Chapter 90: Aishe’s Death

Countess Phineas brought a clean sheet she had prepared in advance and covered Aishe’s body. She wanted to change her into a new dress but abandoned the idea, fearing more flesh might fall off during the process. 

For the same reason, she couldn’t even embrace her daughter fully. Sitting beside Aishe, she gazed at her blankly before gently closing her still-open eyes. After another long moment, she pulled the sheet up to cover Aishe’s face.

The face of young Aishe didn’t come to mind. What color were Aishe’s eyes originally? Were they blue? Was her hair blonde? 

The only Aishe that appeared in the Countess’s mind was one single version – not the monster lying beside her, not the child she couldn’t remember, but the beautiful and lovely Aishe. 

A foul odor wafted through the air. The Countess searched for the source until she realized it came from under the white sheet, causing her to stand up and move away.

Just then, Kailro returned from his outing. His eyes quickly scanned the bedroom.

“Mother, where is Aishe?”

“I don’t know.”

Kailro shifted his gaze from his mother, who answered in a calm voice, to the bed. The bloodstains visible here and there on the white sheet suggested who lay beneath it. Aishe wouldn’t have fallen asleep so peacefully. Surely not. 

He slowly approached and lifted the sheet to reveal, indeed, Aishe. Blood had flowed from her eyes, nose, and mouth. Judging by the warmth still remaining in her skin, she hadn’t been dead long.

“What happened?”

“I don’t know. I don’t know.”

In truth, Aishe had been in such a state that her death at any moment wouldn’t have been surprising. There were times when, watching her writhe in agony, one might have thought death would be a mercy. 

But facing Aishe’s actual death now filled him with pity. Kailro looked at the broken cup and spilled milk on the floor before asking his mother again.

“Did this happen suddenly?”

Countess Phineas frowned and stepped further back.

“I told you I don’t know!”

Her face didn’t show the expression of someone grieving. The irritation filling his mother’s face seemed strange.

“Mother?”

“Clean this up quickly. It’s horrible to look at, and the smell makes it unbearable.”

Aishe had been emitting an odor for quite some time. The Countess, who had said nothing about the smell she’d been enduring for days, now covered her nose with a handkerchief. She seemed to be treating Aishe like a stranger rather than the daughter she had loved so dearly.

“Mother, this is Aishe.”

“Don’t talk nonsense! How could that be Aishe!”

Seeing his mother jump up in protest, Kailro fell silent. He wasn’t sure if she was unable to accept Aishe’s death or rejecting the Aishe who no longer bore any resemblance to her former self. He understood his mother’s unstable mental state. 

Count Phineas was in prison, and their family was essentially ruined. It couldn’t have been easy for her to maintain her sanity while watching Aishe’s condition worsen day by day in their abandoned mansion.

“I can’t stay here any longer. The smell is giving me a headache. Where has Aishe gone that she hasn’t returned?”

After the Countess left, Kailro stood beside Aishe.

“Aishe, if you had been more content in your heart, would things have turned out differently?”

Why had she been so greedy when this was the death awaiting her?

“Then again, you wouldn’t have changed even if you had known your end.”

He covered Aishe’s face with the sheet. Kailro lifted Aishe’s body and carried her outside. He went to the stable, carefully placed her on a cart, and pulled it into the forest. Finding a spot with adequate sunlight, he dug into the earth with a shovel. It took time to dig deep enough to prevent animals from disturbing the grave. 

He wrapped Aishe’s body once more with an extra sheet he had brought, placed her in the deep hole, and covered her with soil. Instead of a gravestone, he tied a white cloth to a nearby tree. 

He kept the marker subtle because the domain would soon revert to imperial ownership, increasing the likelihood of her remains being moved elsewhere if the grave were too noticeable.

Kailro clasped his hands together and, after considerable thought about what to pray for, parted his lips.

“May God show you even a small measure of mercy.”

That was the only prayer he could offer. She was buried wrapped in cloth without a coffin. There were no mourners for Aishe. Even her mother, who had cherished her more than anyone else in the world, didn’t come. It was a lonely death.

“Farewell.”

Kailro patted the ground where Aishe was buried one more time.

* * *

The riot that erupted in front of the courthouse was quickly suppressed. The soldiers who had been hesitant began forcefully restraining people after witnessing Sebastian’s death, and the crowd, shocked by their own actions, rapidly became subdued. 

Upon hearing news of his death, the court hurriedly deliberated. While they couldn’t try a dead man, they decided to proceed with the trials of those who remained.

More evidence than before emerged, making the trial lengthy even without the Pope. While Clive had prepared some materials, most were hastily assembled. This was because priests who had worked under the Pope and outsiders rushed to bring evidence to save their own lives. 

Siaran also stepped forward to reveal the dealings between himself and Sebastian, the dark mage. Sebastian was posthumously excommunicated. Count Phineas received another death sentence, and those who had participated with him received heavy punishments. Even Siaran couldn’t escape punishment for having assisted Sebastian.

