Turning Chapter 990

Chapter 990

The last moments in the south passed by quickly. Most of the unit members had finished their preparations to leave, and some who had recovered relatively early from their injuries had already departed for the capital due to urgent matters. However, the majority of those who had made significant contributions in the recent battle, including the Deputy Commanders, remained, and the Cavalry Commander Kishiar and his aide Yuder were among them. The reason was simple.

"Commander, the official invitation from House Herne has finally arrived," an attendant announced.

"Oh, it seems she has finally received a response from Their Majesties," Kishiar remarked.

Myra, who had been continuously postponing the succession ceremony, had finally found the leisure to prioritize her own affairs. Throughout the long history of the empire, the succession ceremonies of the four grand ducal houses were incomparably special compared to other noble families. Although there were many nobles in the empire, only those four houses had the right to directly request and receive letters expressing recognition and congratulations from the current emperor and empress when inheriting their titles.

Of course, there were instances when considerable power struggles occurred over this procedure when the relationship between the imperial family and the ducal houses was not amicable. When the noble factions who were reluctant to acknowledge the emperor's authority gained power, the ducal houses would sometimes refrain from requesting the letter to embarrass the imperial family. Conversely, the emperor would occasionally refuse to send the letter despite receiving the request in order to undermine the power of the ducal houses.

Yuder, having witnessed the covert struggles fought over this matter in his previous life when Emperor Katchian was actively trying to suppress the power of the four noble houses, was well aware of it. However, Myra El Herne had no reason to engage in such tactics, so she followed the normal procedure and sent a letter to the capital. The emperor and empress also gladly reciprocated with a letter filled with blessings. As Myra had directly informed the Cavalry about the related news while sending the letter, they had essentially already been invited, and the official invitation was merely a formality.

Receiving the letter from the emperor and empress could already be considered an implicit acknowledgment of the succession, but the reason for still holding a ceremony was to announce to the world who had become the next duke. Yuder looked down at the invitation that had arrived for him. The special invitation, personally written by Myra, exuded a sense of being sent by the true master of the South. From the paper used to the ink and the fragrance sprinkled on it, anyone knowledgeable could tell that nothing had been chosen carelessly.

'Given the series of significant events that have occurred recently, it seems she intends to prepare even more thoroughly. To show that the south has not crumbled despite experiencing such incidents,' Yuder thought.

In fact, Yuder held not one but two invitations in his hand. Unlike the blue-colored succession ceremony invitation, the other one, made of black paper, was none other than a funeral notice. The funeral, scheduled to take place before the succession ceremony, was to be held at the same temple where the second son of Herne's funeral had previously been conducted. The deceased were two individuals.

One was, of course, the former Duke of Herne, and the other... was the second son of Herne.

'Everything about this is surprising,' Yuder mused.

Firstly, the fact that they chose to hold the funeral at that temple, despite it being the place where Duke Herne had died and suffered the greatest damage on the day of the hailstorm, was unexpected. Secondly, the act of listing the names of the duke and the second son side by side as the deceased was noteworthy.

In a typical case, the name of the duke, who held a higher title and was the parent, would naturally be written above. Listing them side by side indicated an unwillingness to elevate the deceased duke's name to a great extent. Conversely, it also meant that the second son's existence was considered as important as the duke's.

'The answer is probably both,' Yuder concluded.

Although interrupted midway due to an unexpected accident, the funeral of the second son, Ashrav, had indeed taken place. So, they could have simply left it at that and buried him, and no one would have objected. However, Myra was determined to properly hold her brother's funeral once again. It was a bold choice that conveyed her firm resolve to definitively conclude her brother's funeral with this single ceremony, as well as how dishonorably she, the next Duke of Herne, regarded her father.

Kishiar, who also possessed both invitations like Yuder, had a smile forming on his lips. There was no way he hadn't understood the implied meaning that Yuder had discerned. Perhaps the man who had been waiting for this moment for a very long time wore a secretive, joyful, yet cold smile.

"The demise of the fox commander, who enjoyed hiding in the southern caves and tormenting everyone, is quite unsightly," Kishiar remarked.

Yuder, gazing at his smile, suddenly thought of a question. "Come to think of it, why was he called the fox commander?"

"In the southern part of the empire, near the desert, there's a creature called the silver sand fox. Do you happen to know what kind of habits it has?" Kishiar asked.

"I'm not very familiar," Yuder admitted.

The silver sand fox, which had its main habitat in the southern desert, was often used by southerners to metaphorically describe selfish individuals. The reason was that the silver sand fox would seize the burrows already dug by other animals and prey on the original owners. Even if they were of the same species, if they belonged to a different pack, the silver sand foxes would mercilessly hunt them down.

The commander of a fox pack that was so ruthless as to prey on its own kind and was difficult to hunt once it hid.

Kishiar, having explained that much, smiled with curved eyes. "Doesn't it suit him quite well?"

"Indeed, it does," Yuder agreed.

