He dipped his fingers into the bowl and sprinkled the scented water across the coffin.
"May the spirit release the burdens of pride and regret."
Emilia lowered her gaze slightly as she listened. Her hands were folded quietly in front of her. She did not cry nor did she tremble. But a faint sadness remained in her eyes.
Ruth stood beside her with a straight posture. His expression remained stern and composed, yet his breathing had slowed as if he was thinking about sothing deeper.
The coffin was slowly lowered into the grave. The ropes creaked as the weight descended.
No one spoke.
There was very little sadness in the air. More than sadness, there was regret.
Regret that perhaps things could have turned out differently.
Regret that perhaps soone could have changed the course of events before everything collapsed.
The priest finished the final words of the ritual.
"Let the earth return what was once borrowed."
One of the guards stepped forward and poured a handful of soil onto the coffin. The soft sound of dirt hitting the wood echoed quietly through the courtyard.
One by one, others followed.
Emilia stepped forward and dropped a small white flower into the grave before stepping back again.
Ruth remained still for a mont before doing the sa.
Emilia stood quietly beside the grave, her eyes fixed on the wooden coffin as it slowly disappeared beneath the falling soil.
The soft sound of dirt hitting the wood echoed in her ears again and again. Each small thud felt heavier than the last.
Her fingers trembled slightly as she clasped them together in front of her.
For a long mont she said nothing, yet the storm inside her heart refused to quiet down.
mories kept surfacing one after another.
The argunts, the mistakes, the stubborn pride that had pushed things too far.
Her lips finally parted.
"If I had been a better mother…"
Her voice ca out softer than she expected.
She lowered her gaze and shook her head faintly.
"If I had taken care of things properly… maybe none of this would have happened."
The regret in her chest tightened painfully.
"If I wasn't incompetent enough to let spies tamper with my food…"
Her fingers slowly curled into her palm.
"Maybe she would never have been pushed down that path."
Her breathing grew uneven.
"If only…"
The words faded into silence.
Emilia stared at the grave as if she hoped the earth would sohow answer her.
Beside her, Ruth remained still.
He had stood through countless funerals before. Death had long since stopped surprising him.
He had walked through battlefields filled with corpses and had buried more comrades than he could rember.
To most people, Ruth was nothing more than a cold-blooded monster.
Soone who felt nothing.
Soone who could step over bodies without hesitation.
Yet as he stood there now, sothing inside his chest felt strangely tight.
The feeling irritated him.
He did not like emotions that clouded judgnt.
Still, watching Emilia bla herself stirred sothing faint and uncomfortable in him.
It was not pity exactly, but it felt close enough.
Ruth slowly stepped forward.
He raised his hand and placed it gently on Emilia's shoulder.
The gesture was simple, yet surprisingly careful.Emilia slightly turned her head toward him.
Ruth looked down at the grave for a mont before speaking.
"We can't change what happened."
His voice remained calm and steady.
"The past is past and the present is present."
He paused briefly as his gaze lingered on the mound of soil covering the coffin.
The weight in the air felt heavier than he liked.
"We can only keep those feelings and move ahead."
Emilia did not answer imdiately.
She kept looking at the grave while his words settled slowly in her mind.
A faint breath escaped her lips.
"I know," she whispered quietly.
Yet even as she said it, the regret still remained.Ruth could see it clearly.
He removed his hand from her shoulder and crossed his arms again, returning to his usual composed posture.
Inside, however, the strange tightness in his chest had not fully disappeared.
It was a feeling he rarely allowed himself to acknowledge.
For a man like him, emotions were weaknesses.
Still, as he looked at the quiet grave beneath the old tree, Ruth could not help but think that sotis the world itself felt unnecessarily cruel.
He let out a slow breath through his nose.
Then he looked away.
At the side of the courtyard, Ramos stood leaning against a stone pillar.
He watched the entire scene with half-lidded eyes.
After a mont he clicked his tongue quietly.
He had already seen too many funerals in his lifeti.
The cycle of life and death had beco sothing painfully ordinary to him.
Still, he could not help but feel amused at the way people clung to certain emotions.
For small things such as pride and ego, people were prepared to throw their lives away.
He shook his head slightly.
"Truly a whimsical world," Ramos muttered.
For a mont the wind moved through the courtyard.
Then a voice answered him.
"Hmm… Whimsical indeed."
The voice was calm and cold, yet strangely familiar.
Everyone turned at once.
From the shadowed entrance of the courtyard, a figure slowly stepped out of the darkness.
He wore a long dark coat, and his posture looked relaxed as he walked forward.
The faint wind lifted the edges of his coat while his boots made soft sounds against the stone ground.
The man casually raised a hand and ruffled his short white hair.It had been cut shorter than before.
For a brief mont the entire courtyard froze.
Shock spread across every face present.
Emilia's eyes widened slightly as if her mind refused to accept what she was seeing.
The faint sadness in her gaze was suddenly replaced by disbelief.
Ruth's expression stiffened.
For a man who rarely showed emotion, even the smallest change in his eyes was noticeable.
His pupils narrowed sharply while he stared at the approaching figure as if he had just witnessed sothing impossible.
The guards standing near the grave exchanged quick looks with one another.
Their hands tightened around the hilts of their weapons out of instinct, and they bowed their head in fear.
Even the priest stopped mid breath.
Ramos, who had been leaning lazily against the stone pillar, slowly straightened his back.
The faint amusent on his face disappeared for a mont before turning into a crooked grin.
His eyes glead with interest.
"Well… well…" He muttered under his breath as if he had just seen sothing entertaining.
Everyone held their breath in fear because the man walking toward them was soone they had not expected to see so soon..
Ignoring the stunned expressions around him, Kael walked forward calmly.
His steps were steady and unhurried, as if he had simply returned ho after a long walk.
The quiet confidence in his movents made the silence around him feel even heavier.
In his hand he carried a small bouquet of red roses.
The bright red petals looked almost too vivid against the dark atmosphere of the mourning ceremony.
His steps were slow and quiet as he approached the grave.
The guards instinctively stepped aside to give him space without even realizing they had moved.
His eyes remained calm as he walked straight toward the grave.
He simply stopped beside the coffin and looked down at it for a mont.
For a brief second his gaze lingered on the wooden surface resting beneath the layer of soil.
The wind moved through the courtyard and rustled the leaves of the old oak tree above them.
Then Kael gently lowered his hand.
He placed the bouquet of roses on top of the coffin.
The red petals rested quietly against the wooden surface.
Kael remained silent for a mont then he spoke softly.
"At least you hated outright unlike the other bitch who faked her way till the end.That alone is enough to lift your image whatever…"
"May you make a better choice next life."
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