Goodbye

The funeral of Elizabeth proceeded smoothly. The procession from the mansion throughout the Wels town cemetery was discussed on how grand it was. Considering it was a noble's death, being grand until the end was to be observed and since Count Harriston is the Lord of the Wels town, they should respect his kin.

"Who died?"

"I heard it was the Lady Elizabeth."

"What?! So young."

"What is the cause?"

"I heard she died of sickness. Poor Lady."

"Sickness? They said she was kidnapped and murdered."

"Murdered? My goodness."

"Yes. I even heard the criminals ravish her before killing her. Poor Milady."

"No. That's not true. My friend works at the Count's mansion. She said the Lady wasn't kidnapped. She ran away and was betrayed by her lover, so she killed herself."

"Lover? Lord Lottway?"

"No. It seems she has a lover before the rumours about Lord Lottway's courtship of her Milady. And I heard her lover was a low-level knight in the Capital."

"Oh my."

The people talked as the carriages of the nobles passed by the town. Once at the cemetery, the nobles gathered again as they started the ceremony. The priest started preaching about death and the afterlife throughout the funeral. Some were not listening and sleeping, while others were thinking of their next move. Owen, whose eyes were roaming, tried to find the lady he saw from the garden among the nobles gathered.

'It seems she didn't attend the funeral. I thought she was a relative or a friend of theirs.' Thought to himself.

Count Lottway noticed his son was distracted and looking around. He tapped him and whispered angrily, "What are you doing?" He looked around and whispered again, "Who are you looking for?"

Owen realised his mistake and immediately whispered, "I apologise, Father." Count Lottway just frowned at him.

As the priest finished preaching, he asked Count Harriston, "Count Harriston, is there anything you want to say?"

Count Harriston walked towards the centre where the priest was standing. He then spoke with a cracked voice, "I want to thank everyone present for being with me as I say my last goodbye to my daughter, Elizabeth." Then his eyes teared as he put a white rose at the top of her casket.

"Goodbye, child."

Everyone around started to sniffle and cry, while most were fake and forced. Then, the nobles put a white rose at the top of the coffin, one by one. When it was Owen's turn, all attention was on him. The nobles watched his every move.

Owen looked at the closed coffin with white roses at the top of it.

'Goodbye, Lady Elizabeth. I know you have never loved me, but if you just married me as our parents agreed, you won't lie there, lifeless.'

As he put his rose, there was a sudden clamour among the nobles who gathered.

"My baby…" The cry of a woman made everyone turn around. The Countess Reeva was walking towards the coffin, assisted by a maid.

Count Harriston gritted his teeth as the nobles started chattering again.

"The Count said she was sick."

"I heard she is not in her right mind. She hurt so many maids, and on top of that, she even tried to kill herself."

"Really?"

"Yes. They said she was locked up in her room by the Count."

The Count walked towards Countess Reeva and acted like he was helping her.

"What are you doing here?" he whispered, then looked at the Countess with the maid. 'Why did you bring her here?"

The maid looked at him with fright, but Countess Reeva spoke as she cried, "I just wanted to see my baby for the last time. Please, Percival."

Upon hearing this, the nobles started gossiping again. The Count couldn't take it, so he just let Countess Reeva go at the coffin.

Once she reached the coffin's front, she stumbled a little. Owen, who was still there, tried to help her, but she immediately refused. She then hugged the coffin and cried.

"My baby, I'm sorry. I should have listened to you. I know you were against marrying somebody you never loved."

As she uttered those words, the nobles gossiped again while Owen, who was standing there, gritted his teeth. Count Harriston gritted his teeth, too, as he apologised to Count Lottway.

"I should have known, and I should have listened, but I didn't. I'm sorry, My Elizabeth." She wept just like a child. The ladies and mothers couldn't help but cry as Countess Reeva cried her heart out. Countess Lara, the wife of Count Lottway, approached the weeping Countess. She then tapped Countess Reeva's back as tears kept falling.

"I know it's hard, but you must say goodbye now, Reeva. Elizabeth won't be happy if she sees you like this." Countess Lara said as she tried to hold back her tears. "

"My baby… Elizabeth." Countess Reeva kept on repeating these words. Count Harriston couldn't help it anymore and signalled some knights to separate her from the coffin. But the Countess refused to do so. "No! I won't give you my child. No! Don't touch me."

As she struggled to hold the coffin, the knights and her maid pulled her harder away. Countess Lara tried to convince Countess Reeva, who couldn't bear to see what they did to her.

"Reeva. It would be best if you let go. I know it's hard, but you must let go."

Countess Reeva pushed her away and yelled, "Don't come near me and my baby. You demons."

Everyone was shocked when Countess Lara fell to the ground upon being pushed away. Owen helped her mother get up as Count Lottway and Count Harriston came to check on her.

"Are you alright, Mother?" Owen asked her.

"I'm alright. My dress just got dirty, that's all."

"Lara, Are you alright?"

"I'm alright, Fabian."

"Are you alright, My Lady?"

"I'm alright, Lord Harriston. Don't worry."

Count Harriston look at the knights with anger. He then turned to Count and Countess Lottway and apologised as the knights and her maid managed to get her out of the coffin.

"I apologise. My wife is not in her right mind; thus, she did that." He then turned to the knights holding the Countess while she screamed and tried to escape them. "Take her away from here before she can do something more terrifying."

"No! My baby! Don't take away my baby! My child!"

Her screams vanished little by little as they took her away. Countess Lara looked at Count Harriston with a frown.

"I know she is not in her right mind, but do you need to do that to her?"

"I'm sorry, but if I didn't do that to her, I'm afraid that it's more than just dirtying your dress she would do." Count Harriston explained.

"But-"Count Lottway held the Countess's right shoulder, making her look at him.

"He's right. The Countess is not in her right mind and tends to hurt others, so she needs to be taken away. I'm just glad you are not hurt."

The Countess looked down as she realised what the two men told her was true. She couldn't say anymore, so Count Harriston said, "Then let's finish the ceremony."

The nobles started picking up the roses that fell because of the Countess. Then they lowered the coffin into the dug-up ground, and once it settled, the staff started putting dirt to cover it. The nobles who haven't given their roses throw them together with the soil.

Once covered, a tombstone was put above it with carvings that said, 'Here lies Elizabeth Harriston. A beautiful soul went so soon and forever.'

When the burial ended, the nobles returned to the mansion for a small gathering until sunset. The nobles then leave one by one until the last one left was Lord Bennet, Count Lottway and his wife, who was invited to eat dinner by the Count. Lord Owen took his leave to go somewhere after the burial.

"I bet you know about Sven, haven't you?" Count Harriston asked Count Lottway as they ate dinner.

"Of course. He was well known in the Capital. My wife is a fan of his dresses."

"Oh my! It's an honour." Lord Bennet said as he looked at Countess Lara.

"It's an honour to meet and eat with you, too. I love your work."

"Thank you, Milady."

"I will buy a new dress for the ball at your shop again. Every ball I attend, I always wear dresses from your shop."

"Oh! That would be fantastic. I'll tell my staff to give you the most amazing dress that suits you."

"Ball? There will be a ball?" Count Harriston asked.

"I already told you last time I was here. You seem to have forgotten." Lord Bennet said with a frown. "Oh! By the way, I want to bring Ashley to the Capital. She'll be staying with my sister Fiona so she can teach her all things she needs to know. She'll learn a lot and be ready to attend the ball. This will be her first debut in society. I'm so excited."

Count Harriston's hands stopped moving as he looked at him with a frown that confused Lord Bennet.