Considering the things he had done to his own flesh and blood, it was a rather fitting nickname. Yuder, thinking that he could sufficiently imagine the kind of life the deceased Duke of Herne had lived while causing headaches for the imperial family, halfheartedly erased the face he had seen only once from his mind.

"Anyway, if we want to attend both ceremonies, we'll be quite busy," Kishiar said, putting down the letter as if he had never been busy before.

"The funeral and the succession ceremony. They will probably be the last events we can witness before leaving the south. I'm really looking forward to it. What about you, Assistant?"

"Yes, I'm looking forward to it as well," Yuder replied.

The red eyes, now filled with a much warmer and pleasant light compared to earlier, swept over Yuder.

"You must have noticed the part that says it's acceptable to bring a partner to the succession ceremony since it will be held alongside a party, right?" Kishiar asked.

"Yes," Yuder confirmed.

"I'm so fortunate that I don't need to worry about who to go with since I only have one person in mind now," Kishiar remarked, blatantly hinting at the person right in front of him.

"..."

It was truly like him to say such things while smiling and expecting a response from the person he was directly addressing. Yuder opened his mouth and spoke to the man who was resting his chin on his hands, eagerly awaiting an answer.

"In that case, do you even need to bother reading that part?" Yuder asked.

If he always had only one partner to attend parties with, there was obviously no need to diligently read or pay attention to that particular section. Upon hearing the somewhat provocative statement uttered in an emotionless voice, the man was momentarily stunned before bursting into laughter and lowering his head.

"...You're right. I unnecessarily read a part that I didn't need to. I admit defeat," Kishiar conceded.

"..."

"Then, shall we change our afternoon schedule to an outing for preparations?" Kishiar suggested.

Putting everything else aside, Yuder found the "preparation" part to be quite bothersome. However, knowing that Kishiar enjoyed preparing more than anyone else, Yuder nodded without hesitation.

"Yes, let's prepare," Yuder agreed.

—

A few days later, on a clear day without a single cloud in the sky, a solemn funeral was held at the grand temple in Charloin.

In fact, people had thought that the funeral would be held elsewhere since the parts of the temple that had collapsed on the day of the hailstorm had not been fully repaired yet. However, the new master of Herne did not yield to such opinions and insisted on holding it there.

The reason could be understood through the faces of the southerners gathered outside for the funeral. Although many commoners had visited the place on the day of the hailstorm as well, the atmosphere this time was quite different from back then.

Unlike the gloomy weather and the sharp, unsettling atmosphere of that day, the people who had gathered this time seemed composed and had much brighter expressions, as if they had sorted out all their feelings. The sight of the flowers they offered piling up mostly under the name of the second son, Ashrav, or the signature of House Herne written by Myra, rather than the individual name of the deceased Duke of Herne, conveyed much to those who had followed the deceased Duke.

The people offering flowers had not come here to honor the deceased Duke of Herne. They had come for Myra, who had ultimately kept her word spoken in front of the southerners on the day of the hailstorm, and for the south that had overcome all difficulties.

The atmosphere of the ceremony held inside the temple was also quite different from before. The number of attendees was much smaller compared to the first funeral, and it was not as noisy as it had been then. It was said that the birth mother of the second son, Ashrav, had not attended at all, having immediately gathered her wealth and left far away after the death of Duke Herne.

A priest with a solemn face conducted the ceremony concisely, and the coffins of the deceased were carried away one by one, disappearing beneath the temple.

Honestly speaking, everyone knew that the eulogy prepared for the second son, Ashrav, was much longer and more sincere than the one for the late Duke of Herne, but no one objected to it. The death of Duke Herne was buried in a truly humble manner, not even worthy of being a mere accompaniment to his deceased son.

Myra, with a relieved smile hidden beneath the veil covering her face, greeted the mourners who had come all the way to the temple after concluding the funeral. She showed a particularly delighted demeanor when meeting Kishiar and Yuder, not hiding her joy compared to when she faced others.

"Honestly, I sent the invitations, but I didn't expect you to come all the way here," Myra said.

"Oh, what a disappointing thing to say. We've been through so much together, of course we had to come," Kishiar replied with a natural tone.

Myra smiled at Kishiar's straightforward response. "Thank you. You will surely attend the upcoming succession ceremony as well and grace us with your presence, won't you?"

"That goes without saying. We will definitely congratulate you on behalf of His Majesty," Kishiar assured her.

After exchanging a few more words, they bid farewell. It was then that Myra mentioned her deceased father for the first and last time.

"Most children born in Herne die at a young age, so the duke has an obligation to leave behind as many children as possible. My father seemed to pity himself the most for being bound to that duty, but he never moved in a better direction despite that. I have no intention of living for such unimportant things," Myra stated.

"Then, what do you consider important, First Princess?" Kishiar asked.

She answered quietly, but with sincerity, "The people I must protect and the South where they reside are important to me. Just as the Cavalry has taught me."