The Kingmaker System-Chapter 33 - 32. Funeral

The maid adjusted the black bow over my black dress and I looked at my reflection in the mirror, my head and face were covered by a black hat and veil.

I didn’t quite like this look.

"There, done." The maids announced once they were done dressing me.

After an hour or so, we were at the Royal palace where all the other nobles had gathered for the funeral of Concubine Elise.

The large hall seemed gloomy but unlike the hall, the people were still dressed in expensive and lavish outfits with black as a theme.

Most of them were talking amongst themselves and I kept looking around, the coffin which was laid out in the front was closed. Usually, it would be open for the people to see the deceased one last time but in the case of Concubine Elise or rather the victim, there were no remains.

Rune stood next to me as the Duke was summoned by the other nobles.

"Reina?" I looked at Rune.

"Would you like to go outside?"

He didn’t seem to be doing well in the gloomy environment, he and the Duke were similar when it came to intense things, they were quite sensitive.

I and Rune walked out of the hall and went up to the garden that was close by.

The day was quite clear for a funeral, when funeral came to mind one would usually think of dark and pouring clouds but this day was just another beautiful spring day.

Rune sat down near the fountain and I sat down beside him. My original goal was to do something else but with Rune like this, I had to accompany him till he felt better.

"Are you all right?" I asked and he nodded.

"It’s just... I don’t like funerals."

I don’t think anybody does, brother.

"Everyone... just shows up for the sake of it."

That was true.

"It’s... sad to see the person lying in that coffin, even if you call them out they won’t wake up."

It seemed as though Rune was reliving some memory. Maybe he was recalling his- our mother’s funeral. He was quite young back then so it might have had a strong impact on him.

I placed my hand on his making him lean his head onto my shoulder.

"I... understand that it is hard to lose someone dear to you." I said.

"As long as you hold onto their memories, your loved ones will always be with you."

Rune looked at me and I gave him a small smile making him wrap his arm around me.

We stayed outside for a while before we returned to the hall, the ceremony had started.

After the priest’s prayer, the Queen was the first person to place a chrysanthemum on the coffin followed by Prince Carlos and then everyone else followed suit while praying for the departed soul.

I soon reached in front of the closed coffin with the chrysanthemum flower in my hand.

Nobody knew that inside here was the dead body of an assassin. Someone who might not even be properly cremated if he were to die in his original identity. But now, the entire kingdom was mourning him.

I placed the flower on the coffin and then turned away.

I looked around hoping to see Prince Eric but he wasn’t there. The Queen wouldn’t be that big of an idiot to kill him just as the funeral of his mother was taking place but the following months were dangerous.

I had taken measures to keep him safe and thankfully, I had gotten strong support.

The crowd in the hall started decreasing as the people strolled outside, Duke and Rune suggested leaving but I couldn’t do so yet, I had to see Prince Eric.

"I-"

"I’ll bring her along." I heard a familiar voice making Duke and Rune look behind me.

The remaining few of the nobles in the hall were shocked to see him make an appearance, Marquis Desmond Fairisles hadn’t shown up for the banquet but he was attending the funeral of Concubine Elise.

He was quite infamous for not caring about the authority of the other nobles, and to be honest, I found it justifiable. The Fairisles family was the only one whose magic wasn’t restricted to one type like the other noble families.

The bloodline of the Fairisles possessed the unique capability to manipulate mana in its purest state. That was why, the ability to teleport and harness mana for diverse spellcasting purposes was exclusively attributed to Marquis and Silas.

I guess thanks to my protagonist buff I gained both the Frost Magic from the Duke’s side and the Mana control from the Marquis’s side.

Duke and Rune left after Marquis’s assurance and my insistence and I watched as Marquis went over and paid his respect to the deceased before returning to my side.

"He’s not here yet." He mumbled.

"I’m waiting for him as well."

"Shall we wait outside?"

At this point, there was nothing that could be done.

Marquis and I were just heading out when a familiar figure appeared making us stop. We exchanged a glance before we looked as the person trudged towards the coffin with pink tulips in his hand.

Nobody said anything to him as he laid the pink tulips on the coffin and stared at it for a minute before he walked outside. We followed him and found him sitting outside on a bench alone. I stayed behind and gestured for Marquis to go ahead.

"Prince Eric?" Marquis called out and the Prince looked up.

Even from afar, I could see that his face was too worn out, his eyes were puffy and bloodshot and he seemed like he was barely conscious.

"Do you have a moment?"

Eric didn’t say anything and Marquis pulled out an envelope from his pocket and showed it to Eric.

"Read this when you are alone and let me know your answer."

Eric didn’t seem to be in his senses as he kept staring at the envelope and Marquis sighed as he uttered the words that I had told him to use.

"If you want to know about your mother then read it."

Eric’s eyes widened and he stared at the Marquis before he looked at the envelope and snatched it away.

"How do you know my mother?" He asked.

"Read the letter for your answers, Prince."

Marquis didn’t stay for more time as I had asked him to leave immediately after the Prince had received the letter, it was dangerous for us to interact with Prince Eric within the palace. The Queen’s eyes and ears would be everywhere and we couldn’t risk our plan.

Marquis returned to me and picked me up in his arms before we left without any other word. We got inside his carriage and I looked at the royal palace for one last time, I wouldn’t have to come around here for a long time.

"Why haven’t you told your father and brother about all this?" Marquis asked as we were away from the carriage.

"It’s better to keep them out of harm’s way."

"Or you feel like they won’t be able to help you?"

"They are helping me." I told him.

Marquis let out a sigh as he leaned back and kept quiet for a few minutes before he asked.

"How long do you intend to go?"

"As long as I can."

I knew it was bizarre for a child to mess with the royal family’s affairs and make an enemy out of the Queen but I had to start my work to save this world from destruction.

I couldn’t tell just yet what would happen in future but I was sure that I would work my part to prevent the deaths of those who trust me.

"I like the nickname that you gave the Queen." Marquis said with the hint of a smile on his face.

"That was my first impression of her."

We reached home and the day went by in the normal fashion. Viscount Ainsworth’s capabilities had exceeded my expectations as he had been following my word producing the kind of results that I wanted.

The report of the things that I had been doing was quite detailed and the progress was smooth. The construction of the town that was being made near my lair was going well, they would just end in mid-autumn. Elise had a safe place to stay and her health was improving.

Silas was making my devices and the other Mages and researchers were ecstatic to have the high quality magic stones to process and research over.

All in all, it was going well now, all I wanted was to find a person who would become my knight.