His Highness's Second Wife
His Highness’s Second Wife Chapter 82

Kassian sighed with frustration as he crouched by the body of Sarea’s Head Maid that was lying on the cold, dirty floor of the dungeon and staring at the bare wall with dead, glassy eyes.

B***d smeared her chin and neck as it seemed she tried to stop the bleeding from the deep cut running through her throat. The others had met the same fate – one slice done by one person. Or maybe there were two of them, judging by the traces of struggle.

“Just like Lady Vega’s residence, although they had tried to vary the manners of killing there,” Gerrin said from behind him. “Same as..”

“…that outpost.” Kassian nodded, getting up. His eyes scanned the rest of the dungeon, stopping on each body lying in its own pool of dark b***d. The guards outside had been ambushed, lured away from the door first before being attacked; his men inside had probably been surprised – one of them had a nasty bruise on the side of the face, probably kicked there before they ended his life. The two prisoners were executed on the spot – forced on the ground, head brought back and throat sliced clean.

“I don’t get it though,” Gerrin murmured. “Even if rebels infiltrated the residence, why would they go after the maid and the masked guy? The guy confessed that Prince Rissen hired him and your wife was convinced the Head Maid was working on the Empress’s orders. The only ones affected by them talking are that woman and your brother. Unless…”

“Unless they are working with the rebels,” Kassian mumbled, his mind going back to what Raena had said just before Gerrin had interrupted them. Kassian had been so consumed by his need to destroy that invisible wall between them, by the desire to finally have all of her, to lay it out in the open, that he had almost lost his mind. But the truth was, she still knew more than she had told him, and her secrets were getting bigger and more dangerous. He needed to know everything, every little and big secret, every white lie. Now.

“Your Highness, we’re out of time.” Blaine’s voice came from the door of the dungeon. Kassian turned to look at him, only to find him wincing while holding a handkerchief to his nose. “We need to go back so you can change for the funeral. You can’t attend looking like this.”

Kassian closed his eyes, sighing. Could the universe take pity on him and send these shitty situations one by one instead of dropping them in his lap all together?

“Gerrin, wrap this up and come find me at the Main Palace after the funeral.” He ordered, receiving a brief salute in return. He left the dungeon behind, wiping his hands on his pants while he moved past the soldiers guarding the entrance. Even before the small, windowless building was out of sight, Gerrin’s voice boomed, calling for his men to get in and help him with the bodies.

By the time he changed and made his way to the East Palace, the rain had started to pour. The morning had come and passed without him knowing since the sun never came out from behind the gray clouds that covered the sky. The atmosphere was heavy and sullen inside, and there were more people than he expected.

Some were servants in mourning attire, rushing to finish last preparations for the procession and the wake afterward.

The others were family. Sarea’s family. Kassian straightened his shoulders, Swallowing the lump in his throat. When he had heard the news of her passing, it hadn’t been unexpected, yet still felt like a punch in the gut.

They had been married for years and even though they weren’t that close, she was a friend to him and a good ally. And he had promised to protect her.

A few of the mourners threw him gloomy glances as he stepped into the anteroom, bowing their heads silently, but he dared not stop to talk to any of them. He wasn’t ready to meet eyes full of accusations or watch tears fall when he hadn’t shed even one.

Blaine took the lead and made his way to the biggest dining room that had been cleared from all furniture save for a few dozen chairs and a beautiful white coffin lying on a low stand by one of the walls. Hundreds of white roses surrounded the shiny white surface with Sarea’s name engraved on top of it, along with the symbol of the Imperial family.

Flowers adorned the rest of the room as well, filling it with a fresh smell and dispersing somewhat the feeling of death and desperation.

Kassian paused at the threshold, looking around. His eyes stopped on Sarea’s mother, who was standing by the closed casket, head pressed against the wood while her fingers gently caressed its surface as if it was her daughter’s face. She kept whispering her daughter’s name between the sobs while Sarea’s two youngest sisters were trying to calm her down, all while rubbing off their own endless tears. Sarea’s third sister stood a little to the side of them with a sleeping baby in her hands, staring with an empty look at the floor.

