Guidelines for the Perfect Goodbye - Chapter 1
“Miss Cecilia, are you alright?”
She opened her eyes at the not-so-familiar term of address. A stranger nervously shook her shoulder and embraced her.
“With the funeral right around the corner… Truly, the heavens are indifferent.”
“…”
It took a while before she recognized who he was. Christian Pierce. The heir to the Pierce Duchy. Logan’s… half-brother.
The half-brother of her husband, whom she had never met, approached and awkwardly pressed his body against hers. Cecilia subtly showed her discomfort and stepped aside. The man’s hand stuck to hers unpleasantly.
“Wherever he went, trouble followed. He was a diligent fellow… it’s a pity.”
He fairly evaluated the younger brother he had never faced.
“If he had completed this expedition, he could have been officially accepted into our house after receiving recognition for his merits.”
Cecilia’s fingers clutching her dress trembled.
Did her husband desire success? Did he seek acknowledgment from his family? She knew almost nothing about her husband, except that he had fallen into ruin because of her.
But she had no intention of divulging the family affairs to an impolite interlocutor. She defended her husband as gently as possible.
“He had a kind grandfather.”
“Yes, his ‘maternal’ grandfather. A man without any pedigree.”
“…”
“Don’t be too distressed. Father is considering the posthumous entry of his name into the family registry for the honor of his deceased son’s exploits in the war.”
Cecilia raised her silver-blue eyes and gazed at her young and dapper brother-in-law.
Golden hair that seemed fragile rather than soft. From his tousled curls above his shoulders emanated a scent of vanilla with a hint of lavender.
‘Is this man truly his brother?’
It was hard to believe even after seeing him.
Her husband always kept his silver hair neatly trimmed, barely allowing it to reach the length of his fingernails. His hair, meticulously arranged with a razor, remained unaffected by the sea breeze. It was a hairstyle suitable only for military uniforms.
It seemed like it happened only yesterday. She had prepared sandalwood-scented hair oil as a gift for their first meeting, but he pretended that it was not there.
This man was different from her husband. It was apparent at first glance that this man had a keen interest in dressing up. The extravagant expense he had incurred today would easily surpass the cost of the funeral attire she was currently wearing.
She didn’t particularly harbor any resentment towards his entrance. His demeanor seemed well-suited, almost as if he had guessed it right, and he didn’t seem awkward. If her husband had an interest in luxuries, would he have appeared somewhat like a brother to this man?
However, at present, the only similarity between him and her husband seemed to be their exceptionally handsome visages.
“I was not particularly distressed.”
Cecilia replied briefly.
“I find that hard to believe.”
The man strengthened his grip on Cecilia’s shoulder.
“Miss Cecilia, there’s no need to hide something like that among family. It must be terrifying to return to a house with not a single man in it, as a mourning woman. But don’t worry. From now on, I will take responsibility for you.”
Who was he taking responsibility for? Cecilia pondered over the words he poured out. Soon, her head turned slowly.
“Young Lord. I heard about how you had incurred quite a personal debt. And I also heard that Father-in-law declared that he wouldn’t pass on the ducal title to you until you settle that debt on your own.”
“What?”
“My inheritance that is coincidentally going to be passed on to me is quite substantial.”
The man’s face contorted momentarily. Cecilia stood as rigid as a winter-dried tree.
“Please call me Mrs. Harper.”
When she tensed her jaw, the prominent structure of her long and slender neck became apparent.
Her voice, released with force, was low and resolute.
“My husband passed away. We did not divorce.”
A platinum ring, devoid of any gem, continued to occupy her ring finger. Though it was akin to a shackle bounding them to each other, the matching rings weren’t the kind of ring to be exploited by a gambler.
“Hah, whatever.”
The man lowered the hand that had been gripping Cecilia’s shoulder. His meager patience reached its limit, and his gaze turned malicious.
“Do you know? There was a woman Logan really loved.”
Just words meant to wound and scratch. Cecilia didn’t respond. She wasn’t shocked anew; it was a fact she had known for a long time.
The woman Logan loved.
The owner of the position she stole.
…The woman who her mother had killed.
“On that topic, the viscount’s one and only daughter is being coveted. Judging by your current state, it seems like she’s finally returned to a man fitting your own level.”
The sneer was as familiar as the hatred. Cecilia didn’t reply. She wasn’t shaken. It was a fact she had known for a long time.
The mockery was as familiar as hatred. Cecilia inclined her head with an unruffled attitude.
“Thank you for extending your condolences.”
And they smiled at each other.
“I’ll politely decline the flowers.”
They both didn’t particularly care for each other anyway.
In response to Cecilia’s cold words, he bared his fangs and laughed.
“You will regret rejecting me.”
Cecilia watched his departing figure, gently caressing the surface of the ring on her hand.
An inexplicable chill ran down her spine. She lifted her head. Thick, low-hanging clouds seemed ready to pour rain at any moment.
It was an ominous sign.
