TDATD⋆♱✮

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ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ 84

[Two Funerals for One Person]

Due to this bizarre fact, the mourners couldn’t shake off a feeling of unease throughout the ceremony. Despite the clear sky, the atmosphere was as cold and chilly as if winter had arrived.

Though they looked around, people eventually turned their gaze back to Judith.

The previous funeral had been marked by torrential rain, and she had stood in the same spot then. Despite the harsh conditions, she had appeared much better then than today, where she looked as if she might collapse with a gust of wind, causing repeated anxiety among the onlookers.

The pallbearers carried the coffin, which had been kept in the annex, in a steady march. The ground dug up during the previous funeral seemed as if it had known all along this would happen.

Sir Horton made eye contact with her. He too wore a tragic expression at facing his lord’s funeral for the second time.

The chillingly consistent procedure of awaiting her permission was to be performed before burying the black coffin. Unlike the previous days when she would hesitate before nodding, Judith couldn’t take her eyes off the coffin. Even though she knew she had to give the order to begin the burial, her neck was stiff, and she couldn’t move.

As she remained unresponsive, murmurs began to rise from the back. It was as if the noise pushed against the back of her head, causing her to slowly nod.

The coffin was buried.

A memory of the moment the body inside had once more come to life flickered across Judith’s iris. She wished it would come back to life again. Even if it was just a play to see her despair, she didn’t care. Please.

She wanted to know if the devil was still alive. If he were alive, he would surely give her some signal.

However, as the burial proceeded without a hitch, her hopes were crushed.

The coffin, which had been glistening in the sunlight, disappeared in the blink of an eye. As she blankly stared at the earth covering it, the harsh reality she had been avoiding finally hit her.

There was no god, no miracle occurred, and the devil… was gone.

Just as she had vaguely realized her love, his death also hit her like a tidal wave. She had not properly expressed her gratitude for protecting her like a shield, nor had she confessed her painful emotions, nor anything else.

There were so many words piled up in her heart, like the sea, but the one who would listen to them was gone. And perhaps, she might never see him again.

She would never see Derrick again.

As the unbearable truth washed over her, tears that had been dry for two weeks finally broke free. She bowed her head in despair, and a sharp pain suddenly stabbed her abdomen.

“…!”

As she inhaled in surprise, the pain, which had been like needles, turned into an awl, stabbing her womb indiscriminately.

As Judith clutched her stomach and collapsed, everyone raised their voices in concern.

“Duchess!”

Marquis Dyer’s wife, who had been watching her anxiously from the front row of mourners, ran over in shock. Seeing Judith’s pale face, the marquise immediately signaled the waiting maid. Confirming that the maid was running to fetch the doctor, she turned her attention back to Judith.