Kassian looked away from them, his gaze glazing through the groups of nobles in black attire, their faces grim and somber. It surprised him how many people had attended on such short notice and how many of them actually looked genuinely distraught. He hadn’t been to that many official funerals before. Most of his soldiers were usually buried together with a short ceremony, and the next day the army would continue marching or go into battle. But the ones he did attend felt more like tedious social events where everyone went, just for appearance’s sake.

Not this time, though.

His eyes stopped on Sarea’s father, who was talking to a short woman wearing a simple black dress and a long, black veil falling past her shoulders. Kassian narrowed his eyes at them just as the Duke’s bloodshot eyes widened, tears falling down his cheeks as he grabbed the woman’s hands and bowed to k**s them. Kassian focused his attention back on her, wondering who she could be to get such a reaction from the Duke.

It took him a second, but he soon recognized the blonde hair under the veil, the familiar frail shoulders covered with black lace.

Kassian headed towards them without thinking and reached them just as the Duke was getting up, lips pursed as if trying to stop back his sobs. Kassian had always been struck by the close relationship and open affection Sarea had with her family, even with her father. Most nobles usually tried to protect their prestigious image, and their public relations with their children were polite at best. Hell, his own family barely knew how to smile at each other, and in all public places, Kassian had to act all stiff and proper when addressing his brother.

But not Sarea. She turned into a different person when she was among her family, a much happier person.

“Your Highness.” Raena’s voice made him flinch, only to realize he was standing next without saying anything. “You’re just in time. The procession is going to begin any minute.”

“Yes.” Kassian nodded, glancing at the Duke. His expression had stiffened, but tears continued to float in his eyes and his face looked years older than the last time he saw him. “My condolences, Duke. Sarea was a remarkable person and she will be dearly missed.”

“Your wife tells me you have the culprit apprehended.” The Duke said with a raspy voice.

“What.. what are you going to do with her?” Kassian hesitated, then took a deep breath.

“She was executed as a traitor to the Empire this morning. No witnesses, no last will or priest confession.” He said as confidently as possible. “Such a vile betrayal deserves nothing more.”

The Duke stared at him for a while before nodding.

“Thank you for… taking care of it.” He said.

“I probably would have torn her to pieces if I saw her. I’m glad I could keep at least some of my dignity.” He took a step towards Kassian, placing his hand on the prince’s shoulder. “I’ll help you make sure the person who gave her this task shares the same fate. I’ll see you outside, son.”

The Duke squeezed his shoulder and walked away before Kassian could reply. He stood stunned for a few seconds, trying to recall the last time the Duke had been so nice to him or called him ‘son’. For the entire time he was married to Sarea, her old man had always been cold and withdrawn.

Maybe it was the emotions of the occasion messing with his head and making him more mellow. Maybe it was…

He turned his head aside, looking down at Raena, who gave him a small smile. Her veil was up, revealing her pale face and deep circles under her eyes. She almost looked like one of the mourners.

“What did you say to him?” Kassian asked, narrowing his eyes at her.

“Nothing much. Just what a grieving person wanted to hear.” She replied. “I told him now you did your best to find what happened to daughter and catch the guilty party. Knowing that retribution is coming to the ones that caused his pain can help him through this day. It won’t heal the pain, but it’s all we can give.”

Kassian stared at her, wondering what caused that sorrowful look in her eyes. As far as he knew, she and Sarea weren’t that close, so she doubted it was her funeral. Yet she sounded like someone speaking from experience.

“I did none of that,” Kassian said coldly, immediately regretting his tone as he saw her smile falter.

“Yes, you did.” She said, taking a step towards him. “Through me. We are on the same team now, aren’t we? You need his support, and I have no use of recognition for matters that do not concern me directly.” She reached up and caught her veil, letting it fall over her face. “We should get going. They are probably waiting for us.”

“Wait.” Kassian stopped her just as she was about to go past him. He raised his hand and slid it under the veil, gently caressing her cheek.

