chapter 32
It's been weeks the Banquet is over and the old man is sick on bed.
Old man keeps getting weaker day by day....
He now can't even get up from his bed, So there is no one anymore to break my bedroom doors.
I have been practicing with Dion, My sword skills are only getting day by day better, But honestly I am bored.
I am trying to look for a chance to get away from this place because I no longer can wait for an opportunity to come my way...
I have already collected enough things to sell and have a house, plus a shop where I can make a living.
All I need to do is look for a good time to escape from here...
Knocks.... knocks.....
"Who is it? Come in!"
"It's me Dion My Lady! Your Grace is asking for you, Can you come to his room..."
Okay! I got it! I am coming, Anyway this might be last time....
***
I entered Old man's room and it was so quiet that it might suffocate someone...
"So, What is it? That you called me for in such a boring room?"
I got closer to the old man who was on the bed. I saw how his hands were so weak that he couldn't even lift them up...
'He seems to be losing a lot of weight. It's almost all the meat has left his body, Only his bones are remaining.'
I sat on the chair beside the bed in a lazy position while crossed my legs and leaned back...
"Oh! You came! You Little shit, What were you up to nowadays?"
(In a low and hoarse voice)
"Nothing! Just having training with Dion and looking after some work that you left behind."
I made an uninterested expression on my voice, While replying the old man...
"I thought you might have run away already with your collection and started to live somewhere far away from here."
"Yeah! I am thinking of doing this while looking for a chance."
"Ho! It's rare coming for you not to have chance yet? It's a surprise for me to see you here still staying after getting yourself in so much trouble."
Fena stared at the duke for a while and turned away her face from his sight....
"Do you want me to run away? I know there is no one anymore to stop me. I just thought before leaving I should thank you."
Duke's looks at Fena with surprised eyes.....
"Thanks for what? All I did was use you and get you in to my family problems."
Fena brings her face closer to duke, " You may not know What it means to live life in poverty. Where you have to wait every day for the food, Where you have to wait for your turn to get beaten up by the average wealth people."
I will just, This time call you Duke, " It may not mean much to you what I am going to say, But I am grateful towards the duke for bringing me here and having me a lot of facilities that I never thought of having before..."
" I made friends and had a lot of fun and I did not take these things for granted because I know I have these only as long as you are here and as long as I am here, After that nothing will last."
I get up from my seat and got closer to the window in the room and placed my hand on the window glass. The weather outside was cold and it seems soon it will start raining....
I stared at outside at the lake in the garden where little beautiful white swans were swimming in such a cold weather....
Say, " Old man, How much time did you have left?"
"You can say less than 72 hours, I guess", The duke laughs....
Fena's eyes grew larger at the words of duke....
Fena who clench her teeth and her hand, " I see! So You are going to die and go to where? Heaven? Hell?"
Duke starts talking, "It's okay you don't need to light up the mood and don't sympathize with me because this is also your future."
Fena who was looking outside turns her face towards the duke, " What a cruel thing to say your granddaughter? Shouldn't you be using kind words towards me?"
"Because I know these words doesn't let you down even if I say kindly or cruelly."
Fena laughs at the duke words, " Old man, You are sly as always and you don't need to remind me, Since I know this is the end of every fire spirit user in the end."
"If you know about this then, This is why you were visiting every library of the empire and bookstore, From Blanchester library to Royal library."
"I don't know what you are talking about."
"I am sorry, Fena, Forgive this grandpa and live a long happy life with surrounded by the people who will love you a lot."
Old Man take your medicine and have your snacks, Here are your raspberries...."
"Hmm! Why aren't you saying anything? Are you that happy to see your favorites raspberries?"
Jean and Ann, who were standing near the duke's bed, " My Lady! The duke passed away, You can stop talking now. I believe the duke had a really great time with you in his last moments."
Jean after finishing his words, Starts crying....
Fena who was standing near the window, looks back at Jean and Ann with shocked eyes, " Wasn't he saying? He has 72 hours left?"
Fena turn her face towards the window and once again starts looking outside, " Jean, Send Dion to in from the other children's and Royal family about the news duke passed away..."
Jean who looks at Fena with surprised eyes, Nods and leaves for in forming Dion....
***
At Vermilion State.....
Lucas who was swinging his sword at the training ground gets the news of the Grand duke passed away....
"What did you say just now? The Grand duke passed away?"
The sword in Lucas hands falls down on the floor in shock of duke's death news...
A humble servant standing beside the Lucas, " Yes! Sir! Sir Knight Dion comes here personally and in forming the death of duke and left for the royal Palace."
***
Everywhere the news spread of duke's death and funeral held....
Everyone visited the funeral of duke and all other nobles left after paying their respect to the duke.
While Fena was standing a side beside the coffin of the duke in a black dress with an empty look on her face....
Other Blanchester kids were standing there crying after losing their grandfather...
Lucas, Max, Maria, Sena and Leon were standing on other side, Quietly watching Fena and the others....
And the end Emperor paid his respects and offered some comfort words to Fena who was still standing there like a statue....
"I really admired the Grand duke and always respected him as my own father and I believe in his successor, That you will overcome this all and stand still for your siblings' sake."
Emperor's left the funeral ....
Fena and her friends with their families, and the Former emperor were left at the funeral place....
The weather starts to getting bad and rains slowly starts.....
Alex who was standing while having tears in his eyes with a tough expression on his face, " I didn't think she would be the last person, Grandpa will be with...."
Viola standing side by side with Alex, " This bastard knew from the start about grandpa health and played like a fool in front of us…"
Alex who couldn't control his emotions, Walks towards Fena and grabs her from collar by one hand, " You bastard, You trash and piece of shit of this family, You knew from the start? Right! About everything and yet you tried to play like a fool in front of us."
"Today whatever happened it's all because of yo-"
Alex who was grabbing fena from collar stops in middle of what he was saying. The moment he saws the expression on Fena face.
Fena had an expression of someone who is already dead and miserable and had nothing left for her in this world. As if her world had already ended.
Upon seeing that Alex backs off and walks away while trying to trick himself that he didn't noticed the expression on Fena face. Because he didn't want to realize the fact that Fena is also their family.