A Dangerous Inheritance

Chapter Five

The clothes that have been hanged on the cabinet are a reminder as to what will be done today and what I, and the others, have yet to go through. More importantly, it's a reminder that I'm a part of the reason as to why Cecilia is dead.

With today being the funeral, I'm, strangely enough, numb to my emotions. I don't feel guilty or sad, nor do I feel any other emotions. Is it my way of coping with the situation? Perhaps. Or maybe something has broken inside of me. Or, maybe, just maybe, this is my bodies’ way of ignoring my guilt.

In any case, I've been sitting here for some time. Where's the signal to let me know that everyone's ready? It should be close to that time, if not after.

Either way, it's probably better if I change now. After all, it's better to be early or on time than late, especially since this is something important.

Taking the clothes off the hanger, I take a moment to admire its quality before putting them on. Both, the shirt and dress pant, have been custom made by the royal family tailors, which means that not only is the quality amazing, but it is also fitted for me. Then again, it's not like the later matters as I know the enchantment to automatically adjust the size of what I wear by heart.

Once done changing, it takes barely a minute to pass before the sound of someone knocking floods the room. I take some time to put on a pair of dress shoes before opening the door. Standing there is the same maid that showed me around with a solemn expression on her face.

We share a brief nod before I leave, heading to the main entrance of the palace. As I walk by myself, the clacking of my shoes echo through the corridor. Only, this time isn't the same as before, for while there is a lack of people, the atmosphere is completely different. To summarize the feeling perfectly in one single word: heavy.

Eventually, I enter the main hall and upon seeing no one there, I wait by the entrance. In the next five minutes, whether by coincidence or the godlike timing of the staff, everyone streams in one by one.

We each look each other in the eye and a few people give small short nods before we exit the palace, nothing wide exchange between us.

Before us, similar to every other time we went out, is a carriage. Only, this time, there are two carriages. One is for us to travel in and the other is carrying Cecelia's body.

The one with Cecilia's body is completely black and every window, at least from what I can see, is blocked by a black curtain. Aside from this, there is nothing else that has been done to it. There are no fancy decorations or any intricate carvings.

On both sides, from the main entrance all the way down to the carriages, are all of the staff members. Each and every one of them are standing as still as still as possible, doing their best to not cry or to do anything that will set someone off. For if one of them breaks down, then either the majority will too or all of them will.

Not feeling like looking at anyone, I look downwards as we make our way to the carriage. I let everyone get into the carriage first before finally climbing on.

The door closes shut and a couple seconds pass before the carriage jolts forward. I'm not sure why, if it was some feeling of responsibility or the need to simply find something to distract me, but I find myself looking out of the window.

Many of the staff are bowing to the carriage behind us and those who are not, are looking on with tears running down their faces.

The route we take to the church takes us through a few smaller cities and some villages. Every one of them is similar. Just about everyone living, visiting or simply passing through are standing along the street to pay their respect to Cecelia. There are people crying, those who hold onto others as their body refuses to stand, those who bow and those who salute. Some of them are friends, while many are complete strangers.