She stared at him expectantly, but he wasn’t sure why he did it exactly. Just the urge to touch her and steal some of her warmth and confidence made his body move. “It’s raining outside. You should stay here or you might get sick.”

“I’ll be fine, I have an umbrella.” She said, her lips curving into another smile, a less somber one this time. She reached up and placed her hand over his, pulling both of them down. “Let’s go.” She said, dragging him after without letting go of his hand. Kassian squeezed her fingers, catching up to her so they could walk the rest of the way side by side. She let go as they reached the group of men waiting by the door along with the casket, and Kassian hurried to take his place among them.

Sarea’s father rubbed his face one more time before taking his spot in front of Kassian. More of Sarea’s family fell in line around the casket, lifting it up. Royals usually weren’t expected to participate in this ritual, they walked behind the coffin in the procession, but Kassian had insisted on joining. He owned Sarea at least that much.

As they stepped outside, he realized the rain had increased. A few of the mourners were still waiting, some hiding under umbrellas, while others stood under the downpour with puffy eyes and empty expressions.

The cold droplets hit his face first, quickly drenching his clothes. Nobody complained nobody stopped as the six of them moved down the path towards the burial grounds. The soldiers that had served Sarea’s mansion fell in a tight formation in front of them while the rest of the mourners trailed behind. Kassian resisted the urge to look back and make sure Raena had gotten that umbrella; instead, he focused on the back of Duke’s head and the quiet tap-tap-tap of the rain around them.

The coffin wasn’t heavy, not with eight people carrying it, but Kassian felt its weight grow with every step he took. The sound of crying behind him only added to the uneasiness of his heart and brought forth memories from his mother’s funeral.

She hadn’t been allowed into the tomb in the Imperial palace and the one in his residence didn’t exist then, so they had to find somewhere else to bury her. The funeral included just him and a few servants that had remained loyal to her, all gathered quietly around the hole they had dug themselves at the edge of the garden where his mother’s favorite spot had been. He wasn’t allowed to help carry the simple coffin since he was too weak. They didn’t let him help with covering her with earth, since he wasn’t big enough to hold the shovel either. So he watched as the others did everything for his mother, vowing to become stronger, bigger, so he could help too.

His mother would have liked Sarea – his first wife had been the perfect lady in every aspect and she did her duties as a wife more than perfectly. She didn’t deserve this end.

Kassian tightened his hold on the handle of the coffin, fingers trembling from the intensity with which he squeezed. His sorrow vanished, devoured by anger and a thirst for violence. He was going to make them pay. He wasn’t going to let that vicious woman take anything else away from him.

He didn’t realize when they had crossed the burial grounds and reached the building leading to the family crypt. The front doors that led to the ceremonial chamber were wide open, with two priests waiting patiently on either side. The priests entered the building first and Kassian helped the others set the coffin to the pedestal in the center of the chamber, moving back so the priests could prepare for the last rites.

The mourners came pouring into the spacious room, bringing along the sound of heavy steps, quiet sighs, and muffled crying. Kassian looked around in confusion, suddenly not sure what he was supposed to do. He looked for Blaine, who would usually quickly remind him of the order of things, but he couldn’t spot his aide anywhere.

People started giving him weird glances, so he swallowed loudly, almost cursing out loud.

He couldn’t mess up now. He had done everything properly so far. He…

“Kassian, breathe.”

His head snapped towards the voice and for a second he couldn’t recognize the face behind the black veil. Raena reached out and caught his arm, gently nudging him towards the empty seats in the first row, next to Sarea’s immediate family members.

Kassian dropped in one of them, taking a deep, calming breath. He could still feel her arms squeezing his, grounding him somehow until the noises quieted and his mind cleared. He glanced down at her and she gave him an understanding smile, then looked back forward once one of the priests started singing the familiar mourning melody.

He wasn’t going to let them take anything else away from him anymore. He worked for and earned that strength. For this moment.

He was no longer useless and weak.