Chapter 183: Interrogation
The Duke’s funeral was set to be in a few weeks, but due to monsters prevailing in the area, only a few would attend the funerary rites. It would be irresponsible for the Knights of Tenetium to escort every single noble who asked. Only those equipped or with knights of their own would attend, even the King would send someone in his wake so that he wouldn’t have to put his family through more travel.
That in itself didn’t sit well with most knights and apprentices. They thought that, even though the man had been declining slowly for a while, he still deserved a more honorable end. What was normal for a Duke’s funeral was a large event. They would celebrate life and bless his body.
For the Duchess to steal his ashes and effectively ruin the blessing and honoring of the man.
But what came with the sense of disappointment over this fact was determination.
Sir Gunnar quickly found that the maids who were hired late were left behind by the Duchess. It was quite cruel considering they didn’t have anyone in the Duke’s Tower who looked after them. The Duchess hid them from everyone and housed them in rooms closest to the one she shared with the Duke.
As Sir Gunnar waited in the library for the youngest new maid to come to him, he couldn’t help tapping his foot impatiently.
The reason for meeting the girl in such a casual place was that she seemed intimidated by those around her because she knew that her presence was already unwelcome, and many were suspicious of her and the other new maids. It also didn’t help that certain events seemed to revolve around her, so Gunnar decided he would speak to her directly.
However, he also brought Irene with him, hoping that having someone younger might soften the blow. Perhaps he would also respond more kindly to the situation if he had someone he was meant to teach and couldn’t see him behaving in the unsavory way he was feeling.
Irene was permitted to read until the maid arrived, but when the door opened, her head snapped up at the same time the book shut.