The trial, which began in the morning, finally ended in the evening due to the commotion in front of the courthouse. Everyone left the courtroom exhausted, having taken only a brief lunch break. Eirene was leaving the courthouse with Clive.

“Lady Eirene.”

Looking in the direction Ulik pointed, she saw Kailro standing and watching her. Eirene told Clive to go ahead to the carriage before meeting with Kailro.

“What is it?”

“Aishe is dead.”

For a moment, it felt like a heavy blow to her chest.

“How did it happen?”

“Her condition deteriorated rapidly.”

Eirene wanted to ask how Aishe had died. She wanted to know if she died peacefully or in pain. But she couldn’t bring herself to ask Kailro, nor did she feel inclined to comfort him.

“You probably don’t want to hear news about Aishe, but I thought you should know…”

“I see.”

Eirene parted from Kailro after this brief response. She didn’t feel unburdened. Both the Pope and Aishe had died, yet inexplicable emotions continued to pile up within her. Her legs weakened, and she nearly stumbled when Clive rushed over to catch her.

“Are you alright?”

She pulled her arm from his grasp and walked ahead. After the carriage departed, Eirene finally spoke.

“Aishe is dead.”

“She seemed unlikely to hold on much longer. How do you feel?”

“I’m glad. Someone I wished dead has died… I’m very glad.”

“That’s good then.”

Silence filled the carriage until they reached Dervel Palace.

* * *

Kailro also informed Count Phineas of Aishe’s death. Upon hearing the news of his daughter’s death, Count Phineas remained completely still. He had known the day would come soon but hadn’t expected Aishe to die first. 

Moreover, Sebastian had also died this morning, he was told. Count Phineas now felt the reality of his situation vividly on his skin. The death sentence and the downfall of his family, which had seemed so distant before, now felt real.

A relative who had visited last night mentioned that his attempted assassination charge might be commuted from execution to hard labor. He had hoped for changes at today’s trial, but a death sentence was pronounced. 

He had expected changes with Sebastian present, but who could have foreseen the Pope being beaten to death by imperial citizens? 

The Count had nothing left.

“Did you bury her properly?”

“Yes.”

“Where did you bury her?”

“In the forest on the Phineas domain. I buried her inconspicuously.”

“Good. And your mother?”

“She was shocked but seems relatively fine.”

“If possible, please take care of my remains as well.”

“…Yes.”

The Count, who had given up everything and was only waiting for his day of death, gestured for Kailro to leave.

“Do you have any other requests for me?”

“No.”

“So you truly have no expectations of me?”

“What are you saying?”

“With our family falling to ruin like this, you have nothing to ask of me?”

Count Phineas, who had been frowning at his son, began to chuckle before bursting into laughter.

“Are you suggesting I should tell you to restore our family?”

The Count’s laughter suddenly stopped. He exhaled a long breath, scratched the back of his head with his finger, and called to Kailro.

“Son.”

“…”

“I’ve known for a long time that you don’t have such capability. Everyone says you’re a gentle and warm person. But that just means you’re weak. Like a candle that might extinguish at any breeze, how could someone as fragile as you save our family? Should I ask that of you?”

Count Phineas shook his head vigorously. Even after closing his eyes and reconsidering, he sighed at the absurdity of it.

“Isn’t the answer too obvious?”

Kailro stiffened like a statue while listening to Count Phineas’s words. He hadn’t expected much from his father. With everything collapsed, he thought his father would at least verbally entrust the family to him, but apparently that had been wishful thinking. 

Though Kailro had no intention of doing so anyway, hearing his father’s words left him disappointed.

“Am I truly your son?”

“You are my son. A son who only resembles me in appearance. I wish you had been the sick one instead. Then none of this would have happened.”

Kailro, at a loss for words, turned away. Was being soft-hearted so detestable that one would want to deny their own existence? 

He had known since childhood that his parents loved and cherished Aishe far more. But he hadn’t realized they wished he had been sick instead of Aishe. That day essentially meant they wished for Kailro’s death rather than Aishe’s. 

He couldn’t understand why the measure of parental love differed between children. He still couldn’t comprehend his parents.

But he decided not to try understanding them anymore. This was the last time Kailro would see Count Phineas.

* * *

“With Sebastian dead, is it now my turn?”

Clive asked before getting out of the carriage upon arriving at Dervel Palace. Having sent away all the maids from the annex, Eirene asked Betty to take Zeus out for a while and waited for him. 

She had expected more time, but Sebastian died earlier than anticipated. Still, nothing would change.

A knocking sound made her heart sink. She opened the door, and Clive entered and sat down. Perhaps she should have kept Zeus with her. The silence stretching between them felt awkward and uncomfortable. 

Just as Eirene was about to speak, thinking that prolonging this would only make it more difficult, Clive placed a dagger on the table. The blade looked freshly sharpened.

“Listen carefully to what I’m about to say.”