Gardenia of Blooming Desire Chapter 158: Winter Camellias on the Snow Grave

After Grand Duchess' death, the soldiers of Rhea claid victory and Young Lord of Grand Duchy Stormhill finally retook the Lantern Palace. King Gaum and his soldier helped their fallen soldiers and took them back to Rhea. While Aster was busy listing the fallen guards in grand duchy side and sending the bodies back to their family and compensate them.

Aster ordered the grand duchy spokesman to spread the news about Grand Duchess' death in the city. The next day, the empty city had been filled with people again, but none of them exited their house, this was a form of grieving in Golden Callia.

The roads were empty except the serfs and guards who were still alive carried the body of the dead guards. Turned out, Grand Duchess had prepared for everything even before her demise.

She already prepared the n to bring the guards body back to their family, she already prepared for her funeral, and she already prepared for his new status. She knew that she would die in the hand of her only son.

Aster felt numb after he saw his mother's death. He could only feel a constant pain in his chest, but didn't know how to relieve it. His only way to relieve it slightly was by having Ramuja on his side.

There was a feeling that scared him, because he could feel sothing was changing inside his heart and head. But he didn't know what it was.

Aster entered the Lantern Palace office and said in low voice "Dad we need to attend mom's funeral," His dad has been sitting in his office for the whole day, he didn't even rest. He only wrote docunts and signed as many as possible. His eyes were red and his eyebags were visible.

There was a trace of grief in his face, probably after too much crying.

Grand Duke didn't say anything, but he just nodded once and continued signing the docunt. But he stopped from ti to ti to wipe his tears.

"Dad, let's go now, the funeral will be starting soon."

Grand Duke paused, he finally took off his glasses and stood from the chair. Aster and his dad walked to the main hall, where there were people who already waited, although it wasn't many. Grand Duchess only invited so of Grand Duchy's allies, even so, Aster noticed that the people she invited were the ones that Aster should have more connection with.

It was like his mother wanted Aster to be benefited even after her death.

They were all dressed in black and said their condolences to Aster and his father. Although most of them already knew that Aster invaded his own duchy and basically killed his own mother, he would be the next Grand Duke. Thus, they still had to respect him.

Aster and his father stood in front of the podium, according to Golden Callia custom, the spouse of the deceased one should say farewell before the coffin would be closed.

There was text prepared on the podium, so Grand Duke could just read it. But instead, he focused his eyesight on his dead wife and said, "Today is the day my wife ends her life goal, she had achieved everything she wanted to do and she had an incredible successor. I, Harion, am a very fortunate man to ever et and marry her. Never once I regret it, and she died protecting what she loved the most."

Harion approached the coffin and whispered sothing in Grand Duchess' ear, "Camille, wait for ."

Harion kissed the edge of the Grand Duchess' lips, which shocked the audience. Because usually, no man would ever kiss his dead wife in Golden Callia. Because a dead body was considered impure and disgusting, but Grand Duke act showed that he still loved her even after her death.

The coffin was closed and finally nailed. Grand Duchess wanted to be buried in a flower garden, just outside of Dionde City.

Aster and Grand Duke sat on the carriage with Grand Duchess' coffin, while Ramuja was sitting with the coachman. The road was empty, there were no soldiers saluting, no followers, no luxurious jewellery like what other nobles usually do. Only one carriage with her son and her husband inside.

That was her last will.

The carriage left the city gate to the flower adow, of course it was only greyish adow for now.

The grave had been prepared and the gravediggers already set up the tombstone.

The gravediggers put down the coffin slowly, Aster and his father saw the coffin deep inside the ground and the gravediggers piled the grave slowly. After a while, Grand Duchess was finally six feet under.

The gravediggers excused themselves, Aster and his father stroked the callia shaped tombstone. Grand Duchess refused to be buried with other royals in the Golden Mausoleum. Instead, she declared this flower adow as grave for herself and her family.

"I will order so guards to patrol this area also, this flower adow will be our resting place too, Aster," Grand Duke said.

Aster nodded solemnly, "Dad, about the winter callia."

"Yes."

Aster and his father carried a bucket full of callia flowers and seeds. Grand Duchess requested that her grave be sowed with winter callia seeds and winter callia to be scattered around her grave.

Aster took a handful of winter callia, but before he could scatter the flower, a snowflake fell onto the ground. Soon, thousands of snowflakes rained the adow. The grey adow turned white quickly.

Grand duke couldn't hold his tears any longer, his body trembled as he cried, "This is this is what she said to before, this is how she wanted to die"

"Dad?"

"Aster, as your father, I beg you, please forgive your mother no matter how evil she was."

"Dad what are you saying of course I forgave her already"

"She loves you so much Aster, too much to a fault," Grand Duke wept grievingly, "I tried to stop her. But she sacrificed everything for you, because you will be dead if she didn't have that deal."

"Deal? What deal?"

"She"

"BIG SISTER!"

A deafening roar shook the solemn nature of this adow. Both Aster and his father saw Emperor Audric IV charged towards them with his sword unsheathed. Ramuja imdiately blocked him and reprimanded him easily, which was strange, since Emperor Audric IV was also fad for his physical prowess.

Emperor Audric IV struggled as he cursed at Grand Duke, "Fuck you, Harion! You killed her! You killed my big sis!"

"Ludwig" Grand Duke said in a low voice. He just lowered his head and started spreading the winter callia on Grand Duchess' grave.

"STOP THAT! MY BIG SIS IS NOT DEAD!" Emperor Audric IV struggled as hard as he could, but sohow, he lost all his physical prowess today, or maybe forever. He started spewing curse words while Grand Duke continued scattering the flowers.

The royal guards prepared to attack Ramuja, and Aster reacted imdiately, "Stop right there! One more step and my servant will break the emperor's neck!"

The guards were shocked with Aster's threat. His voice made the royal guards' feet numb as they were stuck in their position.

Aster's eyes were so piercing that it made them tremble and almost fell on their knees. Aster cursed in his heart, 'These filthy people dared to ruin my mother's funeral, I will crush their head one by one!'

But Emperor Audric IV started cursing at him, "You! A filthy child! You are a failure that killed my big sis! I will kill you, so my big sis will return!"

Aster glared at his Uncle Emperor. He already lost his majestic bearing, only leaving a troubled child in front of Aster. For the first ti, Aster felt bigger than his Uncle Emperor.

"Silence!" Aster said with his soft voice, but to Emperor Audric IV and all the people there, it sounded like a thunder striking them. It was so strange, because Aster didn't even scream.

It felt like they were being commanded by an absolute force, like when Crown Prince Charles commanded them.

Aster and his father scattered all the winter flowers on top of Grand Duchess' grave. Just like her, the grave beca very beautiful, a snow heap covered with winter callias.

"Rest well, mom"

***

Ramuja was shocked by Young Lord's words. Although it was not directed towards him, he could feel the pressure.

When the Emperor ca, Young Lord's eyes turned pure black imdiately. Like the eye of the abyss, his stare made him cower in fear. It was like facing an unbeatable terror.

Emperor Audric IV fell to the ground, still crying while mumbling, "Big sis big sis, don't go"

Ramuja tried his best to stand on his feet, while the royal guards already fell on their knees.

Ramuja observed his beloved Young Lord, he still had the face, the skin, the deanour of his loved one. But sohow, it felt like sothing was far more terrifying, a lot more than Grand Duchess.

'Young Lord, you are different. I am scared that sothing bad will happen'

'Young Lord, what happened to you?'