Chapter 01

Seven Years Earlier

The grand mansion of the Duchy filled with mourners.

A young noble lady who looked too young to have even made her debut.

An elderly gentleman dressed in a black tuxedo.

Countless influential figures of the Empire, all clothed in mourning black.

Every one of them carried the same letter, bearing the ducal crest.

I was no different.

My name was Kasia Bennet.

What we all held in our hands was a notice of tragic news.

A single letter proving just how fleeting happiness could be.

It was because of that letter that so many people had gathered at the ducal estate since early morning.

Everyone reacted differently.

Some stood frozen in shock at the sudden news.

Some covered their faces with their sleeves, unable to stop their tears.

Others hid their grief behind composed expressions and hurried forward without a word.

And as for me…

Perhaps I was the most expressionless person here.

“Who are you?”

It almost felt as though I could hear Diana’s voice from the day we first met.

It was my first day at the academy attended by the Empire’s nobility.

I had stepped onto the terrace alone to enjoy the breeze when someone approached me.

It was Diana Allison.

The young lady of House Allison.

The girl who had attracted more attention than anyone else during the entrance ceremony.

“Why are you out here?” she had asked.

“I thought you enrolled this year too.”

“There are too many people inside,” I had replied.

“Crowds are exhausting.”

She had looked at me with curious eyes, intrigued by someone her own age who behaved nothing like the other noble girls.

We talked until the evening celebration marking the entrance ceremony came to an end.

That was probably where everything began.

Diana started keeping me close.

Before long, we became inseparable.

It didn’t take long for two little girls to ignore the difference in our social standings and nurture a friendship.

People often said I was nothing more than Diana’s attendant.

I never minded.

They weren’t entirely wrong.

Diana was the beloved daughter of the prestigious House Allison.

I was merely the daughter of an insignificant noble family.

Still…

Being called her friend was far better than being called her maid.

And I genuinely liked Diana.

As we entered adolescence, she fell in love, married, and eventually became a duchess.

We could no longer spend every day together like carefree little girls.

Even so…

Our bond never faded.

I was there when she gave birth.

I was there for her children’s birthdays.

I was there when they entered the academy.

She always invited me to every celebration held at the ducal estate.

We were friends.

We were family.

Sisters in everything except blood.

Perhaps that was why…

To all members of the nobility, we regret to announce the passing of Her Grace, Duchess Diana Whitdrian.

As I stared at the obituary, I felt my entire body grow cold.

I couldn’t believe it.

How could someone as healthy and radiant as Diana be gone so suddenly?

I had always believed Diana would live a happy life.

Everyone probably thought the same.

“How could this happen…? She was always in perfect health.”

“I heard it was a carriage accident.”

The whispers of nearby nobles reached my ears.

A carriage accident…

My footsteps halted.

I remembered something Diana had said only a few days earlier.

“Kasia… if—just if—I were to die suddenly…”

“What are you talking about?”

“You never know what life will bring. Even people living happily can suddenly meet with an accident.”

I had laughed it off, telling her not to say such unsettling things.

But Diana had continued.

“Don’t brush it aside. Promise me.”

“If I disappear… please protect my family.”

“…”

“Of course I will.”

“You don’t even need to ask.”

Her unusually serious tone had struck me as odd.

But I hadn’t thought much of it.

After standing there for a moment, lost in thought, I continued walking.

Inside the ducal mansion, the head maid welcomed the arriving guests with a grief-stricken expression.

The entire estate was in turmoil.

Yet at the same time, it had never felt more solemn.

Guests gathered throughout the grand hall in silence.

When the appointed hour arrived, the doors to the room where Diana rested slowly opened.

The butler stepped out and guided us inside one by one.

At the center of the room stood a large coffin.

The chamber was dimly lit, surrounded by rows of burning candles.

“I suppose they aren’t allowing anyone to view the body.”

“Considering she died in an accident…”

“I’m sure the condition is…”

Whispers drifted through the room once again.

Soon, the funeral began.

“Duchess Diana Whitdrian was a woman of unmatched kindness and compassion…”

The butler’s prepared eulogy echoed softly throughout the chamber.

The ceremony passed far too quickly.

I remained standing in silence the entire time.

Around me, nobles quietly wiped away their tears.

Eventually, everyone began approaching the coffin one by one, each carrying a single flower for a final farewell.

Diana’s husband went first.

Then her two sons.

After them came Diana’s birth family.

Then the maids.

The servants.

Finally, the other nobles.

Flowers slowly piled up around the coffin.

The person ahead of me stepped away.

Following the butler’s guidance, I walked toward Diana.

Diana was inside this coffin.

My dearest friend.

The person who had shared every chapter of my life since childhood.

“…I want to see her.”

I turned toward the butler.

“Please let me see Diana one last time.”

“But…”

The butler hesitated.

Just then, a man’s voice broke the silence.

“Open it.”

“…Your Grace.”

It was Diana’s husband.

The Duke of Whitdrian.

When I looked toward him, I saw the deep grief weighing upon his face.

“Lady Bennet shared a special bond with my wife.”

“Grant her request.”

“…Yes, Your Grace.”

The butler bowed.

Nearby knights stepped forward and slowly lifted the coffin lid.

Diana came into view.

I examined her quietly.

Her pale skin.

Her long, beautiful chestnut hair.

Dressed in a pure white burial gown, she lay with her eyes peacefully closed.

Considering she had died in a carriage accident, her body was not nearly as horrifying as I had feared.

One side of her skull had been crushed from the impact.

But to me…

She was still every bit as beautiful as she had always been.

Slowly, I reached into the coffin.

I took hold of her neatly folded hands.

“Goodbye, Diana.”

I gently stroked her cold fingers.

Not a trace of warmth remained.

“Thank you…”

“…for everything.”

Soft sobs broke out among the mourners.

That was my final farewell to Diana.

For a friendship that had lasted more than twenty years…

It was an ending far too empty, and heartbreakingly brief.