Chapter 7
In front of the gathered Kruger and Fanning families, Edward spoke in a subdued voice.
“Her kind and gentle heart—there were many who served her faithfully within the ducal estate. It is still hard to believe that she has passed so suddenly.”
Lady Fanning’s face, which had calmed for a moment, crumpled again. His words reopened the wound of missing her daughter.
…Once this funeral is over, things will settle, Angela tried to convince herself.
“Though my wife is gone, I intend to continue my ties with the Fanning family. I am still connected to Angela, after all.”
…?
That statement left her anything but at peace.
I thought once I disappeared, he would lose all interest in my family….
To Edward, the Fanning family had been nothing more than a chain binding his wife—nothing more.
Yet he had spoken those words before witnesses. Now he would have to uphold them.
If Edward keeps interacting with my family…
Could she truly reveal that she was alive to the relatives he would continue to meet? Angela could not be sure.
“The Emperor has arrived!”
The appearance of the imperial couple brought the brief conversation to an end.
“I did not expect Your Majesty to attend.”
“It is my brother’s funeral. Of course I should be here.”
Unaware of the truth, the Emperor and Empress offered Edward their condolences and remained for the duration of the service.
When the funeral rites concluded and they departed, the remaining mourners moved to the cemetery of the nobility—the sacred grounds of the temple.
They wished to pay their final respects as the coffin was lowered.
“Angela….”
Beside the sobbing Lady Fanning, Edward stood with an empty expression. He glanced only briefly at the grieving woman being comforted by her son and daughter-in-law, as though he had no more words left to give.
The air remained cold despite the onset of spring. Edward, wearing only a jacket draped over his shoulders, drew the attention of noble ladies in black mourning dresses.
Even his distant, statuesque silence seemed like something out of a painting.
Yes. Perhaps….
Seeing the gazes that cared little for her own mourning, Angela thought:
Even if he keeps ties with my family, things will change with time.
He was still young, now a widower without children.
As a well-regarded member of the imperial family, surely someone would approach him. Eventually he would meet another and remarry—forgetting her in the process.
I hope that woman never treats my family the way he treated me….
“Duke. Please do not grieve too much. I am sure the duchess has found eternal happiness in the heavens.”
Just as Angela had predicted, a bold young noblewoman stepped forward to console him.
Edward answered in a hollow voice.
“I wish I could turn back time.”
“Pardon?”
“If I could return to before my wife departed… I would never let her go.”
As he gazed at the coffin being lowered into the earth, a lingering resolve shone in his eyes—one that only Angela, who had lived beside him, could recognize.
“So that she might remain by my side forever.”
At the moment the liar spoke those truthful words, a chill ran through Angela.
In a world where the impossible had become reality—if Edward ever learned the secret, she had no idea what would happen.
She was already dead. So why did he refuse to let go?
And a single thought crystallized in her mind:
I must hide it.
To prevent any hint of her existence from reaching him, it would be best to keep the truth from her own family as well.
Edward must never know that I am alive.
“Poor my daughter….”
Her mother’s sobs grew louder.
Mother.
Angela wanted to approach her, yet she could only watch with sorrow.
Even if she were to wipe away her mother’s tears, without revealing the truth, the grief would never disappear.
Why is this happening to me….
She felt deeply wronged and miserable, forced to stand aside as her family wept for her because of the man she once married.
Dylan, standing at the back of the funeral gathering, scanned the mourners.
He had heard that the Emperor had already visited. As expected of a great noble’s funeral, many aristocrats filled the space.
But was there anyone here truly mourning the deceased?
“I should have greeted His Majesty earlier! It will be difficult to pay my respects to Duke Devonshire from this distance.”
In front of Dylan, a man complained to his companion. The words would not reach the front where the bereaved stood.
On the other side, a couple whispered.
“Why isn’t the Dowager Empress here today?”
“I heard she fell ill.”
“Today? She seemed perfectly healthy before… is she really unwell?”
“Who knows. But it is no secret that her relationship with the duchess was strained….”
There were plenty of people at the funeral who cared more about gossip than mourning.
Elsewhere, young noblewomen murmured.
“Do you think the Duke of Devonshire will remarry?”
“Of course. I will be the one to take the duchess’s place.”
It was infuriating. The coffin had not even been fully buried, yet they spoke of becoming Edward’s new wife.
“Even so, it is still a daughter-in-law’s funeral. People should know how to behave.”
“Talking behind the deceased’s back at the funeral hardly speaks well of your character.”
Unable to stand it, Dylan finally spoke.
“Your Grace?”
The couple who had been gossiping about Angela and the Empress turned in surprise.
“Duke Alastair!”
Others hoping to curry favor with Edward also fell silent, though their attention shifted to Dylan.
“When did you arrive?”
“We didn’t even notice you at the back.”
The nobles greeted him with smiles. Dylan returned their enthusiasm with a cold expression.
“Be quiet. Do you think this is a banquet?”
Angela’s family was mourning, yet this corner of the gathering was nothing but noise.
He felt revulsion at those whose only concern was currying favor with him or Edward, even at a funeral.
Dylan ignored them and looked toward Edward in the distance.
If Angela had not married Duke Devonshire, her funeral would not look like this.
Through his investigations, Dylan had learned that Angela’s marriage had not been entirely happy.
It was well known among the aristocracy that the dowager empress had opposed the marriage of the Devonshire couple.
However, few knew that the dowager empress had also treated Angela poorly over time.
In the end, the dowager empress was the source of her suffering.
Dylan recalled what he had discovered.
That suffering had ultimately driven Angela to leave the imperial palace. Though no official explanation had been given at the time, his investigation revealed that Edward had chosen to establish independence at the ducal estate because of it.
I thought she was living a good life after marriage….
Nobles had always spoken of Angela’s outward elegance.
Even Dylan, before speaking with her at a recent gathering, had not imagined she carried such hardships.
Whenever he saw her from afar after her marriage, she always smiled at her husband’s side.
But when he had seen her up close recently, she had seemed uneasy in his presence.
And then the accident happened not long after.
Why had it occurred so suddenly?
Was it really just an accident?
The suddenness of her death felt both unbelievable and suspicious.
“Duke Devonshire seems deeply distressed.”
Well.
Dylan offered no response, even in his thoughts, to the young nobleman addressing him. His green eyes remained filled only with doubt as he watched Edward.
The troubles surrounding Angela began after she moved to the ducal estate.
After leaving the imperial household and beginning life as a married couple.
Why had Angela grown tense when her husband approached?
Could it be that Edward had not been a good husband?
Various thoughts swirled in Dylan’s mind.
What if Duke Devonshire was involved in Angela’s death…?
“Time… I wish I could turn it back.”
At that very moment, Edward’s voice reached him.
He had spoken the words to no one in particular.
