… death is it?”

My father, known for his bold and forthright manner, hesitated to speak. The moment Dante saw that, he completely lost his composure.

Snatching the letter from Elias’s hands, Dante scanned its contents. His trembling hands gripped the paper tightly.

“It can’t be.”

“Dante.”

“This doesn’t make sense. Why Fay?”

“Call her ‘Princess.’ Mind your words.”

“But does this make any sense, Father?”

Fay, dead?

The letter’s stiff tone announcing Fay’s passing felt utterly unreal. Dante’s mind flashed to the letters from Fay, carefully stored in his room’s drawer.

“Just a week ago, she sent a letter with her regards. How could this happen?”

Elias, startled by his son’s anguished cry, wore a bitter expression.

“…They say you never know what might happen in life.”

“Even so!”

“Regardless, the royal family plans to hold the viewing and conduct the funeral three days from now. I believe our family should attend, Dante!”

Before Elias could finish, Dante stormed out of the office. Ignoring the startled servants, he headed straight to the stables, mounted a horse, and galloped toward the royal castle.

His neatly combed blond hair was whipped into disarray by the fierce wind.

It can’t be.

Even if it was her duty, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t worried about you living in a foreign land. That’s why, despite knowing it was slightly improper, I sent small gifts and letters.

I didn’t care if it was called meddling. I didn’t mind if it was dismissed as unnecessary worry.

“Sir Dante? The castle is restricted right now…! Sir Dante!”

Upon reaching the castle gate, Dante dismounted and charged through the slightly open door. Brushing past the startled guards, he ran toward the stone coffin storage in the castle’s western wing.

“Wait, you can’t just barge in!”

“Stop!”

“Ugh, what strength!”

As an old friend and a vassal, all I could do was offer such small gestures.

But how…

“…Fay.”

How could you return in this state?

With monstrous strength, he shook off the soldiers trying to stop him and finally succeeded in opening the lid of the coffin placed in the center of the storage.

Scrrrape.

The moment the coffin opened, revealing a woman lying on white cloth, Dante softly called her name.

There was no response.

The woman, dressed in white burial robes, had a face far more mature than he remembered. As Dante gazed at her serene expression, his legs gave way.

Collapsing to his knees with a thud, he stared endlessly at Fay’s face. The soldiers, hesitating as they approached, surrounded him tightly instead of restraining him.

Unfazed by their presence, Dante stared intently at the woman with her eyes closed. Footsteps echoed behind him.

“What’s all this commotion?”

“Dante!”

Dante slowly turned his head. Familiar faces stood at the entrance of the storage.

Giulio, standing beside Fabian, hurried over with a shocked expression. Dante looked up at him blankly.

“…Brother.”

“You’ve heard the news, I see.”

“Fay won’t open her eyes. This can’t be right.”

Only then did Giulio notice the open coffin lid and clicked his tongue. He had been most worried about Dante’s reaction to the news, but this was beyond anything he could have imagined.

Where was the calm, gentle brother, so refined he was considered a model for the temple?

With disheveled hair, unfocused eyes, and hands clinging to Giulio’s arm as if grasping at straws, he looked like a lost child.

“I specifically ordered no one be allowed in.”

“My apologies. His resistance was stronger than expected…”

“Enough. The one to hold accountable is him.”

Fabian, waving off his subordinate irritably, approached them. Dante, looking up at him, spoke softly.

“Her body…”

“What?”

“There are bruises on her arm. Scars on her calf. Her ankle is slightly twisted.”

As Dante listed each detail, as if chewing over the words, clarity gradually returned to his gaze.

“What was the cause of the princess’s death?”

“They say it was an accident.”

“What kind of accident, exactly?”

Fabian didn’t answer. Dante, rambling but resolute, pressed on.

“We need a proper investigation. There’s clearly a conspiracy. Otherwise, how could this…”

“Are you going to spout the same nonsense as before?”

“It wasn’t baseless worry!”

“You’re jumping to conclusions. It’s just bad timing.”

At those words, a spark flared in Dante’s eyes. If Giulio hadn’t held him back, he might have stood and struck Fabian across the face.

Restraining his brother at the last moment, Giulio pleaded with Fabian.

“Your Highness, please, stop. Not in front of Princess Fay.”

“Are you lecturing me too, Giulio?”

“Yes. If you say any more, I’ll truly lose my temper.”

Unlike his usual easygoing demeanor, Giulio’s firm warning silenced Fabian. Patting Dante’s shoulder as if to calm him, Giulio stood and bowed.

“As an old friend, I beg you. Give my brother time.”

“Time?”

“Time to grieve and accept the princess’s death.”

Understanding the implication, Fabian gave a low scoff.

“It’s a royal matter. Do you think it’s something an outsider can meddle in?”

Seizing the moment, he unleashed a barrage of cold, cutting words.

“Anyone would think there’s something to misunderstand. A holy knight sworn to serve the divine for life and a married princess—what rumors might spread? I’m already looking forward to it.”

No matter what he said, Giulio stared at Fabian with steady eyes. Meeting that piercing gaze, Fabian clicked his tongue and ran a hand roughly through his hair.

“Until the funeral. After that, you’ll need to step back.”

“…Understood.”

“My sister must be thrilled to have such a loyal vassal.”

With that sarcastic remark, Fabian turned and left the storage. Dante, staring blankly at Giulio’s back as he followed, turned his gaze back to the coffin.

Looking at the woman sleeping peacefully amidst the chaos, he gently closed the coffin lid.

* * *

Three days later.

Dante stayed by the stone coffin like a dog guarding its master.

He hadn’t intended to forgo sleep, but his mind was strangely alert.

After tonight, the funeral would be held. Once it was over, Fay would truly be gone forever, to a place where he could never see her again.

Leaning against the coffin, Dante looked up at the ceiling. Staring at the cold, gray stone, he murmured.

“Fay.”

He hadn’t called her by name like this since they became adults. To think he ignored her when she was alive, only to call her name now that she’d returned in death—a bitter chuckle escaped him.

What did etiquette matter, when it made you feel this way?

“…Do you remember the game we used to play as kids?”