However, there were very few mourners.
Since the Grand Duchess had still not regained consciousness, hardly anyone spared any attention for the tiny lump of flesh that had been far too small to be called a person.
Lost in complicated emotions, Lucas took another sip of wine.
After all the chaos had unfolded, his elder brother, who had shut himself away in his chambers, finally emerged only after the Grand Duchess's bleeding had stopped, solely to see the child that had died.
Lucas, who had rushed over after hearing the news to see what had happened, shuddered as he recalled the expression Varkas had worn that day.
The man had stared silently at the tiny bundle wrapped in cloth for a long, long time with hollow eyes that seemed utterly devoid of emotion.
Only after one of the maids finally broke down in frightened sobs did he calmly instruct them to bury the child with proper rites before turning away.
His composure had been chilling.
Yet what truly sent a shiver down Lucas's spine was the shadow he had glimpsed crossing his brother's face.
It was the kind of dreadful darkness one would expect to see only upon the face of a decapitated corpse.
Looking as though every drop of blood had drained from his body, Varkas returned to the bedchamber and firmly shut the door behind him.
For the past three days, he had remained silently at the bedside of his wife, who still hovered on the brink of death.
There were countless matters requiring the Grand Duke's approval.
Yet no one dared knock on that door.
No one could bring themselves to burden a man who had not only lost his first child but now stood on the verge of losing his wife as well with official documents.
But with the threat of war drawing closer by the hour, they could not simply sit back and wait forever.
'If... Brother still hasn't come out by tomorrow... I'll have to force my way in.'
Entrusted with that miserable responsibility, Lucas let out a heavy sigh before taking another swallow of the strong liquor.
Just then, a clear voice rose from below the castle wall.
"What are you doing up there?"
Turning his head, Lucas spotted Raina leading a dark chestnut stallion through the castle gate.
His brows immediately furrowed.
As usual, she had apparently slipped out of the castle alone without any guards. Pulling her hood low over her face, she stopped at the foot of the staircase leading to the battlements and looked up at him with an expression of utter disbelief.
"So you've got nothing better to do than mope around up there?"
"And what about you?"
Lucas answered indifferently after moistening his lips with wine.
"Where have you been with a horse in weather like this?"
"I didn't want to stay inside the castle, so I deliberately went out. I was sick of watching every servant in the castle walk around looking as though someone important had died."
Lucas stiffened at his sister's merciless words.
He had known Raina harbored hostility toward the Grand Duchess.
But he had never imagined she would react so coldly to such a tragedy.
Reproachfully, Lucas said,
"The Grand Duchess is lying unconscious. The least you could do is show a little sympathy."
"When has that woman ever shown sympathy toward Father or me? So why should I?"
Apparently wounded by his criticism, a faint shimmer of moisture appeared in Raina's large reddish-brown eyes.
As though trying to conceal it, she widened her eyes and snapped,
"Don't act so righteous, Lucas. Aren't you the one secretly celebrating this outcome more than anyone?"
Lucas stared at her in confusion.
"What are you talking about?"
"Don't pretend you don't know. Right now, you're the only remaining heir of the Grand Ducal House. Maybe you'll stay the heir from now on, too."
A crooked smile spread across her lips.
"With that woman's build, she was never capable of giving birth to a healthy child in the first place. Unless Brother takes another bride, sooner or later you'll—or your children—be the ones to inherit House Siorcan."
Lucas looked down at her as though she were a complete stranger.
She had always been stubborn and headstrong.
But she had never been this heartless.
Had their father's death truly affected her that deeply?
He narrowed his eyes and studied her face.
After their father died, Lucas himself had begun undergoing rigorous training in earnest.
Perhaps Raina had felt abandoned, left behind all alone.
The bitterness of being pushed outside everyone's concern had gradually filled her with malice.